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Old 9th Jan 2022, 10:07 am   #41
Edward Huggins
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Default Re: BSR Factory Workers: reaching out..

Ignoring the box, the cartridge is a BSR TC8H high-output mono. If working, it's worth c. £35-40.
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Old 9th Jan 2022, 10:58 am   #42
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Default Re: BSR Factory Workers: reaching out..

Looks like TC8 G on the cartridge side.
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Old 9th Jan 2022, 12:11 pm   #43
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Default Re: BSR Factory Workers: reaching out..

I wonder why the box is marked stereo, the cartridge appears to have two terminals.
John
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Old 9th Jan 2022, 12:20 pm   #44
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Default Re: BSR Factory Workers: reaching out..

Is this of any help or has it already been mentioned?

https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...ls/r/N15626908
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Old 9th Jan 2022, 1:44 pm   #45
Edward Huggins
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Default Re: BSR Factory Workers: reaching out..

Yes, as I suggested in Post #41, it's the wrong box for that cartridge.
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Old 9th Jan 2022, 3:54 pm   #46
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Default Re: BSR Factory Workers: reaching out..

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Originally Posted by sparkymike View Post
Just had a look in the "gramophone spares box and found the cartridge in photo below. I will have to check it to see if it is ok. No sign of the Acos one, must have been pressed into service long ago.
The cartridge was screwed into the base of the box, which makes me wonder how many heavy handed people broke them,getting them out of the box, not realising that they had to undo the screw first !!
Mike.
Hello Mike thanks for that.
It's absolutely beautiful. Put the lid on quick in case it gets damp. It should still work if it's been in the box all this time. Yes, its a bit strange they accidentally put the mono cart in a stereo box, perhaps a member of staff quickly packaged it up for a little give away as dad might have mentioned in passing that his needed replacing at home perhaps. I'll bet that's the case.
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Old 9th Jan 2022, 3:57 pm   #47
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Default Re: BSR Factory Workers: reaching out..

I contacted Astatic (CAD Audio) and Grimes today.
I still have a few avenues to follow but am getting a bit disheartened now I must admit.
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Old 9th Jan 2022, 4:23 pm   #48
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Default Re: BSR Factory Workers: reaching out..

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Originally Posted by _Cosmic_ View Post
I contacted Astatic (CAD Audio) and Grimes today.
I still have a few avenues to follow but am getting a bit disheartened now I must admit.
This is not much help, but when making unusual requests to large organisations, who you contact and their place in the hierarchy makes a lot of difference. I would suggest going to the top and writing to the managing director. He or his secretary probably won't know anything about the archives, but will know where to channel your enquiry.

Sadly, many companies had little interest in their history and only keep the legally required records. But you never know. BSR were an interesting and successful company, and there may be a gold mine to be discovered.
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Old 9th Jan 2022, 5:42 pm   #49
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Crystal Farm Experiment Update

As suggested previously, as I don't have an oscilloscope, I thought it was about time to see what happened when I outputted the crystals directly to the cartridge wires on a known working record player.

I selected 3 crystals from my growing "farm" media and dried them off with a paper towel
I connected wires to the input wires leading to the amplifier of the record player, in this instance a Bush RP31. At the other end leading to the crystal I attached kitchen foil strips. Just pressed on and not actually soldered.

At the crystal end I applied the foils to either side of each axis (3 tests) and held them in place with foam for the first experiments then in the other two experiments, an elastic band.

In my first experiment with a smaller crystal approx. 1.5cm in length I held everything in place with foam secured, as mentioned, with the small tabletop vice as per the attached image. For experiments 2 and 3 I used crystals that were about 3cm in length so much larger.

In order to try and create a voltage I tried tapping at various positions, then pressing on the crystal at various positions in order to create a voltage.
The results for them all even the large crystal approximately 3cm long were very disappointing.

I was only getting low volume clicks through the amplifier with the volume control at 2/3 maximum and hardly any response when attempting to band the crystal by pushing on it, even quickly in succession.

