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Zenith Space Command(duet-cdn.vox-cdn.com)

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sag@lemm.eeM
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cassettefuturism@lemm.ee
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The Zenith Space Command, one of the first wireless television remotes ever to exist.

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tal@lemmy.today
5 points

checks eBay

Those things are apparently going for ~$250 today.

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Peppycito@sh.itjust.works
5 points

These things are listed at $250. Doesn’t mean people are buying them at that price.

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confusedwiseman@lemmy.dbzer0.com
19 points

These were so cool. Didn’t they work by the pitch omitted? When a mechanical lever struck a plate that emitted a tone. The tv then receives the tone and completes the task.

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sexy_peach@feddit.org
11 points

I think it’s a noise in the ultrasound spectrum. Humans can’t hear it

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Chronographs@lemmy.zip
12 points

Na it made a click, that’s why we call remotes ‘clickers’

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sexy_peach@feddit.org
3 points

Weird I think I saw a YT video explaing it and this is the info I remembered

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LovableSidekick@lemmy.world
13 points
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The click was the release of a spring-loaded plunger that pushed air through an ultrasonic whistle. The whistle was what controlled the TV or stereo.

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M68040 [they/them]@hexbear.net
2 points

Yup. Entirely passively powered - no batteries at all. Pretty ingenious stuff.

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AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space
7 points

They were essentially an ultrasonic kalimba

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Nougat@fedia.io
6 points

We took my grandma’s TV when she bought a new one, it was one of these.

Our dog had one of those steel choker chains, and he’d often change the channel or turn the TV on/off by running around jingling it.

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LovableSidekick@lemmy.world
2 points
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As a teenager I accidentally discovered clinking a handful of coins would also do it.

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Etterra@lemmy.world
5 points

I remember as a kid in the early 80s, we still had a VCR that had a remote with a cord. It was like 3 buttons or something. We also had a Beta machine in the garage for a while from before I was born.

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I_Miss_Daniel@lemmy.world
1 point

Hehe I still have one for the National NV-300. It used a pair of wires and each button presented a different resistance. Only issue was if you half pressed a button it might think you hit record.

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NoiseColor @lemmy.world
2 points

Wow beautiful. Were they metal?

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