The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello!
I attended an auction in Pennsylvania today to bid on an L-Door VV-XVI Victrola ( I didn't get it!).
It had an interesting turntable brake using an electromagnet or something similar.
I looked for but couldn't find it pictured in the Paul/Fabrizio books and wondered if anyone had more information about it.
It looks simple enough-the brake is retracted when the lever is pressed, and when contact is made with the adjustable turntable tongue the magnet snaps it to the turntable rim, stopping it.
It looks like the contact post under the tone arm might be missing, but it's otherwise complete.
Pictures below.
Thanks!
Bob

Very interesting. Sorry you were not the successful bidder.

Jerry B.

That's really interesting! This is very similar to the work of one of the 2 competing Patentees who invented what would become the Edison Automatic Stop or so-called "Duncan Stop". The "other guy" was a man named Samuel Shelly, and he had sold the rights to his invention to the Edison co. just as had Raymond Duncan. An article (The Edison Electric Automatic Stop) that reveals the court battle between these 3 factions can be viewed by Antique Phonograph Society members, under the "Advanced" articles tab at https://www.antiquephono.org/

Bob, I think you may have discovered a "missing link" between Samuel Shelly, Thomas A. Edison, Inc., and Raymond Duncan!

Cheers,
Fran

Very Cool!! I have never seen anything like it.

The regular friction disc auto brake on later models is a marvel of engineering in itself. I wonder if this electric version actually worked as intended?

Quite possibly it could have been hooked up to a remote control button as much of that electro magnet actuated stuff was. Often adjacent to a favorite chair. I'm sure it worked very well in its day.

I thought that it was hooked to a battery in the horn compartment, like the Duncan stop was on the Edison Diamond Disc machines.edisonplayer.

edisonplayer wrote:I thought that it was hooked to a battery in the horn compartment, like the Duncan stop was on the Edison Diamond Disc machines.edisonplayer.

That would be my bet.

A "on-off" switch wired in series to a solenoid/brake.

Best,
Fran

Thanks for sharing. How much did it sell for?

travisgreyfox wrote:Thanks for sharing. How much did it sell for?

The machine went for around $200.00 before fees. That's not much, but the spring was broken and the reproducer was wrong. Perhaps the winner bought the piece more for the brake than the Victrola itself.
Bob