Black & Decker "Mod 4" cordless tool set. A multi-function tool set that used an interchangeable handle / battery pack. Precursor to the Black & Decker "Dustbuster" product. Object includes: battery pack handle, battery charger, 1.25" drill head with chuck key, lantern head, “Spot Vac” vacuum cleaner head with upholstery tool, and two wall brackets. A grass trimmer attachment (with optional extension handle), and a hedge trimmer attachment could also be purchased but are not included with this object. The donor purchased this set from the clearance table of the hardware store in which he worked around 1980.
Mobile telephone in a leather-covered attache case. Touch-tone handset connected to a transceiver via a coiled cord. Unit built into a leather-covered briefcase. American Express luggage tag on handle for Peter A. Bucky (donor’s father) who used the unit for business communications. Label reads: “Type Number Tel-Com model 150 A / portable radiotelephone / Made in U.S.A. by Tel-Com / Ind., Inc., a subsidiary of / Integrated Systems Tech. Inc., P.O. Box 2585 / Garland, Texas 75041 / 25 Watts 16F3 SN 0442 / Receiver certified / to comply with / FCC rules part 15 / in effect as of / Date of Mfg.” Second label reads: Label: “Mobile phone no. / 572-1538" Plate on handset: “Jan 1980 6 4"
Electric power lines have been connecting generating plants to customers since Thomas Edison put lines under the streets of New York City in 1880. Today aluminum lines like these carry electricity hundreds of miles. Hanging these high-voltage lines from towers allows the heat generated by their electrical resistance to dissipate into the air. The expanded area near the center is where the cable connects to an insulator.
Solar cells come in many shapes and sizes, and are manufactured with a variety of materials. The wafer of this hexagonal cell is made with the element silicon. The dark areas convert sunlight into electricity while the thick and thin lines are part of the electrical circuit. The white, tapered arrow along the center is the main lead and gathers the charge from twelve thin “fingers” that run horizontally across the wafer. This solar cell was designed for use on the ground rather than in space. The hexagonal shape allows many cells to be grouped together on a panel, minimizing wasted space between each cell.
This is a battery-operated interactive teaching machine with work surface and built-in record player. A mathematics module has been donated with the machine. The unit plays 6.75” vinyl records that the student can randomly access via a control on the left side of the machine. The student loads the record, places the exercise book on the work surface and begins the lesson. Donor is listed as Production Manager on the credits page of the module books. Label reads: “Ser. No. 004423”.
Cameraman and reporter, Andreas Morin used this handheld Sony Trinitron color camera when he worked for the Spanish-language KWEX-TV in San Antonio, Texas. The camera recorded to ¾-inch tape, allowed reporters to leave the studio and easily capture news on location. The camera connected to a portable recorder ( object 2015.0002.04) which was worn via on over-the-shoulder strap.
KWEX-TV Channel 41 broadcast various news and local interest programming from locations around the city, including Mass from the San Fernando Cathedral. KWEX traces its roots to KCOR-TV, launched by Raoul A. Cortez in 1954-1955 as the first Latino-owened, Spanish-language station in the continental United States. Cortez sold the station to his son-in-law, Emilio Nicolas and a group of investors in 1961. It would become the hub of operations for the Spanish International Network, the forerunner to Univision.