A place to share and discuss Cassette Futurism: media where the technology closely matches the computers and technology of the 70s and 80s.
Whether it's bright colors and geometric shapes, the tendency towards stark plainness, or the the lack of powerful computers and cell phones, Cassette Futurism includes: Cassettes, ROM chips, CRT displays, computers reminiscent of microcomputers like the Commodore 64, freestanding hi-fi systems, small LCD displays, and other analog technologies.
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The Zenith Space Command, one of the first wireless television remotes ever to exist.
These were so cool. Didn’t they work by the pitch omitted? When a mechanical lever struck a plate that emitted a tone. The tv then receives the tone and completes the task.
I think it's a noise in the ultrasound spectrum. Humans can't hear it
Na it made a click, that’s why we call remotes ‘clickers’
The click was the release of a spring-loaded plunger that pushed air through an ultrasonic whistle. The whistle was what controlled the TV or stereo.
Weird I think I saw a YT video explaing it and this is the info I remembered
Looks like it’s a bit of both: while they did work by emitting an ultrasonic frequency, they also made an audible click. https://www.theverge.com/23810061/zenith-space-command-remote-control-button-of-the-month
I feel like there’s a technology connections video on the topic but I could be hallucinating
I feel like there’s a technology connections video on the topic but I could be hallucinating
Yeah me too
You're both right, the click actuated the ultrasonic noise, like hitting a xylophone.
They were essentially an ultrasonic kalimba
TV remotes back then used to be so heavy. As a kid when no one was around I used to lay flat on my back and toss the remote in the air over my head and catch it while I was listening to whatever show was on. The remote was about the same weight as a baseball.
One time I missed the catch and it (very predictably) hit me in the face. When I showed up to school the next day with a black eye, the teacher thought I was being abused. It didn't help that my story was so stupid...
yep i've used one. inside is like a xylophone for dogs.
Is it an acoustic remote?
yea but the notes are super high pitch
We took my grandma's TV when she bought a new one, it was one of these.
Our dog had one of those steel choker chains, and he'd often change the channel or turn the TV on/off by running around jingling it.
As a teenager I accidentally discovered clinking a handful of coins would also do it.
checks eBay
Those things are apparently going for ~$250 today.
These things are listed at $250. Doesn't mean people are buying them at that price.
I remember as a kid in the early 80s, we still had a VCR that had a remote with a cord. It was like 3 buttons or something. We also had a Beta machine in the garage for a while from before I was born.
Hehe I still have one for the National NV-300. It used a pair of wires and each button presented a different resistance. Only issue was if you half pressed a button it might think you hit record.
I found one of these in an estate sale. I still have it and it's incredible. The sound when you mash the button all the way down that triggers the tuning forks is so weird and satisfying.
I just looked and saw these go for about $200 US today. WOW!!
Hah, we had a TV with one of those when I was a little kid. I remember the TV would sometimes hear just the right tone from its own speaker and change the channel. The buttons on the remote did have a very satisfying click, though.
Wow beautiful. Were they metal?
This is a repost. If i remember right, the original post a few months ago explained a dew things about that remote. Like, for example, how each of the buttons mechanically creates an sound signal that the TV reacts to.
I haven't seen it. There's no where near enough content on Lemmy to worry about reposts, especially if they are over a month apart, as you say
Let me check I founded this on Reddit.