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Post by Todd Robinson on Aug 20, 2004 7:31:22 GMT -5
I posted this in the Game Show Forum yesterday. This guy got a few flip-disc readout characters, took pictures of them, explained some about the technology, and put it all up on the web. I'm not sure exactly what they used on Family Feud but it sure is close to what you can see on this page: www.sscnet.ucla.edu/geog/gessler/topics/displays.htm |
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Post by vegitoth on Aug 21, 2004 8:27:16 GMT -5
Man thats cool I always thought they used real lights
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WesternEstates
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You know what you look like to me with your cheap bag and your bad shoes............................
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Post by WesternEstates on Aug 21, 2004 12:34:28 GMT -5
Fascinating  ! I thought it worked like that but I was never sure. I wonder...... How much do you think it cost Family Feud to do that back then (I'm assmuning it was the most expensive part of the set.)? |
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Post by whoserman on Aug 21, 2004 13:54:05 GMT -5
Fascinating ! I thought it worked like that but I was never sure. I wonder...... How much do you think it cost Family Feud to do that back then (I'm assmuning it was the most expensive part of the set.)? I imagine, in the long run, it was cheaper than light displays. With light displays, you're constantly replacing the light bulbs, and bulbs that size are not cheap. |
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WesternEstates
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You know what you look like to me with your cheap bag and your bad shoes............................
Posts: 238
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Post by WesternEstates on Aug 21, 2004 15:52:08 GMT -5
I imagine, in the long run, it was cheaper than light displays. With light displays, you're constantly replacing the light bulbs, and bulbs that size are not cheap. That's true. Actually that makes alot of sense. |
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Post by Todd Robinson on Aug 22, 2004 14:07:05 GMT -5
At the time, too, there was an energy crisis so I'm sure that was at least part of it. I don't know what the initial expense was. The cost of electricity to run the displays was certainly a lot cheaper than lights as it only takes a small bit of electricity fo change the dot's state and no further electricity is required to keep the display frozen.
The flip-dot technology is being replaced by LEDs now-a-days, though. Two big reasons are maintanece and visibility. After time, the dots can get stuck and not respond. Usually lubrication would fix the problem. We've seen this problem several times in Fast Money (the computer board uses the same technology on a smaller scale) when some dots stay "lit." Visibility is limited to lighting conditions. Ambient light is needed to make the display readable. While it's no problem in a studio, try reading flip-dot bus destination signs at night.
Another note: the gentleman's website shows a type of display where 1-0 and the "blank all" characters are actually pre-set in the mechanism. It's more likely on the Family Feud show that ALL individual dots were accessible by the controller computer. That's mainly because they changed the way the numbers were formed several times over the show's run.
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Post by Todd Robinson on Aug 22, 2004 14:08:56 GMT -5
Man thats cool I always thought they used real lights Ever notice on the original show how the numbers seem to flutter or flicker when they're being changed? That's the metal dots flipping over and bouncing back a little, sort of like how the answer panels flip and bounce back. |
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Post by feudfan on Aug 22, 2004 16:56:04 GMT -5
Ever notice on the original show how the numbers seem to flutter or flicker when they're being changed? That's the metal dots flipping over and bouncing back a little, sort of like how the answer panels flip and bounce back. Maybe THAT is how the answer panels were fipped!? If so, was it during FFC ('92-'94), or was it pre-FFC ('88-'92)? It could explain the different flip speeds of the answer panels. |
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Post by Todd Robinson on Aug 22, 2004 18:28:07 GMT -5
I don't know whether or not the flip-dot displays worked like the panels did. It seems to me if they did the two poles would be visible below and above each one of the panels. Besides, the panels weigh much more than the dots do in the displays. It would take much more electricity. But you never know!
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Post by feudfan on Aug 22, 2004 20:20:44 GMT -5
I don't know whether or not the flip-dot displays worked like the panels did. It seems to me if they did the two poles would be visible below and above each one of the panels. Besides, the panels weigh much more than the dots do in the displays. It would take much more electricity. But you never know! Do we even know what specific materials the panels themselves were made of? |
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WesternEstates
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You know what you look like to me with your cheap bag and your bad shoes............................
Posts: 238
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Post by WesternEstates on Aug 22, 2004 21:29:16 GMT -5
I don't know whether or not the flip-dot displays worked like the panels did. It seems to me if they did the two poles would be visible below and above each one of the panels. Besides, the panels weigh much more than the dots do in the displays. It would take much more electricity. But you never know! Do we even know what specific materials the panels themselves were made of? While on the subject of panels I've always wondered how they got the letters on them. I assumed they used magnets but I've never been sure. Does anybody know? |
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Post by stamfam on Aug 23, 2004 6:32:21 GMT -5
While on the subject of panels I've always wondered how they got the letters on them. I assumed they used magnets but I've never been sure. Does anybody know? It looks to me like they were on title cards that they just slid in from the side of the panel. Sometimes when the panels flip, you can see the whole card bounce slightly. |
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Post by FrankieV on Aug 23, 2004 7:53:17 GMT -5
That is what they are cards that slide into place. On one show Little Richard was on and in the survay Little Richard was the answer. At the end of the show Ray gave Little the Card. If i remember it was pretty big it went from Rays left shoulder to is right hand.
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Post by feudfan on Aug 23, 2004 18:32:05 GMT -5
On one show Little Richard was on and in the survay Little Richard was the answer. At the end of the show Ray gave Little the Card. If i remember it was pretty big it went from Rays left shoulder to is right hand. Was it on the '89 Grammy special? It's been on now for four days and I haven't seen this moment yet. Maybe it will be on tomorrow. I'll be sure to watch it. |
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Post by feudfan on Aug 26, 2004 22:10:41 GMT -5
That is what they are cards that slide into place. On one show Little Richard was on and in the survay Little Richard was the answer. At the end of the show Ray gave Little the Card. If i remember it was pretty big it went from Rays left shoulder to is right hand. The card actually read..."THE KING" which was the no.5 answer to "Name something that will ALWAYS be associated with Elvis Presley." Ray saw it fit to give it to Little Richard since Ray didn't have a Grammy to give to Richard which he so deserved. Sure enough, this moment happened on the fifth and final day of the Grammy special. Don't worry everybody, I DID tape it. ;D The card itself looked like it was about 3ft. long and i'm guessing about...6 or 5 inches wide. The card was very flexible and did not crease. I guessing it's the same kind of paper that 3*5 or 4*6 notecards are made of. |
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! I thought it worked like that but I was never sure. I wonder...... How much do you think it cost Family Feud to do that back then (I'm assmuning it was the most expensive part of the set.)?