- Thread starter Owain
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Flyfisher
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No intercom system here but we do have one of those 'annunciator boards' in the old kitchen and bell push buttons in all the rooms and the principles and general level of technology looks very similar to the telephone systems described in that book, so thanks for positing it.
It doesn't work at the moment but it's on my list to refurbish and get it working in the new kitchen so that I may summon tea and kitkats from any room in the house.
The innards reveal the 'flag' mechanisms, which are operated by an electromagnet and by swinging back and forth indicate the room in which the button was pressed, together with a single bell that rings when any of the buttons are pressed. Simple really but quite effective.
It doesn't work at the moment but it's on my list to refurbish and get it working in the new kitchen so that I may summon tea and kitkats from any room in the house.
The innards reveal the 'flag' mechanisms, which are operated by an electromagnet and by swinging back and forth indicate the room in which the button was pressed, together with a single bell that rings when any of the buttons are pressed. Simple really but quite effective.
Flyfisher said:No intercom system here but we do have one of those 'annunciator boards' in the old kitchen and bell push buttons in all the rooms and the principles and general level of technology looks very similar to the telephone systems described in that book, so thanks for positing it.
It doesn't work at the moment but it's on my list to refurbish and get it working in the new kitchen so that I may summon tea and kitkats from any room in the house.
The innards reveal the 'flag' mechanisms, which are operated by an electromagnet and by swinging back and forth indicate the room in which the button was pressed, together with a single bell that rings when any of the buttons are pressed. Simple really but quite effective.
Fig. 5 in the book will enable you to engage in telephonic communication and intimate whether you desire Two or Four Fingers
Keithj
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That board reminds me of my student days in a very battered old manor house with a similar system. There was a button in each room, so I built a rudimentary telephone exchange to interconnect the rooms. It worked for a few years after I left. One ex-GPO uniselector and a box of redundant GPO relays did the job.
Penners
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How extremely civilised!Flyfisher said:
Is there any mechanism by which Mrs FF can send back the inevitable reply, "get it yerself"?
We'll have no mention here of the abomination that is the two-fingered KitKat! :evil:Owain said:
A proper, full-on KitKat is a four-fingered creation. Accept no namby-pamby substitutes.
LadyArowana
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Penners said:
You don't need a mechanism for that, I find that after about 10 days the message has sunk in.
Penners
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Precisely! The four-fingered variant can therefore be regarded as slimmer's rations.
jocelyn plummer
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Two fingers could be seen to be rather rude :shock:
Flyfisher
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Or victorious . . .
CliffordPope
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I love that board - I didn't know they were called "annunciators".
I installed a single bell from the front door to sound in the kitchen, working from a bell-pull on a chain to a bell on a spiral spring, a wire running around a series of pulleys and cranks across the house.
I installed a single bell from the front door to sound in the kitchen, working from a bell-pull on a chain to a bell on a spiral spring, a wire running around a series of pulleys and cranks across the house.
Flyfisher
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I'm not really sure about the origin of the term, but it's widely used for all manner of electrical indicator panels, not just those in period properties.
This is an interesting article about various technologies that found their way into houses in the 19th century, including electric annunciator panels, as well as the mechanical signalling arrangements that you mentioned.
https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/archaeology/research/centre-for-historical-archaeology/research-1/country-house-technology/cht-documents/ICE%20final%20offprint.pdf
This is an interesting article about various technologies that found their way into houses in the 19th century, including electric annunciator panels, as well as the mechanical signalling arrangements that you mentioned.
https://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/archaeology/research/centre-for-historical-archaeology/research-1/country-house-technology/cht-documents/ICE%20final%20offprint.pdf