Early remote control TV's

[Richard_FM]

Originally Posted by Tim

I had a Panasonic VHS video recorder that had a "wired" remote control connected via a 2.5mm(I think) jack.

I remember one of my friends parents rented probably the same model in the 1980s.

The remote normally only came out if we need to a lot of tape movement.

I don't think his Mum liked the cable getting in the way of things.

[duncanlowe]

I remember the resistor coded wired remotes. Back in the late eighties I was trying to find a way of getting controls for a car stereo in the steering wheel to work using just one wire plus a ground and used the same system. These days its as common as muck to use resistor coding. That said it's way to easy to get it wrong and end up with problems using that method.

[julie_m]

The idea of using several resistors like so can also simplify the motherboard design. It's easy enough to use just one analogue input pin, if available, instead of several digital ones. You don't even need much in the way of either speed or resolution, just for it to distinguish reliably between a few values about 10 times per second.

[samjmann]

Looking back to #9 in the thread, the CVC30/32 were such well built sets. That plug in remote looked a quality item. I suppose today we would have charging for the remote's battery whilst it's in the Tv.

Just read what FERNESH posted in #11, that system was used for quite a while on the first in-line tube sets from RBM. I don't think I ever had to repair any the of the remote circuitry on them, we used to rent RBM sets, so we saw quite a few!

SJM.

[Nuvistor]

CVC30 series were nice sets but I did have some problems with the remote, cannot remember what the problems were, used to fix the hand sets in the house so couldn’t have been much.

[electronicskip]

Originally Posted by Tim

I had a Panasonic VHS video recorder that had a "wired" remote control connected via a 2.5mm(I think) jack. It was fed with about 10 volts and pressing the buttons put various resistances "across the pair", and presumably the unit measured the current coming back and derived a voltage from it. STOP was dead short.
One could connect a potentiometer in and watch it freak out!
A friend had one, and he told me how it worked, so I was able to make my own remote control with a few push buttons, resistors and a little plastic box.

I remember the Ferguson 3V16 with a corded remote control and I have a Sanyo 9300PN with one too.

[Tractorfan]

Hi,
I'm sure I've got a VHS Panasonic wired remote kicking around here somewhere with the 3.5mm jack plug if anyone wants it.
Cheers, Pete.

[G6Tanuki]

Seeing reference to the resistor-chain I'm reminded of something I used in the 1970s to provide 'remote control' down a single wire [actually the inner core of a coaxial feed to an antenna 100-feet-or-so up a mast].

It involved diodes at the bottom and top, relays and an AC supply.

No diodes in-circuit at the bottom - raw AC feed - both relays up aloft [each fed via a diode] pulled-in.

One diode in series at the bottom, half-wave-rectified AC up the feeder - one relay at the top pulled-in.

Other diode at the bottom, half-wave-rectified AC [but with the other polarity] up the feeder - the other relay at the top pulled in.

Nothing fed at the bottom - no relays energized [this was the default "couple the antenna straight to the feeder" mode]

it worked well - the biggest issue was keeping transmitter-RF out of the relay circuits.

[Tim]

I had a Panasonic VHS video recorder that had a "wired" remote control connected via a 2.5mm(I think) jack. It was fed with about 10 volts and pressing the buttons put various resistances "across the pair", and presumably the unit measured the current coming back and derived a voltage from it. STOP was dead short.
One could connect a potentiometer in and watch it freak out!
A friend had one, and he told me how it worked, so I was able to make my own remote control with a few push buttons, resistors and a little plastic box.

NV366 I think

[FERNSEH]

From the 1956/57 Radio and Television servicing book.

Page 31: General Developments. Remote-control Units.

At least two firms, Ekco and Philco - have recently introduced remote-control units to give armchair control of a television receiver. The Ekco unit provides remote control of volume and brightness from a small control unit connected to the receiver by a 15-ft cable, and a socket for this purpose is provided for the receiver. In use the, the remote controls are set to the mid-position and the receiver readjusted to give normal picture brightness and volume: the remote control then be used to increase and decrease these settings. The Philco unit also includes remote control of the channel to which the receiver is tuned, and this is achieved by means of a motor-driven turret in the set, controlled by a tuning button at the remote position: on pressing the button the turret revolves unit it reaches a position in which the coil "biscuits" are fitted, and this process is repeated each time the button is pressed. The model to which this system is fitted includes three Band II V.H.F./F.M channels, so that the user has remote control to switch any of the British broadcasting and television services.

DFWB