Finding Aid to the Robert Weitbrecht papers, No online items

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1 No online items Lara Michels The Bancroft Library University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA Phone: (510) Fax: (510) URL: The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. BANC MSS 85/67 c 1

2 Collection number: BANC MSS 85/67 c The Bancroft Library University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA Phone: (510) Fax: (510) bancref@library.berkeley.edu URL: Finding Aid Author(s): Lara Michels Date Completed: 2012 Finding Aid Encoded By: GenX 2012 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Collection Summary Collection Title: Robert Weitbrecht papers Date (inclusive): Collection Number: BANC MSS 85/67 c Creator: Weitbrecht, Robert H. Extent: 8 cartons, 2 boxes(10.8 linear feet) Repository: The Bancroft Library. University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA Phone: (510) Fax: (510) bancref@library.berkeley.edu URL: Abstract: The papers of Robert H. Weitbrecht, a physicist and electronic design engineer best known for his invention of TTY, also known as the teletypewriter, TDD, or Telecommunication Device for the Deaf. Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog. Access Collection is open for research. Publication Rights Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley See: Preferred Citation BANC MSS 85/67 c 2

3 [Identification of item], Robert Weitbrecht papers, BANC MSS 85/67 c, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley Alternate Forms Available There are no alternate forms of this collection. Indexing Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog Weitbrecht, Robert, Archives Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf Applied Communications Corporation. Lawrence Radiation Laboratory Lick Observatory. R.H. Weitbrecht Company Stanford Research Institute United States--Naval Air Missle Test Center, Point Mugu, California. Weitbrecht Communications Yerkes Observatory Amateur radio stations--united States Assistive listening systems--united States Astronomers--California Electronics--Design Hearing impaired--history--sources Physicists--California Radioteletype--United States Self-help devices for people with disabilities--research--united States Telecommunications devices for the deaf--united States Acquisition Information The Robert Weitbrecht papers were given to the Bancroft Library by Mr. Norman Davis in Additions were made in Accruals No additions are expected. Processing Information Processed by Lara Michels in Biography/Organization History Robert H. Weitbrecht was a physicist and electronic design engineer best known for his invention of TTY, also known as the teletypewriter, TDD, or Telecommunication Device for the Deaf. Weitbrecht, born deaf in 1920, became interested in amateur radio as a young man, eventually constructing his own ham radio set at the age of 13. The set allowed him to decipher Morse code messages received by means of amplified ear phones that produced vibrations that enabled him to distinguish the codes. By college, Weitbrecht had become licensed as a ham radio operator by the Federal Communications Commission. He was thought to be the only deaf amateur radio operator in the world in the late 1930s. Weitbrecht attended Santa Ana Junior College from 1938 to 1940 and then enrolled in the University of California, Berkeley. He received his bachelor's degree in Astronomy in During World War II, Weitbrecht worked at UC Berkeley on Cyclotron Hill at the Radiation Laboratory. After the war, he moved to the U.S. Naval Air Missile Test Center at Point Mugu, California, where he spent four years developing electronic timing systems for the missle range instrumentation. It was during these years that Weitbrecht became acquainted with the Teletype Model 15. In 1950, Weitbrecht obtained his own radio teletypewriter and began experimenting with the machine in his amateur radio pursuits. In 1951, Weitbrecht moved to Wisconsin to work at Yerkes Observatory and, in his spare time, continued to develop electronic equipment for radio teletypewriter communication. While in Wisconsin, Weitbrecht obtained a master's degree from the University of Chicago in Astronomy. In 1957, he moved to Stanford University, where he worked as a physicist at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in Menlo Park. He remained with SRI for eleven years. It was during this time that Weitbrecht designed and built cameras and electronic equipment for the Lick Observatory. In 1964, he met some members of the Alexander Graham Bell BANC MSS 85/67 c 3

4 Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and, with their encouragement, started determining how to adapt the teletypwriter into an assistive-listening device for the deaf community by figuring out how to make it work on a regular telephone line. In 1964, he developed the acoustic coupler that allowed the teletypewriter to be used with a telephone. This coupler eventually became known as the Weitbrecht s Modem. Weitbrecht's companies specializing in the distribution of TTYs and other assistive listening devices included the R.H. Weitbrecht Company, Applied Communications Corporation, and Weitbrecht Communications. Scope and Content Note Collection consists of 5 series: Business and Professional Correspondence, Subject Files, Personal Papers and Correspondence, Publications and Manuals, and Patent Files. The business and professional correspondence is mostly Weitbrecht's work-related correspondence dating from the founding of his company, the R.H. Weitbrecht Company, in the middle of the 1960s to circa The subject files date from 1953 to 1982 and include files on topics relating to Weitbrecht's research and his personal interests. The personal papers and correspondence consist of a small amount of personal correspondence as well as an autobiographical sketch, some writings, drawings, and school work. The publications and manuals include technical manuals and bulletins. The patent files consist of files of patent documents and correspondence relating to Weitbrecht's inventions. Series 1: Business and Professional Correspondence, Physical Description: Cartons 1-3, Carton 4, Folder 1-23 carton 1, folder 1-27 carton 2, folder 1-25 carton 3, folder 1-24 carton 4, folder 1-23 APCOM correspondence files, APCOM correspondence files, APCOM correspondence files, APCOM correspondence files, Series 2: Subject Files, Physical Description: Carton 4, Folders 24-28; Cartons 5-6; Carton 7, Folders 1-21 carton 4, folder 24 APCOM: letters relating to patent problems, carton 4, folder APCOM: Lawlor patent work, carton 5, folder APCOM: London correspondence carton 5, folder 3 APCOM: Correspondence re: teletypewriters, procurement, maintenence, carton 5, folder 4 APCOM: Modem standards, Teletypewriters for the Deaf, Inc., 1973 carton 5, folder 5 APCOM: The Ivy Modem, 1971 carton 5, folder 6 APCOM: Phonetype 10 and 11, carton 5, folder APCOM: Electronic TTYs, lab notes, carton 5, folder APCOM: Electronic TTYs, lab notes, vol. 2, carton 5, folder 13 APCOM: Experiment reports, measurements, etc, carton 5, folder 14 APCOM: Phonetic checks, 1968 carton 5, folder APCOM: Office files, carton 5, folder 17 Amateur radio, carton 5, folder 18 ASCII, Baudot Converter 1982 carton 5, folder 19 Aviation matters, carton 5, folder 21 Carrier Current Signaling System, 1966 carton 5, folder Communications re: laboratory projects involving R.H. Weitbrecht, carton 5, folder Consultations with John Crandall and R.H. Weitbrecht, BANC MSS 85/67 c 4

