Today's POD - 1947 Frigidaire

Wow, that is quite ingenious....and from 1938, even. It would be so cool to see one of these prototypes. Where did you hear about it, Robert?
Eugene i found the Frigidaire patent for this machine. There were quite a few other really cool designs.

Steve and Peter and others, this was written about 9 years ago...

The Unimatic transmission was designed and built by a Frigidaire engineer named Kenneth O'Sissen back in the late 1930's. Kenneth, who was hired by Frigidaire after working at Bendix where he invented the incrementing timer for their bolt-down washer and Kenneth�s basic timer design is still used today in some washers and dishwashers. His Unimatic, (Uni. meaning one and Matic short for automatic) consisted of a pulsator crankshaft & spin cage/brake assembly type transmission located on the top, a motor mounted in the middle and a water pump mounted underneath the motor. It was one complete direct drive unit without any clutches, drive belts or pulleys. The motor ran at 1140rpm, the gearing ratio in the pulsator part of the mechanism made the agitator go up and down in a 1 7/8� stroke at 330 pulses per minute. Since there was no gearing in the spin section of the mechanism, the tub spun at the same rate as the motor -- 1140rpm, which made for incredibly dry clothes. Because of the war effort it wasn�t until 1947 that Frigidaire introduced this mechanism in its very first washer, model WJ-60. Unimatic washers for domestic use were continued to be produced through 1958.

In 1955 Frigidaire engineers experimented with a belt-drive mechanism and introduced the Pulsa-Matic mechanism on its lower end washer model WV-35. The Pulsa-Matic agitated up and down at a very rapid 630ppm and also spun the tub at 630rpm, which was the slowest spinning full-size washer GM Frigidaire ever produced. Because of the rapid agitation with the Pulsa-Matic, Frigidaire shortened the length of the stroke of the agitation from 1 7/8" to 3/4". This change in agitation stroke and pulse rate did reduce the rate of turnover of the clothes which made for less tangling, but did not clean anywhere near as well as the Unimatic�s agitation. For this reason the Pulsa-Matic only lasted 4 years as they continued to market it in '56, '57 and '58. These models (WV-35, WS-56, WD-56, WS-57, WD-57, WS-58, WD-58 and WDP-58) are now some of the rarest of the Frigidaire washers and I only know of one collector that has one of these Pulsa-Matic washers.

The only major design of the Unimatic washers outside of the normal yearly changes in the cabinet and control panels was the introduction of the 3-Ring Agitator in 1956, with a neoprene rubber, gray colored cap, lint-chaser ring and circulator ring. The same colors were used in �57 and a bleach cup was added. In �58 Frigidaire�s advertising firm suggested that they color the rings (sort of like they did in the �57 magazine ad�s), so the cap became turquoise, the lint chaser ring became yellow and the circulator became a coral color.

In 1959 Frigidaire introduced their first coin-operated washer (model WCOZ). The WCOZ used the Unimatic tranny and coin-op Unimatics were produced until 1964. Starting in 1965 Frigidaire introduced other coin-op machines with various mechanisms and continued to make them until the mid 70�s. About 1962 Frigidaire introduce their top-loading Dry-Cleaner, it too used the Unimatic mechanism and I'm not sure how long it was produced for (anyone out there know????).

For the new 1959 domestic washer line Frigidaire discontinued the Unimatic (for home use) and completely discontinued the Pulsa-Matic. They now introduced the Multi-Matic which was nothing more than a very advanced version of the Pulsa-Matic. It consisted of two drive belts (one for agitate and one for spin), a new two speed motor and a special clutch to shift drive power between the two belts. This arrangement produced Frigidaire's first multi-speed washer, allowing for 330ppm for normal wash speed or a 220ppm delicate speed as well as a 850rpm high spin speed and a 330rpm delicate spin speed. Because of the slower 330ppm Frigidaire was now able to return the agitator stroke back to a full 1.25" just like the old Unimatic. For the 1963 line Frigidaire introduced it's new 12lb capacity tub, but unfortunately for both the 1963 and 1964 line Frigidaire cheapened the clutch design of the Multi-Matic which dropped the high spin speed from 850 all the way down to 710.

In 1965 (actually it was the end of the year 1964) Frigidaire introduced the Roller-Matic mechanism. This was now a belt-less mechanism again with rollers of different sizes to drive the transmission. They also brought back the high speed spin of 1010rpm (not quite as fast as the 1140 of the Unimatic, but still very impressive). The Imperial and Custom Imperial washers had this 1010 �Rapidry spin� as well as a 650 mid level spin and a 330 low speed spin. Agitation speeds remained at 330 normal or 220 delicate speeds. In '65 they also introduced the "Deep Action Agitator" which was also referred to as "Jet-Action". They had been experimenting with this 3-cone agitator since 1962 when they stated placing it in their coin-op machines, but for some reason waited until '65 to introduce it into the domestic line.

