[78-L] The 1941 RCA player: it plays both sides

[Bertrand CHAUMELLE]

RockOla's "Rocket" of 1950 had two styli on the tonearm to play both 
sides, for instance.

BC

Le 18 déc. 08, à 18:00, Malcolm Rockwell a écrit :

>
> Wasn't this a common jukebox design? Seems to me I remember Seeco (??)
> used a tonearm/turntable mechanism exactly like this for their 45rpm 
> boxes.
> M
>
> *******
>
> Stephen Davies wrote:
>> Did this model die off because it was impractical, rather than just 
>> too
>> expensive?  Did it ever have a name?  Sorry, I can't find a picture 
>> of it.
>>
>> from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,765910,00.html
>>
>> (c)Time magazine
>>
>> <<<
>> New Record Changer
>> Monday, Aug. 11, 1941
>>
>> RCA Victor last week made the biggest phonographic news of the year by
>> putting out a machine that could play both sides of a record without
>> flipping it over. Up to now, record changers have been of two types: 
>> 1) the
>> "drop" type, which plays a stack of records butter-side up only; 2) 
>> the
>> Capehart, which flips records like flapjacks on a griddle. Drawback 
>> of the
>> drop type: it cannot play alternate sides in sequence. Drawback of the
>> Capehart: it is expensive.
>>
>> The new record changer has a double tone arm, shaped like a big tuning
>> fork, whose prongs, each equipped with a needle and pickup, swing out 
>> over
>> both sides of the record at once. Records are dropped from the stack 
>> on to
>> a miniature turntable which leaves the grooved surface of both sides
>> exposed. The upper side of the record is played by the upper prong. 
>> Then
>> the record automatically begins to turn backward, and the lower prong 
>> plays
>> the lower side. Then the record slips down a chute, and No. 2 drops 
>> into
>> place.
>>
>> A special feature of the new phonograph is the pickup mechanism of 
>> the two
>> prongs, so light that it exerts less pressure (1 oz.) than the weight 
>> of
>> the record. Like the Capehart, RCA Victor's new phonograph is 
>> expensive
>> ($450). But with both on the market, competition may do a little price
>> regulating.
>>
>>
>> I like the butter side up analogy.  I just can't figure out how they
>> clamped the record down to balance it.
>>
>> Stephen D
>> Calgary
>>
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 78-L mailing list
> 78-L at klickitat.78online.com
> http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l
>