5 Series 2:Subject Files, carton 5, folder Correspondence: AGBAD and ODAS, carton 5, folder Correspondence with Kujawa/Townsend/Herron, carton 5, folder 31 Correspondence: Specialized Systems, Inc., carton 5, folder 32 Crystal Control for Drake 2-B Receiver, 1980 carton 5, folder Data Access Arrangement and Acoustal Coupling, carton 6, folder 1 Data Access Arrangement and Acoustal Coupling, carton 6, folder Design using UARTS and FIFOs, carton 6, folder 4 Dipole, 1966 carton 6, folder 5 Drake 2-B Communications Receiver, carton 6, folder ESSCO infringements, carton 6, folder FCC rules, carton 6, folder 13 Flywheel Integrating Regenerative Repeater, 1959 carton 6, folder 14 Garbled communications on the Teletypewriter, 1970 carton 6, folder Ham radio projects, carton 6, folder 19 Landline telephone circuits, 1964 carton 6, folder 20 Final report: The Like Astronomic Camera, 1962 carton 6, folder 21 Mark IV and VI Integrators, 1956 carton 6, folder Mark IV and VI Integrators, carton 6, folder 24 Mark Six-B Amplifier, 1957 carton 6, folder 25 Patent papers, carton 6, folder Phonotype II, carton 7, folder Phonotype II (cont.) carton 7, folder 7 Photo-electric guider, carton 7, folder 8 Scientific calculators, 1975 carton 7, folder 9 Society of Wireless Pioneers, 1982 carton 7, folder Solar energy studies, carton 7, folder 12 Technical bulletins, R.H. Weitbrecht Company, carton 7, folder 13 TEIE phone line remote control system, 1964 carton 7, folder TEI-COM carton 7, folder 16 The Telegraph System, 1966 carton 7, folder 17 Teleprinter conversations at R.H. Weitbrecht's office and home, 1967 carton 7, folder 18 Telescope making class notes (Foothill College) 1967 carton 7, folder 19 Things to do with astronomy, instruments, and clocks, 1975 carton 7, folder 20 W6NRM Mark Six System, 1978 Series 3: Personal Papers and Correspondence, circa Physical Description: Carton 7, Folders 21-30; Carton 8, Folders 1-2 carton 7, folder 21 Autobiographical sketch, undated carton 7, folder Personal and academic correspondence, carton 7, folder Private file, carton 7, folder 29 Writings and commentaries, carton 7, folder School assignments, circa BANC MSS 85/67 c 5

6 Series 3:Personal Papers and Correspondence, circa carton 8, folder 1-2 Assorted technical drawings and communications, circa Series 4: Publications and Manuals, Physical Description: Carton 8, Folders 3-24 carton 8, folder Teletype Bulletin (scattered) carton 8, folder Assorted flyers and publications, carton 8, folder 14 Palo Alto Tiny Basic, 1976 carton 8, folder 15 Heathkit Assembly Manual, 1962 carton 8, folder Manuals, assorted, carton 8, folder 20 Principals of Telegraphy (US Dept. of the Navy), 1967 carton 8, folder 21 Handbook of Maintenance Instructions for Radio Receivers BC-348-T, N, and Q, 1943 carton 8, folder 22 Teletype Technical Training Center Model 33 Manual, undated carton 8, folder 4U1TU Calling (International Amateur Radio Club), Series 5: Patent Files, Physical Description: Box 1-2 box 1, folder 1 Correspondence re: patents, 1979 box 1, folder 2-4 Telegraph System, Patent No. 873, 989, box 1, folder 5-8 Frequency Shift Teletypewriter patents, box 2, folder 1 Frequency Shift Teletypewriter patents (cont.) box 2, folder 2-8 R.H.Weitbrecht-ESSCO, Brody, patents, BANC MSS 85/67 c 6

Finding Aid for the Alexander Graham Bell Collection, No online items

Finding Aid for the Alexander Graham Bell Collection, No online items http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt8c6008r5 No online items Processed by K. Lopaty; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library Box 951575