The First Power Amplified Talking Machine to market

[dumhumdrum]

Brilliant.... i still don't get quite how the actuall sound is made though, and i have learnt thhe theory, but i still dont get how it makes to many different sounds from a needle being vibrated and amplified through a cone...

Anyone want to email me the answer? ;) Im so intrigued

[zapkorte]

@dumhumdrum here is your explain: three w point douglas-self point com per MUSEUM per COMMS per trumechamp per trumechamp point htm

[2reeler]

I still dont understand it . but its awesome! Thanks for restoring it and sharing. Such a rare machine! The box is all spring! Is that to turn the extra shaft as well as the cylinder?

[2agray]

Wow that's loud! And the clairty is amazing.

[amberola1b]

hee hee, sounds like it`s farting when you release the brake

[edisonworks]

I think you did an admirable job, certainly very loud!

[ampdavolts]

@edisonworks , thank you for the kind words. The camcorder made the motor sound noisier than it really is,

its that AVC, you see...the BC in life sounds just as clear and loud as we could want. It is like magic, you too!

[gmmix]

Amazing volume and surprisingly good sound quality. I've always wanted to hear one of these play. Saw such a Columbia many years ago but was inoperable. MANY THANKS for this highly instructive video.

[arburo1]

Excellent demonstration! The same principle was used on the very early self-playing pianos. In 1885, Hupfeld made their 'piano playing mechanism No 10' which used a large rotation cylinder and a set of 'kicking cams' to amplify the small movement of the keys reading the card disc into sufficient force and displacement to push down the keys of a piano. Early electric typewriters also used the same principle.

[gmmix]

Fascinating demonstration.  Thanks for posting the video.

[videogamehistorian]

WOW. Great work and wonderful machine, I wish I had one. By the way, what's the specific noise at the start ? Is this due to the friction of the amber roll when it starts rotating ?

[ampdavolts]

@videogamehistorian and others: you guys are very kind. Thanks. The "squonk" is the sound of =breaking static friction=...hear/see? Thank you for enjoying the Twentieth Century BC

[ReidOphone]

It works (thanks to patoman and quantumbits both, btw) by friction-stiction. That is, the friction shoe (see my channel page for the patent illustration?) grabs and tries to wrap around the rotating member, that pulley-like thing. Vibes imparted to the end of the shoe cause its grip to vary from slip to grip in sync with the vibes, imparting a variable tug and let-go to the diaphragm. HTH, Reid

[quantumbits]

How does the amplifier mechanism work?

[patoman881]

Pardon my ignorance, but what is the upper, slower moving revolving cylinder just below the horn for?

[quantumbits]

@patoman881 That is apparently the driver energy for the mechanical amplifier. But I don't know how it works.

[rweerakkody4565]

very good amplification!!!

[Lucius1958]

Lovely! Wish I had one in my collection......

I was surprised, though, at how *slowly* the friction wheel is turning; I had imagined it would be much faster. And the little saxophone-like 'squawk' as it starts up.....

[CassetteMaster]

Amazing!

[stratocat9999]

Wow! Even on your video recording I can tell this is really loud compared to a standard reproducer! I'm hearing the sound play off of the room. That's loud! You are correct about the experiments (and even public demonstrations) of amplification using compressed air. I think I ran across a paper somewhere on someone attempting to build one of these compressed air amplifiers. That would cool to see and hear! Thanks or sharing!

[edisonphonographfan]

this was composed 1900 by arthur pryor its a fox trot and was orginally for band

and when jazz erupted this quickly forgotten song had a comback in 1917

[shortyblackwell]

great job! 

[jassbone]

@ReidWelch Which version of "Coon Band Contest" is this? I don't recognize it. Quite snappy with those percussive hits!

