I'm looking for more detailed infos about the ESP device used by Venkman in the first scene. I can't find it in the forum because the searching windows refuses three character words (like ESP, PKE, HGA, PPD…) If someone has these info, like photos, plans, dimensions…, please post or link them. Thanks
I do recall someone finding a model that was similar, if not identical to device used in Ghostbusters, however I've struggled to find the thread they posted about it. The closest I'd come was Irricanian's device, but it looks like it might be a replica.
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Here's a link to the one I picked up. I also heard them called "NRI" Negative Reinforcement Initiator. http://www.tacticaltoolsusa.com/ghostbustersnri/ I believe this is the correct one, a Beckman W. H. Curtin Co. Glass Electrode ph Meter Model G. I see little differences, like the round glass gauge, but it's possible that was added. I was going to hook up a T.E.N.S unit to it for electrical stimulation. They're cheap, like $10 on ebay.
"Everybody can relax, I found the car. Needs some suspension work and shocks…and ah, Brakes, brake pads, lining, steering box, transmission, rear-end. Only $4800. Maybe new rings, also mufflers, a little wiring...."
I just realized, we all used lines from the movie to title our threads.
phish4dinner called his "You volunteered, didn't you? We're paying you, aren't we?", ramcuda called his just "We're paying you aren't we?" and I called mine "The Effect of Negative Reinforcement on E.S.P. Ability".
Too bad there's not an entry on the Equipment Page here for "other/BeckmanpHmeter"
Here are all of my Beckman pH meters, as mentioned in my above post...
The one with the makeshift replacement handle (possibly coat hanger wire?) is this one, the only one with a round gauge, and the most beat-up, so I think of it as the oldest one. It was my third.
As you can see, it's missing the Zero Adjustor knob. It's also missing a little metal post in the wooden frame at front. If I recall correctly, when the lid pushes this post down, it latches the front panel from the inside so it won't swing open as you lift and move the meter.
Otherwise, it is the one that most closely resembles the movie prop.
This was my second one. It does have a Zero Adjustor knob, but I believe the knob's post design is incompatible to swap it to the older unit. It also has the little latch-post mechanism intact. This is the one in best condition, and probably the youngest of the three.
It's also unique from the other two by having a silver ring around the 'zap switch' opening. I paid the most shipping on this one, and couldn't figure out at first why it cost so much more. When it arrived, its weight made the answer plain: unlike my first one, it was fully stocked with all of its large batteries inside.
Still from this video:
And finally, this was the first one I got, for a mere $40 shipped. Again, no ZA knob, but it does have the latch post.
I removed the lid by unscrewing its hinges, although technically the lid on the movie prop has the hinges intact and the wood is broken off.
Alas, the science labs that had these seem to have often etched in a serial number, etc. to discourage theft. (I have been plagued by this by fire departments, too, with second-hand PASS alarms and MT500s.)