panasonic talking clock radio, coolest magnetic recording device!

[ke4mcl]

i'm a huge geek and i am just totally marveled by this clock radio. its a 1973 panasonic rc6900 talking clock radio.

i never knew they made such a thing and i was originally attracted to it by its "logan's run" type of appearance. when i walked up to the vendors table and picked it up i was surprised by its weight. i thought it was one of those clocks that displays the time on the ceiling. wrong! this thing talks! the big round button up top is supposed to be illuminated but i purposely left the bulb burnt out to lessen the load on the old power supply.

the way this thing works is it uses a head on a swing arm that does a helical scan. there's two magnetically coated discs. the one in the center is hours, the one larger outer one is minutes. the discs are overlapped. as the head swings out it plays the hour track first then plays the minute track. the head literally slides off the edge of one disk and onto the second. at rest the head sits on a felt pad that i guess wipes it clean every time it plays. the head is kind of odd in that it has an extended pole piece shaped like a U so it glides across the magnetic disc.

its got two clock motors in it. the clock on the face and the clock drive for the magnetic discs. setting the time requires setting both clocks. the talking clock only has the ability to go forward. if you miss your mark you must go all the way around or unplug it and wait.

its clunky but so freaking cool! this thing must have been the cats meow in 1973!

here are thumbnails to pics on the unit inside and out and also some vids of the mechanism actually working. you can see the helical tracks on the magnetic disc. the pics are purposely large in case somebody has one of these they need to see the inside of.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/th_front1.jpg (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/front1.jpg)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/th_front2.jpg (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/front2.jpg)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/th_P1050001.jpg (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/P1050001.jpg)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/th_P1050002.jpg (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/P1050002.jpg)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/th_P1050003.jpg (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/P1050003.jpg)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/th_P1050004.jpg (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/P1050004.jpg)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/th_P1050005.jpg (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/P1050005.jpg)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/th_P1050006.jpg (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/P1050006.jpg)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/th_P1050007.jpg (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/P1050007.jpg)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/th_P1050008.jpg (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/P1050008.jpg)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/th_P1050009.jpg (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/P1050009.jpg)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/th_P1050014.jpg (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/P1050014.jpg)

vids..
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/th_movie1.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/?action=view&current=movie1.mp4)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/th_movie2.jpg (http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c386/secretagentxxx/panasonic%20rc6900%20taling%20clock%20radio%201973/?action=view&current=movie2.mp4)

[Nakdoc]

We repaired one of these for a country music star. Even after 30 years the voice is very clear. There is another Panasonic clock radio that "projects" the time on the ceiling.

[Warped Bezel]

It's the cat's meow now as well!

[ke4mcl]

i showed this thing to one of my geek employees. she was mesmerized by it. wow... who'd think chicks would dig 70's tech?

[TAGOMAGO]

Back in the 80's Chrysler had a "talking dashboard" on some of their upper end models (meaning gussied up K-Cars) that sounded much like this clock radio. I am wondering if that was a similar set up.

[ke4mcl]

Back in the 80's Chrysler had a "talking dashboard" on some of their upper end models (meaning gussied up K-Cars) that sounded much like this clock radio. I am wondering if that was a similar set up.

ah yes! "the door is ajar"..no it's not.. its a door!