Old style cue light switches

[mikienorth]

Whatever they are, the solid feeling triangular toggle switches that are really old, and I heard are very hard to get hold of at one time...

Well I have a bag full, salvaged from an old prompt desk, and mounting frames and toggle covers, in a storage unit in Liverpool.

 

Free to a good home. Either pay me for postage or arrange collection of them from Liverpool.

 

Due to touring and festival commitments I'm not around a lot so you may have to wait, but message me and I'll let you know more once I'm back from my weeks little trip.

 

Mike.

[Oldradiohand]

Ericsson keys? Do you mean the ones used on these old radio desks?

http://www.orbem.co.uk/typed/3e.htm

[mikienorth]

There are some of what I'm in about in one of those photos, yes.

[p.k.roberts]

I think those are PO 1000 switches Gerry, weren't Ericsson keys this type (third photo to the right of the letter/number switches)?

 

http://www.orbem.co.uk/cr/selectors.htm

[Oldradiohand]

Weren't those Kellogg keys?

I think you're right about the PO1000 series switch - were they made by Ericsson? - I'm sure maintenance called them Ericssons.

[dbuckley]

"Switch, PO type 1000" were readily available at one time, both on the surplus market, and from the likes of RS (I see them listed in the 1999 CD catalogue). Great switches. Used in BT supplied private manual exchange boards (examples), as installed in thousands of businesses.

 

A google provided this lonely page with a bit of info.

[boatman]

... and thousands were used in the BBC designed talkback panels in both Television Centre and the new up-to-the-minute PDP8 controlled switching centre in Bush House back in the 1970s.

[GaryNattrass]

I have an old ex YTV talkback panel in my shed that has about 10 of them on it and my prospect 4 wire box has one too.

 

They are still very re-assuring and it always makes me laugh that most directors and producers in TV these days seem to really struggle with any other type of key on a talkback unit.

[paulears]

When you think of it, the old Post Office Telephones engineers designed some pretty decent hardware - what other kind of switch is still being used over 50 years later!

[dbuckley]

When you think of it, the old Post Office Telephones engineers designed some pretty decent hardware - what other kind of switch is still being used over 50 years later!

 

And this wasn't their first switch; there was an earlier type that this switch replaced, and I'll wager there are still lots of the earlier type still working day in, day out...

 

The PO, like the BBC, back in the day, had to invent stuff that simply didn't exist. They had great people who did great things.

[musht]

People like Tommy Flowers , designer of the first programmable electronic computer

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Flowers

[Owain]

And Donald Macadie who invented the AVOmeter and also the Macadie Keysender

 

http://www.museumoftechnology.org.uk/expand.php?key=626

 

 

[dbuckley]

If one is curious and has some time on one's hands, check out a book entitled "Telephony: a detailed exposition of the telephone exchange systems of the British Post Office". In two volumes. It is facinating.

 

Given that phones worked perfectly well for the thick end of a century before the invention of the microprocessor, the things that were done to make phones works (and especially in the field of automatic signalling) in the pre-micro days are simply astounding. You'll never look at a relay the same again.

[Ynot]

Indeed.

 

Slightly off topic, but....

 

As one who started a GPO Telecoms apprenticeship in the late 70s, the prevalence of the old electro-mechanical switching stuff as well as the PMBX kit was everywhere. Early electronic switching was in its infancy and wasn't to take over for some years.

 

It still fascinates me when I think of the old Strowger click-click whirrrr of the original exchanges, much of which had already been in operation for decades. Tracing a call back then was at least a 3 or 4 man task, racing round to identify the physical route through the switches. No VDUs or electronic aids to d that for you!

 

Back ON topic, those 1000 type switches were used in many many applications from the full blown PMBX consoles, to intercoms around BT buildings, to test desks and yes, because I believe a LOT of theatre techs doubled as telecoms engineers, the switches found their way in to numerous cue light systems as well as other theatrical applications.

 

Solid, dependable, and importantly re-usable time and again.

[mikienorth]

Stunning to hear these things lead on to such an interesting discussion, and also adding to my reading list...

 

I kept the switches as I knew how hard to find they were becoming, and I saw at the time my career maybe needing spares like that.

 

As it turns out they take up unit space, or rather took up unit space. The blue room, as expected has many people with a use for these solid, dependable, reusable switches (thanks Ynot) and I believe they are headed to a good home.