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The Birth of VINYL
Vinyl refers to the monomers that are the building blocks of this class of polymer,
vinyl monomers being small molecules containing carbon-carbon double
bonds. Vinyl has become a slang term for dozens of compounds
referred to generically as vinyl polymers.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is the most familiar of these vinyls. Around 1930, it was
discovered that a plasticizer mixed with PVC yields a flexible
plastic. It was first mass-produced in Germany in the early 1930's
and moved to the United States shortly after that. Early
applications included shoe heels, electrical insulators and
waterproof PVC-coated fabrics. It was used extensively for military
applications during World War II. It was soon to be the basis of the
new, modern, "unbreakable" phonograph record.
RCA Victor's Secret Project
RCA Victor was a leader in the field
of electronics in the 1930's and the largest producer of consumer
electronic products in the United States. They owned many critical
patients and had the largest research and development departments as
well. It was during this time that RCA developed the first commercially available TV cameras
and TV receiving sets.
In 1938, David Sarnoff, the head of
RCA, ordered his engineers to develop an entirely new disc record
using modern materials and an automatic record changer. The current
78 RPM recording systems of the day were limited by poor sound
fidelity and heavy, brittle shellac discs that were easily broken.
78 RPM records typically had to be played one at a time as the heavy
and fragile discs did not lend themselves well to automatic record
changers for numerous reasons including mechanical jamming during
the reject cycle, breakage and slippage between discs when playing.
TO BE CONTINUED . . . |