"Just for
Fun" or "Why Didn't I Think of That?"
Last Updated:
02/02/06
As the science of electronics
exploded in the early 1920's and 30's, so did the development of a myriad of gadgets and
gizmos. Many of these "inventions" never saw the light of day, but that wasn't
for the lack of trying on behalf of their creators.
Magazines like Popular Science
Monthly featured many inventions. Check out these examples:
New
Inventions... A Washboard For Collegians=Savings for Mom and Dad,
Phonograph-Alarm Clock, Glider Ride For The Kids!, and a
Great Color Cover From May 1925!
From May 1925 and February 1930 - Popular
Science Monthly - Subscription was $2.50 per year!
from Popular Science Monthly
May 1925 |
How
To Save On College Costs...
Doing the laundry is never fun, and when junior or missy has to call home
to ask for some funds to cover the cost of all those "extras"
such as feeding the dorm washing machines...
You can
be on top of the situation with this baby. Don't send 'em
cash! Just slip this small washboard into their suitcase when they
leave home. The hand slips through a canvas strap at the back of the
board. Its size makes it convenient for washing out small articles
like socks and "poo-poo undies" in the dorm washbasin.
Many a student can save laundry bills by this washbowl method, and this
little washboard makes the job all that more effective!
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from Popular Science Monthly
February 1930 |
Plays Sweet Music When The Alarm Goes Off!
Waking in the morning to the tune of a dreamy waltz or a stirring jazz
selection, instead of the clamor of an alarm bell, is now made possible by
a novel combination alarm clock and phonograph. The outfit resembles
a portable phonograph, with a clock set into the case. The
phonograph mechanism takes the place of the usual bell alarm. The
phonograph is wound by the usual handle and may be set for any hour
desired.
It is hoped that
the widespread use of this device will not destroy the national passion
for music.
(A Great Use For Those Old 78's!) |
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Aerial Coaster
Provides Thrilling Sport For Children ?
After following the plans for this home workshop project. Junior and Missy can climb
up on a ladder, grab on to the handles attached to the two pulley wheels riding on a wire
or clothesline and take a "thrilling" ride.
The trick is to make sure the "end" of the ride is low enough
so that the child riding it will have their feet hit the ground long before their face
hits the garage wall!
Seems a bit dangerous to me! |
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The Struggle Between Steam,
Electricity, and Oil May Mean Cheaper Travel By Rail And Sea
What a great color image
on the May 1925 cover of the Popular Science Monthly Magazine! The
caption reads, "Gigantic engines foreshadow new era in
transportation"... Do you think they were talking about Amtrak???? |
From the
October 1924 issue of Popular Science Monthly comes
articles on a Bee Bonnet, a Tin Can Smasher,
A Face Shaver-Massager Combo Device, A Lawn Sprinkler,
An Eveready "Mini-Battery" for Your 1924 Radio!
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Swarm of
Bees His Bonnet
The latest thing in daring styles in headgear is
a bee bonnet and chin strap of live bees. The brave wearer is
Frank Bornhofer, of Tobasco, Ohio, a raiser of honeybees, who
gathers them about him in this strange manner just to show on what
friendly terms he is with them.
Frank performs this feat, he says, without suffering a single sting.
All of which would seem to indicate that bees are not likely to
molest a person who knows how to handle them. |
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Invention
Turns Tin Cans Into Profit
A pie
manufacturer in Chicago has turned waste tin cans into profit by the
perfection of this electric machine that flattens used fruit cans so
that they can be sold in carload lots for the manufacture of window
weights.
The cans are smashed by a heavy weight that is raised and dropped by
means of gears.
Roomer
has it that the man was known by his friends as "Stubby" ...
due to the loss of three or four digits.
As there were no safety standards for devices like this
(no OSHA)... is it any wonder that so many workers were hurt on the
job. Unions DID and DO serve a purpose in addition to
pay-related benefits... unfortunately, not for Stubby. |
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Attachment
Gives Electric Shave and Massage
A
smooth and non-irritating shave is the advantage claimed for a
mechanical attachment that transforms either a safety or
straight-edge blade into an electric razor that makes the blade
vibrate.
By inserting a massage attachment the instrument
also can be used as a vibrator...just don't forget to remove the
blade!
