Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2013/12/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Thanks for looking, Al. It was still in use when I retired, 35 yrs later, but has since been replaced with a computer. Jim Nichols Tullahoma, TN USA On 12/12/2013 5:06 PM, al crouch wrote: > Looks like the world's largest music box drum. > > > > -----Original Message----- >> From: Jim Nichols <jhnichols at lighttube.net> >> Sent: Dec 12, 2013 4:19 PM >> To: "LUG at Leica-Users.org" <lug at leica-users.org> >> Cc: Olympus Camera Discussion <olympus at thomasclausen.net> >> Subject: [Leica] IMG: From Long Ago >> >> As a young engineer, my first assignment was to calculate the nozzle >> plate shapes for a flexible plate nozzle for the AEDC 16-Ft Transonic >> Wind Tunnel, then under construction. The shapes had to vary from a >> simple contraction to a Mach 1.6 contour, and the process had to be done >> by 16 pairs of jacks, without over stressing the steel plates. And, >> other than the basic supersonic shapes calculated by folks at Cal-Tech, >> it was all done on Friden and Marchant desk calculators. >> >> To move the jacks from contour to contour, a series of steps were chosen >> that stayed within stress limits, as determined from curvature >> calculations. These steps were then stored in L-shaped pegs on a >> mechanical memory drum, with the shapes transferred to cam-driven >> readers and fed to vacuum-tube amplifiers which supplied the driving >> signals to the ball-bearing screw jacks. >> >> Bear in mind that this was all done in the early 1950s. >> >> This photo, taken from my technical report, shows the mechanical memory >> drum and the console which contained the drum drive system, the transfer >> plate, and the individual jack amplifiers. The console and system were >> designed to our specs and provided by an engineering company whose name >> does not come to mind after 60 years. >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/OldNick/Mechanical+Memory+Drum.jpg.html >> >> Memory has come a long way since then. :-) >> >> -- >> Jim Nichols >> Tullahoma, TN USA >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > >