Analog Nanotechnology

Video Description

Today we're looking at RCA's ill-fated attempt to put video on vinyl records! SelectaVision, aka the Capacitance Electronic Disc. This was a system that encoded nanoscale features onto carbon-filled vinyl records, and measured the minute changes in height using an elaborate system to detect changes in capacitance. Considering how old this technology is, the (nano)scale of features achieved is truly staggering! This is a migration of the Micrographia channel. 🙂 📚 Sources • Technology Connection's CED Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv0jwu7G_DFVP0SGNlBiBtFVkV5LZ7SOU • https://handwiki.org/wiki/Capacitance_Electronic_Disc • https://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html • https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/11/capacitance-electronic-discs-were-a-doomed-effort-by-rca-to-make-videos-go-vinyl.html • https://paleotronic.com/2020/10/04/the-horrors-of-capacitance-electronic-disk-ced/ • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitance_Electronic_Disc 🔬Instruments • Amscope 40X-800X Trinocular Dual-illumination Metallurgical Microscope with Polarization • Thermo Phenom XL G2 (BSD, SED and EDS) • nGauge Atomic Force Microscope from ICSPI (https://www.icspicorp.com/) 🎵 Music • Infinity Cycle by Spearfisher • Murmuration by Spearfisher