1/4" Guitar Cable = Antique 19th Century / Apple Wants to Kill Phone Plugs

[Amp Mad Scientist]

Perhaps we should thank Alexander Graham Bell for the guitar cable we use today.
Or perhaps we should plug our guitars with USB cables instead...
Apple has tried to kill the phone jack.

"The 3.5mm headphone jack is essentially a 19th Century bit of kit - it is a miniaturized version of the classic quarter-inch jack (6.35mm), which is said to go back as far as 1878.
Both sizes of plug have a nubbin of metal that nips in before flaring out just before the tip. "It needed to be something that could be inserted and removed very easily, but still make a secure connection," says Charlie Slee, a member of the Audio Engineering Society."

"Initially the quarter-inch jack was used by operators in old-fashioned telephone switchboards, plugging and unplugging connections. "The standard has always been quarter-inch jacks," says Dr Simon Hall, head of music technology at Birmingham City University."

"There’s some debate over which switchboard was the first in operation. But in Boston or Connecticut, the year was around 1877 or 1878 and it used something recognizable as a phone plug. The word jack wasn’t in use yet, though. That came from Charles Scribner’s patent of a “spring jack” that allows the plug to open a switch contact."

 

[Session 5]

Alexander Graham Bell, teacher of the deaf, inventor, scientist (born 3 March 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland; died 2 August 1922 near Baddeck, NS). Alexander Graham Bell is generally considered second only to Thomas Alva Edison among 19th- and 20th-century inventors. Although he is best known as the inventor of the first practical telephone, he also did innovative work in other fields, including aeronautics, hydrofoils and wireless communication (the “photophone”). Moreover, Bell himself considered his work with the deaf to be his most important contribution. Born in Scotland, he emigrated to Canada in 1870 with his parents. Bell married American Mabel Hubbard in 1877 and became a naturalized American citizen in 1882. From the mid-1880s, he and his family spent their summers near Baddeck on Cape Breton Island, where they built a large home, Beinn Bhreagh. From then on, Bell divided his time and his research between the United States and Canada. He died and was buried at Baddeck in 1922.

 

[Session 5]

Why is Brantford known as the telephone city?
On July 26, 1874 he invented the telephone here. The next summer, he wrote the first copy of his telephone patent plans. And, in August, 1876 he made the world's first successful long-distance telephone call between Brantford and Paris, Ontario, Canada. Because all of this happened here, Brantford became known as “The Telephone City

 

[Amp Mad Scientist]

Alexander Graham Bell, teacher of the deaf, inventor, scientist (born 3 March 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland; died 2 August 1922 near Baddeck, NS). Alexander Graham Bell is generally considered second only to Thomas Alva Edison among 19th- and 20th-century inventors. Although he is best known as the inventor of the first practical telephone, he also did innovative work in other fields, including aeronautics, hydrofoils and wireless communication (the “photophone”). Moreover, Bell himself considered his work with the deaf to be his most important contribution. Born in Scotland, he emigrated to Canada in 1870 with his parents. Bell married American Mabel Hubbard in 1877 and became a naturalized American citizen in 1882. From the mid-1880s, he and his family spent their summers near Baddeck on Cape Breton Island, where they built a large home, Beinn Bhreagh. From then on, Bell divided his time and his research between the United States and Canada. He died and was buried at Baddeck in 1922.

Since Edison was a complete phony...who's only real skill was sticking his name on other people's inventions....
Some people still believe that Edison invented the incandescent light bulb, but nothing is further from the truth.
He even tried to take credit for Tesla's brushless AC motor design....

But really we need to understand that Edison was not actually a great inventor, but a professional plagiarist.

 

[SG John]

Why is Brantford known as the telephone city?
On July 26, 1874 he invented the telephone here. The next summer, he wrote the first copy of his telephone patent plans. And, in August, 1876 he made the world's first successful long-distance telephone call between Brantford and Paris, Ontario, Canada. Because all of this happened here, Brantford became known as “The Telephone City

They say that the first actual public display of a long distance call was made by Bell to his assistant Watson from the Lyceum in Salem, MA to Boston on February 12, 1877.

Bell, Watson, and the First Long Distance Phone Call - Destination Salem

Salem Massachusetts - Salem Tales - The Salem Lyceum Society

 

[SG John]

Since Edison was a complete phony...who's only real skill was sticking his name on other people's inventions....
Some people still believe that Edison invented the incandescent light bulb, but nothing is further from the truth.
He even tried to take credit for Tesla's brushless AC motor design....

But really we need to understand that Edison was not actually a great inventor, but a professional plagiarist.

If we had gone with Tesla's design, the U.S. might be like the rest of the world with the 220AC household current, instead of the 110 high amp, low voltage that we use now.

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

If we had gone with Tesla's design, the U.S. might be like the rest of the world with the 220AC household current, instead of the 110 high amp, low voltage that we use now.

