Many years ago I added Bluetooth to an early 80s radio. Was very proud of that creation. And now I need to add Alexa to a 70s machine! You've inspired me, thank you :)
I really, REALLY love seeing people who managed to implement modern functionalities in vintage technologies without modifying it's cosmetics outside, and I'm a sucker for it! You've appeared on my recommendation and it certainly caught my eye!
This is really cool, only thing I would think would make it cooler is if you could integrate the Alexa light into the display somehow. Like make it light up the front tuner display when Alexa is listening? Would definitely add a cool factor to it. :)
To tune in to SW you gotta have an outdoor antenna or a long wire attached to the radio at one end and the other end is out of the house. Great video 😊
upgraded nostalgia, well done! projects like this gives the unbreakable old devices even a longer lifespan and also new idea's for future projects for you and others. I am a-technical myself, but i appreciate your work. Fun to watch.
Throughout my childhood, my grandfather had a really old stereo/amplifier system next to his chair. It had the most magnificently clunky switches and heavy, metals dials... it was beautiful. It's all I wanted when he passed because I wanted to do the same thing you had done to this bedside radio. After he passed I went to collect it, only to find that someone had thrown it out!! I can't quite explain what that piece of electronics meant to me but it meant far more than it could be worth in function or value. Not only did it hold some of my oldest, nostalgic feelings but it gave THE most pleasurably tactile feelings of a device (pun away!). I wish I had taken note of what brand it was, even if I couldn't have his, I could still have tracked down an alternate of it.
Being a nerd for old vintage electronics, I feel I could do transporting back to the 70’s, and get to feel the vibes of those times. Good to keep old vintage electronics, bringing them upto the new era.👍
I love the old radio Steve and then to put Alexa in great idea 💡 I have watched a few of your videos and enjoy the way you do your videos well done sir 👍👏👏😊
Splendid project Steve ... love the mix of old and new tech. How about finding a scrap 1940s/50s tv cabinet and fitting it with a tablet in place of the tube? Keep up the great work 👍😀
What about incorporating a toaster inside a Betamax video recorder? Would need to do something to stop oil from the cassette mechanism getting on to the bread though.
Truly Amazing Content !!! I am blown away with this idea ! Stumbled upon your channel for fixing/ repairing which I have been enjoying older episodes but then to find this nugget of cosmic mix of old retro nostalgia dragged into modern times! I wish I had the skills to do something like this….
ive just found your channel and been binge watching your videos, really my cup of tea, love this kind of stuff and your work is brilliant, and you have Vince and Tronics fix follow you, wow , well done, your channel is going to be huge.
I just found your channel so I have been binging a bit, and this has been my favorite video so far. One of my dream projects is turning a Sony Boombox from the 80s(Something like a Sound Rider) into a smart device.
Nicely done! P.S. Shortwave is still going; I expect that to get good reception, you need a longwire and to situate it away from sources of interference.
Im glad im not the only one that hurts himself opening these really old machines haha. Love this project, such a cool idea and could easily be adapted to any old system :D
good idea as a whole.. there is one part which isn't needed though ! the second small amp..... you've got an amp (alexa plug) feeding another small Bluetooth amp feeding the radio amp. 3 amps in total, you could ditch the middle one (Bluetooth amp) and get the same if not better audio quality most likely.
Hi, Stez! Yes, that DIN 5 is a tape deck connector. Pins 1 and 4 are for left and right, pin 2 is the common ground, and 3 and 5 are left and right outputs (to record a tape in the deck). The outputs come from the pre-amp, so you can use it as an output for a bigger amplifier if you wish to. :)
People watch these vids and read the comments even 2 years on. . . or is it just me? Anyway, this project was right in my wheelhouse. On behalf of a workmate I bought an old valve radio, recap'd the gutz, with caps (bought from Umerika) found the audio input and installed a balanced aux in lead out to an iPod which would hide behind the radio. The fella loved it; an old time radio sitting on his bar but magically playing "modern" digital music from its beautiful valve amplifier. There was no Alexa those days but I can see the huge advantage of integrating Siri or Alexa. Hmm.
