Retro Tech - The PlayTape
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- čas přidán 13. 01. 2016
- Another trip down HiFi memory lane ... but probably more like a magical mystery tour, since very few people remember this one. Please CLICK 'SHOW MORE' to see all info.
You can often find playtapes - sometimes BNIB on eBay - goo.gl/7aGAeN
See my other HiFi videos here: • HiFi / AV
There are some useful playtape links on my blog: www.techmoan.com/blog/2016/1/1...
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Deserves a video of its own just about the rarity of finding old batteries that haven't leaked
Quite interesting that generally batteries from the 1970s and before don't seem to leak as much. Ive found dozens of batteries from the 50s, 60s & 70s in near pristine condition. Yet by the 1980s the quality went out the window. Ive never found a battery from the 1980s of newer that hasnt leaked
Old batteries contained a completely different chemistry (mainly mercury), while today we have Nickle Cadmium, alkaline, and lithium ion
Very interesting, since I've actually never heard of this format. Too bad about the copyright issues.
This is the coolest thing. Loved it, thanks for sharing!
+Lazy Game Reviews LGR!
of course you also love this channel..! nice to see you here clint!
Those old batteries tho.
Now hopefully I'll see you on weird Paul's or oddity archive channels oneday.
Hey I was just about to go check out some of your videos! What a coincidence 😃
The battery price tag is from Pay & Save, a drug/variety store founded in Seattle in 1940 that survived into the 1980s. A well-known "secret" is that the price they paid for an item is represented by the letters at the lower right. This battery cost them 15 cents - the letters in the word Charleston represent the digits 1 - 9, with the n equaling 0.
Pay N Save was first bought out by Thrifty/Payless in 1988 (the name stayed alive until 1992) and then they merged with RiteAid. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_%27n_Save
The batteries didn't leak because they are Zinc-Carbon acid batteries. It's the alkaline batteries, especially the ones using potassium hydroxide that really leak.
Both my sister and I got PlayTape machines for Christmas, probably around 1967. They were awesome. The tapes we had included Chad & Jeremy, the Beatles, Peter, Paul & Mary, the Kingston Trio and the Beach Boys.
That's awesome that you found a machine that works! I still have the tapes and the machines but they're probably in pretty bad shape. I remember enjoying the way the tapes smelled. When I got a cassette player a few years later it seemed like a natural progression. Thanks for posting this!
Just seeing that decades old unboxing and those pristine batteries was choice. Amazing that they didn't leak.
That was amazing. Well done RCA. Those coppertops will leak and ruin everything in a few months.
@@panomaniac5399 Those old batteries are something. I've had Duracell (coppertops) leak when new, in-package when siting on a shelf for about a year. I just maintain Ni-MH now rather than waste my money on standby alkaline.
Context: I had 2 packs of Duracell AA and AAA for emergency lights and both leaked; 3/12 AAA and 10/12 AA had leaked before ever opening the packs. I used to favor them because they used to be good but now they are not. 10 year shelf-life guarantee, my bottom.
When copyright issues make it impossible to give a review on things like this its just sad, I wanted to hear what it actually sounds like.
Those RCA batteries are so lovely.
I agree. Even if they're dead, they should be saved and preserved.
OK, I'm a fan of these vids but that one was ... unique - the batteries hadn't leaked and made a mess, the belts are obviously in perfect shape; Where do we find this superb engineering today?!
It would be fun to revisit the PlayTape with a longer more in-depth video with a variety of players.
At the risk of revealing my Seasoned Citizen status, I remember those players though never owned one. Am very surprised that even one intact, boxed unit survived for Techmoan
to examine. That time machine must be the modern successor to Hector James Peabody 's WABAC machine.
Thanks for posting the video.
The care in the packaging and in the design is astounding. Only the absolute best products come vaguely close these days.
That battery cartridge solution was not uncommon in the 60's. The clever thing with that is that if you wanted to not use batteries, you could buy a power adapter that would be a cartridge, so you replaced the battery cartridge with the power adapter. I had an old UHER portable with a solution like that (sadly, thieves cleared out my basement storage (true story), so that UHER likely ended up in the trash).
"And just look at this crazy party ready to go completely out of control!"
Totally lost it. Brilliant.
Copyright harassment is insane. Hearing the music in the context of this video is the literal definition of educational. It's fair use, shame on them.
