We used to see a bunch of those when I worked for Audio
Visual. We repaired equipment at cost for employees of the
university and for public schools who sent their gear to us
because they could not get it repaired locally. I saw some
pretty good jam or boom boxes and a few of those could double as
a physical workout program if one decided to carry them around.
They had handles and batteries, therefore they were officially portable.
One box came in from a staff member who said that his
8-year-old son decided to get back at his 12 or 13-year-old
sister who actually owned the box by slamming his fist in to the
cassette drive buttons.
Those buttons were locked up as tight as if they were
made of stone. A couple in the middle were slightly depressed
but you couldn't budge them by trying to press anything. We all
wondered if they could be unstuck.
I tackled that boom box one day and removed the back
half of the case which exposed the electronics and cassette
mechanism.
The buttons on most cassette decks pushed levers and
slides which moved various parts of the mechanism depending on
what you pressed. You are only supposed to push one button at a
time except for recording, so this kid had made several things
try to occupy the same space at the same time.
I wasn't sure what I was going to do but I noticed that
one of the buttons caused one of the levers to wiggle ever so
little when pressed.
I started there and kind of kept working things back and
forth gently until things loosened a bit.
Suddenly, with a snap, the mechanism unstuck and
everything popped in to its rightful place.
That darned mechanism was made mostly of plastic
including many of the levers and there was not a thing broken
after I got it unjammed.
I'd like to say I knew just what to do, but it was more
luck than skill. So, I guess I turned a jammed box in to just a
jam box.
It played tapes and all just fine after the beating
it had gotten.
Mary Stores writes:
> I have to say, I am familiar with Martin's definition. I remember my first
> jambox I got was when I was 9 years old. I think my dad paid $8 for it. It
> couldn't even really stand up if you put it on the ground. But I loved
> that
> radio. One of my fondest memories is taking it out in the back yard,
> leaning it against a tree, and listening to Live Aid. lol
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