Does anyone know what this is?

[Dr_Buzzsaw]

It came with a bunch of motor parts I bought years ago. It's incomplete and damaged but I'm wondering if anyone can identify it, assuming it actually is talking machine related.

The turntable is cast iron, about 9-½ inches diameter, and settles around 78 rpm if I spin it by hand. The governor resembles a slightly larger version of those in Victor's bevel gear motors. The only mark I've found so far is "E54" on the underside of the turntable. Overall the work looks professional, i.e. not home made. I don't know if the other cast iron wheel is a part of it, but they came together so I'm including it just in case.

[KC Kent]

At Union one year I saw a contraption that attached to an Edison cylinder Phonograph that was driven off the mandrel I believe and allowed playing disc records. Can't really remember exactly what it looked like but maybe someone else will have a more educated guess.

[Dr_Buzzsaw]

Was it perhaps a Devineau Biophone that you saw? I don't think it's something like that, but it does look / seem unusual in a similar kind of way. (edited for clarity)

[TinfoilPhono]

Definitely not a Biophone. Completely different castings, and the one in question has a governor assembly. The Biophone simply ran off the Edison mandrel.

[VanEpsFan1914]

This might be from some of the early coin-operated electric phonographs. Do look into those.

[Dr_Buzzsaw]

Definitely not a Biophone. Completely different castings, and the one in question has a governor assembly. The Biophone simply ran off the Edison mandrel.

Also too bulky and heavy to be something like that, even in its incomplete state. It's all cast iron and it looks like the "feet" need to bolt into some kind of frame for support.

This might be from some of the early coin-operated electric phonographs. Do look into those.

It does look early, whatever it is. Thanks for the suggestion - I'll see if I can find anything there.

[Lucius1958]

Not certain, since some of the motor is missing; but could it be a rotating store display? I seem to recall some reference to those.
- Bill

PS. I've been puzzling over the photos, and there are more mysteries: what is that large flanged part?
It appears to be driven from (or driving?) the large spindle gear; the flange and slightly conical neck are not geared- more like a small flywheel.
There also seems to be a bevel gear on the spindle, without a mating gear, but what appears to be a bearing for another shaft/gear.
-Bill

[Shawn]

Observationally, it looks too overbuilt, too industrial to be a home model phonograph, or attachment.

Heavy castings, screw driver adjusted speed, oversized governor, etc., I suspect it was part of a disc cutting lathe, or other professional/ shop piece. I've seen a picture of one other period disc lathe that was similarly overbuilt, and had simple gilt decoration.

Just my opinion. Could easily be wrong.

Shawn

[JerryVan]

My guess is that it's part of some sort of coin-op mechanism.

The gilt work suggests that this mechanism was meant to be seen and displayed. I notice the bevel gear on the spindle shaft and the conical end bearing, located just above it, in the photo. The end bearing would presumably support the driving bevel gear. There being no other obvious details anywhere near that side of the mechanism, suggesting the mounting of a motor, suggests to me that the power source was located away from this device. It's curious also that there's the lack of a spindle shaft to locate a record on. Another of the many mysteries is also the flanged disc with the bevelled edge. No clue there... The bevel gear drive and the governor construction look very "Victor like" to me. This is fun!

[Dr_Buzzsaw]

Shawn:
I agree about it being looking / being too industrial for home use. I've wondered if it might be part of a lathe ever since I got it, but didn't want to jump to conclusions. It just doesn't seem very likely that part of an early disk lathe would end up in someone's shed in the rural Pacific Northwest. Unlikely doesn't mean impossible though.

Bill & JerryVan:
There's no obvious place to attach the missing bevel gear, its other bearing, etc, to what I have. Presumably it was on another part of the complete assembly. There's also a pin in the bottom casting, outboard of the governor, that looks like an attachment point to some other piece of casting. The flanged and tapered thing has been a mystery to me too. It doesn't make a lot of sense (to me) as a flywheel, with the much heavier turntable right there. I could be wrong though. It sort of looks like a spool, but for what and why if so? Does its beveled rim mean it was supposed to drive a friction wheel? And, if there ever was a spindle that fit into the center of the turntable, it's long gone by now.