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LicenseThis image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseTransmitter, part of Reis telephone made in 1863. Three quarter front view of object on graduated grey background. From
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Transmitter, part of Reis telephone made in 1863. Oblique three quarter front view of object on graduated grey
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Transmitter, part of Reis telephone made in 1863. Three quarter front view of object with lid open on graduated grey
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Reis telephone transmitter, made by J W Arnold, Frankfurt, Germany, 1863.
This object represents the final form of the several designs of 'telephon' apparatus designed by Philipp Reis (1834-1874) between 1860 and 1863, and made for him by the precision engineers J W Albert. The transmitter used a membrane with a loose microphonic contact arranged between platinum points in the centre - the sound waves caused the membrane to vibrate, and this movement varied the electrical current that passed through the metal contacts. These were of the 'make and break' type and could not transmit true 'undulatory' current except when out of adjustment. Reports from the time prove that Reis succeeded in transmitting fragments of speech and musical tones, but the apparatus he designed was too inefficient for practical use without further development, which Reis didn't undertake.
Details
- Category:
- Telecommunications
- Object Number:
- 1923-273 Pt1
- Materials:
- brass (copper, zinc alloy), copper (metal), steel (metal) and wood (unidentified)
- Measurements:
-
overall: 100 mm x 135 mm x 190 mm, .5 kg
- type:
- telephone component
- taxonomy:
-
- component - object
- telephone
- credit:
- Institution of Electrical Engineers
