MYSTERY OBJECTS

[Tizer]

No, isn't that a type of vegetable that posh folk eat?

[Big Kev]

[Big Kev]

This should be fairly quick, what are they loading onto the aircraft?

FB_IMG_1698420404101.jpg

[Tizer]

Well, the word computer obviously comes to mind - but on the other hand it might be a bookcase!

[Big Kev]

Well, the word computer obviously comes to mind

You're in the right area, which bit though?

[Stanley]

Asperatus clouds. Dead right Kev..

[PanBiker]

An Early Hard Drive

[Stanley]

I seem to remember this and I think Ian has it right. If it's not a hard drive it's memory.

[Big Kev]

Ian is right, any guesses on the capacity?

[Stanley]

I seem to remember it was 5mb which then was a huge amount.......

[Big Kev]

It is indeed 5mb, the image is from 1956.

[PanBiker]

In the late 80's and early 90's I can still remember installing 10 and 20Mb 5.25" Winchester Hard Drives, in Acorn RISC machines and the very early 8086 PC's they were in the region of £299 or thereabouts.

[Stanley]

I have fond memories of the massive leap forward I made when I installed a 512kb memory in my Amstrad word processor. Remember the heady days of Locoscript?



Can anyone tell me what this battery was used for?

[Big Kev]

Torch?

[Stanley]

It could be but not what it's primary purpose was (and the name it was known by)

[Wendyf]

A cycle lamp?

[Stanley]

Yes Wendy, I'm surprised it got to second base but many young people will never have seen one and they are obsolete now. They were also used in a military flashlight but I didn't think I could let Kev have it for that.....

[Wendyf]

I remember putting the batteries into the lamp.

[Stanley]

[Stanley]

Another specialised battery. What was it for?

[Gloria]

How about a transistor radio?

[Stanley]

I don't think they had been invented then Gloria but you are getting close.....

[PanBiker]

HT battery for a portable valved radio. We had a Phillips version in a small red suitcase enclosure, cream fascia and dial.

[Stanley]

Is the right answer. In many cases they were used in conjunction with a rechargeable glass low tension 3v. cell.
7/6 was very expensive in those days and these batteries weren't readily available. A common alternative was a wooden box with a gang of 3v dry batteries like the bicycle battery we had yesterday. Depending on the amount you used the radio you took one used battery off one end of the gang and put a fresh one in at the other end. This maintained a constant voltage from the HT battery.

[PanBiker]

The individual cells that made up the HT batteries were wired in series to attain the required voltage. They would all deplete at the same rate. You can't just swap a single cell to maintain the voltage.

Come to think of it, I think our suitcase job was a Philco.