Invention of the Phonograph Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Paper

Invention of the Phonograph The idea of the phonograph came from the man who invented the light bulb. Thomas Alva Edison is one of the greatest inventors of all time decided to create this invention. In 1877, Edison was working on a machine that would decipher telegraphic messages to paper tape. He used a diaphragm with an embossing point. This would be held onto a moving paraffin paper. Thus when spoken into it, the vibrations made indentations on it. Edison decided to change the idea by using a tin foil wrapped metal cylinder instead of the paper. The final cylinder phonograph had 2 diaphragm and needle units. One would be for recording date and the other would be for playing it. For the machine to work, one would have to speak into a mouthpiece and the sound vibrations would be imprinted on the cylinder. Then the recording needle would create some sort of groove pattern on the cylinder. The data can then played by back by the data from the created grooves. From this invention Edison started the Edison Speaking Phonograph Company in 1878. Edison had received $10,000 for the sales and manufacturing rights plus 20% of the profits from this company. The machine had a variety of uses including dictation, creating listening books, a sort of a â€Å"family record† which had precious recorded memories of the family like last words, teaching elocution, adn other uses as well The cylinder phonograph proved to be successful, but the problem with the machine was that the tin foil only allowed a few uses. With the help of another great inventor, new advances could be made to improve this invention. The inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, had set up a laboratory for his cousin, Chichester Bell and Charles Tainter. Bell a... ...ndex.asp?s=1&mode=long. 7. â€Å"The History of the Edison Cylinder Phonograph.† American Memory: Historical Collects for National Digital Library 13 Mar. 2003. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/edcyldr.html. 8. â€Å"The History of the Edison Disc Phonograph.† American Memory: Historical Collects for National Digital Library 13 Mar. 2003. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/eddschst.html. 9. â€Å"The History of Turntablism.† Ilikemusic.com. 21 Mar. 2003. http://www.ilikemusic.com/index.asp?fdLocation=%2Farticle%2Easp%3FfdSectionid%3D2%26fdSubsectionid%3D11%26fdArticleId%3D128. 10. â€Å"The Rave Page.† Angelfire.com 13 Mar. 2003. http://www.angelfire.com/ar2/raves/. 11. â€Å"Turntables and CD players.† Turnt(L)able.com 13 Mar. 2003. http://www.turntablelab.com/index1.html. 12. â€Å"Turntable History.† Enjoy the Music.com 13 Mar. 2003. http://www.turntablelab.com/index1.html.