Old Tosh

Loved the video. I had an almost physical (positive!) reaction to seeing a BRAND NEW bit of old tech being unboxed. The quality of those devices was really amazing. It was par for the course back in the day, but today it just shows how far the quality of much of our tech manufacturing today has fallen compared to a lot of the products available back then. I remember unboxing a new Sony Walkman or other product that was made with brushed metal or aluminium, and we just don't get that today where everything seems to be plastic. So great job on this. The close-up videography was also excellent. Thanks!

Great video! So neat to see old tech in that nice shiny condition sometimes

I imagine you spending some quality time with the Mrs, floating down a river or canal, and leaving all your troubles behind. 😃

Mat, I liked watching the outro without the patron names displayed over it. I got a much better view of your old tech montage!

If I were brave enough to muck about with that I'd probably have simply cut the rainbow of wires in the middle somewhere then spliced them back together.

Can't stand it when them rubber belts turn to mush, this week I've managed to tread it in my carpet. Nightmare!

I like this thing, it would have been SciFi for me in the 80s. I did have the metallich headset with those plastic sliders that would jam in your hair. Happy days of listening to bob Dylan tapes my father had and reading the famous five. It's a shame the mech gave up but I am happy you're bringing this stuff out. I mean it is somewhat disappointing not to have it working fine, yet as you said, you have some other cassette decks and better. It was not doing any good in the box. And you got to tinker with it.

Thanks for the update Mat! I can personally vouch for the Techmoan merch, just got my mug and T-shirt in last week and am very happy with the quality and fit of the T-shirt, the mug is very nice as well :) Also this is a very cool product that I’ve never heard of before, I love the repair videos!

Good video, Mat. I really like the look of that device. Lovely when brand new. Hope the second biopsy goes smoothly - and quickly!

Nice repair job.

I guess tape mechs weren’t one of Toshiba’s core competencies? Shame ‘cause it all looks pretty cool. Kind of reminds me of a transformer (toy) too. I’m bummed you have to go back and “donate” another sample for science. Argh! While I believe the universe is agnostic — come on! your quiet confidence is inspiring. I hope your still enjoying taste and smell still and look forward to when you return. 😊 -est2

Is it just me, or does the RT-CS1 look a bit cheap for an '80s Japanese personal stereo? Seems a bit plasticky, and those speakers look like oversized versions of those tiny external speakers from the era (you know the ones, they plug into the headphone jack and have sound quality on par with a pocket AM transistor radio). Interesting concept though, and props to Toshiba for trying something a bit different.

Belts are a pain in the backside, I'm more into the computer side, so the old 64 cassette player, a spectrum+2, +3, Amstrads, various diskdrives and all the other computers I've fixed, it;s more often than not the belt that's just gone to dust, or that sticky mess. But a good clean, and a new belt, jobs a good 'un :)

Very nice radio/cassette deck for the era, I would have been thrilled to own this back in the mid 1980s. Probably not worth going to the effort of getting it 100% fixed unless you find a collector.

Wouldn’t it have been a better idea to try the radio first before taking it apart just in case, Mat?

Nice little device, thanks for showing! Those belts can be pretty though...

lubrication: Please have a look at Molykote EM-30L (exactly this type). Its superior to all "household" stuff, since it long time stable (does not oxidize) and it's not harmful to almost any rubber, plus it does not harm electrical contacts on the long run.

See you worry too much about the vids, you can put any old tosh up and we are still happy

Nice try Mat, you know where I am if you want a "Professional" to take a look at it ;-) PS, No Patrions listed!

Think I let out an audible sigh of relief when that spindle started spinning. That looked like a near impossible fix. When I saw the green on the pulleys... that's not good. Fun little device I can't imagine running any better than you got it to.

Did you try running the rewind and fast forward a few times to see if that improved the speed variations?

I wonder if it might improve if it’s left to run for a while? Or maybe the sticky bearing or spindle will completely self destruct….

Wow, what a lovely looking machine, although I hate to think how expensive it was at the time. Also, it didn't look like there was a lock for the controls, that might be a bit of a problem in a coat pocket!

You're advice on an amateur attempting electronic repairs came an hour too late, but I prevailed anyway :) I watched this video with very sore fingers from prising open a JBL Flip 4 speaker with a dud battery. The old battery refuse to budge pulling out the 'easy' way it went in, so I opened up the other end, fiddle with tiny hot-glued connectors, and eventually shoved out the old battery with various tools, used quite inappropriately, despite the battery being swollen and having glued itself in. I really wasn't very hopeful while heaving away with all my weight on it, almost resigning myself to buying a new speaker and wasting $$ on the new battery. However, I amazed myself since it went back together OK and it still works. Now I can sing along once more in the shower :)

It's been a while since the olde time machine was used. Interesting piece of kit that combo thing.

Love watching you take things apart because when I do it I usually give up and don’t get them back together 😜

Do you think perhaps something like a fiberglass pencil would have faired any better against the icky green belt schmutz?

As for "aerial" vs. "antenna", these days it's mostly a British (aerial) vs. American (antenna) distinction. But originally an aerial was a long piece of wire strung up outside and attached to a tree or pole. When FM and TV were introduced and the wire became self-supporting metal rod(s), similar to the appendages of an insect, that's when Americans started calling it antenna(s), although Brits carried on calling it an aerial -- but only for receiving. For transmitting, it's called an antenna worldwide.

For an approximate date of manufacture, perhaps some of the literature has a copyright date.