It's absolutely insane. Playing 30 seconds of a song to demonstrate a piece of audio equipment isn't taking any money out of the music industry's pocket.
I came back specifically for the "just look at this crazy party about to go completely out of control" remark. Always makes me laugh. Thanks again Techmoan for all your amazing videos.
I was struck by that line too. I enjoy the way he talks about things.
I played the Sgt Peppers tape on my Playtape machine and used Channel 3. It said "Paul is dead".
Miss him, miss him, miss him.
I buried Paul
May he rest in peace
“Cran ... berry ... sauce ...” 😂😂😂
I am the waittress
Opening an electronics box for the first time after more then forty years has to be one of the most satisfying experiences ever.
only the second.
The only thing that tops it is if you see that the batteries they put in didnt leak
That's amazing, I found an all original Euro-Spec 1968 VW Beetle 1300 in an abandoned barn, bought it from the property owners and refurbished it... it has a PlayTape player in the dash. I had never heard of it, but now I'm on a quest to find a cartridge to see if it still works! :)
Tim Moses Lucky you! Does it work?
I am dumbfounded that you located this and it freaking still worked! Awesome!
I've never heard of this before, but learning about old formats and vintage equipment always puts a smile on my face :o)
2:13 Bending backwards, that's just good old fashion scoliosis.
"Cacophony of nonsense" is my new favourite phrase! Haha
Each time you release a new video I learn about a new analog format.
Those are zinc carbon batteries, which is a dry cell technology. They will never leak, thankfully.
You can still get non alkaline batteries and I highly recommend them for things that you store away or rarely use like emergency equipment (flashlights, two way radios, standard radios, etc). Even in CO detectors, thermostats and other stuff you rarely check.
Nothing worse then a flash light that doesn't work and you can see the batteries leaked and wont even come out. ugh.
Indeed... I'm also addicted to your channel!
I grew up on the northwest side of Chicago where a local department store sold the Playtape machines and a small smattering of cartridges. I remember drooling over it back in 1967, wanting desperately to own one. I'm glad I held out for 2 more years for my AM-FM compact cassette recorder.
The battery is definitely a miracle.
Imho the entire device is a miracle. The fact that it is in perfect working condition surprises me. Even though most of the device and tape is mechanical.
Incredible.
Those batteries still being intact and not leaking
Shows you the quality engineering and craftsmanship back then.
MysteryMediaGroup it's because manufacturers these days that produces worse product quality on purpose so they can produce more money
you have to consider that nowadays stuff cost a lot less than in the 60's, duracell batteries usually do not leak,
I got one of these for Christmas in 68. I also got two tapes to play: "Children of the Future" by the Steve Miller Band, and "Alice's Restaurant" by Arlo Guthrie. Santa was cooler than I was. The playtape didn't survive the decade, alas. (But I still have another gift Santa brought me that year: my first five redline Hot Wheels.)
To be honest, I'm fairly glad I didn't have to listen to the Beatles. Makes the video even better
My brother had a playtape player in the '60s. Had a bunch of Motown tapes we would listen to
**********THIS MACHINE CAME FROM THE USA*****************
A number of people have assumed that because I have an English accent, that this was an UK product. I imported it from the US via ebay.
There are links in the description to articles about the history of the playtape (and it's a 100% US developed device).
Evidence regarding the country of origin of this player is sprinkled throughout this video...
1) The warranty & repair address being in New York USA.
2) The repair price on the warranty being $3 USD
3) The batteries being made by RCA (The Radio Corporation of America).
4) The price stickers on the batteries showing cents (we use £ & p in the UK now, but in 1968 it would have been £sd)
5) The batteries coming from the US chain Pay & Save (a store that never existed in the UK)
Oh and before anyone else says "Dude you don't know who RCA are"....you misheard what was in the video - I said "I don't recognise the logo as being anything current" - not "I don't recognise the logo of one of the most famous and well known companies that ever existed".
+Techmoan I just figured UK perhaps had RCA batteries too. Pay & save wasn't in my neighborhood. never heard of them & I am old. Sorry if I inconvenienced you.
