If it ain’t broke: share your oldest working gadgets #RightToRepair #Vintage @BBCnews

Zoe Kleinman asked people to share their oldest working gadgets. And a floodgate opened.

These days, your shiny new gadget is likely to be rendered obsolete by software updates (or a lack of them) before it physically grinds to a halt.

A recent report by the consumer campaign group Which? suggests the lifespan of a smart fridge could be just a few years if the brand behind it stops providing software support and updates.

Meanwhile, Sonos has released new software for its internet-connected speakers that does not work on its own-branded older devices.

But many older devices do not rely on security updates or perhaps even much or any software at all.

Kitchen gadgets were built to last, with a number of 20-, 30-, 40- and even 50-year-old whisks and mixers proudly shown off, along with a 20-year-old Breville sandwich toaster, a rice cooker from the early 1990s and a 33-year-old Braun juicer.

A surprising number of Nintendo Game Boys (launched in 1989) and the occasional NES (Nintendo Entertainment System, launched in 1983) are still being put through their paces too along with other computers and music players.

See the BBC News article for the full list.

What do you have that is still working great? Post yours in the comments below.


Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!

Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!

Join over 38,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and be part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord

CircuitPython – The easiest way to program microcontrollers – CircuitPython.org


New Products – Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! — New Products 11/15/2024 Featuring Adafruit bq25185 USB / DC / Solar Charger with 3.3V Buck Board! (Video)

Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: A New Arduino MicroPython Package Manager, How-Tos and Much More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi

EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey

Adafruit IoT Monthly — The 2024 Recap Issue!

Maker Business – Adafruit Daily — Apple to build another chip at TSMC Arizona

Electronics – Adafruit Daily — SMT Tip – Stop moving around!

Get the only spam-free daily newsletter about wearables, running a "maker business", electronic tips and more! Subscribe at AdafruitDaily.com !


2 Comments

  1. My favorite obscure gadget that I still have is the 1996 Radioshack EC-396 electronic planner/organizer. At a time when cellphones only held about 10 phone numbers in memory, an electronic organizer was necessary for organizing hundreds of email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers, calendar reminders, calculator, etc… It was the right product at the right time.

  2. My favorite obscure gadget that I still have is the 1996 Radioshack EC-396 electronic planner/organizer. At a time when cellphones only held about 10 phone numbers in memory, an electronic organizer was necessary for organizing hundreds of email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers, calendar reminders, calculator, etc… It was the right product at the right time.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.