One of my favorite toys is this 1983 miniature phonograph replica made in Japan for a legendary American toy company; Poynter Products, Inc. out of Cincinati, Ohio.
It measures 2.5 inches x 1.5 inches (main frame only).
Each record is 2 inches in diameter (set of Six).
The Horn is 3.5 inches and the "Sound Box" is about 1/2 inch in diameter.
It uses a real steel needle (just like the old Phonographs).
The single motor spins at 78 rpm (supposedly! I don't have the tools to veryfy that) and it is powered by a single AA battery and not by the turning of the crank handle, like the old models that had a spring motor.
Sound is reproduced with the same basis of the original 1901 Edison Gramophone and sounds like the originals too.
The needle picks-up the vibrations from the record, which in turn moves the diaphragm and creates a waveform that it's trapped inside the "Sound Box" and goes out through a cylinder Horn that amplifies the sound as it comes out.
Unfortunately, the smallnest of the unit prevents all the frequencies from being reproduced acurately. You will hear distortion in the very high and low range.
Each record has a different song on it (single sided); each song can last between 10-15 seconds.
The records are made out of plastic and not vinyl but have almost the same characteristic of a modern record with actual grooves; except that instead of the needle vibrating sideways in a circular motion like we all commonly know, it actualy vibrates up and down in a circular motion.
The song titles are: Dixie, Give my regards to Broadway, Oh Susana, Old grey Mare, Take me out to the ball game, Turkey in the straw.