+greatvanzinni You didn't inconvenience anyone...quite a few people have asked if this was a UK only device and I now know I should have stated that it was imported from the US in the video to avoid confusion (however that would have rendered the comedy time machine clip redundant) I fear now there's hundreds of people who think the UK invented a crazy device called the playtape in the 60s...and I don't like the idea that I've helped to spread misinformation.
+Techmoan Thanks for getting back. I also assumed it because I was around back then & just never saw one. We had 4 tracks, & 8 Tracks. These must have been quite short lived or perhaps up here in the NW of the US they just skipped us. Not uncommon back then. I talk with friends about the old laser disc & many never even saw one because the DVD wiped them out so quickly. You have an great interesting channel. Right up my alley with old stereo gear. Still got a couple of old 8 track recorder players.
+Techmoan I guess, then it wasn't fair of me and my campaign against people from the UK being the worst people ever, for inventing such a silly audio machine. I put up hundreds of posters all over town, in an effort to ban the U.K. and its maladjusted citizenry. Oh well, too late now to change course!
did you seriously not recognise the RCA logo?
I really like these retro audio videos. I enjoy learning about them even if I won't own machines like those
I remember seeing "playtape" tapes for sale in the Eaton's toy Dept in the Park Royal mall (west Vancouver) in the mid 60s..at that time the familiar cassette tape was becoming popular,. I still have and listen to my Panasonic cassette recorder/player I received in 1968......provides "shower tunes" in my bathroom😀
When you put that tape in and Lucy in the sky started playing, it was pure magic.
I love when you show all these forgotten formats. Thank you!
I’m just disappointed that you didn’t drive your car on the beach and listen to the PlayTape there. That’s the way it’s meant to be enjoyed.
Or in a boat. But we have water proof bluetooth speakers that connect to our IP-68 protected mobile phones that stream live using Spotify. So I guess this technology is historical now.
Seven years later: still waiting for the boat review.
Brilliant!! And proving once and for all that they really "don't make 'em like they used to"! Thank you, Sir, for another great video and blast from the past!
Like 8 Tracks PlayTapes were before my time. I was born in 1982, I only go as far back as compact cassettes.
In 1968 or 69 I got a Playtape Hipster with 2 playtapes of Herman's Hermits songs. The player and tapes are long since lost, and I couldn't remember the player model or tape format. Thank you so much for helping me reconnect with that part of my childhood!
Thank you! I've been trying forever to figure out what those old tape systems were called. After this video I googled for pics and discovered my old model. My sister and I both had a Playtape 2 Track 1110 and spent many nights listening to 60's music on those before I got a record player and a radio with a mono-ear piece I would hide in my pillow side ear, when pretending to be asleep, while listening to rock stations. The Playtape and a stack of cassettes got my music obsession started. Love your channel.
I'm 55 and this is new to me.
Your stuff always seems to bring a smile to my face
Only Alkaline batteries tend to develop pressure and leak when they age. The old RCA batteries are likely old Zinc-Carbon cells which seldom leak.
For low draw devices (like remote controls or clocks) it is wise to seek out Zinc-Carbon batteries, usually called Heavy Duty etc as compared to Alkaline cells. You will encounter FAR less leakage problems then. If you do have a device with leakage deposits, Vinegar is the key to removing it!
I'm just amazed at how many types of audio media and players that I didn't even know existed until I found this channel. I love the audio arts, history, and all of these quirky investigative videos, thank you!
I have become strangely addicted to your channel! Your work is enjoyable, interesting and entertaining! Thanks for sharing all these wonderful gadgets with us and showing us geeks/nerds the innards and what not.
I think you're building up to opening a Retro-Tech museum and charging £5 a head or something! Your videos are brilliant and I hope you get to do it professionally at some point!
+checktheevidence I love his channel, too! However, I wish he would do more retro-tech reviews: most of his videos are on modern tech. Anyways, keep up the good work +Techmoan!
I love how clean the design of the machine looks. Always looking forward to these kind of video's. Not a lot of people doing any high quality 'vintage reviews' like these. So thanks for puting so much effort in them Techmoan!
+brasman8 Thank you old chap - I really enjoy making these videos too.
50 odd years later, I learn about this thanks to the Internet - thanks, good job.
Heaven would be listening to PlayTape with Mat on his boat.
My mind exploded when those batteries had not leaked.
Those are some impressive batteries, sat in there all that time and not leaking, just goes to show, everything was built to last back in the day, these days you're lucky if a battery doesn't leak in the damned packaging...
