Retro SciFi Tape Recorder - Columbia Bell & Howell Model 350 B (1955) - Part 1 - Overview

[thatmuse76]

It's nice that it had a braking system. I used to have a Voice of Music machine from that era and it didn't. That tape recorder also came with a bunch of acetate tapes from the same era. Those did not last too long in those conditions. It had a cool little magic eye though.

[clydesight]

@thatmuse76

Thanks for your comment. One way to brake such a machine is to press the opposite drive button and let the motors slow it down naturally, then hit stop. That put less wear on them. Acetate tapes were so brittle, they would break in the middle of a recording or playback! So frustrating! Magic Eye tubes are very cool looking! And more useful than a blinking light!

[grape387]

I notice you don't deny that that cat is interested in conquering the world even if its not a space alien... :)

[clydesight]

@grape387 Thanks for the comment.

Ummm, I think cats have already conquered the world. Just ask their human slaves!

BTW, cats ARE space aliens! Clyde (the cat) proved it on his web site. Just google the phrase

why cats are superior to space aliens

[Clepto202]

Your cat is cool looking with them little white boots for feet and just the very, very tip of his tail white....ahhh, I have 2 cats myself..Man you got great videos....It nice to see these older machines...great explaination, as always.

[clydesight]

@Clepto202,

Thanks!

Gertie is a she cat, a real "Queen" (did you know female cats are called "Queens"?) Actually, Gertie is more of a spoiled Princess at times!

Cats are wonderful.

Be sure and check out Part 2 of the series!

[Clepto202]

I watched pt two, and wrote a comment but I didnt hit post......oops. No I dint know that about female cats.

[Lachlant1984]

You talk about Columbia Bel & Howell, isn't Columbia part of Sony Music? You also talk about Robbie the Robot, my best friend had a toy called Robbie Junior, it was a remote controlled robot made by Tandy, I think he got it in the 80's. I too had a remote controlled robot called Robbie, I got it in 1997 as a birthday gift, I have no idea who bought it for me. Very interesting tape recorder, it seems to me the cooling system is quite noisey. I also find the electronic breaking system cool.

[clydesight]

@Lachlant1984,

In 1955 Columbia was an American record label. SONY didn't get Columbia until 1988.

In 1955 it was American (as was B&H) and represented fine recording quality. B&H probably licensed the use of the name for their machine.

"Robby the Robot" was a character from the movie "Forbidden Planet" which premiered in 1957. He appeared in one other movie and then in several TV shows.

I have fixed the noise problem with the cooling system now.

[clydesight]

It is also possible that Columbia hired Bell & Howell to build the machine and THEY sold it under the combined name.

To make things MORE confusing, there is a label on the machine that says Three Dimension Company, a division of Bell and Howell.

AND, the mechanism has many similar characteristics to machines made by the Brush Development Company, who got their designs from Germany! In fact this machine has heads labeled "Brush".

A soap opera is easier to follow than this stuff!

[tribalmasters]

Whoa that is a nice cabinet!! Interesting cooling system design too hehe!

[clydesight]

Thanks, the cabinet is a nice design. The fan system is annoying though, needs re-engineering.

[thecrystalcauldron]

A great video and tape recorder.

Gertie is such a star.

Thank you!

[clydesight]

Thanks for your kind comment. Gertie appreciates it!

[CassetteMaster]

I am sure KEEPIN' my EYES OUT for this! I've seen this ob eBay a couple times before, but never got it. But I see how such an awesome recorder it is! 10 inch speaker, electrical brakes, and those pushbuttons. Very nice one indeed.

[clydesight]

@CassetteMaster

I've only seen a machine like this on E-Bay once before, and there were a bunch of folks bidding on it.

I lucked out on this one, it has everything, manual, original mic and some tape (Christmas music.) Now I just have to get those new caps for it and do something about the noise!

[CoolDudeClem]

The speed must be really stable, as it has a 3 motor mechanism. I didn't think hope reel to reels back then could be so advanced with all the features it has. I'm looking forward to the next videos in the series.

