Branded by INELCO, finding the Minisystem – Grey Book (actually the color looks more like a faded very light green from age) was a total surprise as I had never heard of the Minisystem being released in the Buchlabor packaging format by any Lectron System producer. Like the Ausbausystem für Buchlabor – Red Book, I have not seen it shown in any catalog.
I acquired it in August of 2013 from a fellow Amateur Radio ham, DC1MAK (Michael Schroeder). Thank-you Michael!
The Grey Book was produced sometime between 1972 (when the sales agency for Italy was given to INELCO by Deutsche Lecton, GmbH) and 1974 at the behest of Lectron, GmbH – MW Era.
Note the Lectron, GmbH branding white sticker and the green sticker (which Lectron, GmbH used on the Red Book to cover up that model’s INELCO branding. In this case (having peeled back both labels to look), there was no INELCO branding on this particular unit.
The photo below shows the Grey Book layout with the 2 Minisystem Braun instruction manuals in the cover’s inside pouch. The cheap, thin base plate used in the Buchlabor and Red Book models is on the right side.
It is unknown how many units were made of the Grey Book during the Lectron-MW era. When the supply of the Grey Books was exhausted, the Minisystem was issued in the standard Lectron-MW cardboard packaging.
The Minisystem model has a long pedigree going back to the Egger-Bahn days when it was only an announced model in July of 1967 with the model name of Mini-Lectron Nr. 800. Unfortunately, Egger-Bahn went out of business in the Fall of 1967. Deutsche Lectron was formed to focus on the production, development, and sales of the Lectron System. Sales distributorships were given by Deutsche Lectron to Braun AG for the European marketplace and Raytheon Company for the US marketplace. Braun, in conjunction with Deutsche Lectron, GmbH, released the Mini-Lectron as the Minisystem and it was part of Braun’s initial Lectron System product line as shown below.
The Minisystem’s description was on the 2nd half of the brochure’s two page spread.