John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus, 1925-1926

John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Transmitting portion of original television experimental apparatus, created and used by John Logie Baird, with a dummy head of "Stookie / Stooky Bill". 1925-1926.

This original Television apparatus was made of 16 lenses fitted in two half-spirals on a cardboard disc cut from a hat box. This was connected to a large motor mounted on an old tea chest which turned the disc. As the disc rotated, each of the lenses scanned a different part of the subject and focused light into Baird's secret photosensitive cell, where it was turned into an electrical signal which could be sent to a receiver.

Receiving equipment had a similar disc and showed small but recognisable images of human faces with 32 lines of resolution on a ground glass screen. The light was provided by a neon tube which shone through the spinning receiver disc onto the glass.

John L Baird succeeded in transmitting the silhouette in 1923 and the full recognisable image in 1925. During the experiment, a dummy head called ‘Stooky Bill’ was used as the apparatus would become too hot for humans.

Details

Category:
Radio Communication
Object Number:
1926-1040
Materials:
wood (unidentified), aluminium (metal), cardboard, electrical components, glass, plaster of Paris, hair and paint
Measurements:
without plinth: 850 mm x 1770 mm x 630 mm,
overall estimate: 335 mm x 780 mm x 655 mm, 87 kg
type:
television and equipment
credit:
John Logie Baird

Parts

John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus, 1925-1926

John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus, 1925-1926

This original Television apparatus was made of 16 lenses fitted in two half-spirals on a cardboard disc cut from a hat box. This was connected to a large motor mounted on an old tea chest which turned the disc. As the disc rotated, each of the lenses scanned a different part of the subject and focused light into Baird's secret photosensitive cell, where it was turned into an electrical signal which could be sent to a receiver.

Receiving equipment had a similar disc and showed small but recognisable images of human faces with 32 lines of resolution on a ground glass screen. The light was provided by a neon tube which shone through the spinning receiver disc onto the glass.

John L Baird succeeded in transmitting the silhouette in 1923 and the full recognisable image in 1925. During the experiment, a dummy head called ‘Stooky Bill’ was used as the apparatus would become too hot for humans.