[clydesight]

Thanks CoolDude,

In spitye of the mico flats on the drive wheel, the machine has almost undetectable wow and flutter. It was originally rated at less than .2%, remarkable for the time.

I believe this machine was actually designed by the Brush Development Company and based on German designs just after WWII. They also had three motor all electronic transports.

[coolbluelights]

wow that is nice!! I like the rewind, FF and braking system! and that chimmney is very interesting too! I would guess they added it later, because maybe the older models had problems with the motors overheating.

[clydesight]

Thanks coolblue,

I can't tell if the older version had no chimney and they added it, of the older version had the chimney and they eliminated it (because of noise and other problems with it. I have seen both but have no dates or version numbers to go by.

For my use, it probably doesn't matter, since I don't run the machine for long periods of time.

[ffeku]

Nice vintage Bell & Howell.

was that Gertrude sniffing about?

[clydesight]

@ffeku

Thanks. Yes that was Gertrude taking parts inventory. Problem was, she didn't have a pen! Poor thing.

[oviwolf]

WOW! Now ..this is a really nice tape recorder! I've never seen one like this..

It was so ahead of it's time,with all those unique features! Awesome!

[clydesight]

Thanks, Oviwolf,

Yes, it is a unique machine in many ways, and very expensive at the time it was made!

[BadEditPro]

Fantastic video about a very interesting machine. I love the sliding door and the over-all look of the the machine. The electronics are beautiful, too. :) JC

[clydesight]

Thanks BadEditPro!

[Vinylrecordsneverdie]

Interesting machine!

[clydesight]

Thanks!

[DrCassette]

That's a really high quality machine! Really nice idea with the fan setup. Also, the machine sounds pretty good! I'm sure this once was really expensive, being 3 motors and logic controlled! I'm looking forward to see the other videos!

[clydesight]

Thanks Dr. Cassette,

That fan set up is the source of a lot of noise and it sometimes jams the motor fan when the unit is closed. I have to really re-work the whole thing.

When new, this thing went for $279 in 1955 dollars! At the time, so did a used car!

[subtler1]

@clydesight according to the inflation calculator website $279 in 1955 would equal $2219.31 in 2008.

[clydesight]

Thanks for the info subtler1.

That makes it one very expensive machine in those days!

[DrCassette]

@clydesight

Yes, the unit is really noisy when the fan is turned on. Hopfully that can be repaired!

[clydesight]

We'll see what I come up with. I may just dump the chimney, I am not convinced it is very effective anyway. And the unit is very quiet without it.

[DrCassette]

@clydesight

That might be a solution, but I would be worried about the motor getting too hot. But if there was a version without that setup as you said in the video, it probably won't cause any damage.

[clydesight]

Yes all motors are big AC induction types.

[Felix2417425]

Does they need start or run capacitors? And of course this is great machine, I want the same model! :-) BTW, I like really much tape recorders with 3 motor system! ;-)

[dmstealth]

This Island Earth! That's immediately what I thought when I saw both sci-fi in the title and the recorder in pieces! Granted it's because I'm an MST3K fan.

Did it come with a tape from Exeter himself?

[clydesight]

HI dmstealth,

Unless Exeter likes to sing "Frosty, The Snowman", no, he wasn't on the tape that came with the machine. The tape was all Christmas music.

I like MST3K, but they really hacked the movie This Island Earth in that one. The original was much longer. Still, they kept the woman hungry bug, the Mu-Tant!

[dmstealth]

Just as well, if it was an Interocitor it would've vaporized after the tape was finished.

Yeah MST3K chopped it up, but they do that with most of the films they riff on anyways. Nanu nanuuuuu!

[clydesight]

MST3K is funny and I enjoyed the movie, I just wish they hadn't chopped up the original film so much. I saw TIE when I was a kid and loved it. Now, it's fun but not so believable, of course.

But look what they started. Interociter has become a cult term in sci fi and it's even in Wikipedia. Oh, well, that explains something, doesn't it?

Live Long and Prosper.