Electronics-Themed Comics
November & December 1961 Radio-Electronics

November 1961 Radio-Electronics

November 1961 Radio-Electronics Cover - RF Cafe[Table of Contents]

Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles from Radio-Electronics, published 1930-1988. All copyrights hereby acknowledged.

It has been a couple weeks since I last posted any of the electronics-themed comics which frequently appeared in the vintage trade magazines. This sextet of comics came from the November and December 1961 issues of Radio−Electronics. I particularly like the first one from page 99. It depicts a great The Three Stooges type scenario. The comic from page 107 was ahead of its time in prognosticating electronic one-armed bandit machines. You would need to be familiar with the days of CRT televisions and the picture alignment process to fully appreciate the one on page 108. Anyway, feel free to include any of these or the hundreds of others linked at the bottom of the page in your next live presentation. They're a great segue into your next spiel on project progress (or lack thereof) or design techniques.

Electronics-Themed Comics

This note regarding the comic to the left came in from RF Cafe visitor Joseph B.:

The following radio comic brought back some memories. Back in the 1980's, I worked for Westinghouse on nuclear plant training simulators. These were an exact duplicate of a plant's control board - massive, massive with lots of switches, lights, and meters, etc. The computer(s) were Gould mini-computers and the 10 to 20 Meg (yes, Meg) disk drives were the size of dishwashers. Programming was done via "glass teletypes†", and the instructors/control station was a high-class color glass teletype. Everything was sitting out on tables. Once one of the color instructors stations was left with it's cover removed. As a somewhat knowledgeable electrical engineer, I pointed out the obvious hazard to our top manager. He questioned my assessment of the danger. My reply, pointing to an item inside the terminal "That's called a flyback transformer. Know why? It carries 30,000 volts and if you touch it, you 'FLY BACK!'" The next day, that terminal had a wood box covering it. And there were no more bare terminals, ever.

† Slang name for a CRT being used in place of a paper teletype device.

Electronics-Theme Comic, (p99) Radio-Electronics November 1961 - RF Cafe

"Nothing serious, lady--I'll be out of here in a jiffy."
Page 99, November 1961 "

Electronics-Theme Comic, (p107) Radio-Electronics November 1961 - RF Cafe

"Say, about that digital voltmeter you sent me."
Page 107, November 1961 "

Electronics-Theme Comic, (p108) Radio-Electronics November 1961 - RF Cafe

"Perfect, Mark, Perfect!"
Page 108, November 1961

Electronics-Theme Comic, (p133) Radio-Electronics November 1961 - RF Cafe

"The green wire's the ground, the red goes to the speaker, and I usually ignore the white one."
Page 133, November 1961

Electronics-Theme Comic, (p140) Radio-Electronics November 1961 - RF Cafe

You've been here only an hour and you want to resign already?
Page 140, November 1961

December 1961 Radio-Electronics

December 1961 Radio-Electronics Cover - RF Cafe[Table of Contents]

Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles from Radio-Electronics, published 1930-1988. All copyrights hereby acknowledged.

Electronics-Theme Comic, (p35) Radio-Electronics December 1961 - RF Cafe

Uhm - Don't you think that's overdoing it just a bit?
Page 35, December 1961

 

 

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These Technically−Themed Comics Appeared in Vintage Electronics Magazines. I personally scanned and posted every one from copies I own (and even colorized some).