In
contrast, the Edison laboratory pursued much wider range of
electrical experiments, spanning electric light, power, storage
batteries, and measuring instruments." These discoveries were closely
connected with his earlier experiments the phenomenon of
induction. did come close to
developing workable system, but commercial product eluded
him. Steinmetz's original idea was to
concentrate these critical areas and then carry out general
chemical research any "spare time" that remained. The answer this problem, (and several others, including
the amplification sound), was found the "Edison
Effect" which had been discarded previously. the 1890s carried out more experiments on
induction and "etheric force," which had discovered in
the 1870s. Edison also maintained an
interest more exotic technologies, such "etheric force"
and the "Edison effect.VII- 4
narrow; looked into metallic filaments, mercury vapor lamps,
and the Nernst lamp. The
development work electric motors, for example, had paid
. Edison hoped that these phenomena might useful
O
in system wireless telegraphy. His laboratory had
worked every aspect the system but slowly Edison chose to
concentrate some areas the expense others. The development of
wireless fell the wayside other projects— ore milling,
phonographs and motion pictures— dominated the laboratory's
time the 1890s.
Edison had some important electrical interests his own
outside the contractual work for GE
