TIGHAR

Amelia Earhart Search Forum => Artifact Analysis => Topic started by: Michael Robert Forbes on July 15, 2010, 02:34:08 PM

Title: Artifact 2-6-S-32
Post by: Michael Robert Forbes on July 15, 2010, 02:34:08 PM
I have been returning to the pictures of this particular artifact 2-6-S-32 more and more lately. I have referred the pictures to some of my fellow engineering buddies to seek their opinion as well. 

As you suspected, it appears to be a damaged piece of technology. Electromechanical in nature, the main body of the artifact is non metallic with a scalloped edge, and a metal pin protruding from one side.

It is our humble opinion that this was part of a sliding (probably side to side) mechanical switch . The bent metal pin with rounded/ blunted tip was the "slider switch" handle.  This handle was originally fitted with a wooden handle/knob and the pin was blunted or made bulbus to prevent the wooden handle/knob from pulling off.  The main body of the artifact was located inside the equipment case, the handle was obviously on the outside of the case for use by the operator.  The hole in the case was slightly larger than the diameter of the knob pin and probably was about one half inch wide to allow the operator to slide the switch left of right. 

The non metallic main body appears to have a straight "scored" channel on it which coincides with the "sliding switch " idea. The scalloped edge , ridges/valleys were fitted with small, spring loaded pistons or balls , one per valley. By moving the knob left or right, the pistons would lift or fall perhaps activating or deactivating electromechanical relays or switches.  BTW, the switch might have had much more than one half inch of travel. It could have had several inches of travel, selectively activating " particular" relays from an entire bank of relays.

The electronics of the day, relied heavily upon mechanical switches, rods, pins, cams, wheels and dials to achieve its purpose. ......so assuming we are even close to the truth here, the question might be.....would there be a use for this type of switch on the Electra,,,,,or the LORAN station?

Still working on this.

Michael Forbes



Title: Re: Artifact 2-6-S-32
Post by: Michael Robert Forbes on July 15, 2010, 05:27:08 PM
One more thought. Have the pictures of artifact 2-6-S-32  been presented to any of our finer engineering Universities,,,, perhaps MIT, for possible analysis by the brainiacs on campus? Be they professors or young budding engineers. It might be a great reverse engineering challenge for anyone interested.

In other words, here is the artifact. What was it possibly a part of? What was its possible function?  How might you use it today? Much can be determined from its shape, materials used in fabrication, and its form................. form often leads to FUNCTION.

The feedback would be valuable and perhaps provide more clues to its purpose.

Regards,
Michael
Title: Re: Artifact 2-6-S-32
Post by: Martin X. Moleski, SJ on July 15, 2010, 10:29:27 PM
Interesting guesses.

I haven't disassembled enough switches in my lifetime, I guess.  Especially from vintage equipment.  The post looks out of place to me to operate the slide--but the more I look at the pictures (http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/help/Artifact3.html), the less I feel capable of making any kind of reasonable guess...
Title: Re: Artifact 2-6-S-32
Post by: Bill Lloyd on July 16, 2010, 09:40:41 AM
I have a very old Emerson Electric fan that has a sliding switch on the base that sets the speed of rotation. It seems to have some sort of cam inside.  This artifact sort of looks like that kind of switch.  Were there electric fans at the Loran Station?
Title: Re: Artifact 2-6-S-32
Post by: Martin X. Moleski, SJ on July 16, 2010, 09:48:12 AM
I have a very old Emerson Electric fan that has a sliding switch on the base that sets the speed of rotation. It seems to have some sort of cam inside.  This artifact sort of looks like that kind of switch.

Could you disassemble your fan and take pictures of the innards of the switch?

I assure you that the glory of contributing to the Search for Amelia will more than make up for the destruction of one antique fan.   :o

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Were there electric fans at the Loran Station?

I don't know.
Title: Re: Artifact 2-6-S-32
Post by: Monty Fowler on July 16, 2010, 12:36:08 PM
I don't know if there were fans at the LORAN station either, but if I had to guess, I would say Yes - it had to be miserably hot there.
Title: Re: Artifact 2-6-S-32
Post by: Bill Lloyd on July 16, 2010, 03:18:12 PM
I have a very old Emerson Electric fan that has a sliding switch on the base that sets the speed of rotation. It seems to have some sort of cam inside.  This artifact sort of looks like that kind of switch.

Could you disassemble your fan and take pictures of the innards of the switch?

I assure you that the glory of contributing to the Search for Amelia will more than make up for the destruction of one antique fan.   :o

OK, I’ll see what I can do.
Title: Re: Artifact 2-6-S-32
Post by: Hilary Christine Olson on July 16, 2010, 09:07:13 PM
Maybe it could have originated here there is a huge fan in this building at the station
 http://www.loran-history.info/Gardner_Island/GardnerDieselGenerator.jpg
Hilary


Title: Re: Artifact 2-6-S-32
Post by: Martin X. