The TP-K 16 black-and-white, analog CCTV camera was produced from the 1970s by the Warszawskie Zakłady Telewizyjne, and later by their subsidiary, Zakłady Telewizyjnych Systemów Profesjonalnych, later renamed to Unitra Polkolor after becoming an independent entity. The camera was manufactured until the end of the 1980s in the basic and improved version (marked TP-K 162).
According to the manufacturer’s description, the TP-K 16, as “a utility television camera, is a device converting an optical image into its counterpart electric signal which, when sent through a television monitor, is turned into an optical image again”. Different ways of using it were envisaged in different areas of the economy, including “recording amateur programmes on a video recorder”, “controlling production processes and phenomena that are hazardous for people”, teaching – for example in connection with a microscope in order to “enhance the teaching process and provide information” – or to “work in security systems (banks, warehouses, shops)” or “for observation of patients in hospitals, children in nurseries and kindergartens”. The application that was not mentioned in the Service instruction is related to direct social control in the form of monitoring and remote surveillance systems that were developed from the 1970s. Among other things, the use of CCTV cameras was expected to prevent theft of materials by employees of production facilities, as well as help in managing traffic, or to control behaviour of people in public spaces.
The design of the TP-K 16 was based on an aluminium alloy frame to which housing components and printed circuit boards with transistors, integrated circuits, and capacitors were mounted. Initially, foreign components were used for its production, which were later substituted by Polish parts. A lens by Carl Zeiss from Jena, imported from the German Democratic Republic, was used in the optical system. Images are converted to electrical signals with the use of an analysing tube made by the Japanese Toshiba company – the vidikon 7262A (later substituted by the Polkolor PWM41A vidicon). It utilises the photoconductivity phenomenon. The tube has the form of a glass vacuum bulb in which the image is projected on a signal plate made of a semi-transparent conductor, placed on the inside of the bottom. On the inner side of the plate is a photoconductive layer that has a large electrical resistance value when exposed to light. When an image is projected on the signal plate, the resistance of the photoconductive layer decreases in the places that are illuminated. A stream of electrons emitted by the electron emitter partly reaches the signal plate at the illuminated spots, thus producing a current whose value is dependent on the distribution and intensity of light in the projected optical image. The electrical signal is then sent to the television receiver, where it is decoded.

Author: Filip Wróblewski

The Tonette portable mono tape recorder was manufactured by the Zakłady Radiowe im. Marcina Kasprzaka in Warsaw from the early 1970s. The tape recorder had an innovative design that broke the ties with the aesthetics of industrial design of the 1950s.
The tape recorder’s electrical system uses electron ray vacuum tubes and diodes on printed circuit boards. The mains-powered device uses alternating current. A single-phase induction electrical motor, the SAZ-1,7 produced by the Tonsil plant in Września, is used to drive the tape mechanism. A motor of this type uses electrical energy, converting it to mechanical energy via the asynchronous sliding of a rotating rotor set in motion by the magnetic field generated in the copper winding when it is supplied with electrical power. The motor model used in the device was enclosed in a magnetic shield so that its operation did not interfere with the operation of the magnetic playback and recording heads. The recording mechanism comprises two half-track heads – one erase head and one recording/playback head – with two tape speeds (4.75 and 9.50 cm/s). The lack of the 19 cm/s speed was a significant shortcoming, but it resulted from the limited reel diameter (up to 15 cm) that the Tonette could handle. Lowering the tape speed was intended to prolong the duration of the recordings. The recorded audio could be played back on the oval Tonsil GD 14,5-9,5/1,5 speaker.
The innovation in the tape recorder’s design was the use of a frame made of a light pressure casting of an aluminium alloy, to which all mechanical and electronic components, as well as the modular housing, were mounted. Four components of the housing were made of high-impact polystyrene. A brace is mounted on the frame and glued on four sides, it has a flat bottom, and on the top, there is an internal panel with a cover for the heads that encloses the metal skeleton inside, with the outer cover installed above it. This design avoids the transfer of mechanical loads on the housing while facilitating disassembly and repair.
The device operation is complemented by five sockets for connecting a radio receiver, gramophone, earphones, a ground, and a power supply. To control the sound recording process the user operates the button switches on the front part of the top panel for operation type and sound source, a rotary switch for adjustment of tape speed, and two rotary potentiometers for turning the device on and adjusting volume, and for setting tone or turning off the built-in speaker. The “magic eye”, i.e., the electron-beam tube tuning indicator, signals that the optimum parameters have been set.

