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this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2023
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The original “clicker” remotes were really neat tech! The way it worked unfortunately limited the number of buttons you could have, but still ingenious.
https://www.theverge.com/23810061/zenith-space-command-remote-control-button-of-the-month
I used to have one of those black plastic (or was it Bakelite?) Space-Commander 400 remotes, pictured in the black and white ad.
I was walking home from grade school. Somebody was getting rid of their ancient TV, and had left it on the curb. The boxy, awkwardly shaped remote was in its “holster” on the TV, so I grabbed it and took it home. Before then, I had assumed that only infrared wireless remotes existed.
The idea that a remote could work by ultrasound fascinated me, and the fact that it didn’t even need batteries absolutely blew my little mind.
Let me tell you how shitty they were, and why they probably put this thing to the curb:
The "Receiver" part of that thing was so limited, that it basically interpreted all kinds of ultrasonic sounds as "commands". Whenever I pulled my curtains open or close, the TV went nuts. It turned off, or it turned the volume to 11, or whatever. I was working on a small piece of metal on my desk, and with every stroke it changed channels, either up or down. This thing was annoying.