The 1970 line brought some very big changes. They introduced the new 1-18 washer with big 18lb perforated tub and the Jet-Cone agitator. The normal agitation speed was brought up from 330ppm to 360ppm and the spin speed was lowered from 1010 to about 660. They day's of the high speed spin were now over, even though its 660 was still the fastest spin available through the 1970's.

Of course in 1980 GM sold off Frigidaire it will never be the same :( . For a few years they kept the same general look of the cabinet and control panel of the 1-18 but inside was a 1970's design Westinghouse Top-Loading washer, one of the worst top-loader washer designs ever. It was a very dark-day in applianceville. The first time I saw this new Frigidaire after catching my breath, I nearly cried. I don�t need to describe to anyone out there in applianceville what WCI is producing now as a top-loader.


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Post# 379410 9/16/2009 at 08:58 (5,329 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)
Checkrate/Likes This is the earliest Frigidaire washer magazine ad I have ever seen. My favorite sentence from that as is: Rapidry Spin is two to three times as fast as the "spin" of the usual automatic washer. LOL Frigidaire gets bitchy. I love how they use scare/sarcastic style quotes around the word spin describing other washers. and notice this paragraph? Demand for the Frigidaire Automatic Washer is great, but dealers are being supplied as rapidly as possible. If your dealer hasn't one to show you right away, please wait. Do not decide on any washer until you have seen a demonstration of the Frigidaire Automatic Washer. A short wait now will mean years of greater satisfaction, as you enjoy carefree washing the Frigidaire Automatic way. In 1947 and 1948 demand for automatics was growing but there were still shortages of raw materials to build appliances after the war.

Post# 379421 , Reply# 1 9/16/2009 at 09:38 (5,329 days old) by everythingold (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Checkrate/Likes makes you wonder how long it was in development. 2 years after the war, but was this before GM bought them?

Post# 379437 , Reply# 2 9/16/2009 at 11:15 (5,329 days old) by soberleaf ()
Checkrate/Likes *very unique ad* as a huge frigidaire washer fan (the only one's i am interested in) i love all that info posted in that ad. and tested for 5 years! so is this the very first up and down agitator model frigidaire came out with. i would assume so from the ad. was this the first "unimatic" or was it called something else? i have the repair manual for unimatics (repair master) that walt (18 mill st) gave me and it is very interesting! a one peice motor, transmission and pump assembly. and i love the way it spins at motor speed of 1140! would have loved to have bought train guy's unimatic set he advertised recently but i knew it was out of my league at this time. and i'm very hapy with the rollermatics i have been fortunate enough to find this year! i do think the frigidaires were the most unique washers ever built, right next to the apex! all the others seem boring in comparision (no offense). if you have any video's available on any of the old frigidaire models i will definately buy one from this site!

Post# 379471 , Reply# 3 9/16/2009 at 14:25 (5,329 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)
Checkrate/Likes makes you wonder how long it was in development. 2 years after the war, but was this before GM bought them? Matt GM bought Frigidaire in 1919. GM started working on the Unimatic in the mid 1930s. I have found early Unimatic style mechanism patents as early as 1936-1937. Early versions of the first machine was tested in homes around Dayton, OH starting around 1940. Oh how cool it would be to find an early test prototype. was this the first "unimatic" or was it called something else? Peter the very first machine was referred to as the Unimatic. so is this the very first up and down agitator model frigidaire came out with. i would assume so from the ad. Yes, Frigidaire's very first marketed washer of any kind. An early prototype from 1938 was built with three vertical 10 gallon water tanks bolted to the back of the washer. The user would place the clothes and detergent into the tub then they would manually fill the wash tank with hot water, and the two rinse tanks with warm water from a hose on a sink faucet. The washer was not otherwise connected to a incoming water line. The washer would do the following: #1 Pump the hot water from wash tank #1 into the tub and pulsate the clothes for 10 minutes to wash them. #2 Spin out the wash water and pump it back into tank #1. #3 Rinse the wash load from tank #2. #4 Spin out the 1st rinse water from tank #2 and send it down the drain through the drain hose. #5 Rinse the wash load from tank #3. #6 Final Spin and pump the second rinse water into tank #2 leaving tank #3 empty. This leaves clean clothes. For the second wash load the user then would reuse the soapy wash water and second rinse water and only have to fill the final rinse tank again. So the second wash load only uses 10 gallons of water. The user could pump out the wash water tank (or any of the 3 tanks) and refill it whenever they choose or could keep reusing the wash water if it isn't all that dirty. Adding to the ingenious of this set up was the fact that having the weight of 30 gallons of water filled in the tanks on the bank of the machine did wonders for holding the machine steady during the 1140rpm spin with a primitive suspension system.