Author: Filip Wróblewski

In 1929, Polskie Radio SA launched a campaign promoting radio reception, driven by the desire to reach the remotest places in Poland with its programming. The receiver to effectively promote this medium throughout Poland had to fulfil a list of requirements. First of all, it was expected to enable reception of radio stations in the Polish backcountry. At the same time, it had to be simple to operate and durable. In the light of the general poverty of the society, the originators of the campaign also proposed the condition of low price. The first result of the work on the fulfilment of such expectations was a detector receiver – the Detefon, developed at the Państwowa Wytwórnia Łączności by Wilhelm Rotkiewicz and Czesław Rajski. The price of the receiver with all its equipment (earphones, antenna, antenna switch with surge arrester, isolators for hanging the antenna on, etc.) was 39 zlotys, while a vacuum tube receiver cost several hundred zlotys at the time. The Detefon could be bought not only in radio shops, but also in all offices of Polish Radio as well as at post offices.
The Detefon is one of early types of radio devices, and makes use of the ability to detect radio waves using a lead sulphide crystal, hence the name “crystal radio”. The device allows reception of two radio wave bands – long and short wave. Radio waves captured by the antenna induced an alternating current in it, which was rectified by passing it through the crystal detector. The electrical impulses were then converted to vibrations of the membrane and these could be heard in an earphone. The device did not require an external power source, which was its advantage, as the majority of the territory of Poland at the time did not yet have access to electricity. Sales began in December 1930 and about 500,000 units had been manufactured by the end of 1939.
The Detefon was built based on two single-layer coils placed at right angles to each other, and two capacitors (including one for tuning) and a crystal detector. The radio has a 0-100 scale in the upper part of the housing, placed on the collar of the tuning knob. On the top wall of the housing there is a connection socket for the crystal and the inscription “Detefon” with the manufacturer’s logo. On the side wall, there is an antenna socket and a ground socket, as well as a knob for changing the band to shortwave (280-420 m) and longwave (1200-1500 m). On the opposite side wall there are two earphone inputs. Volume is set by adjusting the tension of the magnetic speaker anchor, available at the back of the housing.

Authors: Piotr Turowski, Filip Wróblewski

The item presented here is a classic Morse system telegraph, which was equipped with a device for printing characters consisting of dots and dashes on a paper tape. The transmitting part of the device is a “telegraph key”, which was essentially a simple electric switch. As the operator presses the key lever, he or she transmits longer or shorter electric pulses that make up Morse code characters to the telegraph line. These pulses activate the electromagnet of the receiving part connected to the other end of the transmission line, causing a metal element to be attracted towards it. The element presses the paper tape onto the writing wheel, which is covered in ink from a container. The steady movement of the tape is achieved by means of a wind-up spring-loaded mechanism, much like the one used in clocks.
The telegraph type presented here was developed by Samuel Morse – an American inventor and painter. The first line was established in 1844 between Washington DC and Baltimore. Although Morse’s invention was not the first to attempt the implementation of the telegraph concept, it had the advantages of a relatively simple design and a low cost of construction of the production line, which is why it soon became the standard.
This object was manufactured by the Państwowa Wytwórnia Aparatów Telegraficznych i Telefonicznych in Warsaw. The establishment was formed from the temporary workshops that arose after independence was regained in 1918. The enterprise manufactured telecommunications equipment for the purposes of state institutions. In 1931, after a merger with the Państwowa Wytwórnia Łączności, its name was changed to Państwowe Zakłady Tele- i Radiotechniczne.

The Aster-72 telephone was manufactured in the heyday of the Radomska Wytwórnia Telefonów (RWT), which is confirmed by several factors. When it resumed operations after World War II, the factory in Radom employed only 82 people, but by 1988 the staff numbered 2200 people. From the end of the war until 1970 the enterprise manufactured 5 million telephones, the same number as in 1970-1976. In 1988, the record for telephone production was reached – 1,600,000 in a year. RWT products were exported worldwide, including to Thailand, Morocco, France, and Greece. In Syria the enterprise even had its own assembly plant.
The two decades of prosperity (the 1970s and 1980s) was driven by the popularisation of the telephone as a device used daily in Polish homes. Until then the production output had been mostly exported or used by industry and government administration. In the history of communist Poland, “Gierek’s decade” involved increased consumption in households, the introduction of a new design language, and the permission to purchase licenses from countries of the capitalist West. For the Radomska Wytwornia Telefonów this entailed the launch of a new, highly successful family of telephones named after flowers, of which the Aster-72 was one example.
The history of the Aster telephones begins in July 1969, at the industrial exhibition in Moscow where the prototype Aster-70 was presented. It was developed by engineers J. Bojarczak, S. Józwowicz and Z. Jagielski. Initially, production of this telephone model was intended for export to the USSR. In comparison with the later Aster-72, the Aster-70 was equipped with the TN63A rotary dial taken from older CB 662 models, a different ringer, and a different audio transformer. Even in this model though, the change in design, characteristic of the Aster-72, could already be seen. Both models were launched on the Polish market in 1973. The Aster-72 was an office telephone, intended to work with manual or automatic CB telephone exchanges with a classic electrical design, mechanical bell, and the French TN-74 rotary dial for which a licence was purchased. The Aster-72 was also manufactured in export versions. The most interesting models were sent to the French, Canadian and American markets, although the telephone was most successful on the highly absorbent Eastern markets. In 1973-1985, the device was manufactured at the RWT and production was then moved to Telkom-Telcz, where the Asters continued being manufactured until the early 1990s.
The Aster-72 presented here is in a very rare colour. Usually, models can be found in grey, ivory, orange, or red versions.

The Tulipan was a telephone manufactured by the Radomska Wytwórnia Telefonów. This very characteristic model, with a low profile and an almost horizontal top surface, went into production towards the end of 1976. Initially, it was manufactured with a TN-74 rotary dial produced under a French licence, and from 1983 also with a numeric keypad. The latter solution was a novelty in RWT telephones – the KWI-03 pulse-dial keypad was based on the AY-5-9151B integrated circuit and had a simple design. A little later the KWI-04 pulse-dial keypad was introduced, which was more complicated and used the Motorola CMOS integrated circuit and a relay made by Siemens. The telephone had a standard ringer made by RWT. A characteristic feature of this model is the receiver, which differed from the previous designs in its flattened profile (it was also used in the Bratek telephone). The colour of the unit presented here is red, which was a very popular colour on these devices. The Tulipans were also manufactured in ebony, olive green, cherry, grey, orange, yellow, and green. Much like most of the telephones of the “flower series”, the RWT Tulipan was an export success, but, with rare exceptions, it was mostly bought by the countries of the Comecon. The telephone was manufactured in different versions until 1995.
The end of production of the Tulipan coincided with the downfall of the Radomska Wytwórnia Telefonów. The enterprise did not cope well with the economic transformation of the 1990s. Lack of state procurement, competition from powerful international telecommunications corporations, and the lack of an idea for how to operate in the new reality led to the RWT declaring bankruptcy in 1996.

The Ericsson DBH 1001 is a telephone manufactured by the Swedish communications company Ericsson in different versions over a period of over 30 years (1931-1962).
When Ericsson’s Bakelite telephone became widespread across the world in the 1930s, it was referred to as the “Swedish telephone type”. The model’s history, however, began elsewhere. In 1931, in Oslo, Norway, engineer Johan Christian Bjerknes and artist and designer Jean Heiberg developed the first Bakelite telephone with a built-in base, dialler, and bell. The design of the lightweight (weighing around 3 kg) and relatively small device (it could be held in one hand) set a new standard for plastic telephones. It went into mass production and became popular thanks to three entities: Elektrisk Bureau (a Norwegian company acquired by LM Ericsson in 1928), Telegrafverket (a Swedish state-owned company responsible for nationwide telecommunication), and Ericsson LM.
For telephone manufacturers, going from wood to Bakelite was nothing short of a revolution. The time needed to build the housing was reduced from a week to around seven minutes. Bakelite presented itself as the perfect material for making telephones – it was glossy, easily formed, and did not absorb humidity. Its only disadvantage was that, for technical reasons, it only allowed production of objects in black.
The innovative telephone design made the collaboration between LM Ericsson and Telegrafverket even closer. From 1933, the Ericsson DBH 1001 telephone became a standard in Swedish telecommunications. The device was also exported – it was ordered in enormous quantities by the British Royal Mail, among others.
Ericsson telephones were also used in Poland in the inter-war period. The tremendously popular DBH 1001 was manufactured in Poland (under the licenced name DC1PL1) by Polska Akcyjna Spółka Elektryczna Ericsson (PASE Ericsson), which operated from 1924. Initially the company imported complete devices from Sweden. In 1936 PASE Ericsson acquired the Śląska Fabryka Telefonów w Wełnowcu (now a district of Katowice), and two years later it built a factory in Radom (with government support, as part of the Central Industrial Area project), where it moved its entire production which continued until the outbreak of World War II. On February 11th, 1948, the nationalised factory was renamed Zakłady Wytwórcze Aparatury Teletechnicznej, which marked the start of Polish telephone production.

