I have just been thinking of a story I heard years ago. It was about a grade school age electronics nerd much like myself. I have forgotten most of the fine details. But at the time I realized it was something I might have done.
Background
I started building electronic projects probably before age 10 or 12. My parents bought my brother Jim and I electronic experimenter assembly kits for Christmas. Nothing like the kits today. The “experiments” board (building surface) was a square of plywood about 12 to 14 inches square. On the top surface was glued down a drawing where to mount certain circuit components like tube sockets (what’s a tube?) and a lot of Fanstock Clips to mount where wires and component leads were held.
This was before the transistor was invented (or at least available). So vacuum tubes were used. Heavy batteries “A” and “B” for filament power and plate voltage. Finial project was a dual tube AM broadcast radio receiver. Many other electronic circuits built and tested before the “big” receiver project.
The result was a lot of electronic parts, coils, wires and batteries. So that jumble of parts seemed natural to Jim and I. It was how electronics worked. Not scary or dangerous.
I have been playing with electronics and circuits of all kinds and like this for 70 years.
Back to Story
This story happened maybe a decade ago. Like I said, the precise details have faded,
A grade school student, exactly like myself, builds a digital clock from a kit. Proud of his accomplishment, he wanted to show it off.
As grade school teachers commonly like to do, his teacher decided to have “show and tell” days so students could bring things or projects to class, they made at home. Then, show and explain the project to the entire class. This activity builds presentation skills and “front of class” confidence. And they can be proud of what they have to show. All well and good learning experience.
This fellow in the story wanted to show off his new digital clock.
He placed it in a cardboard box, with some batteries and whatever else was part of the project.
When the teacher examined the box, there was panic and the boy was hauled to the office and police called.
The teacher had immediately assumed this student had brought a time-bomb into the school.
The police “bomb squad” examined the box and immediately knew what it actually was.
End of story
This may be “fake news” as it (to me) seems a bit overdone and silly. I don’t have enough details in my memory for a true or false judgment of it’s validity.
But I can imagine the misunderstanding happening with all the school shootings and bombings occurring at the time.
I could also see it possibly happening to me. Grade schoolers usually don’t work with electronics at the component level.
The teacher was a victim of the movie makers imagination, that always show a bright L.E.D. Clock or timer, ticking down as the hero tries to figure out what color wire to cut.
Can’t blame the student for wrong-doing unless he also put some round red tubes in the box as a joke…