ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
OK then, let's see if we can create just a little more forum traffic.
Any idea what this is ?
Martin
Interesting - BOFA were the bit of B&O associated with cinema - however I wonder if this was some form of selection box for TV studios to change camera selection? Are there any other connections or is it just the thin slit?
Peter
Hmm... perhaps the slot is for a punch card? I still can't think of a use for it, though!
--mika
I think, you are both close.
The right side has a banana socket and a countersunk slotted brass screw right next to it
and it runs on batteries (battery lid unfortunately missing)
Frankly, I have no idea myself what this is.
BOFA was, as Peter mentioned, a B&O division whose main products wereprojectors, sound-, call- and intercom-systems for cinemas, schools, hospitals, factoriesand other larger installations.In the early 1970's Philips bought the remains of BOFA from B&O and the resulting companywas named Philips-BOFA. They only lasted a year or two and I'm not sure exactly what andhow many products they made.This particular item is the only one I've seen with the Philips-BOFA name on it.
"Tutor SR-2" could suggest some kind of educational tool, some kind of test or practice equipment butyour guess is as good as mine.
Apparently, the thin slot at the back is for inserting a card of some sort, maybe a secret "result-card".Pushing in the tiny black knob on the front will push the card back out so it can be removed.
The two clips along the top edge could hold a similar card over the hole grid, maybe a "task-card", presumablycovering some holes while leaving others free in a certain pattern to match the underlying "result card".
A lead could have been connected to the banana plug at the right side and it may have had a pointyother end to connect through the upper card, down on to the lower card.The brass screw could then be a "touch pin here to reset".The green light, I would imagine, is a power lamp.The switch with "1" and "2" and "0" I should think, is the power switch and at the same timeit selects a difficulty, pattern, speed or whatever.The white lamps at the side, well, I haven't opened up the thing yet but I suppose they could indicatehow solving something correctly, in a particular order, on within a specific time frame goes.Or maybe it's not even that complicated. Maybe just an indication of the making of a correct choice forthat particular row of the 10x10 holes as in a multiple choice test.I think, I will try to open it tomorrow and have a look inside.
I look forward to the results!
Get your cards out folks, we're playing BINGO
Olly
This is a Philips Bingo card control maschine.
As you all remember Philips had their best times in the 1950s/60s. In these years they build retirement homes for Philips workers all over Europe, called BOFAs, BOrder Free Ancients. In the beginning of the 60s everything was registered with hole cards, and Philips introduced this one to check the Bingo card, this, after having had some turmoil on the border to mutiny, during Bingo games, in the BOFAs in Spain,Italy and Scotland.
The Pic show the Central control panel, the players had a simple board with the 0-99 holes where they could insert their cards, then, with a simple tool, could make holes according to the called numbers.
The CCP was used:
1. When a number was drawn, a pin was inserted in the hole with the according number.
2. The banana plug was connected to an amplifier, the amplifier to a 200 watt monitor speaker, (ancients has hearing aids) and when the pin was inserted in the "number hole" the CCP announced very loud, the number.
3. When a player had one full row, the card was inserted in the CCP for control, and the CCP announced "the card is correct" or "please insert other card and try again"
4. When a player had a full card, the card was inserted in the CCP for control, and he CCP announced "this card is correct, we have a main prize winner" or, "this card is false, the card holder will be punished according to local BOFA rules".
The white lamps/buttons are for the "Number drawer" to keep track of games played.
The 0-1-2 switch is for off/on and when more than 10 games was played the switch was placed in the "2" position, (normally only on Sundays)
What a wonderful item
Collecting Vintage B&O is not a hobby, its a lifestyle.
Martin,
Building on Søren's idea, could you adapt it as the new random selector for the Prize draw?
Cleve
Great ideas, keep them coming !
Looks like something out of the movie "The Parallax View." I'm guessing an answer sheet reader, but punch card template might also work.
I missed having to take FORTRAN with punch cards at university by one year.
Martin the suspense is killing us!
I wonder if there was some sort of peg board that sat down over the holes with pins that sank, and made contact with something below depending on the card that had been inserted?Maybe it created punch cards and on contact confirmed with all lights lit....?