The item presented here is a public payphone, which allowed calls to be made once the caller had paid by inserting a coin or token in the appropriate slot. The automation inside the device tested the physical properties of the inserted object, such as its dimensions, weight, and magnetic properties. If they were within the required ranges, appropriate for the required means of payment, the device would allow the call to be made or continued.
Payphones manufactured by the Telkom-Telos enterprise in Kraków were commonplace on Polish streets from the early 1960s. The AWS 7 model is the last design of this type. It has many common characteristics with the earlier and far more ubiquitous AWS 6. Like its predecessor, the device was equipped with automation based on logical integrated circuits (without a microprocessor) and a numerical keypad. The electronics, however, were simplified, the mechanical bell was replaced by an electronic one, and the capability of working with modern exchanges that used tone dialling was added.
Payphones used in the 1990s used tokens. This was because of the high inflation and depreciation of money, which led to the temporary withdrawal of coins from circulation. Coins were not reintroduced until the redenomination of the zloty in 1995. In the second half of the 1990s, token-operated payphones began to gradually disappear from the Polish streets. They were replaced with imported payphones equipped with electronic card readers.

The Quarz M amateur film camera, manufactured in 1965-1973, is a modification of the Quarz 2 camera, developed for export sales. Like the other 24 models in the series, it was intended for private use. The Quarz 2 camera is used by Filip Mosz for documenting daily life ( played by Jerzy Stuhr) – the protagonist of the Amator film of 1979, directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski.
The Quarz M camera has a built-in spring-type drive, a selenium photometer, and semiautomatic focus. It is also equipped with a non-removable lens with a focal length of 1.9-12.5 mm. Recordings were made on 16 mm (2×8) celluloid film. The camera enables recording of black and white images without sound, using different tape speeds of 12, 16, 24 or 48 frames per second, and rewinding. The Quarz M is a light camera of compact build, with a detachable handle (“pistol handle”), which houses a compartment for two filters. The camera was designed to make it light to transport and convenient in storage. On the left side of the housing is a winding key in the shape of a semi-circle, an opening for a film rewinding crank, a film length indicator, and knobs for selecting the film and speed modes. At the top of the front side is a viewfinder window without parallax matching, and below it: a rangefinder and exposure time needle, the lens with its cover, and a photocell at the base. On the right side of the housing is a handle for opening the chamber and the aperture selection lever. The entire device is covered in steel-grey enamel with a graphite tint. The finishing components – knobs, trigger, winding key, edges of the film reel container – were chrome plated, which provided a soft contrast. The effect is additionally emphasised by the elongated, rounded shape of the camera, true to the aesthetics typical of the 1950s and 1960s. Hence, the device differed from the hard-edged models of Quarz cameras designed from the end of the 1960s onwards.
There is a “Quarz M” inscription between the lens element and the photocell. It is rendered in handwriting style, in the Latin rather than the Cyrillic alphabet. The reason is that the Quarz series of cameras were planned to be exported to selected developing world countries, and mostly to the communist state markets of the Comecon. The industrial production of different states in the bloc was subject to specialisation as agreed with the Soviet planners. The idea was to ensure diversification of production and efficient trade exchange, however, in practice it led to hampering innovation of selected industries in different countries. For that reason, Poland had no native small film camera solutions, because such devices were assembled in the USSR, Czechoslovakia, and the GDR.

Author: Filip Wróblewski