Henry Sutton – The Innovative Man

Henry Sutton – an unrecognised inventor of an incredible assortment of things from the pre-1900 era. This special video is my effort to help get the story out there, for Lorayne Branch, author of the book “Henry Sutton, the Innovative Man”. She needs your help to get the book published. Please support her via her Gofundme campaign here: https://www.gofundme.com/27w2b4k or you can help her by donating to the following bank details:

Account Name: LORAYNE BRANCH
Account Designator: ATF HENRY SUTTON BOOK PUBLISHING DONATION
Account Type: WESTPAC Esaver
Home Branch: WENDOUREE
BSB: 033607
ACCOUNT No: 000569

In a future episode of State of Electronics, I am looking forward to sharing a great deal more about Henry Sutton and his incredibly inventive mind.

On discovering information about Henry Sutton, I was like many, overwhelmed with his apparent discoveries. After a great deal of research and one on one discussions with experts, I can say that he was a truly exceptional person.
While this series is based in Australia, We believe much of the content is relevant to anyone. From comments left so far, via Twitter and Facebook, We are of the opinion that the experiences described here are universal and thus global.

State of Electronics is a series about technology. While based in Australia, the topics covered will appeal to anyone interested in technology. It will cover the history of electronics in all its “states” and will look at the past, present and the future of the field.

Please consider subscribing to our Youtube channel if you would like us to post more episodes in the future. Your support is very much needed and very much appreciated. While you are there consider hitting the “Like” button as well. It tells us we are making content that you want to see and didn’t just stumble across. Feel free to contribute by adding your comments. It is impossible to interview everyone however your voice can still be heard via the comment box. Or if you have an opinion or experience you would like to share, the comment box is the best place for it or email us via our contact form.

On YouTube, the State of Electronics Playlist can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xu15…

For more about Silicon Chip Magazine (Australia’s only hobbyist Electronics magazine) visit http://www.siliconchip.com.au

For more about Rockby Electronics (Based in Melbourne) visit: https://www.rockby.com.au

For more information on Jaycar visit: http://www.jaycar.com.au

October 28, 2015December 11, 2017

The Dusty Years

In “State of Electronics” this week, we look at the early years of “Electronics Retailing”. “The Dusty Years” is about the struggle for early hobbyists in the field of electronics, in sourcing components. It follows on from their initial steps in scavenging for parts at the Tip, council pickup days & donation of parts by looking at how new parts were sourced pre 1970. Early electronics stores were mostly over the counter experiences, served by “dusty” people and old school professionalism. To the young enthusiast, these early retail experiences were intimidating and inefficient but were quite literally their only choices. “If you couldn’t find or swap, you had to go to the shop” says Ian O’Toole. While Disposal and Surplus stores fuelled some creative minds with opportunity, the overall retail experience was seen as pretty bleak prior to the 1970’s. Mostly, the retailing of electronics after the second world war was based around Radio and then TV, and was geared towards the trade and not hobbyists. At the beginning of the 1970’s however, a retail revolution was beginning to form in Australia, that made the careers of Dick Smith, Gary Johnston and others.

October 22, 2015October 24, 2015

The Story So Far

RECAP ON THE BEGINNING

You may of read for the last number of years, Karl has been working hard on this new project, officially called “State of Electronics”. It is concerned with the history, development and future of the Australian Electronics Design and Manufacturing Industry. Partly fuelled by his own interests in Electronics, the documentary investigates the life cycle of an industry – how an industry is born, how it develops and then how it goes into decline. It’s a subject that can apply to many forms of industries.

Junk_Electronics4

There is now a long list of interviews with many of the people who helped create the Electronics Design & Manufacturing industry in Australia as well as those who are very active within it still today. The documentary will highlight many of the individuals who tinker in their back sheds designing and building innovative electronic devices, large & small scale manufacturers, Repairers, Component Suppliers, Design houses, Technicians, Businessmen and Woman, futurists, Hackers and Organisations with the sole purpose of showing a worldwide audience the state of the Australian Electronics Industry.

The format is driven by interviews that are like “Discussions”. The topics vary from how people became involved with electronics as a child, how they developed their careers and then how they changed the world around them with innovation, good business sense etc. However, as with any good story, there is a darker side also. The Documentary is investigating the decline of the industry also. Through both economic and political change, the Electronics Industry is constantly undergoing change. World economic problems as well as technological advancements have meant the end of an era in certain sectors of the Industry, leaving jobs at risk or making them extinct! However, not everything is of doom and gloom. The documentary will also highlight individuals and companies that have been able to break through the difficulties and find their feet on a worldwide platform, delivering state of the art products and innovation.

The documentary to date has been entirely self-funded along with the generous time interviewees have given up for their interviews. Karl has decided to release some of the documentary as short episodes. They are currently being aired on youtube in the hope of raising more awareness for this little explored subject in Australia and to perhaps find an avenue to fund future releases and the full length documentary.

To date he has been fortunate to film and interview: Andy Gelme, Andrew Greatbatch, Andrew Griffiths, Dr Bill Petrski, Campbell Bickerstaff, Claire Gervasoni, Dr Chris Nicol, Dr Chris Roberts, Colin Mitchell, Dave L Jones, David Demant, Dick Smith, Doug Ford, Eugene Ruffolo, Gary Johnston, Geoff Holden, Professor Graeme Clark, Grant Petty, Graeme Hood, Ian Debenham, Ian O’Tool, Ian McClean, J. Matthew Pryor, Jonathan Oxer, Jurij Semkiw, Kay Thorne, Kevin Poulter, Leo Simpson, Lorayne Branch, Matthew Connell, Mike Osborne, Owen Hill, Dr Peter Thorne, Petar Atanackovic, Stephan Jones and The late John Spencer with many more to come.

More to follow on computers, education, technology of the future and much much more.

September 9, 2015September 9, 2015

Getting Started

“State of Electronics – Getting Started”

This is the first actual episode and looks at how everyone got started in electronics, how curiosity began in a life long passion.

Future episodes will cover a large number of topics including early pioneers such as Henry Sutton & Father Shaw, Telegraphy and Early Communications in Australia, AWA and Government Involvement in an Industry, Lifting the Tariffs, Valves to Transistors, Integrated Circuits and Early Computing, CSIRAC, Hobby Electronics and it’s Decline, The Rise of the Maker Movement, Education and Electronics, The Role of the Magazines, The Bionic Ear, Aerospace Electronics, Silanna Semiconductor, e-Waste and its Consequences, e-Waste and Possible Solutions, Electronic Medical Innovations in Australia, the Future of Electronics to mention just a few.

I am putting the word out that I am quite short of images, particularly about early electronics (telegraphy, Radio, Television as well as early prototypes of Blackbox Flight recorder, Pacemaker, Ultrasound, Australian manufacturing of electronics, AWA, Over the horizon radar, CSIRO, early computing and development in Australia. The topics are broad I realise but if you think you have something that you might be able to share that would be very much appreciated. In the meantime, We are continuing to search for images via WikiMedia, Australian National Archives, Universities and elsewhere, however many of these organisations now charge money for the right to use an image which we simply can’t afford. If you are able to assist us, please contact us.