John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus, 1925-1926

Made:
1925-1926 in United Kingdom
maker:
John Logie Baird
John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

John Logie Baird's original experimental television apparatus
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Transmitting portion of original television experimental apparatus, created and used by John Logie Baird, with a dummy head of "Stookie / Stooky Bill". 1925-1926.

This original Television apparatus was made of 16 lenses fitted in two half-spirals on a cardboard disc cut from a hat box. This was connected to a large motor mounted on an old tea chest which turned the disc. As the disc rotated, each of the lenses scanned a different part of the subject and focused light into Baird's secret photosensitive cell, where it was turned into an electrical signal which could be sent to a receiver.

Receiving equipment had a similar disc and showed small but recognisable images of human faces with 32 lines of resolution on a ground glass screen. The light was provided by a neon tube which shone through the spinning receiver disc onto the glass.

John L Baird succeeded in transmitting the silhouette in 1923 and the full recognisable image in 1925. During the experiment, a dummy head called ‘Stooky Bill’ was used as the apparatus would become too hot for humans.

Details

Category:
Radio Communication
Object Number:
1926-1040
Materials:
wood (unidentified), aluminium (metal), cardboard, electrical components, glass, plaster of Paris, hair and paint
Measurements:
without plinth: 850 mm x 1770 mm x 630 mm,
overall estimate: 335 mm x 780 mm x 655 mm, 87 kg
type:
television and equipment
credit:
John Logie Baird