Did you know? Early TV remotes worked with a spring-loaded hammer striking a solid aluminum rod in the device, which then rings out at an ultrasonic frequency, requiring no batteries. [📺 The Verge]

its why we called remotes back then "the clicker"

Ours had legs because it was me, as everyone else was too lazy to get up. Later we upgraded to a snooker cue so we only had to lean forward and reach out and push the button 👍

This explains a long-standing mystery. We had an early RCA TV remote. When my mother was ironing and hit the Niagara Spray Starch, the TV volume went up. 😉😅

hence the nickname "clicker" which remains in some dialects today

I remember my father dropping his car keys on the table by the TV and changing the channel.

This explains why we were able to use these to quiet the dogs! Also, woah TV's had Microphones built in even back then huh! Crazy!

Yup. Sometimes thowing your keys on the floor would change the channel. There were also "whistle switches" that could be used to turn an appliance - or a lamp - on and off.

Yes had one. Saturday mornings gave me carpal tunnel.

Yes. Ultrasonics. Simple and worked great.

Yep, I remember

So 'clicker' came from the hammer's mechanical click, not the ultrasonic tone. Clever design.

I did not know.

Dad had a bang and olfson TV in the 80s . Had a sonic remote but electronic created the sonic. Remote had the rarest battery iv ever seen .

I had one of those earlier remote tv's and everytime I jingled my keys the channel would change.

I remember my grandparents having a tv remote that was like a squeeze toy that let out a high pitched whistle that would roll up to the next channel. Prob an early 80s model as I was pretty young.

And if you happened to shift around the Al rods then they still functioned the same: but the labels were wrong. You wanted to Mute and the channel changed.

Wow!

I lost the remote for my plain and learned a way to clap with my hands to make it work. Good times. Now i fly RC 3-8 channels, still for fun, but without hurting my palms..

Bit flip freq ion emitter

We had someone with Ultrasonic 😊

I remember those, we had one. Quite state of the art for the time.

And it broke your ear drums. Hand me the clicker!

👍

a pair from my collection

M)