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HitClips - The truth behind the toy.
🕑 Added 2020-09-20 08:13:00 +0000 UTCIn 2018 I made a video about the toy/music tape cartridge format Pocket Rockers. At the end of that video I mentioned that I also planned to make a video about the later digital-age equivalent ‘HitClips’. Two and a half years later...here it is.
There was a bit more to this one than anticipated, so I’m later than usual in putting this video out.
In other news, I’ve put the Techwood/Kenmore logo I mentioned in the update on a few different types of T-Shirts on my Teespring page https://teespring.com/stores/techmoan-merch I have no idea how well it works as it’s impossible to tell from the pictures. I've ordered one of the smaller badge design ones for myself to check it out. I’d recommend waiting to see how mine looks before considering spending any of your hard earned cash on one.
Enjoy what little is left of the weekend. I’m going to have to take a couple of days out next week - I need a break from the screens.
…and hey, hey, ‘Let’s be careful out there’ (I’ve been re-watching Hill Street Blues).
UPDATE - Thanks to Magnus who spotted this article about the technical side https://ch00ftech.com/2013/12/31/reverse-engineering-a-hit-clip/ - It shoots down my suppositions and also confirms the audio as a form of PWM.
UPDATE2 - The video above is a slight re-edit as I noticed I repeated myself in the original intro.
UPDATE 3 A third edit? - Yes
Is this man incompetent - Yes
What’s different - The forgetful fool forgot to dub the playout music with the HitClips version he made so much effort recording. So he’s done that now - but while he was there he took the opportunity to add a bit about discs not playing in a disassembled cart player and also re-worded the section about the pins on the cards so he could link to the reverse engineering website. Also reduced the amount of music played and rearranged it, snipped out a repeated phrase at the end - and messed with a couple of volume levels. The George Lucas of Youtube video revisions strikes again (or Strikes Back). All this for a video destined to be less successful than HitClips discs if relaunched as a ToyRUs exclusive in 2020 during full lockdown.
Comments
Techmoan
A couple of people mentioned this and I added it to the video description on youtube. I also pinned a comment but then every tom dick and dick started replying to this with random nonsense because that’s what people do - so I unpinned it again. This always happens with pinned comments and that’s why I don’t do them any more. Back in the day on youtube you could set up a comment to be ineligible for replies - so it’s just a statement. They took that away because it was useful. Just like annotations or any other handy feature.
Anton
Oh, forgot to mention with the disc player, pull at the plastic bit around the SIM card connector, it should slide out and leave a nice hitclip sized rectangular slot in the side of the "disc" player. http://prnt.sc/ut4y0l http://prnt.sc/ut4yfu
Techmoan
I just hope all the facts I disputed were right - there are still people swearing they bought these in 1999 in McDonalds - but they've given no proof.
Dungeoneer
I see the Wiki has now been updated, good job Mr Moan. :)
