It started out innocently enough; just an unsuspecting skip down a suburban street on a warm July day and there it was. I had never seen one before, I didn’t know I wanted it, but I knew what it was and that I had to have it. It was misplaced as it quietly sat on the table hidden amongst the usual kitchen appliances– perhaps a worn out toaster, over-used coffee percolator, stained crock pot, and even an outdated table lamp with a torn shade– on a table where it didn’t belong, quite possibly overlooked, because nobody else would dare search for such an item in the appliance section of a garage sale. This single item sparked an interest as a young kid that kindled into my radio hobby and electronic career. This item was none other than the Science Fair 150-in-1 Electronic Kit. I paid 75 cents for the kit and that very afternoon, while visiting my grandfather in Lansing, Michigan, I built my first radio receiver, an AM Crystal Set Receiver. The kit did not come with a manual, so how I figured out the circuit on my own is still a mystery to me. This was in 1981.
