Adcock, who was actually involved in developing the product at Texas Instruments. The museum is also home to a prototype model with a clear case, currently in storage. Roughly a decade later, they added FM capabilities, and ever-cheaper import models flooded the markets. At roughly five by four inches, with a sleek plastic case, headphone jack and simple controls, the original transistor radio was simply the first toy you could slip in your pocket and use to listen to music.
Joseph Stromberg was previously a digital reporter for Smithsonian. Texas Instruments' Regency TR-1, the first commercial transistor radio, on display at the American History Museum Photo courtesy museum For the first 50 years after its invention, the radio was essentially a piece of furniture. Post a Comment. Laughably large by today's standards of portability, in the mids, most consumer radios were table-top sized or larger. Radios for the home were often showpieces--examples of the most current and fashionable design--but the focus of this radio is portability and durability.
Battery operated, it is made of durable plastic, and a handle assists in carrying the set. The overall design is reminiscent of a lunchbox. In addition to radios, Crosley manufactured automobiles and household appliances. The 45 format typically held one song per side, requiring active forms of listening.
This record changer allowed stacks of durable 45s to be set on the top spindle; as each record finished playing, a new record would drop down onto the turntable.
The size of radios shrank following the advent of transistor technology. Even the smallest vacuum tubes were bulky, and their power consumption ensured the need for large batteries. Transistor radios made of lightweight plastics were cheap and truly portable. With the addition of an earphone a radio such as this allowed the listener to enjoy a completely personal listening experience. Today, we think of portable music devices as something that can be carried in a pocket.
Until the rise of the Walkman in the s, mobile media players where people could select their own music usually meant bulky devices with a convenient handle attached. The Playtape was a two-track audiotape player system designed by Frank Stanton in He marketed this device as a portable music player and a business dictation machine.
Its minute cartridges typically played two or four songs on a continuous loop. The Playtape was successful among youth, however, the introduction of the eight-track player caused its popularity to be short-lived. The popularity of the eight-track player was--much like the transistor radio--based upon its portability.
While heavy, these players nonetheless offered a smaller footprint than portable record players, and could be carried and played while in motion without skipping. This particular player unfolded to reveal two speakers; its stereo sound was a nod to expensive high-fidelity equipment. During the early s, IC's allowed electronic products to miniaturize. They were used in handheld calculators, toys, automobiles--and significantly impacted the computer industry.
Smaller than transistor radios of the time, this radio would have acted as a symbol of its owner's desire and ability to possess the latest technology. When Sesame Street debuted on public television in , it was an immediate hit with its pre-school audience. The Regency model TR-1 contained four transistors.
Willis A. Nominate this object for photography. Hi Nancy and Hal. Nancy, your question is a good one, and Hal's reply is partially correct. The TR-1 did not come with an earbud, but it did come with a standard mini-phone ear-bud jack, thus enabling you to listen to the music privately.
I say "ear-bud", singular, since stereo did not really emerge for another 10 years so only one ear was accommodated. Bill Buxton Wed, Nancy Warren Sat, In this case, no, the Regency TR-1 did not have headsets or earbuds. However the desire to use these small portable radios without annoying others quickly resulted in the adoption of a small ear-phone like those used in hearing aids at that time.
The ear-phone was a single, monaural device similar in size to the earbuds familiar today and became standard accessories with transistor radios.
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