seen one of these?

[floatingkiwi]

http://im1.shutterfly.com/proctaserv/47b9d811b3127ccec7292c0ffa6f00000047100AZtGbhu3cs2 QPbz4a

I need help getting this unit operating.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/proctaserv/47b9d811b3127ccec728cfa29a6700000047100AZtGbhu3cs2 QPbz4a

http://im1.shutterfly.com/proctaserv/47b9d811b3127ccec729a937ba8d00000047100AZtGbhu3cs2 QPbz4a

[J. Dillon]

Chuck will figure it out .;)

JD

[paladin]

Chuck dunno what the heck izzziitt!:D

[paladin]

Sorta looks like a tillermaster autopilot....rather overly complicated...

[seven up]

It's a postal scale.

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

By golly, that is an early IBM electronic gronicle separator.... I didn't know one was still in existence.

[Noah]

stop smoking.

[mobjack68]

looks pretty break downable to me

have you, by chance, plugged it in???
Does it make any noise??

[floatingkiwi]

Sorta looks like a tillermaster autopilot....rather overly complicated...
1967 Signet Scientific Company, Signet Mariner tillermaster autopilot.
I can make the motor drive back and forth but it doesn't respond to regular setup and operation procedures as described in a not very helpful users manual..
There is a compass inside the gyroscopically suspended black sphere that doesn't seem to be doin' its job. Or a bunch of switches or.. or..
It is ruggedly constructed of good materials and there appears to be no damage. Yet.

[floatingkiwi]

stop smoking.
???

[floatingkiwi]

By golly, that is an early IBM electronic gronicle separator.... I didn't know one was still in existence.
That is the strangest thing. I thought it might have something to do with gronicles at first. It just seems right that they would feature prominently as an integral part of a device such as this.
I have made some enquiries in regard to some gronicles I had borrowed from a friend, but to risk them on this thing that I am not sure is or will be, fully functional or not, would be risking our relationship.

[Chip-skiff]

I thought: Jesus!

Couldn't he just slice his bologna with a knife?

[johngsandusky]

That thing was left in a pyramid by aliens. Elvis found it there after shooting JFK, and he used it to fake the moon landing.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

So how do you stop water coming in the slot and messing up the electrics?

It looks like it would only work below deck.

[isla]

Captain, if I could modify my tri-corder to generate a zalthidium nebuliser ray then....

[Don Z.]

I had something just like that on Fortitudine. I don't recall ever having a problem with it. It was certainly helpful when I needed it...

[paladin]

Welllllll...normally.......you would have most likely a set of photo sensors inside the compass housing.....that would electrically center the balance of a wheatstone bridge inside the black box....with some sort of hysteresis control for motion dampening.....if the compass has no output then the bridge circuit can't control the linear actuator that moves the tiller.......or a dozen other things...kinda hard to troubleshoot something like that by remote control.

[RFNK]

Welllllll...normally.......you would have most likely a set of photo sensors inside the compass housing.....that would electrically center the balance of a wheatstone bridge inside the black box....with some sort of hysteresis control for motion dampening.....if the compass has no output then the bridge circuit can't control the linear actuator that moves the tiller.......or a dozen other things...kinda hard to troubleshoot something like that by remote control.


Good grief! Chuck it out .... quick! Rick

[floatingkiwi]

Good grief! Chuck it out .... quick! Rick
No way man. I am gonna get this thing doing what it was created to do. I can't trust a human at the tiller while I am unconscious.

[floatingkiwi]

Welllllll...normally.......you would have most likely a set of photo sensors inside the compass housing.....that would electrically center the balance of a wheatstone bridge inside the black box....with some sort of hysteresis control for motion dampening.....if the compass has no output then the bridge circuit can't control the linear actuator that moves the tiller.......or a dozen other things...kinda hard to troubleshoot something like that by remote control.
Say Chuck, would it be worthwhile disassembling things,(which I am gonna do anyway), and posting some more pics?

[floatingkiwi]

So how do you stop water coming in the slot and messing up the electrics?

It looks like it would only work below deck.
Oddly enough it has brackets to fit it to span the cockpit, where the tiller can slot into it.One would think a good storm would douse things a little,however, how often is there anything more than spray landing where the helmsman would sit?. The materials are pretty good.All the wires etc are well protected with silicon goop at points of contact.

[WX]

get a decent windvane instead.

[floatingkiwi]

get a decent windvane instead.

I have to find and pay for one of those. I already own this.
Those wind vanes. Do they go at whichever angle from the wind they are set or do they follow an heading. What I mean is if one was in operation for the night and the wind did a 180 shift, would the boat sail in the opposite direction?

[MiddleAgesMan]

Yes, and that's what I would want it to do.