A delight to see the old trusty Fergus on radio is venturing its new life with Alexa and preserving its look. I can imagine they both having good good time. A marriage made in heaven I think😄😅😂. You did a great job and it is a shame less singing this time from you😔.
When I first started watching you I actually believed you didn't think you were confident. But as I watched many many more I finally know now you know exactly what you're doing and have cultivated a lackluster persona. Bravo. Stupid person figure me out. LOL doesn't change anything, I love your Channel. I'm a canadian, so we have to watch you Brits closely. Lol
Shortwave is alive and well. It just depends on your location, and time of day, and if the sun is acting a nut or not (the solar flux plays a huge roll in shortwave propagation, and a solar flair will kill reception). In the day time higher frequencies work better than low frequencies, at night lower frequencies do better than higher frequencies. It also depends on how good the antenna is, electrical interference is a constant issue with shortwave.
What a great project. I've just picked up a couple of faulty Google Home devices that I want to play around with if I get them up and running. I'm going to have to keep an eye out for an old radio now!!!
Nice job & I am glad you still have all of your fingers. I put a Sonoff Mini R2 in my Mr. Coffee. I have a reminder on my watch that warns me if I leave it on for 4 hours. BTW I have 10 Alexa's and none are inside of a radio, GG.
Hey i know this video is 3 years old but what you have done is wired a stereo blutooth unit to a mono set so when you send music to the set through bluetooth you will only get one channel some music will be missing. What you should have done is used a 100k resistor from left output and the same on right output then joined the resistors together giving you both the channels mixed for mono.
If it was smoke, I'm not so sure it wasn't reflection, but either way I don't think it would be caused by anything Steve did, that clock display was coming and going before he took it apart.
This is really cool even without the Alexa! Nice find! In 30 years people are going to be taking this apart again and wondering why there’s an outdated Alexa from a totally different time period. 😂
Wow never realized how much your huge 240v plug standard limits minimizing the size of things until I saw that amazon device. That is the size plug we use on our clothes dryers here in the States!
Very nice Job! I think the problem of driving the speaker directly with the Bluetooth amplifier was, that the original amplifier was still connected and therefore distorted the output.
Nice work, I found a beautiful mid century solid wood cabinet tube stereo at a thrift store that I gave to my daughter, thinking my son in law could get the turntable going but it looks like I’m going to have to do it. In the back of my mind I wanted to get Alexa going on it but I think this might be slightly above my skill level. I have the basic concept but I have a feeling once I start messing with it I won’t be able to trouble shoot it well enough. But this is tempting me!
Looks constipated on the thumbnail.
I was a bit.
How does a mathematician cure constipation? He works it out with a pencil.
@@eclectarama 🤣🤣🤣
@@eclectarama The non-mathematicians just work it out on their fingers
@@dpowerful1 😀
This is one of the most interesting... crazy and coolest conversion of an appliance I've seen. Amazing work.
Many years ago I added Bluetooth to an early 80s radio. Was very proud of that creation. And now I need to add Alexa to a 70s machine! You've inspired me, thank you :)
I really, REALLY love seeing people who managed to implement modern functionalities in vintage technologies without modifying it's cosmetics outside, and I'm a sucker for it! You've appeared on my recommendation and it certainly caught my eye!
This is a great idea and having the finished product not even give a hint of the magic inside is brilliant. Love it!
Thank you! I'm really happy with how it turned out, no-one would ever know what's going on inside! 😊
just now at the end of the video lol I found out why you weren't actually saying alexa AND you sir are a genuine legend!
This is really cool, only thing I would think would make it cooler is if you could integrate the Alexa light into the display somehow. Like make it light up the front tuner display when Alexa is listening? Would definitely add a cool factor to it. :)
And maybe repurpose one of the buttons on the radio as a mic mute, so She Who Shall Not Be Named isn't constantly listening from just by the bed 😳
You should have twitted the input cable to get less noise. Nice mod butifull radio 📻
This is the smartest thing I’ve ever seen, modern technology with a 70’s aesthetic feel…utterly brilliant 👏🏻
To tune in to SW you gotta have an outdoor antenna or a long wire attached to the radio at one end and the other end is out of the house. Great video 😊
upgraded nostalgia, well done! projects like this gives the unbreakable old devices even a longer lifespan and also new idea's for future projects for you and others. I am a-technical myself, but i appreciate your work. Fun to watch.
