Bell Labs
In 1927 Bell Labs built a large screen TV set using a
specially designed neon lamp with 2500 individual anodes, arranged in 50
rows of 50 anodes. A huge switch was attached to the motor, routing the
electrical signals to one anode at a time. This set was used to televise Herbert Hoover
in a demonstration
in April of 1927. This was accomplished both by wire and by radio on
experimental station 3XN from Whippany, N. J., 22 miles from New York,
to the Bell Laboratories building in New York City where the speakers
and performers were readily recognized on the receiving screen. The
voices of the persons at Whippany were transmitted, and reproduced by
means of a loudspeaker.
In 1930 they published a
booklet about their television
accomplishments, including color television and telephone-television.
Click for
Bell Labs pictures from Bob
Eilenberger's collection.
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Here is a photo from 1927 of the motor and switch
assembly
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The screen as it appeared in 1927. |
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A modern photo of the side of the cabinet. The screen is facing
toward the right back
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The
screen, showing the individual bulbs |
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The right side, with the door open |
The left side of the cabinet, with the door open,
showing the motor and switch
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The following is from a 1928
issue of Practical Radio
(Courtesy of Gabe Bennett)
Bell labs also used a more conventional scanning disk set to demonstrate TV at the same time.
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The front of the set
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Another view of the front. Is the shelf for the
viewer to rest their chin on? |
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The top of the disk, showing the neon tube box
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The
neon tube |
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The motor/generator and rear of the disk |
Between the motor and the disk is a switch box of
some sort, apparently used in synchronization
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(Thanks to Igor Golioto of Bell
Laboratories Lucent Technologies for these photos)
From the above picture it can be seen that the shelf is not a chin rest,
but a place to put the telephone instrument
(Courtesy of Gabe Bennett)
