I used to love building Heathkits, and my experiences with them profoundly influenced and benefited my life and career. I really miss building them, and I decided to "go for it" to outbid other contenders for one of the rare UNBUILT Heathkits that occasionally show up for auction on eBay. I would have preferred something like a piece of test equipment, but no such luck (yet). I landed an UNBUILT TM1626 Stereo Microphone Mixer (mixing console), a model that I had once owned (purchased used and already assembled) decades ago, and briefly used in my budding onsite concert/music recording side business.

I wanted to do my usual treatment, usually reserved for documenting Heathkit test equipment, but ALSO give enough of a taste of the Heathkit building experience to share with my viewers. Added to all that, because this kit is around 50 years old since it left the factory, I had to deal with pasttheirshelflife components, dried out adhesives, corroded electrical terminals, potentiometers and switches. All of that is included in this video. And I wrap it up with my usual study of the schematic diagram and fairly detailed circuit analysis (circuit theory of operation).

Table of Contents in Timeline:

00:00 Introduction/History
07:25 Unboxing
13:24 Heathkit Manual
25:33 Dealing With Corrosion
31:55 Making Missing Pieces
36:25 Printed Circuit Board Assembly
1:03:23 Chassis Assembly
1:26:20 Chassis Wiring
1:57:11 Initial Tests
1:58:28 Audio Tests
2:09:26 Demonstration
2:11:54 Final Assembly
2:15:00 Beauty Shot
2:15:12 Overview of the Mixer
2:21:58 Schematic Diagram/Circuit Theory