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FORMAT: CED | ||||||
DATE: 1981 PRICE: $? [2005: $?] 43x39x15cm 10kg |
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| This machine is an American model, so strictly speaking doesn't belong in a British museum. But these RCA machines came before the Hitachi versions that we got, so it's interesting to see the how the technology evolved from one to the other. | |
| Overall it's very similar to the Hitachi machines in the previous exhibit, but in fact it's
a completely different design. It seems that the Hitachi developers didn't start with this earlier machine, but designed
their own solution from scratch.
The most obvious difference is that the RCA machine is "manual loading" - a lever on the right not only turns the machine on and off but also mechanically lifts the disc on its turntable up to meet the stylus. On the Hitachis this happens automatically when the disc is inserted -- and there's also no on/off switch. |
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| The woodgrain cabinet gives a very American look to the machine, and also makes it look rather "Seventies" to the European eye. | |
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Internally, the machine is very solidly built, significantly larger and heavier than the European version,
with a steel chassis and turntable, which pushes the weight up to about 10kg.
Another difference is that the stylus carriage moves from back to front, rather than left to right as for the Hitachis -- which means that there's no machanical analogue position meter on the front panel. Instead, a digital display shows how far through the disc you are, in minutes. |
| The control buttons give two fast speeds in either direction, plus a pause. (I don't have any NTSC discs so I haven't been able to try these out, but I wouldn't expect a still-picture when paused, just a blank screen.) It's a mono sound model, and naturally can't support alternate sountracks. | |
| The position of the carriage places the stylus access door on the top of the machine, with a release catch on the back
of the case.
The stylus design is different (Hitachi and RCA styluses can't be swapped) though of course they use the same technology to pick up the signal and transfer it into the machine. Interestingly, styluses are still available for these machines today, for about $40, and there's a healthy market for professionally reconditioned machines in the US. |
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A later stereo model, still with manual loading. I like the surviving strip of woodgrain on the case! |
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