Brilliant. I think that was an awesome thing to do and it truly sets you apart from someone who just repairs. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Oz, much appreciated! 👍
Throughout my childhood, my grandfather had a really old stereo/amplifier system next to his chair. It had the most magnificently clunky switches and heavy, metals dials... it was beautiful. It's all I wanted when he passed because I wanted to do the same thing you had done to this bedside radio. After he passed I went to collect it, only to find that someone had thrown it out!! I can't quite explain what that piece of electronics meant to me but it meant far more than it could be worth in function or value. Not only did it hold some of my oldest, nostalgic feelings but it gave THE most pleasurably tactile feelings of a device (pun away!). I wish I had taken note of what brand it was, even if I couldn't have his, I could still have tracked down an alternate of it.
Captain Mod! You're venturing to other territories never walked by Man! Wow! What a fine mod!
😁 thanks Pedro! 👍
Being a nerd for old vintage electronics, I feel I could do transporting back to the 70’s, and get to feel the vibes of those times. Good to keep old vintage electronics, bringing them upto the new era.👍
yet again your reactions are priceless.
I love the old radio Steve and then to put Alexa in great idea 💡 I have watched a few of your videos and enjoy the way you do your videos well done sir 👍👏👏😊
Splendid project Steve ... love the mix of old and new tech. How about finding a scrap 1940s/50s tv cabinet and fitting it with a tablet in place of the tube? Keep up the great work 👍😀
Thanks Chris! That sounds like a great idea! I'm definitely going to look into that! 👍
So much this ^
What about incorporating a toaster inside a Betamax video recorder?
Would need to do something to stop oil from the cassette mechanism getting on to the bread though.
Brilliant idea.
Not a good idea, I tried it, you can't get the new screen to look like an old crt screen, BUT maybe you can think of a way... 🤔
Sat here with a beer again watching this Steve haha. Again pure genius ✅👍
😁 thanks Scott! Hope you enjoyed your beer! 😍
old tech circuit boards just look so much better than modern ones.
Thanks for your videos, I felt confident enough to repair a 1986 GDR record player (RFT SP 3001). And I made it work 👍
Seriously, this channel is great. This chan deserves all the subs.
Thanks Stonecold! 😁
Truly Amazing Content !!! I am blown away with this idea ! Stumbled upon your channel for fixing/ repairing which I have been enjoying older episodes but then to find this nugget of cosmic mix of old retro nostalgia dragged into modern times! I wish I had the skills to do something like this….
ive just found your channel and been binge watching your videos, really my cup of tea, love this kind of stuff and your work is brilliant, and you have Vince and Tronics fix follow you, wow , well done, your channel is going to be huge.
Thanks Dom! Really appreciate that. 👍
I just found your channel so I have been binging a bit, and this has been my favorite video so far. One of my dream projects is turning a Sony Boombox from the 80s(Something like a Sound Rider) into a smart device.
As someone who struggles installing a light bulb this was quite impressive! Well done mate :)
Nicely done!
Thanks Vince! 👍
Nicely done! P.S. Shortwave is still going; I expect that to get good reception, you need a longwire and to situate it away from sources of interference.
That's the beauty of old electronics devices. You can bring them to the current times. Good luck bringing current electronics devices to 2070 though.
What a fantastic idea. I'm on the look for an old radio now because this would be such a great conversation starter
This is a great job you did, lad. Modernizing radios with Alexa is the greatest idea anyone came up with.
I greet you, I think your videos are great, I could watch you all day... 🤗
Thanks Martin! 👍
Im glad im not the only one that hurts himself opening these really old machines haha.
Love this project, such a cool idea and could easily be adapted to any old system :D
😁 thanks Tony! I thought it was just me, so that makes me feel better if others are hurting themselves too! 🤣
This is BLOODY BRILLIANT!
😊 thanks Matt!
