The cylinder had to
move forward one frame for each exposure and then hold the
image steady for fraction second order for eye to
record the image. In
February 1888 Muybridge visited the lab demonstrate his
sequential photographs animals motion. Muybridge had
mounted these pictures zoetrope and successfully recreated
movement. This mechanical problem
absorbed most the attention Edison and the experimental
team. The motor
came from the phonograph did the general concept this
machine: Edison tried the obvious answer the problem of
synchronizing sound and pictures first. Dickson described the first
apparatus having the sound and picture cylinders running on
the same axis and powered the same electric motor. They experimented with break wheels, tuning forks,
ratchets, and electromagnetic devices achieve the
intermittent rotary motion.VI-33
encouraged him pursue the idea moving pictures. Later that year experiments were begun duplicate
3 9
this approach phonograph format. The problem with synchronizing sight and
sound was that the former required intermittent motion while
the latter needed continuous motion.
The early experiments consisted laying microscopic
photographs cylinder, slightly larger than the tinfoil
phonograph but the same general arrangement, which were
viewed through microscope.
The first year experimentation did not produce a
working machine, but the experimental team and the "old man"
