16th Jun 2017, 12:04 am | #181 |
Dekatron
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Location: Madrid, Spain / Wirral, UK
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Re: Museum of failure.
Back to video...Didn't sony make a Betamax camcorder that you couldn't review footage on (tape deck only had 'record' and no other functions?) And also couldn't be connected to anything; presumably the idea being you JUST used the camcorder to record and played the tape back in a home VCR. Or have I made that lot up?! I am sure Amstrad made a similar crude camcorder a few years after.
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16th Jun 2017, 1:49 am | #182 |
Octode
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Location: Rotherham, South Yorkshire, UK.
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Re: Museum of failure.
Yes indeed Ben, Amstrad did a VHS-C camcorder on which you could only record. I borrowed one to take on holiday in 1988 and still have the tapes now. All were recorded without any problems at all. It was a worry to not know that until returning from holiday though.
Peter |
16th Jun 2017, 6:03 am | #183 | |
Nonode
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Re: Museum of failure.
Quote:
Ive had it since new , still boxed and still works , except the battery has long expired. |
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16th Jun 2017, 6:09 am | #184 | |
Nonode
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Re: Museum of failure.
Quote:
Kodak failed to see the copyright issues and had to withdraw and destroy all the cameras they had. |
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16th Jun 2017, 8:37 am | #185 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Co. Durham, UK.
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Re: Museum of failure.
You got a full refund for those KODAK unauthorised cameras. A pal bought loads of them from boot sales for two quid ("you can't get films for them"), and sent them back.
Has anyone mentioned Polarvision yet? |
16th Jun 2017, 12:32 pm | #186 |
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Re: Museum of failure.
I used to know a patent attorney who had been working for Kodak at that time. He said that they had all warned their management that there were very serious problems with Polaroid's patents, but their advice was ignored.
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16th Jun 2017, 2:48 pm | #187 |
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Re: Museum of failure.
Couldn't they have just hung onto them for 17 years, till the patents in question had expired?
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16th Jun 2017, 4:30 pm | #188 |
Heptode
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Re: Museum of failure.
Then there were [the many of] Churchill's 'Secret Weapons' e.g. Aerial Bombs and Plastic Armour designed for [and unfortunately deployed upon] the protection of wartime merchant shipping.
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16th Jun 2017, 7:05 pm | #189 | ||
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Re: Museum of failure.
Quote:
Another photographic failure that ties in with this was the Agfa 'Family'. This was a simple Super 8 cine camera with a button to shoot movies and another to shoot single frames. Those were marked on the film (I think optically on the non-sprocket edge, it certainly doesn't used magnetically striped film) and when you looked that the film in the 'Family' viewer, it would stop on each of those single frames. The idea was you could use the same camera for still pictures and movies. Of course the quality was terrible (fixed focus lens, one shutter speed, etc) and it certainly wasn't a commercial success. Anyway, there was an add-on 'printer' for it. This was an accessory that fitted into the view and would make a print of a single frame (either one taken as a 'still' or just by stopping the movie. This printer used Kodak instant film. I always found it ironic that an Agfa product had to use Kodak film. Of course like many failures, the units are now quite rare and there are a few collectors who want them as a curiousity. |
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16th Jun 2017, 7:09 pm | #190 | |
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Re: Museum of failure.
Quote:
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16th Jun 2017, 8:44 pm | #191 |
Heptode
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Re: Museum of failure.
Then there was 'The Caddymatic' ....... a leaf tea dispenser - put paid to by tea bags!
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16th Jun 2017, 11:31 pm | #192 |
Nonode
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Re: Museum of failure.
We had one - or it could have been the 'Autocaddy'. IIRC it was cream and translucent blue and was screwed to the wall over the fridge, and the inevitable spillage led to a growing pile of tealeaves against the skirting board!
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Andy G1HBE. |
17th Jun 2017, 5:51 am | #193 |
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Re: Museum of failure.
Things like that tea dispenser made a mess in several ways.
What about all those food processors and add-ons for food mixers where it took far longer to clean the machine afterwards than it would have taken to do the cutting manually in the first place? Labour-saving home-goals! Then there are all the dodgy accessories sold for the man with a new electric drill. Wonky stands, flexible shafts, circular saw attachments, etc. things destined to be tried once and then to lurk unused in a drawer for half a century. Tat came and still comes in many forms. David
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17th Jun 2017, 10:29 am | #194 |
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Re: Museum of failure.
I've been to many a church fete or village function and I've seen the aforementioned 'labour-saving' accessories crop up at all of them: the same items passed from sale-to-sale as the novelty quickly wears off those foolish (or well-meaning) enough to buy them, and they are donated in time for the next fund-raising event, where the cycle repeats.
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17th Jun 2017, 11:30 am | #195 |
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Re: Museum of failure.
I had forgotten about the tea dispenser! We used to have one that I was eventually given to play with. What about the free-standing sugar dispenser that you inverted to dispense a spoonful of sugar? I remember dismantling ours as a child to see how it worked. It came apart for cleaning.
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17th Jun 2017, 11:40 am | #196 |
Nonode
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Re: Museum of failure.
Those sugar dispensers were very common in cafes in the 60's and they used to fascinate me. I worked out that may must have a large ball-bearing that blocked the outlet once a certain amount of sugar had flowed out.
We had a gas-powered fridge in the 60's - a Prestcold I think. That fascinated me as well. It had a small pyrex chimney at the back. Worked a treat IIRC. Can you still get them?
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Andy G1HBE. |
17th Jun 2017, 12:12 pm | #197 |
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Re: Museum of failure.
Unsurprisingly, sold in the old Gas Board shops, we had one as a child. Common in caravans these days.
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17th Jun 2017, 1:20 pm | #198 | |
Heptode
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Re: Museum of failure.
Quote:
I've seen newish looking models in Africa - but nothing new [in the U.K.] for many years. However - I believe that you can purchase small caravan fridges that work on the same principle.
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17th Jun 2017, 1:22 pm | #199 | |
Heptode
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Re: Museum of failure.
Quote:
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17th Jun 2017, 1:57 pm | #200 |
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Re: Museum of failure.
Absorption refrigerators
The electrolux ones had an electric heater and a thermostat. The gas was ammonia. Very, Very reliable. Heaters were replaceable. Bet they aren't allowed to be sold for household use any longer due to energy efficiency regs. David
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Can't afford the volcanic island yet, but the plans for my monorail and the goons' uniforms are done |