Post# 379510 , Reply# 4 9/16/2009 at 17:41 (5,328 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)
Checkrate/Likes Wow, that is quite ingenious....and from 1938, even. It would be so cool to see one of these prototypes. Where did you hear about it, Robert?

Post# 379528 , Reply# 5 9/16/2009 at 19:59 (5,328 days old) by stevet (West Melbourne, FL)
Checkrate/Likes *Frigidaire-101* Robert, we always hear and see so much about the Unimatics and Rollermatics. Can you tell me and other novices here if there is some sort of Primer on these machines? The closest I have ever come to one was about 15 years ago when I went into my neighbor's house and heard this God-awful sound coming from the basement and he said it was his washing machine spinning. I asked what was wrong with it and he said it just is a loud machine. Then I asked him what brand it was and he said it was a Frigidaire Jet Action machine. I was always intrigued but that name but never saw one in action. Sadly, he got rid of it shortly thereafter.. I don't know what model it was but if I knew then, what I know now, I probably would have taken it regardless of model. But where can we learn what the characteristics of each type are and which is the machine that is truly the more desireable one? I have the same thoughts concerning the center dial maytags. Still loads of them to be had so maybe I will start a washer collection but want to get the best of either machine.

Post# 379531 , Reply# 6 9/16/2009 at 20:16 (5,328 days old) by soberleaf ()
Checkrate/Likes *hey steve,* one thing that helped me a lot before i started my rollermatic collection was i downloaded off this site the repair manual for the rollermatic. i also found somewhere on the site (i'm sure robert can tell you where better than me) the "history of the rollermatic" pdf file. it was really interesting to read thru! they both helped me tremendously understand how these machines operated.