I
don't know about you, but the idea of a device vibrating the blade
of a safety or straight-edge blade makes me pretty nervous.
I bet the owners of this device had plenty of toilet paper and
steptic pencil handy! |
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Traveling
Lawn-Sprinkler Saves Much Labor
An
automatic traveling lawn-sprinkler saves much time in watering
extensive lawns.
It is of the conventional whirling type. When the spiral is
turned by the force of the
escaping water, it moves a set of horizontal gears that are
connected with a geared wheel on which the apparatus runs.
Thus when the water turns the spiral, the action
causes the wheel to travel over the ground radiating in a wide
circle.
Depending upon the PSI of your water supply, this device is
reported to have traveled at speeds of up to 25 mph.*
*I
just made the "speed" up...but I bet the PSI did change the speed!
Keeping small pets and children away from this thing should have
been a priority...look at the teeth on those gears! |
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A Heavy
Duty 45-volt "B" Battery NO. 770 with
Extra Large Cells ---Extra Long Life
So you
think your old rectangular 9-volt battery, or the "D" cells were
big! This baby checked in at 14 pounds! It measured 9" x
5" x 8"...but it only cost $4.75!
This
"B" Battery was used on receiving sets at 90 volts or more, having
four tubes without a "C" battery, and all sets having five or more
tubes, with or without a "C" Battery.
It
could also be used on all power amplifiers...or on all sets that
pull heavy currents from the "B" battery.
This
battery was manufactured by the National Carbon Company, Inc.
located in New York and San Francisco.
The
Eveready Bunny was running way back then!
For more information on batteries used in the early days of
radio... see the
Battery Notes below.
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BATTERY
NOTES:
All early radios used batteries-as many as three batteries in the
earliest sets. These batteries were known as A, B, and C. Radio
engineers soon designed circuits to eliminate the C battery in a typical
radio circuit. That left two battery supplies, A and B.
Early battery sets had several drawbacks. A dead battery could
leave you radio-less in the middle of a crucial broadcast. Lead acid
cells could leak acid, which might drip out of the radio cabinet onto
your lovely Persian rug. Worst of all, if you accidentally reversed the
A and B battery connectors, you could fry your radio's precious tubes.
- The A supply provides low-voltage DC to heat the filaments
inside the radio tubes. It can be as low as 1.5 volts.
- The B supply provides higher-voltage DC for the "plate"
circuits of the radio. The B supply can be 22.5, 45, 67.5, or 90
volts.
Why the difference in voltage between A and B? The answer has to
do with the way that tubes work.
When you connect the A battery, the filament of the tube is heated
to release negatively charged electrons. When the B battery is
connected, it puts a positive charge on the plate of the tube. Electrons
travel through the partial vacuum inside the tube, flowing from the
filament to the positively charged plate. Many tubes also have small
structures, known as grids, between the filament and the plate. The grid
regulates the number of electrons that strike the plate.
Thus, every radio tube must be supplied with two different
voltages (A and B), and most will need three (A, B, and C). The A
voltage heats the filament to release electrons. The B voltage gives the
plate a positive charge to attract electrons from the filament. The C
voltage lets the grid regulate the flow of electrons from filament to
plate. (As noted earlier, modern radio designs eliminate the need for a
separate C battery.)
The voltage required from the B battery depends on the size of the
charge needed at the tube's plate. Circuit designers calculate the
needed charge using formulas such as Ohm's law (V=I*R), which says that
voltage pressure is equal to the product of the flow of electrons
through a known amount of resistance.
The plate current of a tube is very small compared to its filament
current. That is why filament (A) batteries, despite their lower voltage
ratings, often are much larger than plate (B) batteries, which have
higher voltage ratings. As a result, the filament batteries are
exhausted more frequently than the plate batteries. If your battery
portable quits working, try replacing the A battery before the B
battery.
Rechargeable nickel-cadmium battery packs didn't exist in the
"good old" days, but some owners of so-called "farm" radios used
rechargeable lead acid batteries, of the type still used in cars. Often,
the only available battery was taken from the family truck or car. When
the battery ran down, the farmer could simply hook up the battery to a
generator and recharge it. For the portable radio user, the price of
mobility was a large, heavy, disposable zinc-carbon power pack.
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Ahhh.... So this is "Ham Radio!"
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