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The Secret Life of the Vacuum Cleaner - Remastered

tim hunkin · 288.3K views · 2021-03-13 · 30:01

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Overview

Tim Hunkin's 1987 TV series episode on how vacuum cleaners and related household machines work, remastered and upscaled in 2021. It is part of the six-episode 'Secret Life of Machines' series with hands-on demonstrations of everyday technology.

On Hacker News

Recommended as a clear, charming explanation of how machines work, including a demonstration of building an electric motor.

Recommended by 3 HN people across 3 months · HN mentions 2021–2026

Topics

Mechanical & precision engineeringEngineering & making (other)
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tim hunkinsecret life of machinesvacuum cleanerelectric motorengineering

What people said

fake-name · 2022-10 · Strong recommendation

Tim Hunkin (the man behind these arcades) also did an excellent video series called "The secret life of machines" for the BBC in the 80s. It was recently remastered, and is now up on youtube: [VIDEO] (All three seasons!) I cannot recommend it strongly enough.

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detourdog · 2026-08 · Recommendation

They are not blog posts but it is a presentation of technical development that meets my standard. james burke connections [LINK] Tim Hunkin Secret Life of Machines [VIDEO] I have read plenty of blog posts that meet my standard. If I can think of one I will post it.

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LeoPanthera · 2021-09 · Recommendation

It's (reasonably) easy to make your own electric motor, if you want a better understanding of how they work. Rex Garrod (of Battlebots fame) demonstrates his own one on Tim Hunkin's "The Secret Life of", here: [VIDEO]

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Sources

Video by tim hunkin, played through YouTube.

Data and selection notes

HN summaries and labels may contain AI errors. HN dates refer to discussions, not video publication.

HN Library: HackerTube export (2026-10-31) and open-index/hacker-news. Upstream summaries and classifications may contain AI errors.

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