How did the old ‘Etch a Sketch’ Work
In: Technology
The inside of the screen is covered with aluminium powder. Turning the dials moves a stylus which scrapes this off, leaving a thin transparent line, which looks black due to the darkness inside the toy. When you shake the toy the screen is recoated with the powder, erasing the image.
The same way the new ones work.
The toy is a kind of plotter with pulleys inside. The inside surface of the glass screen is coated with aluminium powder, which is then scraped off by a movable stylus, leaving a dark line on the light gray screen. The stylus is controlled by the two large knobs, one of which moves it vertically and the other horizontally. Turning both knobs simultaneously makes diagonal lines. To erase the picture, the user turns the toy upside down and shakes it. Doing this causes polystyrene beads to smooth out and re-coat the inside surface of the screen with aluminum powder. The “black” line merely exposes the darkness inside the toy. Scraping out large “black” areas allows enough light through to expose parts of the interior.
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