Edison: His Life and Inventions by Frank Lewis Dyer and Thomas Commerford Martin

Chapter XXI, it will be unnecessary to repeat it here. Suffice it to say

726 words  |  Chapter 50

by way of reminder that it is founded upon the physiological phenomenon known as the persistence of vision, through which a series of sequential photographic pictures of animate motion projected upon a screen in rapid succession will reproduce to the eye all the appearance of the original movements. Edison's work in this direction comprised the invention not only of a special form of camera for making original photographic exposures from a single point of view with very great rapidity, and of a machine adapted to effect the reproduction of such pictures in somewhat similar manner but also of the conception and invention of a continuous uniform, and evenly spaced tape-like film, so absolutely essential for both the above objects. The mechanism of such a camera, as now used, consists of many parts assembled in such contiguous proximity to each other that an illustration from an actual machine would not help to clearness of explanation to the general reader. Hence a diagram showing a sectional view of a simple form of such a camera is presented below. In this diagram, A represents an outer light-tight box containing a lens, C, and the other necessary mechanism for making the photographic exposures, H<1S> and H<2S> being cases for holding reels of film before and after exposure, F the long, tape-like film, G a sprocket whose teeth engage in perforations on the edges of the film, such sprocket being adapted to be revolved with an intermittent or step-by-step movement by hand or by motor, and B a revolving shutter having an opening and connected by gears with G, and arranged to expose the film during the periods of rest. A full view of this shutter is also represented, with its opening, D, in the small illustration to the right. In practice, the operation would be somewhat as follows, generally speaking: The lens would first be focussed on the animate scene to be photographed. On turning the main shaft of the camera the sprocket, G, is moved intermittently, and its teeth, catching in the holes in the sensitized film, draws it downward, bringing a new portion of its length in front of the lens, the film then remaining stationary for an instant. In the mean time, through gearing connecting the main shaft with the shutter, the latter is rotated, bringing its opening, D, coincident with the lens, and therefore exposing the film while it is stationary, after which the film again moves forward. So long as the action is continued these movements are repeated, resulting in a succession of enormously rapid exposures upon the film during its progress from reel H<1S> to its automatic rewinding on reel H<2S>. While the film is passing through the various parts of the machine it is guided and kept straight by various sets of rollers between which it runs, as indicated in the diagram. By an ingenious arrangement of the mechanism, the film moves intermittently so that it may have a much longer period of rest than of motion. As in practice the pictures are taken at a rate of twenty or more per second, it will be quite obvious that each period of rest is infinitesimally brief, being generally one-thirtieth of a second or less. Still it is sufficient to bring the film to a momentary condition of complete rest, and to allow for a maximum time of exposure, comparatively speaking, thus providing means for taking clearly defined pictures. The negatives so obtained are developed in the regular way, and the positive prints subsequently made from them are used for reproduction. The reproducing machine, or, as it is called in practice, the Projecting Kinetoscope, is quite similar so far as its general operations in handling the film are concerned. In appearance it is somewhat different; indeed, it is in two parts, the one containing the lighting arrangements and condensing lens, and the other embracing the mechanism and objective lens. The "taking" camera must have its parts enclosed in a light-tight box, because of the undeveloped, sensitized film, but the projecting kinetoscope, using only a fully developed positive film, may, and, for purposes of convenient operation, must be accessibly open. The illustration (Fig. 2) will show the projecting apparatus as used in practice. The philosophy of reproduction is very simple, and is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 3, reference letters being the same as in Fig.

Chapters

1. Chapter 1 2. INTRODUCTION 3. INTRODUCTION 4. CHAPTER I 5. CHAPTER II 6. CHAPTER III 7. CHAPTER IV 8. 1890. The expiration of the leading Bell telephone patents, five years 9. CHAPTER V 10. CHAPTER VI 11. CHAPTER VII 12. CHAPTER VIII 13. CHAPTER IX 14. introduction. There he made the acquaintance of Professor Tyndall, 15. CHAPTER X 16. 1. Letter writing and all kinds of dictation without the aid of a 17. 2. Phonographic books, which will speak to blind people without effort 18. 5. The 'Family Record'--a registry of sayings, reminiscences, etc., by 19. 7. Clocks that should announce in articulate speech the time for going 20. 8. The preservation of languages by exact reproduction of the manner of 21. 9. Educational purposes; such as preserving the explanations made by a 22. 10. Connection with the telephone, so as to make that instrument an 23. introduction from Mr. Jay Gould, who then controlled the Union Pacific, 24. CHAPTER XI 25. CHAPTER XII 26. introduction of his lighting system, when he spent a large part of his 27. CHAPTER XIII 28. CHAPTER XIV 29. 1882. Outside of Menlo Park this was the first regular station for 30. INTRODUCTION OF THE EDISON ELECTRIC LIGHT 31. CHAPTER XVI 32. CHAPTER XVII 33. CHAPTER XVIII 34. CHAPTER XIX 35. CHAPTER XX 36. introduction of some bold and revolutionary methods and devices, have 37. CHAPTER XXI 38. CHAPTER XXII 39. introduction. Nevertheless, he accepted the principle as valuable, and 40. CHAPTER XXIII 41. introduction of the underground Edison system in New York made an appeal 42. CHAPTER XXIV 43. CHAPTER XXV 44. CHAPTER XXVI 45. CHAPTER XXVII 46. CHAPTER XXVIII 47. introduction of the light was carried on with such strenuous and 48. CHAPTER XXIX 49. INTRODUCTION TO THE APPENDIX 50. Chapter XXI, it will be unnecessary to repeat it here. Suffice it to say 51. 1. As to the additional reference letters, I is a condenser J the source 52. 10. Duration on account of its dependability. 11. Its high practical

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