Topic: Childhood invention

[doma]

As a kid, in the hills of West Virgina USA, I was always disassembling my dad's electronics.  However, dad did not approve of my damaging his stuff and I was often in trouble over it.  One day when I was in fifth grade (so, perhaps 11 yrs old?), I received a special gift from my father.  It was a '200 in 1 Electronics Kit' from Radio Shack.  Simply, a box with about 50 electrical components that you could jumper together with wires.  Perhaps he thought this would quell my taste for disassembly. 

I knew nothing about electronics; but it came with a booklet.  A booklet of 200 projects you could do yourself if you simply followed their instructions and connected the different components together with the bundle of little wires they gave you.  Of the components was a ferrite core coil,  several transistors, a speaker, LEDs (little lights), resistors, etc.  The leads of these glued down components were attached to springs.  You would bend the springs, and slip in a wire, then the spring would hold it fast.  Thus, you could make electrical connections between them.

I went straight to the back of the booklet and followed the instructions for the "Three Transistor Shortwave Radio" (or something like that - it was long long ago).  I built it, and was able to hear music and voices!  I remember being amazed.

And now for my invention: 
Not knowing anything about antenna design I decided that the key to being able to tune more stations was to have a HUGE antenna!  The one supplied witht the kit was a black wire only four feet long.  So, I took a spool of copper wire I had in a stash (harvested and wound myself from something of my Father's ... perhaps collected from his VCR) and replaced the antenna with it.  I then tossed the spool out my attic window.  Outside, I unwound the wire till I reached my favorite tree.  I then climbed the tree and strung the wire all over it.  From top to bottom, left to right, trunk to leaves, I unwound that fine copper wire.

I rushed back upstairs and started turning the variable resistor that was part of the kit.  And you know what ... it worked!  I could pick up more stations.  Then ... I stumbled across a channel where the speaker was talking in a language I had never heard before.  I remember thinking I had discovered the secrets of the universe.  I am sure I was very impressed with myself.  I called excitedly for my mom and dad. 

Mom bent her ear to the small speaker.  "Oh", she said.  "It's French.  They are Canadians".   Wow!  Canadians!  Dad gave me a pat on the shoulder, no doubt wondering about the length of copper wire hanging out the open window.  "Dinner's ready so turn off your toy and come eat", said mom.

Heh.  With my Copper Tree Antenna invention... I discovered Canadians. 


-doma


What was your first invention?

[piersdad]

lol that was geat.
i did similar with a huge aerial  but what i did not know was that he radio station was just a few miles away and the reception was deafening .
and no other station could be heard.
my first invention that really started it all was when i was just 2 years old and my sisters and i were out in a paddock picking mushrooms.
 i could not find any of the silly things  an as i was in a separate padock i cafefully blew into tthe  paper bag i had and proudly showed it to my sisters and said i had a whole bag full and was off home to mom.

thats when i realised that if i used my brains i could fool my older sisters.