Millions of Variable Resistors
Millions of Variable Resistors
The first of two documentary films regarding the history, development, manufacture and use of variable resistors. Interesting, typical manufacture of precision electronic parts, emphasizing skilled human workers. Fade in on the CTS corporate logo. Dissolve to an aerial shot of the plant and ECU of a variable resistor. Superimpose the titles. Show an old telephone made by Chicago Telephone Supply (CTS) when it was originally in Chicago (they moved to Elkhart and it is there today; a map shows their move to Elkhart). Display of old tube radio parts made by CTS. Display of products by year of manufacture. World globe shows how CTS has grown. Display of resistors. Aerial plant. Enter front door. A mailman talks to the receptionist. CU of a resistor. Animated display shows how a variable resistor works. Cut to a 1950's radio, a 1950 TV set, display of CTS variable resistors today. Hand shows a resistor wirewound element, bent to fit the circular case; center terminal is fastened to a shaft and rotates. Turning the shaft varies the current flow to the end terminal. ECU of the finished unit. Show wirewound element replaced by carbon element unit. Carbon element is shown. CU of switch attached to the resistor. Display of various switches. Show a triple unit. John Best, son of the founder and, in 1950, the CEO of CTS, enters the plant. Board of directors meeting. Cut to the executive staff. 2-shot of engineers in research department. Model is taken to the lab for testing. Ovens filled with heated units; freezer filled with frost-covered unit. Their resistance is checked on an ohm meter. Banks of units being tested electronically. Rows of switches on test. Banks of wires. Lamp filaments glowing intermittently in test bank. Resistance leaks determined. Humidity factors are considered. Special high voltage resistors tested at 5,000 volts. Drafting tables as drawings are studied. ECU of hands working with progressive die stamping. Display of tools in CTS tool and die department... "one of the best in the country". A die is built. ECU of the completed part. A machinist bores holes in a die block and fills in metal. Optical comparator checks drawing. Heat treatment with flames. Die is immersed in cold fluid. Surface grinder smooths and parallels the surface. Punch section is shaped. Hand filling. Mating the parts in ECU. Other sections placed. CU of the finished die, male and female halves. Die is placed in the press. Dies are tested, test run in a high speed press. Show some of the hundreds of dies on racks. One is dollied out of the department.Maintenance department. Gene Ulley at work. Progressive die stamping. Office shot, sales engineer department. Group of salesmen, pan office. CU of briefcase as specs are taken on the road. Sales engineer talks to customer (Herb True) in his office. Two shot sales engineer with specifications engineer preparing data. Overhead shot samples being made up. Samples are checked by an inspector. Quality control. Samples are placed in tubes of air-tube delivery system to sales engineer office. Engineer checks the sample. Cost is prepared by accountants. Letter is dictated. Engineer gives them final check and sends the samples to the customer. Customer opens the package and checks the parts. Orders are screened by Howard Turner, VP. He opens a blueprint, then gives papers to a secretary. She delivers them to a specifications engineer. Sorting papers. Invoices are prepared. Invoice department. Workman brings a lift truck with coils of copper metal. Pan of big office. Copper piles being labeled for a "trial run". CU of a resistor. People are emphasized in a montage focusing on faces. Personnel office door opens; lady asks for information. She fills out blank in personnel office and is interviewed. References checked with other employees. Filing cabinets of folders. On job training. Operators teach a new employee to operate a machine. She works at the assembly line. LS of the workers on the production line. Cu of a worker carefully checking his job. Hand with micrometer and gauge, quality control. Classroom lecture for training during the working hours. Group of men learning. CU of faces of the workers. Two shot of women talking. Ls of the production line. Pan office. Typewriters. Pre-computer office equipment. early punch card computer. The weekly paycheck. CU of faces, hands, machines, parts. CU of a variable resistor. The End.