FWD: DA using Mecano parts

http://www.meccano.us/differential_a..._da/index.html

....Now, if only I could find that one done with Lego robotics parts
that popped up a few years back.

OM

--

"No ******* ever won a war by dying for | http://www.io.com/~o_m
his country. He won it by making the other | Sergeant-At-Arms
poor dumb ******* die for his country." | Human O-Ring Society

- General George S. Patton, Jr

In article ,
OM om@our_blessed_lady_mary_of_the_holy_NASA_researc h_facility.org wrote:
http://www.meccano.us/differential_a..._da/index.html

Not, of course, a new idea... The second differential analyzer in the
world was Hartree and Porter's 1934 Meccano design -- although they
cheated by using some non-Meccano parts -- which was built purely as a
model of the larger machine they planned next, but to everyone's surprise
turned out to be accurate to 1-2% and quite useful for problems where that
was adequate.

(Several laboratories had started construction of differential analyzers
in imitation of the original at MIT, but H&P's Meccano model was finished
first because it was so cheap and needed so few custom-made parts.)
--
"Think outside the box -- the box isn't our friend." | Henry Spencer
-- George Herbert |

In article , OM
om@our_blessed_lady_mary_of_the_holy_NASA_researc h_facility.org
wrote:

http://www.meccano.us/differential_a..._da/index.html

...Now, if only I could find that one done with Lego robotics parts
that popped up a few years back.

He also has a Difference Engine, if you prefer digital.
http://www.meccano.us/difference_engines/rde_1/

--
David M. Palmer (formerly @clark.net, @ematic.com)

On Sun, 30 May 2004 21:23:08 -0600, "David M. Palmer"
wrote:

In article , OM
om@our_blessed_lady_mary_of_the_holy_NASA_resear ch_facility.org
wrote:

http://www.meccano.us/differential_a..._da/index.html

...Now, if only I could find that one done with Lego robotics parts
that popped up a few years back.

He also has a Difference Engine, if you prefer digital.
http://www.meccano.us/difference_engines/rde_1/

....And on *that* note, look what's been resurrected using both
original and new parts:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3754887.stm

OM

--

"No ******* ever won a war by dying for | http://www.io.com/~o_m
his country. He won it by making the other | Sergeant-At-Arms
poor dumb ******* die for his country." | Human O-Ring Society

- General George S. Patton, Jr

"OM" om@our_blessed_lady_mary_of_the_holy_NASA_researc h_facility.org wrote
in message ...
...And on *that* note, look what's been resurrected using both
original and new parts:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3754887.stm

Yeah, I saw that (Colossus Mk II rebuilt). One of these days I'm gonna get
myself up to Bletchley Park and see that thing - I have almost as many books
about Enigma etc as I do about NASA .

Steve
http://www.fivetrees.com

Steve at fivetrees wrote:

Yeah, I saw that (Colossus Mk II rebuilt). One of these days I'm gonna get
myself up to Bletchley Park and see that thing - I have almost as many books
about Enigma etc as I do about NASA .


I imagine you have those computer simulations for Enigma, like I do. I
had some fun with those on the newsgroup a couple of years ago by
sending Enigma-coded messages to the members of Little Orphan Mary's
"Shafer Secret Space Society" using X-plane designations to set the code
wheels and stecker: http://makeashorterlink.com/?K26363678
OM thought I had completely wigged out on this one...
I was surprised to find that the mechanical pushbutton coded door lock
where I work uses an internal gearwheel system that works on somewhat
the same principle as the Enigma's rotors.

Pat

"Pat Flannery" wrote in message
...
I imagine you have those computer simulations for Enigma, like I do.

Er, nope, I didn't. But I've found the site and will soon remedy that .
Thanks for the pointer.

I had some fun with those on the newsgroup a couple of years ago by
sending Enigma-coded messages to the members of Little Orphan Mary's
"Shafer Secret Space Society" using X-plane designations to set the code
wheels and stecker: http://makeashorterlink.com/?K26363678
OM thought I had completely wigged out on this one...

Heh .

Steve
http://www.fivetrees.com

Steve at fivetrees wrote:

"Pat Flannery" wrote in message
...


I imagine you have those computer simulations for Enigma, like I do.



Er, nope, I didn't. But I've found the site and will soon remedy that .
Thanks for the pointer.


This is the place to go to:
http://frode.home.cern.ch/frode/crypto/simula/ .....they are small
downloads, and work like a charm; they even let you trace the path the
signal took through the rotors,and light up the letters as well as make
a noise as the rotors rotate.

Pat

"Pat Flannery" wrote in message
...
This is the place to go to:
http://frode.home.cern.ch/frode/crypto/simula/

Noted - thanks.

.....they are small
downloads, and work like a charm; they even let you trace the path the
signal took through the rotors,and light up the letters as well as make
a noise as the rotors rotate.

Cor! Fun!

Steve
(who is seriously considering writing a similar GUI simulation of a
reel-to-reel tape player, simply 'cos I love watching the 10" reels going
round at 15ips.... sad, eh?)
http://www.fivetrees.com

In article ,
says...
Steve
(who is seriously considering writing a similar GUI simulation of a
reel-to-reel tape player, simply 'cos I love watching the 10" reels going
round at 15ips.... sad, eh?)

With the digitalization of audio, those tape decks are now pretty cheap.
eBay.com has several nice units for reasonable prices.

(My audio rack has a big Revox reel-to-reel tape deck. I was very proud
of it until I saw a Cinerama reel-to-reel deck a few years ago. *That*
beast has reels that are are a full yard in diameter. The tape deck
(with over/under reels rather than left/right) is over two meters high.
I'd never before seen a floor-mounted tape deck that was taller than
me!)
--
Kevin Willoughby lid

Imagine that, a FROG ON-OFF switch, hardly the work
for test pilots. -- Mike Collins