Post# 379563 , Reply# 7 9/16/2009 at 23:04 (5,328 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)
Checkrate/Likes Wow, that is quite ingenious....and from 1938, even. It would be so cool to see one of these prototypes. Where did you hear about it, Robert? Eugene i found the Frigidaire patent for this machine. There were quite a few other really cool designs. Steve and Peter and others, this was written about 9 years ago... The Unimatic transmission was designed and built by a Frigidaire engineer named Kenneth O'Sissen back in the late 1930's. Kenneth, who was hired by Frigidaire after working at Bendix where he invented the incrementing timer for their bolt-down washer and Kenneth�s basic timer design is still used today in some washers and dishwashers. His Unimatic, (Uni. meaning one and Matic short for automatic) consisted of a pulsator crankshaft & spin cage/brake assembly type transmission located on the top, a motor mounted in the middle and a water pump mounted underneath the motor. It was one complete direct drive unit without any clutches, drive belts or pulleys. The motor ran at 1140rpm, the gearing ratio in the pulsator part of the mechanism made the agitator go up and down in a 1 7/8� stroke at 330 pulses per minute. Since there was no gearing in the spin section of the mechanism, the tub spun at the same rate as the motor -- 1140rpm, which made for incredibly dry clothes. Because of the war effort it wasn�t until 1947 that Frigidaire introduced this mechanism in its very first washer, model WJ-60. Unimatic washers for domestic use were continued to be produced through 1958. In 1955 Frigidaire engineers experimented with a belt-drive mechanism and introduced the Pulsa-Matic mechanism on its lower end washer model WV-35. The Pulsa-Matic agitated up and down at a very rapid 630ppm and also spun the tub at 630rpm, which was the slowest spinning full-size washer GM Frigidaire ever produced. Because of the rapid agitation with the Pulsa-Matic, Frigidaire shortened the length of the stroke of the agitation from 1 7/8" to 3/4". This change in agitation stroke and pulse rate did reduce the rate of turnover of the clothes which made for less tangling, but did not clean anywhere near as well as the Unimatic�s agitation. For this reason the Pulsa-Matic only lasted 4 years as they continued to market it in '56, '57 and '58. These models (WV-35, WS-56, WD-56, WS-57, WD-57, WS-58, WD-58 and WDP-58) are now some of the rarest of the Frigidaire washers and I only know of one collector that has one of these Pulsa-Matic washers. The only major design of the Unimatic washers outside of the normal yearly changes in the cabinet and control panels was the introduction of the 3-Ring Agitator in 1956, with a neoprene rubber, gray colored cap, lint-chaser ring and circulator ring. The same colors were used in �57 and a bleach cup was added. In �58 Frigidaire�s advertising firm suggested that they color the rings (sort of like they did in the �57 magazine ad�s), so the cap became turquoise, the lint chaser ring became yellow and the circulator became a coral color. In 1959 Frigidaire introduced their first coin-operated washer (model WCOZ). The WCOZ used the Unimatic tranny and coin-op Unimatics were produced until 1964. Starting in 1965 Frigidaire introduced other coin-op machines with various mechanisms and continued to make them until the mid 70�s. About 1962 Frigidaire introduce their top-loading Dry-Cleaner, it too used the Unimatic mechanism and I'm not sure how long it was produced for (anyone out there know????). For the new 1959 domestic washer line Frigidaire discontinued the Unimatic (for home use) and completely discontinued the Pulsa-Matic. They now introduced the Multi-Matic which was nothing more than a very advanced version of the Pulsa-Matic. It consisted of two drive belts (one for agitate and one for spin), a new two speed motor and a special clutch to shift drive power between the two belts. This arrangement produced Frigidaire's first multi-speed washer, allowing for 330ppm for normal wash speed or a 220ppm delicate speed as well as a 850rpm high spin speed and a 330rpm delicate spin speed. Because of the slower 330ppm Frigidaire was now able to return the agitator stroke back to a full 1.25" just like the old Unimatic. For the 1963 line Frigidaire introduced it's new 12lb capacity tub, but unfortunately for both the 1963 and 1964 line Frigidaire cheapened the clutch design of the Multi-Matic which dropped the high spin speed from 850 all the way down to 710. In 1965 (actually it was the end of the year 1964) Frigidaire introduced the Roller-Matic mechanism. This was now a belt-less mechanism again with rollers of different sizes to drive the transmission. They also brought back the high speed spin of 1010rpm (not quite as fast as the 1140 of the Unimatic, but still very impressive). The Imperial and Custom Imperial washers had this 1010 �Rapidry spin� as well as a 650 mid level spin and a 330 low speed spin. Agitation speeds remained at 330 normal or 220 delicate speeds. In '65 they also introduced the "Deep Action Agitator" which was also referred to as "Jet-Action". They had been experimenting with this 3-cone agitator since 1962 when they stated placing it in their coin-op machines, but for some reason waited until '65 to introduce it into the domestic line. The 1970 line brought some very big changes. They introduced the new 1-18 washer with big 18lb perforated tub and the Jet-Cone agitator. The normal agitation speed was brought up from 330ppm to 360ppm and the spin speed was lowered from 1010 to about 660. They day's of the high speed spin were now over, even though its 660 was still the fastest spin available through the 1970's. Of course in 1980 GM sold off Frigidaire it will never be the same :( . For a few years they kept the same general look of the cabinet and control panel of the 1-18 but inside was a 1970's design Westinghouse Top-Loading washer, one of the worst top-loader washer designs ever. It was a very dark-day in applianceville. The first time I saw this new Frigidaire after catching my breath, I nearly cried. I don�t need to describe to anyone out there in applianceville what WCI is producing now as a top-loader.

Post# 379581 , Reply# 8 9/17/2009 at 00:16 (5,328 days old) by norfolksouthern ()
Checkrate/Likes Although my 1-18 isn't a solid-tub with rapidry, it still offers the best compromise between material wear and cleaning ability. I have no doubt in my mind that Alice's predecessors were far superior. That advertisement was made back when Frigidaire really meant REFRIGERATION; the very BEST equipment for that purpose that was durable enough to stand up to automotive use. And then they offered cleaning products that were far superior to anything available then, or any time in the future. The only method available that can possibly allow more control or performance would that of using a wringer like my Maytag N2LP. NorfolkSouthern

Post# 379834 , Reply# 9 9/18/2009 at 09:44 (5,327 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)
Checkrate/Likes I was re-reading that history of the Frigidaire washer thingy I wrote 10 years ago. In talking about the Pulsamatic I said "rarest of the Frigidaire washers and I only know of one collector that has one". Ten years later I believe there are now four known Pulsamtic washers... I have a 1957 WDP-57, Greg has a 1955 WV-35, and I believe both Don Haggerty and PeterH have a 1955 WV-35 as well (correct me if I'm wrong). Do we know of any other Pulsamatic washers out there????

Post# 379846 , Reply# 10 9/18/2009 at 10:57 (5,327 days old) by lebron (Minnesota)
Checkrate/Likes *Do we know of any other Pulsamatic washers out there????* I'm a find one next week :)