Mechanical Television Western Empire State (click on picture for high resolution image) This set was made by Western Television in 1931. It had a triple interlace 45 line disk with lenses mounted in it.
This mechanism was made using a disk, motor, and mounting brackets from a Western Model 41. We have mounted them on a chassis and built neon drive circuits to operate the crater lamp. For more information, see our restoration page. It is unusual in that it is designed to operate on 50 Hz power. Here are pictures taken from the screen with the original crater lamp. The viewing angle is quite limited, with the brightest picture visible only when you are directly in front of the screen. A much dimmer image is visible about 30 degrees on either side.
(photos by Wayne Bretl) |
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