I did notice, however, that the hum from the speakers reduced to virtually nothing when the contacts on the crystal were pressed tightly in position so presumably a circuit of sorts had been created.

Wish I had a scope.

I think the next thing to do is to try sanding a rectangular crystal to size, fitting it into the mounts and see what happens when the vibrations from the stylus pass through it. The crystals seem very fibrous so I am hoping they don't just disintegrate.
Hasn't anyone been through all this before me?
Possible improvements to this experiment:
1. Soldering the contacts.
2. Using finer lead wire. I was simply using copper connector wire so that wasn't good.
3. Recording more accurate results.
4. take into account the slice position of the crystal regarding the crystal matrix axies. It's supposed to be important, but impossible to do at home without a huge solid crystal and a method of finely cutting them at an angle.

At the end of all this I think I will create a separate thread solely with the Rochelle salt experiments so other people can find out what happened in a search.

At present I'm not doing very well tracing how the original manufacturers used to do it nor making a working crystal element. (sigh)

Does anyone else fancy giving it a go?
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Old 9th Jan 2022, 10:50 pm   #50
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Default Re: BSR Factory Workers: reaching out..

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Originally Posted by _Cosmic_ View Post

Wish I had a scope.
You may be typing on one (if it has windows and a microphone input).
https://www.zeitnitz.eu/scope_en
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Old 9th Jan 2022, 11:25 pm   #51
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Default Re: BSR Factory Workers: reaching out..

Keep your eye on the Offered section, Scopes often appear foc.
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Old 10th Jan 2022, 12:47 am   #52
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Keep your eye on the Offered section, Scopes often appear foc.
John
Yes I will do that.
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Old 10th Jan 2022, 12:47 am   #53
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Quote:
Originally Posted by buggies View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by _Cosmic_ View Post

Wish I had a scope.
You may be typing on one (if it has windows and a microphone input).
https://www.zeitnitz.eu/scope_en
I've downloaded it. Thanks for that.
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Old 10th Jan 2022, 2:43 am   #54
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Default Re: BSR Factory Workers: reaching out..

According to the book, the BSR archives (or at least some material) was collected by Dr. Daniel MacDonald's son, Malcolm.There is also a McDonald trust in Switzerland.

I attach a few scans of pages of the book, with lots of names and references /sources of info. HTH.
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Old 10th Jan 2022, 2:50 am   #55
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Default Re: BSR Factory Workers: reaching out..

This page even mentions a box of BSR archive stuff saved from the skip in Astec!
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Old 10th Jan 2022, 3:09 pm   #56
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This page even mentions a box of BSR archive stuff saved from the skip in Astec!
Thanks Ben. That little book is a gem isn't it.
I tried quite an extensive search on google for the Swiss trust but nothing seems to come up.
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Old 12th Jan 2022, 12:17 am   #57
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Default Re: BSR Factory Workers: reaching out..

Might be worth trying a patent search, there will be information and diagrams in the patent documents which will shed some light on what was being developed in the early days of crystal transducers.
Cosmocord (Acos) in Enfield were quite active in this topic.

Chris
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Old 12th Jan 2022, 1:14 am   #58
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You have a PM re: scope
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Old 12th Jan 2022, 5:39 pm   #59
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Might be worth trying a patent search, there will be information and diagrams in the patent documents which will shed some light on what was being developed in the early days of crystal transducers.
Cosmocord (Acos) in Enfield were quite active in this topic.

Chris
Thanks for that ..You would not believe how many Chris's there are on here!! Including me. I phoned the patents office and they told me about espacenet.
It's a multi-governmental archive for the worlds patents. I have spent all day copying papers from it.

I found out that they possibly used to grow Rochelle crystal elements of various sizes in tilting tanks in an insulated temperature controlled environment. Which is a step forward.
Also, that the crystal can be grown to envelope the electrodes for a better contact.
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Old 12th Jan 2022, 8:25 pm   #60
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Default Re: BSR Factory Workers: reaching out..

Chris you are certainly very tenacious in your search, well done.
John
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