Re: wire recorders

["Roger Kirk" <rogerkirk@ttlc.net>]

"Cooper Fox" wrote:
> I have heard them mentioned in a bunch of texts about
> radio in the early part of the 20th century, but have
> never been able to find a plce where it is explained
> how wire recording devices work.  Does anyone know?

How did they work?  Poorly.  Splicing wire was a Boy
Scout's dream - a knot.  Since the wire could rotate, alignment
with the head was a problem and fidelity was marginal (to
be kind)


Check out:

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~dmorton/wire_recorders.htm

http://www.vidipax.com/museum/thmwr1.html

http://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.rci.ru
tgers.edu/%7Edmorton/

http://www.struermuseum.dk/gb/10wire.htm

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~postr/MRT/wirerec.htm

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~postr/MRT/SilvWire.htm

http://www.antiquewireless.org/museum/tour12.htm  (1907!!!)

Note from "howstuffworks.com": The original format was not tape at all,
but actually was a thin steel wire. The wire recorder was invented in
1900 by Valdemar Poulsen.

Sony's "spin" on wire recorders:
http://www.sony.co.jp/en/Fun/SH/1-2/h1.html

A 1940's "Webster":
http://home.earthlink.net/~mrkevo4/radiocity/pages/webster.html