Why did 45 rpm records have a different size hole in the middle than 33s and 78s?
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yoho05 reminds you to DYOH
ANSWERS: 4
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They had the same size hole, but the centre was designed to pop out so that they would fit certain jukeboxes. http://tinyurl.com/3a2rha
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I don't know why, but they had a different sized spindle on the turntable/player. The spindles had a little lever that would let you stack several records and as they finished playing a new one would drop onto the turntable. The 45's had a larger spindle. I used to think it was for stability, but maybe not.
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The tolerance of the mechanized equipment in juke boxes in the early fifties neccesitated the larger hole format to insure a record found its way into place on the enlarged spindle. The small hole format proved too unreliable for the 78's on the earlier juke boxes of the thirties.
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they didn't when they were new, but as someone else has already added, the large hole was to enable them to be played on a jukebox. I can remember buying ex jukebox records in my youth (I am now 53) and having to buy the little plastic adaptors to be able to play them on my record player at home. I probably still have some in my collection which I am shortly going to transfer to my Ipod via my computer!!
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