Which one is superior, John?

 

[SG John]

Which one is superior, John?

It depends. Some say 220 is safer with only 4 amps. Some say 110 is safer with lower voltage, although 8 amps. It only takes .5 amps to kill you, so neither is safe. 220 allows for use of a four wire circuit, as opposed to three. For consistency sake, I'd prefer 220. Working with machinery, I see different types of step up or step down transformers every day, as the U.S. is worse than most third world countries for an electrical grid. No building I work in has consistent electricity. Three phase runs at 208, 240, 360, 440, 460, 480, and 560. Machinery needs an added transformer to change the current to 400. They say you can run +/- 20%, but I know for a fact that German machinery does not like anything more than +/- 5% without all sorts of drive errors. Most European countries have two choices for electricity. You can plug into 220 VAC, and 400 three phase. Even 110 here can run as high as 130, so there is no consistency there either. Whenever I work with German technicians, they always ask about the external transformers, and then we joke about the electricity being as bad as the roads here.

 

[Amp Mad Scientist]

Which one is superior, John?

The 120V instead of 220V might have been just to save some money...

 

[Ramo]

Which one is superior, John?

More is more

 

[Amp Mad Scientist]

They say that the first actual public display of a long distance call was made by Bell to his assistant Watson from the Lyceum in Salem, MA to Boston on February 12, 1877.

Bell, Watson, and the First Long Distance Phone Call - Destination Salem

Salem Massachusetts - Salem Tales - The Salem Lyceum Society

You should have seen the phone bill for that first long distance call.
Yikes.

 

[Clockworkmike]

There is an interesting fella named Elisha Gray. If you never heard his name, you no doubt heard of his invention: the telephone.

Yes, even the dearly loved Alexander Graham Bell pulled an Edison and ripped off Gray's patent for the working telephone thru an associate in the patent office that was a chronic drunk who owed Bell's lawyer some cash

Elisha Gray - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Elisha Gray and Alexander Bell telephone controversy - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Ramo]

There is an interesting fella named Elisha Gray. If you never heard his name, you no doubt heard of his invention: the telephone.

Yes, even the dearly loved Alexander Graham Bell pulled an Edison and ripped off Gray's patent for the working telephone thru an associate in the patent office that was a chronic drunk who owed Bell's lawyer some cash

Elisha Gray - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Elisha Gray and Alexander Bell telephone controversy - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Iphone is the best.

 

[Clockworkmike]

Iphone is the best.

Im an android guy. Both suck a hot wet bag of dog poop but, least android isnt proprietary lol

 

[Ramo]

See, we are so different even with phones….

Android is tele radio walky talky caster of phones…..

 

[Clockworkmike]

See, we are so different even with phones….

Android is tele radio walky talky caster of phones…..

They update Iphones every single year and literally might change 2 features if that. Buy a new one and its $600 minimum for a basic model and the software is proprietary to Apple.

Or, grab an Android that is used by at least 30 manufacturers, can cost as little as a $120, last you just a long as an Apple.

If you wanna suckle on Tim Cook's supple teets, be my guest lmao

 

[Ramo]

They update Iphones every single year and literally might change 2 features if that. Buy a new one and its $600 minimum for a basic model and the software is proprietary to Apple.

Or, grab an Android that is used by at least 30 manufacturers, can cost as little as a $120, last you just a long as an Apple.

If you wanna suckle on Tim Cook's supple teets, be my guest lmao

I follow Iphone cult, join me. Dont let me walk alone.

Its kind if like Gibson then right? Iphone is the Gibson and Android is the everything else.

 

[froman5150]

To quote the great Joe Walsh im just an analog man living in a digital world.

 

[Thatbastarddon]

Im an android guy. Both suck a hot wet bag of dog but, least android isnt proprietary lol

See, we are so different even with phones….

Android is tele radio walky talky caster of phones…..

They update Iphones every single year and literally might change 2 features if that. Buy a new one and its $600 minimum for a basic model and the software is proprietary to Apple.

Or, grab an Android that is used by at least 30 manufacturers, can cost as little as a $120, last you just a long as an Apple.

If you wanna suckle on Tim Cook's supple teets, be my guest lmao

I follow Iphone cult, join me. Dont let me walk alone.

Its kind if like Gibson then right? Iphone is the Gibson and Android is the everything else.

 

[dmatthews]

As a young phone guy I was taught about "Tip and Ring", the two connectors on the 1/4" mono phone plug.
Back then there were PBX trunks that were "ground start" where you'd need to apply a ground momentarily to the "ring" side of the line in order to "start" the dial tone.
So, polarity was critical throughout the connection all the way from the Central office to your premises.
40 years gone by I've seen/installed mechanical, electronic, digital, and now VOIP cloud systems. Few industries have seen such massive transformation. Now it's all about LAN, POE, Broadband, Servers, and SIP endpoints and softphones, none of which existed when I started.