The wow and flutter may be quite noticeable, but the device works in principle, so your repair has clearly improved things. On top of that, it also made for a good repair video. Let's not forget that this device is forty years old, even if it looks deceptively brand new and appears to be unused. While the belt is the most obvious culprit, it is safe to assume there are still several potential failure points, such as the motor or ageing capacitors. At the end of the day, you have to weigh up whether the effort required to repair everything is proportionate to the expected result. I think you found a good balance between what could reasonably be fixed and what was best left untouched. The device itself is something I would have liked to have as a teenager, though I doubt it was affordable with pocket money at the time. Compared to ordinary external speakers that you could use instead of earphones, the dock is definitely the tidier solution, especially with the additional C cell batteries.

I'd love to see you go through your collection of old store catalogues and decide what personal stereo and what compact boombox you would have bought for yourself, with the same budget as what the Toshiba sold for. My memory is that these kinds of systems were neat, but weren't cheaper or more convenient than separate units. Kind of like how a car that turns into a boat costs at least as much as a car plus a boat, and isn't nearly as good in either mode.

Mat, did you consider soaking the brass pulleys in the cup of acetone? I don't know if long exposure to acetone would damage brass, but just a thought. Maybe soak overnight? Greetings from the Chicago suburbs. Not far from where the new Pope was born.

I had the KT-AS1 and what a device it was. The concept of the tuner pack was amazing technology at the time. I still remember being on holiday with my grandparents in Blackpool and hunting for a pair of wee speakers to plug in to the headphone jack, which I did find (had no idea they actually existed!) so I was chuffed to find a set in one of those shops behind the promenade that seemed to sell everything you could think of. This was probably much more exciting to me as a then 13-year-old, than it is in the retelling! This device would have been the coolest thing ever but I never saw one in the flesh. ;)

Very brave of you to de soldier all those tiny contacts! Also reminded me I have a Sony cassette deck to re-belt!

• It feels like Christmas in May. This thing is so shiny and it seems like it shouldn't be. • Aww, I think you did okay with the repair. It's possible that even with a belt that hadn't perished and had you played a tape it would still have wow and flutter problems. • Having the FF and REW buttons on the front face seems to compromise the durability of the cassette door. 🫤 • You probably did it already, but playing a tape for a few hours might free up some stuff in it. • All of the radio tuners I have from the late 70's and early 80's receive more FM stations than newer ones. Nice video - it was great to see this BNIB, I felt like a kid again. Bummer on the liver result. All that matters right now, though, is that you're feeling good and exhibiting your trademark enthusiasm again. Take care 🤍

You can see that this came from the same culture that gave us Transformers. I could see this on an episode of Inspector Gadget. As usual, you presented it in an entertaining way. I’m wondering if playing the cassette for an extended period of time would settle out the dodgy transport mechanism. But this system just isn’t my cup of tea. Best of thoughts on your health, Matt. Keep persevering.

My wife had one of these. Definitely late ‘85, early ‘86. Brilliant thing.

What a beautiful piece of vintage tech and how it was put together. Great intro too. Excellent job!

Does it just spin around the mug showing off, Or can it do something useful like holt it warm 😁👍🏻

The size of your soldering iron tip is spot on. I used to think it'd be better to have a tiny solder tip but it just doesn't transfer enough heat. Ah yeah, percussive maintenance. I know it well.

Did you miss a small brass with the belt - there's one on a plastic cog under it right next to the big brass

That really is preposterously fiddly but I don't suppose it's a repair that was attempted on many of these. Even in the 80s, built-in obsolescence was very much a thing and owners would probably have upgraded to the latest gadget. Last week I threw away several sets of expired lateral flow tests but kept the swabs in case I needed to clean anything small and fiddly. They look a bit like those extra-thin cotton buds.

Old Tosh sounds like some sort of derogatory British slang to my American ears.

That would have been a great piece of kit to own in the mud 80s, it still looks good today. I think the repair went as well as it could, you'll never get something like this to work perfectly after such a long time. Best of luck with the repeated health investigations!

Schrödinger's liver is exactly the kind of humor I love.

The lives thing may be a good sign, you have a biopsy be useless then have it'd be overwhelmingly obvious bad news. You sound so much better in your videos, glad to hear it. Were all pulling for ya

That definitely is a nifty little device especially since it's in brand new condition. And of course, any repair video is a good video, whether it turns out just the way you wanted to or not.🙂 It's kind of a nice change-of-pace to watch the end credits roll by without any of the names covering things up. It looks like the series of gadgets shown there hasn't changed in a couple of years. Is there any "new" gadget you'd want to add to the end credit roll?

Not watched the video yet. To be honest, I’m now mainly interested in hoping to hear that you’re feeling better and get back to full health. I will definitely watch the video though. Best wishes x

This reminded me a little of 90s tv kids show called zzzap! It had a sketch where two floating hands on a black background would demonstrate a science experiment.

What a beautiful device! Toshiba never was a big brand over here in the Netherlands, but they made some nice stuff and they are still around 👍

FFS. Aside from the obvious bad one, the next two things you don't want to hear are b) you have to wait more and c) we want to do it again.

Great video. Keep the faith Mat. We're all wishing you positive outcomes

Great having you back with the uploads. Hopefully the biopsy isn't anything too serious and hopefully you are feeling more like yourself sooner rather than later 👍🏻

Very nice tip!! to first open and look at the belts instead of smushing it around by a test. Nice to see you getting better!!❤️‍🩹

Thanks for the update Mat. Sorry about the biopsy… let’s hope the second goes better. Regards

Take care of yourself, Mat, plentiful amounts of rooting for you from myself and everyone else.

That's a pain. I hope you're doing alright in the meantime, wishing the best for you as always! :)