The buttons on Zenith’s original ‘clicker’ remote were a mechanical marvel

The technical detail:

> By pressing a button on the remote, you set off a spring-loaded hammer that strikes a solid aluminum rod in the device, which then rings out at an ultrasonic frequency. Each button has a different length rod, thus a different high-frequency tone, which triggers a circuit connected to a microphone in the television to finish the command.

In the 80s, we were the remote! "Hey, kid, get up and change it to Channel 10!" No problem, we're the closest ones to the TV, sprawled out on the floor, and I loved clicking buttons and turning dials.

I got so mad about blocking the IR sensor on the VCR and TV. I had to constantly move junk away, after someone stacked it up.

My Samsung Android tablet ran KitKat/Lollipop, and it featured an IR transmitter. But I could never get it to work. The app was inextricably tied to some proprietary TV schedule online, and third-party apps were janky, and then Samsung shut down the online service, killing the app and disabling the IR transmitter.

My stepdad had one of these, it was still working in the early 90's. Very cool "tech".

Until somebody drops their keys and the TV switches channels. Seen it happen!