I thought it could be some sort of electronics set, where by the user put a 'diagram' on the clips, with holes where you would plug in small modules. A module would be a bridge that spanned so many holes and a component on that bridge.
There must be something important about a line by line basis horizontally, as opposed to vertically - as there are no lamps for vertical columns. Do these indicate power to columns...?
Either way, it was probably commissioned by Philips to keep the BOFA workers busy while they found a way to dissolve the company and get best bang for buck, as whatever this is the job can probably be accomplished using much easier techniques!
Sorry, I have no idea myself, what this is.
But let's take a look inside.Bottom off :
My mum use to attend leyline meetings and the like, and she use to bring some weird contraptions home but this makes some of that stuff look almost normal lol...
Looks like we have some sort of crude solenoid driven motor...?
Yes, the solenoid will push one tooth forward at the gear wheel per activation.It rotates a huge switch on the other side.
Top off:
On top of the switch is a cardboard circle with numbers 1-48.A card can be stuck in from behind and it will apparently slide in the two wooden tracks and connect tothe black socket near the front.
I know it now, its a 48 stereo channel preselector for a Philips studio tape recorder, it was used for a tulip producer that had 48 greenhouses, and he found out that the stereo music made the tulips grow faster.
It was also used for the Eindhoven Philipmonium Orchestra, which had 48 members, each member could then play his part of the music at home, send the tape to Philips and they could then mix all 48 instruments as they wanted, before this 48 channel recorder was constructed, the orchestra had to meet in the concert hall, the concert hall is now used in winter of Philips Sportverein, in the summer they grow hash there, and sell it in Kattendreck in Amsterdam.
Is it a controller for a lift in a really tall tower block??
So have you got any further Martin? What is the arrangement of the contacts under the disc? Also might be worth finding a mathematics / electronics forum where we can get a few brains working on the problem!
This might be a good place to start - The old how stuff works forum crew, before it was commercialised....
http://howwhatwhy.com
just checked it is nothing like it used to be but still might be worth posting!
I reckon it is a telephone exchange box or training device for one (possibly incomplete).
Read THIS part of quite an extensive article. There is an earlier mention of a 10 X 10 selector which also makes sense.
Chris.
Wow, Hedehusene is just a few Kms from Copenhagen.... check !(BTW nice to know about the emergency oil stock there, - just in case...)Wooden box.. check !Lamps etc. ... check !Several lines ... check !Telephone Factory "Automatic" - my mother was employed there, telephone department ... check !He made several boxes of this kind ? - I suppose that means my collection is far from complete ?And I clearly remember the oil crisis in 1973, car-free sundays and all.It all makes perfect sense now.
If someone out there sits with a users guide, I would me most interested.
Does this put me in the driving seat for the $1m dollar prize then Martin?
Medogsfat: Does this put me in the driving seat for the $1m dollar prize then Martin? Chris.
Only if you explain, what the card slot is for.
I'm still convinced, that this is a Bingo machine
The more I study the photo's the more I'm pretty sure this is a small training version of a telephone switchboard ("mini tutor" also reinforces this theory) & the slot could be for inserting cards with different scenarios perhaps?
That could indeed be true.Great find, that article !
I remember darkly that they sold some "computers" for children in those early days.
They had printed cardboard cards to insert in an electric box and a sort of "pen" that connected to it.
In a booklet there were questions and possible answers. The pen had to be stuck into a "matrix" of holes much like the one in your box.
The lights showed if the answer was correct.
In your case I think the cards have had printed conducting traces to build the answering matrix. Maybe even a PCB because of the connector on the back. The banana socket would be the pen connection..
The solenoid probably switches to the next question.
I think that even the "Kosmos" company where I got my first electronic knowledge from (see picture in another thread) had some of those "computers".
Have to find some ad paper eventually in my old Kosmos electronic lab boxes.
Just an idea but makes sense to me as it says "tutor" anyway
Gunther
EDIT: Didn't find it in my old boxes but http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logikus could be the one I remember...