On 3/8/25 5:13 PM, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 08/03/2025 20:37, rbowman wrote:
On Sat, 08 Mar 2025 14:42:42 GMT, Scott Lurndal wrote:
>
rbowman <bowman@montana.com> writes:
On Sat, 8 Mar 2025 00:21:15 -0500, c186282 wrote:
>
Relay logic was sort of fun. You were building state machines with
relays,
Eagle Signal electro-mechanical timers, limit switches, and so forth. I
never did it but even more fascinating were some of the complex machines
that were all cams, levers, gears, and springs except for the drive
motor.
>
I use and repair relay logic even in these digital times:
>
https://pinside.com/pinball/machine/target-pool
>
Real solenoids, lacing twine, DCC wire, and multi-contact steppers! The
past lives on.
I knew a guy once who was building a working 18th century stage coach for a museum. Ultra lightweight ash body etc.
I guess whatever turns you on...
Well, if civ falls down (again) we'll want and need
Ye Olde Tech !
So, keep it alive.
If I were suddenly transported back to the 9th century,
telegraph tech WOULD be ultra-valuable. The first real
'electronic' thing easiest to make would be a shitty,
but functional, vacuum-tube/valve. Radio would warn of
the incipient Norman Conquest !!!
There's a huge tome called the "ARRL Radio Amateur's
Handbook" (sometimes several small tomes) that cover
just EVERYTHING that is or ever was in comm tech -
from iron-filing 'detectors' and mechanical sine-wave
generators on up. Had one, lost it somewhere, very sad.
Vast practical knowledge between those covers.
https://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Handbook-Radio-Communications-101st/dp/1625952074 I think the somewhat older ones were more comprehensive on
the older tech.
In the 9th century, would you know how to make a low-vac
'valve' using existing/near tech ??? A 250khz radio set ?
Kind of a sci-fi exercise now ... UNTIL civ falls (again).
Clue ... pre-fill the envelope with carbon monoxide, easy
enough to make. It's a reducer, will want to scavenge any
excess oxygen. A bit of iron 'sponge' at the bottom of
the tube. Suck as dry as possible then pre-heat to a few
hundred and let bake for a week or two. Not a perfect
vac, but perhaps Good Enough for some practical work
at lower frequencies.
Imagine you'd been deep-frozen for 2500 years only to
awake and find everything back to sticks and stones
and chopping-up enemies with axes. Your greatest value
would be in sneaky comm tech, instant reports from spies
and field commanders. "MAGIC" !
Hey, civ CAN fall again - now helped-on by nukes and/or
the disaster of globally-interdependent economics. I think
they've managed to revive frozen dogs. So, the whole
proposed scene is NOT entirely impossible anymore. A bit
Verne-ian cutting edge, but not impossible. 25 years,
even less impossible.
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