These days it's hard to believe that an America like that shown with the pictures on the side of the box ever existed. Today people are working 70+ hours/week and afraid to take vacations to be able to enjoy a life like that.
I haven't taken a vacation in years. I get 2 weeks of paid vacation and majority of it goes to sick days and family emergencies.
Thanks for the nice flashback. I didn't know RCA made (or licensed) their own batteries. My parents bought me a Playtape player in the late 60's for Christmas or my 8-9th birthday with a Herb Alpert and I think a Beatles '65 or Mamas & Papas tape.
It didn't last very long because the tapes had a tendency to jam up and tapes were expensive for a little kid. A few years later I got a portable cassette recorder, which was a lot more durable. Blank cassettes were cheap and it was fun to make my own recordings. Looking back It just wasn't a good idea to put thin cassette tape into a 8-track style loop. I noticed the tape sticks out of the Playtape cartridge and that makes it very easy to be pulled out accidentally.
Thats some extremely good looking industrial design.
Nice! I've seen photos on the Internet of the Beatles on PlayTape for well over 25 years now but this is the first time I've ever seen a demonstration of them in action. Never saw a portable player for this format until now either. Very cool.
I'm most impressed by the fact that those 50ish-year-old batteries were in such good shape, honestly.
It amazes me, that someone would "dislike" a video like this... It's informative, well-made and to the point. It doesn't lie about it's content in the title. Why would someone "dislike" it?
Sometimes when I hear your voice, I would swear I was listening to James May talking... Love your videos by the way.
ZyklonB95 Holy crap, I hear it too. How do we know it's not James May?
Never heard of this format. I'm amazed the batteries hadn't leaked!
Blimey, you always manage to turn up with the obscurest of hi-fi (and lo-fi?) formats, it's amazing. Turned up the witty sarcasm on this vid, too, simply brilliant, this is the techmoan stuff I've subbed this channel for. It really boggles my mind how a single individual, in their spare time, manages to produce such informative, entertaining and polished content that reaches out to so many people worldwide, educating and entertaining them. I can only thank you and wish you'll never lose the drive to make these. Cheers!
+posysajrazdwatrzy Thanks - these are my favourite kind of videos to do too....the easiest ones to make, but also the hardest to find things to feature in them.
WOW! I sat in awe after hearing it play the first notes. can't believe the old thing worked!
I think it's remarkable that the batteries didn't leak!
The person you bought this from obviously went through a lot to preserve this tape player. Much like what I like to do when I have old electronics. I don't always succeed, but I like to preserve them, box cables and all.
Truly enjoy your audio equipment from days gone by. I remember our local electronics store having these these portable units Circa 1968. They were manufactured by Craig I believe. The store was rather large in size and focus on more of the solid state receivers and BSR turntables. But these tiny portable units stood proudly above a small rack of prerecorded tapes all of which hardly sold. I think I would have purchased one of these if they could record as well as played. Needless to say the store owner pulled the display within a very short period due to lack of sales no doubt. Again, thanks for taking us down audio memory lane.
Just two notes:
1- Batteries from the 60's, and they haven't leaked... that's not hi-tech, that's a miracle!!!
2- Deleting the video due to copyright infringement? Doesn't make sense, if you watch Techmoan videos, you like music, and if you like music, you already bought a copy of Sgt.Peppers...
As always, thank you!
Paulo Robalo but what if you don’t like the Beatles, because I don’t
@@christianjohnson7228 Then you don't listen to it, and you don't buy it anyway. No harm done. That's the whole pointlessness of the harsh copyright policy. If anything, it will only *help* sales if you can "promote" it by playing excerpts. Deleting will only hinder sales.
Yep, Ken''s correct on that one. I'm damn curios about those batteries. I've never seen a battery even close to that age that did not disintegrate and destroy the product.
The copyright system is a joke.
+Nick_NT
Indeed!
I was quite pleased it turned out to be working, and working reasonably well.
Good-oh!
The Beatles were remixed for mono albums, so I wonder if the PlayTape version has those specific mixes, or the known stereo versions "folded down" into mono...?
"Probably the last remnant of mankind will be the Playtape logo" ROFL...OMG HAHA!
Crazy party going completely out of control :)):)):)):))
Those batteries were the best part of the find to me
you think he just threw them away?
@@jdd365 He's probably got a display cabinet for little things like that
Those 60's batteries should be awarded medals for not leaking!
Great video :-)
+GRUSS Newton They didn't leak, but they also didn't last very long.
I love these Retro Tech videos! Keep them coming man, I wanna see ALL the neat old gear you have!
"The last remnant of mankind will be the PlayTape logo." #classic
probably...:D
The batteries didn't leak because they were really old dry cell technology.
This solves a mystery for me. I remember seeing these tapes on sale at my local five and dime when I was a kid. I was still spinning garage sale 45s on my kiddie player and this tech seemed very exotic and adult. My mom would be grocery shopping next door while I browsed through the tapes. I wanted one for Christmas but it was way too expensive for a kid. Then they disappeared and I've always wondered what they were. Thanks for putting a name on that format.
I've been interested in tape formats for years and I've never heard of this one!! This is like what would happen if an 8 track tape and a compact cassette had a baby.
Those automatic copyright things are bad, showing how this things sounds for a few seconds is definitely fair use, but fair use does not exist on CZcams.
You have a great talent for finding these old formats in as new condition. I have the Hipster model with MW radio.
I think the Playtape cartridge was used as an outgoing message tape on the first telephone answering machine I ever bought, ca. 1975, for US$600 (Dictaphone brand). It had a standard Phillips cassette to record the incoming message, but the outgoing one was on the endless loop Playtape (if I am right about the format). One benefit from this was I was able to record multiple outgoing messages on standard 1/4" tape, mark the start of each with a foil strip, and insert it into the Playtape cartridge. Every time someone called, a different message was played until they repeated. I had people call again and again to hear what they would get. Pretty hi-tek for 1975!
I'm from the States (and an old guy) and never even heard of this format! Where have I been!?!
I actually had one of those things when I was a kid. It didn't last long. You couldn't get a lot of those tapes. And of course I never got to go to one of those swinging parties as depicted on the box.
That speaker grille!
Seriously, I want to buy all the speakers that still use shiny metal grilles just because of how amazingly cool that looks!
Of course I can't since I'm not made of money, but everytime I see one of these I just get that "must have" impulse...
I just wish there was a cool retro design bluetooth speaker that didn't cost an arm and a leg, I've got one for work that's super cool looking but it's basically a knockoff. Pretty good sound though.
My god, it's gorgeous! So much to love about the design of that machine!
The grill looks fab, the battery bank is top notch for the time and the attractive channel handle. Make a dust cover for the playtape insert and it's be perfect. Love it!
Got one for Christmas, one year. Had tons of fun because it was battery powered and AM Radio was common, so the sound quality was on par. So very long ago. Always got pretty cool stuff from my folks. How time flies!
Half a century later and it's still not public domain. Maybe when we colonize Mars their grand children can finally listen to royalty free music from the mid 20th century. Think about what an accomplishment that would be.
I had one and loved it
How wonderful it is to have an entirely new old item boxed such as this..!
-I'd love to smell the packaging, i know that sounds kinda weird, but I mean in the 'old book' kinda way...
I'm amazed at the fact that you can always find New Old Stock, great video 👍👍👍✌️
In situations like this the copyright policy of youtube is really terrible. Fun review!
Its remarkable the batteries didnt leak. They don't make batteries like they used to - seems most of them leak after a couple years these days
+1, the old batteries didn't leak because their chemistry wasn't "hot" enough. No leaking after 40+ years is cool and all, but even brand new those old RCA batteries couldn't hold a candle to the capacity of modern disposable C-size batteries.
In fact, I'd be willing to bet a set of four whoop-ass modern AA-size batteries (such as Eneloops) would crank out more power on a single charge than those old-timey RCA C-size cells on their best day. I wonder if there's any source on the mAh rating of disposable batteries from the 60's to see if that's true or not...
Wow, I owned one of these back in 1968. I had forgotten all about it. Thanks!
The device looks great, and I'm thoroughly impressed with those batteries that didn't leak after decades
Most likely those batteries were zinc coal batteries which can't leak but are inferior to modern electrolyte batteries
Hey your jokes on the older videos are very good.
Love these vintage tech reviews - especially on gear that I've never heard of - thanks for the time and effort to make this :)
I love it when you do these retro videos.