Now this was rather interesting to watch there Steve that retro Ferguson radio & Alexa combo great idea you thought of there - Nice 1 mate 👍
Thanks Chris, I think it looks great and it works really well! 👍
Recently found your channel and I’m really enjoying your content. What you did in this video blew me away. Awesome
good idea as a whole.. there is one part which isn't needed though ! the second small amp..... you've got an amp (alexa plug) feeding another small Bluetooth amp feeding the radio amp. 3 amps in total, you could ditch the middle one (Bluetooth amp) and get the same if not better audio quality most likely.
but no bluetooth which is why he said he'd keep it
Hi, Stez! Yes, that DIN 5 is a tape deck connector. Pins 1 and 4 are for left and right, pin 2 is the common ground, and 3 and 5 are left and right outputs (to record a tape in the deck). The outputs come from the pre-amp, so you can use it as an output for a bigger amplifier if you wish to. :)
But that is not a “line” output. Its a variable one
People watch these vids and read the comments even 2 years on. . . or is it just me?
Anyway, this project was right in my wheelhouse. On behalf of a workmate I bought an old valve radio, recap'd the gutz, with caps (bought from Umerika) found the audio input and installed a balanced aux in lead out to an iPod which would hide behind the radio. The fella loved it; an old time radio sitting on his bar but magically playing "modern" digital music from its beautiful valve amplifier. There was no Alexa those days but I can see the huge advantage of integrating Siri or Alexa. Hmm.
Great job Steve, i like it! The old Ferguson sounds pretty decent for the size the driver and tiny magnet.
Thanks Les! I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the sound. Lacking a bit of bass, but the mids are excellent! 👍
Wow what a great idea Steve 💡 👏 😀 👍.....now you got me thinking 🤔 😀 I think I am going to do something like that....cheers mate 👍 👌 😀
It's great, I'm really happy with how it came out! There's something special about having new tech inside of old! 😁👍
It's a triumph, great project!
PS Nana Mouskouri is a bit of a legend in my eyes. Still going at 88... bless.
One of my favourite videos from you Steve, just a brilliant idea! Possibly the coolest Alexa device in the planet
Great job Steve!
Nice work Steve and a nice upgrade loving the retro look
Thanks Stephen! Yeah, it looks awesome and it works really well. Very pleased with it! 👍
The best part is - this radio can still work as intended. Strenghts of both, weaknesses of neither.
Wow, you're one talented guy. Such a cool project
One of your best thanks :) and we both said "INPUT" at the same time in Jonny 5 style :)
😁 brilliant!
SUPERB. blending old vintage stuff with modern technology is the best of both worlds. Respect the past embrace the future.
Brilliant, this has inspired me to order a soldering iron !
This was such a fun video to watch, bringing vintage and new together.
A delight to see the old trusty Fergus on radio is venturing its new life with Alexa and preserving its look. I can imagine they both having good good time. A marriage made in heaven I think😄😅😂. You did a great job and it is a shame less singing this time from you😔.
Thanks M m! 😁 some people are probably grateful for that! 🤩
Love it, Steve.
Cheers Steve! 👍
Steve great job I'm very impressed great job 👌 take care 👌
Thanks DR! 😍
Great idea, mate. Good video. Your subs are going thru the roof.
Fantastic job.Amazing how something as old as me can be used with modern technology. (I can't).
🤣 thanks Chris!
My absolute favorite of your videos!
Nice project man! Great video as usual, cheers!
Thanks James! Appreciate it! 👍
the smoke reflection at the end....nice!
What a great idea 💡 old tec with a new twist outstanding
Another nice mod. Radio takes me back to when I was a kid...all audio equip had to be the size of a bungalow and teak effect!
Absolutely Stuart! it's true, they don't make 'em like they used to! 😁
Id love to see more videos like this where you add Alexa to stuff that don't normally have it, Great video
really cool idea and very nice execution!
Nice work, great idea too
Thanks Michael! 👍
good job unplugging that power cord before cutting it Steve!
