Page 1 of 1

HELP.... Electric Edison with repeater

Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 5:40 pm
by ticticdok
Ran across interesting Edison home with a repeater. This machine is set up with an Edison electric motor that looks original to the machine. Electric motor was fitted for the machine. Not a business machine. Any help would be appreciated. John

Re: HELP.... Electric Edison with repeater

Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 5:45 pm
by PeterF
Not stock but certainly very interesting. From the looks of it, it’s gonna be cheap - and you should definitely grab it.

Re: HELP.... Electric Edison with repeater

Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:54 am
by NEFaurora
Quite a curiosity... It's a normal Edison Model "B" Home Phonograph otherwise which dates to 1906 according to the serial number.

Would think any machine like this with a "Repeater Attachment" alteration was used for Language Cylinders study, or ICS Language cylinders.

I've only seen 1 other Edison Home Model "B" with attachments like this ever.. Now this is the 2nd one..

The Electric "Ekonowatt" Edison Motor...was a popular later custom upgrade in the Early 1910's...especially here with running quite a Repeater attachment.

Definitely worth picking up...and Restoring/Repairing... for the right price of course..

I would redo the outside of the Wood Case, just clean up and polish the Original Bedplate...and repaint the Repeater Bar that has Black flaking paint...then re-install... and of course clean any and all other parts but that goes without saying..

:o)

Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer

Re: HELP.... Electric Edison with repeater

Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2019 9:01 am
by ticticdok
Thanks for the information. Never realized the electric motor was an upgrade. John

Re: HELP.... Electric Edison with repeater

Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2019 9:12 am
by phonogfp
ticticdok wrote:Thanks for the information. Never realized the electric motor was an upgrade. John
With all respect to the other poster, it wasn't. The Ekonowatt was introduced in 1915 for use in Ediphones. (The motor frame mounting holes happen to align with those of the Home.) There's nothing in The Edison Phonograph Monthly mentioning the Ekonowatt as an "upgrade" for spring motors in entertainment machines. Those of us who have tried using Ekonowatt motors to play musical cylinders (guilty! ;) ) have discovered that the Ekonowatt lacks the momentum to play them with the smoothness of a spring motor.

Also, the Model D Repeater was introduced in late 1904 for use with the Home and the Triumph. There was no suggestion at the time that it was to be used for language cylinders.

George P.

Re: HELP.... Electric Edison with repeater

Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2019 9:21 am
by ticticdok
Think the electric motor with this repeater wasn't original? Was it something that someone just pieced together??

Re: HELP.... Electric Edison with repeater

Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2019 9:28 am
by phonogfp
ticticdok wrote:Think the electric motor with this repeater wasn't original? Was it something that someone just pieced together??
The repeater is probably period-original to the Home. (It wasn't factory-installed because the knife-edge lacks the buffer, but many of these repeaters were installed by dealers.)

The Ekonowatt was definitely added later.

George P.

Re: HELP.... Electric Edison with repeater

Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2019 10:15 am
by Jerry B.
I agree with George. The electric motor was an interesting modification but not an factory upgrade. Wouldn't it be interesting to know the provenance of the the machine? The repeater coupled with the electric motor implies continuous playing. Perhaps it was used in a business. Can you imagine an employee listening to a two minute cylinder for hours? Maybe it was set up outside a jail cell for punishment! :twisted:

Jerry B.

Re: HELP.... Electric Edison with repeater

Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2019 8:19 pm
by NEFaurora
Believe that I used the word "Custom" Upgrade in the 1910's.... Never said anything about factory upgrade!

Any Tom, Dick or Harry could have added the thing in the 1910's...or much, much later...

:o)

Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer

Re: HELP.... Electric Edison with repeater

Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2019 8:21 pm
by NEFaurora
"Maybe it was set up outside a jail cell for punishment! :twisted:"


That's hysterical Jerry B. !!!

Still laughing...

:o)

Tony K.