Dead Tech: Tape player + film projector
February 21, 2019 7:12 PM Subscribe
For retired educators and others who remember past times; I was in elemetary and middle school in the late 80s and first half of the 90s, so hop in your time machines and help me remember what this example of dead tech described inside is called.
The dead tech: There was a thing that teachers used where they would put little film strip things into a slot along with an accompanying cassette tape. The cassette would have some kind of narrator or music or story or whatever. One film strip frame would be projected up onto the screen. At certain points, there would be a beep and then a pause for the teacher to advance the film strip to the next frame. After the pause, the narration would continue with the frame being projected being relevant. Then another beep and pause and rinse and repeat.
What was this device called?
Addendum: I seem to recall a similar device that was something for a single viewer. Am I confused or misremembering?
Thanks.
The dead tech: There was a thing that teachers used where they would put little film strip things into a slot along with an accompanying cassette tape. The cassette would have some kind of narrator or music or story or whatever. One film strip frame would be projected up onto the screen. At certain points, there would be a beep and then a pause for the teacher to advance the film strip to the next frame. After the pause, the narration would continue with the frame being projected being relevant. Then another beep and pause and rinse and repeat.
What was this device called?
Addendum: I seem to recall a similar device that was something for a single viewer. Am I confused or misremembering?
Thanks.
Best answer: As far as I know, it was simply called a film strip projector. Later models automatically advanced the frame when a sub-audible tone played on the accompanying cassette.
posted by theory at 7:19 PM on February 21, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by theory at 7:19 PM on February 21, 2019 [5 favorites]
Yes, film strip, as previously answered.
Brian Dewan has an entire show based on film strips, Focus.
posted by scruss at 7:21 PM on February 21, 2019
Brian Dewan has an entire show based on film strips, Focus.
posted by scruss at 7:21 PM on February 21, 2019
Is the Show'n Tell possibly the single viewer device you're thinking of?
posted by theory at 7:23 PM on February 21, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by theory at 7:23 PM on February 21, 2019 [2 favorites]
Cassettes? What an advancement! I remember in the mid '60s they used records!
posted by DandyRandy at 8:26 PM on February 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by DandyRandy at 8:26 PM on February 21, 2019 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: For the big film strip projectors, it is very possible that is what I am thinking of for a group setting. I only remember the function, not what it looked like.
What I am thinking of for the smaller device for individuals and small groups is something that was small enough to be carried and the film would have been canister sized. Maybe this smaller thing didn't have a cassette and I'm confusing the two different devices.
Thanks everyone for the replies so far.
posted by Fukiyama at 8:53 PM on February 21, 2019
What I am thinking of for the smaller device for individuals and small groups is something that was small enough to be carried and the film would have been canister sized. Maybe this smaller thing didn't have a cassette and I'm confusing the two different devices.
Thanks everyone for the replies so far.
posted by Fukiyama at 8:53 PM on February 21, 2019
Best answer: I remember two kinds from my elementary school career (late 80s): the common projector kind that looked kind of like a movie camera and had to be manually advanced, and the little TV-looking kind that had automatic advance.
They both used the same film strips and audio tapes. IIRC most of the tapes had the manual beeps on one side and the silent automatic tones on the flip side.
The automatic kind that I imagine you're thinking of is shown off in this video, just like I remember it.
posted by neckro23 at 10:05 PM on February 21, 2019
They both used the same film strips and audio tapes. IIRC most of the tapes had the manual beeps on one side and the silent automatic tones on the flip side.
The automatic kind that I imagine you're thinking of is shown off in this video, just like I remember it.
posted by neckro23 at 10:05 PM on February 21, 2019
Small portable film strip projectors were really common in our public school circa early 1970s or so. The models we used loaded horizontally and were easy for kids to operate (well, someone would always get the sequence for the beeps wrong and be constructively critiqued about it.) They could be projected for the entire classroom, or for a smaller space closer up (I recall watching a film strip about Spiders with a classmate under a table). There would be a cabinet with narrow drawers and hundreds of coloured plastic film canisters inside.
In related, as kids we also goofed around with a discarded old audio visual sales device (from early mid 1960s?) that seemed kinda like the Show'n Tell mentioned above. It was a heavy suitcase that folded up with frosted screen, with a built in film strip projector & 45 record player. It smelled funny. Now I wish I still had it.
posted by ovvl at 10:56 PM on February 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
In related, as kids we also goofed around with a discarded old audio visual sales device (from early mid 1960s?) that seemed kinda like the Show'n Tell mentioned above. It was a heavy suitcase that folded up with frosted screen, with a built in film strip projector & 45 record player. It smelled funny. Now I wish I still had it.
posted by ovvl at 10:56 PM on February 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
Similar could be done with slide projectors and cassette tapes, Kodak made various synchronisers and adapters for their mid to professional level carousel machines to make this easier. I used to know some model names here but I haven't seen one for twenty years.
They were certainly portable, though not light, and you may have seen them moved between classrooms.
posted by deadwax at 2:13 AM on February 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
They were certainly portable, though not light, and you may have seen them moved between classrooms.
posted by deadwax at 2:13 AM on February 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
The film strip projectors I remember came in a box/crate resembling a portable sewing machine case. They weighed about 25-30 lbs and got supper HOT when turned on. But some of the film strip sets were much heaver than the projector: they came with records, the old fashioned heavy kind. They also had an attachment that enabled you to show slides.
Back in my school days, whenever Sister started to set up the projector, I rejoiced because for me, it was nap time.
posted by james33 at 4:49 AM on February 22, 2019
Back in my school days, whenever Sister started to set up the projector, I rejoiced because for me, it was nap time.
posted by james33 at 4:49 AM on February 22, 2019
Yes, there was a single-user version of the filmstrip projector -- it was still a "projector" but it projected in reverse onto a translucent glass or plastic screen, which acted like a TV screen. They often had headphone outputs for private listening.
I literally have a personal filmstrip viewer in my basement, like yours for cassettes from the late 1970s, but also a personal viewer with a record player, like someone mentioned above, from the 1950s. When I bought the record-player one, it had filmstrips and a record still in it for its purpose as a salesman presentation for Esther Williams Swimming Pools, including 'dings' to change frames. (video is a self-link, I made it from the filmstrip in the viewer I have)
posted by AzraelBrown at 5:00 AM on February 22, 2019
I literally have a personal filmstrip viewer in my basement, like yours for cassettes from the late 1970s, but also a personal viewer with a record player, like someone mentioned above, from the 1950s. When I bought the record-player one, it had filmstrips and a record still in it for its purpose as a salesman presentation for Esther Williams Swimming Pools, including 'dings' to change frames. (video is a self-link, I made it from the filmstrip in the viewer I have)
posted by AzraelBrown at 5:00 AM on February 22, 2019
Response by poster: I am going to mark best replies, including neckro23. The projector that man is demonstrating in the video does not perfectly align with what I remember on the outside, but the part that flips out where the film is inserted is right on the money! Thank you everyone for sharing your memories.
posted by Fukiyama at 7:37 AM on February 22, 2019
posted by Fukiyama at 7:37 AM on February 22, 2019
In 6th grade c. 1981 one of our enrichment projects was to take a blank filmstrip and use special pencil-like things to draw out stories to present to the class. Quite fun.
posted by zengargoyle at 12:30 PM on February 22, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by zengargoyle at 12:30 PM on February 22, 2019 [3 favorites]
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https://www.amazon.com/Dukane-Micromatic-28A81A-Projector-Cassette/dp/B01GOY35I4
posted by jonathanhughes at 7:15 PM on February 21, 2019 [5 favorites]