wrote his lawyer, Richard Dyer, that
he had many other ideas worth patenting addition the
.IV- 7
problems duplicating cylinders. Edison also grappled with
the problems sound reproduction. There
were many different problems solved and many them
involved close cooperation between the experimental teams.
Edison did not direct all his inventive effort into
perfecting the basic phonograph 1888, but instead
diversified the research work cover many commercial uses of
the phonograph. Edison began his research on
the latter testing many organic and inorganic materials for
the diaphragm, including ivory, horn, porcelain, rubber,
shellac, sheet steel, and carbonized paper. then looked
closely the construction the spectacle frame and
attempted improve the linkages between the needle and the
diaphragm order increase the loudness the
reproduction. Many different substances
were tried for the wax cylinder, and new arrangements for the
recorder/reproducer were ordered. The R&D the phonograph covered many
different disciplines— chemistry, physics, electricity, and
acoustics— and was true test Edison's team approach. By
the summer, Alfred Tate (Edison's secretary) reported that
Edison was employing about 120 men and had different
experiments going the lab was working full out Edison
concentrated perfecting the phonograph while other
experimenters maintained the effort electricity and ore
milling
