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I liked that the remote controls on these old things (if they had one) would actually have a servo physically turn the dial one notch. Also, ask anyone that ha
by tyingq 5y ago
I liked that the remote controls on these old things (if they had one) would actually have a servo physically turn the dial one notch.
Also, ask anyone that had an old tv with a physical dial if they remember using a matchbook, paper, etc, to hold the dial offset just a little so that the picture was clear. A surprisingly common memory for many.
- flyinghamster 5y agoMy grandparents had a Zenith console TV that had a remote control that used ultrasonic tuning forks. [0] The tuner had presets and some sort of stepper or solenoid driving it. Hit the channel up button, and CLACK! thump-thump-thump you'd go to your next preset. You could make the TV do random things by jingling keys or coins. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Adler#Contributions_to_the_remote_control https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Adler#Contributions_to_...
- cf100clunk 5y agoSpaceCommander remote control owner here. This brown (gold lettering and highlights) unit sits in my big box of oddball, vintage tech stuff along with a few vacuum tubes, QIC tapes, Sun-4c parts, and other now-useless stuff.
- gorkish 5y agoHeck yeah folded piece of cardboard wedged into the dial to get those "in-between" signals back when I was a stupid kid who knew nothing about calibrating the VFO... I am still quite fond of the early "clicker" style remotes that used no batteries and worked by audio impulse and later used inaudible ultrasonics. I think it would be fun to revive the control scheme for a modern hobby project. Edit: someone did it! https://www.hackster.io/news/control-alexa-with-an-old-school-ultrasonic-remote-ec44f7ec3826 https://www.hackster.io/news/control-alexa-with-an-old-schoo...
- Johnny555 5y agoMy grandparents' dog would change the channels when he scratched himself and his dog tags would ring at the right frequency.