Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles
from Popular Electronics,
published October 1954 - April 1985. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged.
Here
are a few tech headlines from the 1957 Popular Electronics. Sky-High
Radar by Sikorsky is a new high-powered airborne search radar.
The electronic Trial & Error Machine has some properties
that would make it the perfect - it "differentiates between right and
wrong decisions and profits from its own mistakes." Lab Aloft Chases
Cosmic Rays uses a KC-97 UASF tanker for researching those mysterious
and ubiquitous high energy entities. This Brain That Squirts
reports on Bendix's prototype carburetor that uses an electronically
controlled "electrojector" to inject fuel directly into the cylinder.
A
sailor in the "crow's nest" atop the tall forward mast was once the
Navy's method for seeing ahead. Later, the rotating search radar
helped to keep a lookout in night and fog. Now Sikorsky's new radar
helicopter, shown at left, hovers as a high vanguard above the fleet,
expanding the early-warning range. The bulging radome in the nose houses
the antenna for high-powered radar, capable of spotting planes at double
the usual distance.
Trial/Error Machine
A
new electronic brain, called "Automex," which differentiates between
right and wrong decisions and profits from its own mistakes, is operated
by Dr. R. Hooke of Westinghouse. In the photo at right, the machine
is solving the problem of a man trying to climb a mountain in total
darkness and reach the top with the fewest steps, knowing only whether
he has moved up or down. This logic solves many different problems.
This "Brain" Squirts
Say
goodbye to carburetor trouble. In fact, say goodbye to the whole carburetor
- which may soon be replaced by Bendix' new "Electrojector" fuel injection
system. The engine displayed at left is fed by the little electronic
"brain box" in front, which senses operating conditions and adjusts
fuel spray accordingly. Humidity, temperature, and richness of fuel
mixture are all taken into account for best engine performance.
Lab Aloft Chases Cosmic Rays
Outwardly,
the globe-girdling KC-97 shown here looks like just another big Air
Force tanker. Yet it houses a unique flying lab now being taken on a
90,000-mile research mission to chart the incidence of cosmic rays around
the world. Detectable only at great height, these rays affect the outer
magnetic field of our planet. Whether they influence radio reception
is not known.
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