old electronics smell

( Apologies to F. Zappa )

More likely the smell is from a high power resistor in series with the take up motor to reduce torque in play & record mode.

....... Phil

snipped-for-privacy@netzero.com hath wroth:

Likely candidates are - dust. - melting insulation. - boiling electrolyte belching from partly dried electrolytics - mice, rats, ants, or other insects or critters. - burning rubber idler wheels. - dried oil on the bushings (varnish). Anyway, it's difficult to tell from here. I would leave it unplugged until you have a chance to rip it open and look inside.

It may contain phenolic paper circuit boards (orangish instead of the greenish fiberglass epoxy). These give off a very distinctive odor when components mounted on them get warm.

I love that smell.

Reminds me of The Mill when I worked for DEC, or the inside of a telephone exchange building. Hard to find that smell anymore.

Sorry you don't share my love for it...

Try burning some incense.

It's not bad, but the ladies don't like it. My space-age 70s love shack is perfect except for that smell.

Gack, that gets into everything, and they all smell nauseating. I guess I'm not such a 70s guy after all.

Very true, thanks, forgot about that.

DITTO !! In fact, there's another smell I like... The old ditto machine copies they made in elementary school. That and the smell you're talking about... Old military radios and telephone central offices.

Another smell that takes me back is tuner cleaner... Takes me right back to high school days when I had to spray the buttons of my old blue box when phone phreaking.

boB