Photo of wax cylinder recording medium in Dictaphonedictating machine from the 1920s. The recording head at right moves from left to right. To play it back, 'stethoscope' type earphones are plugged into the hole in the recording head. The dark bands are shiny gaps between recordings, made by moving the needle forward before each dictation, enabling the typist to find the specific track needed. Each wax cylinder can record 1200-1500 words, and can be reused 100-120 times by putting it in an erasing machine that 'shaves' off the surface.
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{{Information |Description=Photo of wax cylinder recording medium in Dictaphone dictating machine from 1920s. The dark bands are shiny gaps between recordings, enabling typist to find specific dictation needed. Each wax cylinder can record 1200-1500 wor