[edisonphonographfan]

@jassbone

well i have only heard this version once and i only heard it the first time from vess ossman this one is more upbeat this seems like a cakewalk

[RICKROLLBLENDER]

There's one main reason it failed: the fact that the amp was friction driven

[edisonphonographfan]

i love this song great a coon band cotest reid i love ths machine i bleive i saw a cas or something like this one but it was only a case thanks

jonathan

[edisonphonographfan]

@edisonphonographfan

Sorry for the bad spelling I dont know what was up with my keyboard that day.

anyway yeah great machine would love to have one!

[edisonphonographfan]

@edisonphonographfan

Man I had bad grammer in those days. My sentence barely made sense lol.

Anyway there are a few versions of this song out there today but this is by far the most powerful and driving! There is an old BC 20th Century for sale on Ebay right now actually. Starting bid a whopping 2000! If I had the money I would by it myself.

[EnerG15]

Very nice machine and cylinder!

[edisonphonographfan]

the song is ''A Coon Band Contest''

[edisonphonographfan]

but alot of good instrumental are coon songs so u never hear em any mory so thats why u dont hear this song

[DeLorean4]

@edisonphonographfan You are a God. Nobody has managed to find the title of this song ever since this video was first uploaded in 2008. God knows (you know) how often I've listened to this song in the hopes of knowing the title one day.

[edisonphonographfan]

@DeLorean4

lol i thought it was common lol i have know its title for 4 years lol ok i do deep research so i know alot ty

jonathan

[zapkorte]

@edisonphonographfan We know in Europe as Negerstandchen cake walk! See "1908 Hupfeld Unioliszt player piano plays two pieces" at my videos! It is same!

[16mmDJ]

i wouldn't like to be your neighbor :)

[DeLorean4]

I regret to say that I do not have a Model T, although I would absolutely love to own one one day. Believe me, I'd drive it EVERYWHERE as well with my trusty gramophone.

[Christian762]

Great song, do you know what the title is?

[CoolDudeClem]

How does it work? I clicked the link, but the page says "SOL error"

[edisonphonographfan]

wow i have two pgonographs but i would love to have one like this u should make more videos of this playing

[DeLorean4]

What piece is playing? I'm a trumpet player in a youth orchestra and I'd like to play this with a couple of brass instrument playing friends to wake everyone up at 5 in the morning at the annual "fin de semaine intensive". I'll probably lose half of my friends.... but it's probably worth it :P

[edisonphonographfan]

@DeLorean4

its A COON BAND CONTEST

[DeLorean4]

I wouldn't be surprised if the playback is louder than the orchestra that originally recorded it... I'd like to bring this along in a Model T to blast at anyone who dares play techno on massive subwoofers. Bring it on!

[edisonphonographs]

That really is loud! It sounds very good too! Where did you find this one? What is the name of the song?

Thanks

[fwdstuck]

What song is that playing?

[grassulo]

if you can obtain a decibel meter when you make your next BC video and hold it about 1 meter from the horn, to show people just how loud these things get

[infrogmation]

Very cool.

I'd seen one that hadn't played in decades on display, never seen nor heard one working.  Thanks!

[linograph]

that is a fasinating design, how exactly dose the amplifier work? and do you know were i could find the patent to it or some diagrams?

[albanybeardguy]

What is the music? Sounds like a two step or cakewalk?

[Gypsymojo]

Hi, Very nice machine, I was shown one of these when in Melbourne last, I didn't see it playing, they really are an amazing machine. Thanks for posting.

[ReidOphone]

First internet demonstration ever of the first mass marketed sound power amplifier.

First truly public demonstration of the Higham amplification principle in nearly a century.

Entirely mechanical, no valves or tubes or transistors about it.

[ReidOphone]

For those in the know who come across this video: yes, we know there were compressed air-type amplifiers of some years before. Prototypes that did not get to the market, not any sort of quantity. Pump a broom handle all the while the machine plays? No. There were prototype Higham friction amplifiers.

But this is the first one for the mass market, and quite a few were made.

The funny thing is: almost all quit making sound in their first months or year of service. The friction mechanism, fritzed.