When I first started watching you I actually believed you didn't think you were confident. But as I watched many many more I finally know now you know exactly what you're doing and have cultivated a lackluster persona. Bravo. Stupid person figure me out. LOL doesn't change anything, I love your Channel. I'm a canadian, so we have to watch you Brits closely. Lol
Love this upgrade
I can't believe I have binge watched nearly all your vids, enjoyed every one too and my cats just lurve your singing... :P
😂 glad your cats enjoy! 🐈
Shortwave is alive and well. It just depends on your location, and time of day, and if the sun is acting a nut or not (the solar flux plays a huge roll in shortwave propagation, and a solar flair will kill reception). In the day time higher frequencies work better than low frequencies, at night lower frequencies do better than higher frequencies. It also depends on how good the antenna is, electrical interference is a constant issue with shortwave.
Not to mention needing an antenna!
@@kastrosama It does have an antenna, it's that single thin black wire hanging out the back.
@@madmax2069 I spotted it after I commented. Nice build though!
What a great project.
I've just picked up a couple of faulty Google Home devices that I want to play around with if I get them up and running.
I'm going to have to keep an eye out for an old radio now!!!
Thanks Craig. I love the end result of this, especially since it still looks original. Good luck with the Google Home's 👍
Love the mash up content! Keep up the great content!!
So you've basically created an internet radio from 1976... Well played Sir 👏👏
Seems like it has amazing sound quality ...I was actually surprised.
'For No Particular Reason' is the best reason.
Certainly is! Thanks OB Wan! 😁
This is maybe the coolest video you've done yet!
🤩 thanks Sixty! Really happy with how it turned out! 👍
This was a great idea. Made me think that I could do something similar with my dad's broken pickup player.
My new favorite channel!
Nice job & I am glad you still have all of your fingers. I put a Sonoff Mini R2 in my Mr. Coffee. I have a reminder on my watch that warns me if I leave it on for 4 hours. BTW I have 10 Alexa's and none are inside of a radio, GG.
Loved the video ! Mate did similar thing with a old army field radio.
dont hurt your self big guy flash back to the past here is a comment and a like thanks for the show
I loved this one. Good work year ago Steve!
Ah man, this brought back some memories. My dad had this above his bed all throughout my childhood. Used it as an alarm everyday to get up for work
beautiful piece
Thats so awesome!! Great job!
Mate,, you're a genius 👍👏👏
Unlike at lot of retro moders you have managed to keep the original functionality and added to it. Kudos to you for that.
Hey i know this video is 3 years old but what you have done is wired a stereo blutooth unit to a mono set so when you send music to the set through bluetooth you will only get one channel some music will be missing. What you should have done is used a 100k resistor from left output and the same on right output then joined the resistors together giving you both the channels mixed for mono.
Was about to do this myself 🤦 then noticed the smoke coming from the clock at the end 🤣 great idea thou ❤️❤️❤️
If it was smoke, I'm not so sure it wasn't reflection, but either way I don't think it would be caused by anything Steve did, that clock display was coming and going before he took it apart.
This is really cool even without the Alexa! Nice find! In 30 years people are going to be taking this apart again and wondering why there’s an outdated Alexa from a totally different time period. 😂
Good stuff!!!
I would never ruin that beautiful piece of history.
This is proper cool. Love it.
Wow never realized how much your huge 240v plug standard limits minimizing the size of things until I saw that amazon device. That is the size plug we use on our clothes dryers here in the States!
Turned a perfectly good old clock radio into a spy device. Well done!
It's an upgraded and optional spy device, since - other than the original one - this one has a power button now, so it can be turned off at any point.
“Hey, wiretap! Could I get a recipe for Chicken Pot Pie?”
Very nice Job! I think the problem of driving the speaker directly with the Bluetooth amplifier was, that the original amplifier was still connected and therefore distorted the output.
Nice work. 👍
Thanks Mick! 😁
i subscribed simply because of your singing abilities
Sleeper radio genre is born
I'm so glad I remembered to switch off the mic on my Alexa before watching!
Nice work, I found a beautiful mid century solid wood cabinet tube stereo at a thrift store that I gave to my daughter, thinking my son in law could get the turntable going but it looks like I’m going to have to do it. In the back of my mind I wanted to get Alexa going on it but I think this might be slightly above my skill level. I have the basic concept but I have a feeling once I start messing with it I won’t be able to trouble shoot it well enough. But this is tempting me!
You should give it a go! That would be awesome 👍
Another clever mod!
Thanks Micro! 👍