The worlds first electronic washing machine

[jetcone]

Oh this is too much fun..

Should I reveal now this morining or tonight after 5pm???

All sound guesses by the way!

Here's another clue...All the panels come off ...

 

[waterstreet]

Guess

The panels look very Bendix

 

[bajaespuma]

His Master's Voice:

Because of the use of radio tubes, I'm guessing RCA---Whirlpool. Radio tubes, however, were slow to react to commands so I'm wondering how this thing would have worked. I guess Philco could also be a possibility given their prowess with radio and tv technology. Was Bendix owned by Philco at this point?

 

[48bencix]

Quick Cycle

Because of the 28.1 second cycle advance, resulting in a fairly short cycle, and the 16 pound load..

I will say a Commercial Laundry Bendix Front Loader.

Although I don't see a coin box.

Martin

 

[peterh770]

That's the first Norge frontloader! The computer was so unreliable that they stopped production within months.

 

[mickeyd]

Peter, did they have computers that many years ago?

After I got into bed, I remembered that it was the Bendix that left too much water in Gladys' bed; the Whirly was used for the white load, the better to heat it.

Today, the soap dispenser shouts Bendix.

 

[Unimatic1140]

The whole idea of a Time Delay Relay based on a Vacuum Tube is quite interesting though. I wonder what tube they used, was it a standard radio/tv tube at that time or was it something special made for Bendix -- or whoever ?

How did this circuit work exactly? Was the delay caused by the tube heating up and once it was hot enough (heated by the internal tube heater) it would energize the AC solenoid directly? So would the AC line be wired into the plate side of the tube and the electrons would then be conducted onto the cathode side and into the spin solenoid??? I'm Confused and MUST KNOW! LOL.

 

[mielabor]

Relay tube...

I think that the tube is not an electron tube but merely a housing for a relay switch. In the first picture you can see the switch contacts in the tube. Maybe the delayed switching is caused by heating a bimetallic strip or something similar.

 

[Unimatic1140]

I think that the tube is not an electron tube but merely a housing for a relay switch.

You know, I think you are right Theo, now that I take a second look. I have relays that look like that but are in a square housing. Besides if it were a common vacuum tube the heater has a voltage requirement of 6 or 12 volts depending on the tube type. So that would require a dropping resistor onto the 120volt line to the heater which I don't see mentioned in the text.

Hmmmmm oh Jon.

 

[foraloysius]

Oh, never mind. It's probably a V-Zug anyway that was the first electronic one...

Ducking and running very fast!

 

[mielabor]

Thermal time-delay relay

I found some info about these relays.

Integrated Publishing - Your source for military specifications and educational publications

 

[mielabor]

More...

Even more interesting...

http://www.tubecollector.org/list.php?L=-v&M=Y&D=Y&H=Relays/Switches

 

[Unimatic1140]

Yup, that's it, it looks very similar if the not the same in the first picture!

This explains the lack of dropping resistor on the heater voltage:
Contact voltage rating 115V
Contact current rating 3A
Heater voltage range 90 to 130V
Contact type Normally open
Delay 30s

 

[jetcone]

Coldpsot66 is the winner along with

all the Smart Bendix guessers!

Here is the front panel

And yes the vacuum tube in question is a bimetallic thermal relay housed inside a vacuum tube!

I am told they were used on other Commercial washing machines as well.
Mielabor you have a very good eye!
This machine was the 1956 model and was a Bendix hybrid! It combined the cabinet of the Gyromatic with the guts of the Combo all bolted down like the pre war machines and it had the removable panels of the original Gyromatic from 1948! A real mix up!

 

[jetcone]

Here is the guts

If you know the line very well you can see the size of the tub opening to the tub,, I kept looking at this and saying thats not a gyromatic tub its too big --what the %*^ is that thing???

 

[jetcone]

Back tub

view
Louis you will be slapped by wet towels!

Steve very astute guess on the spin speeds there!
And Robert well lets just say you know way too much!
(He guessed right after he saw the model number--ohhhjust you wait mister cheating like that!)

 

[jetcone]

I'll see if I can find the

exact tube Bendix used in there and get back to you.

jon

 

[jeff_adelphi]

The pic with the cabinet off looks very much like my 1974 Philco-Bendix commercial washer and the later Dexter washers.

 

[fa_f3_20]

Heater voltage?

The heater voltage would be the least of the problems. Consider the plate voltage! 400V and water tend to not get along too well...

 

[foraloysius]

No problem with water and 400 Volts, most commercial washers work on 400 Volts overhere.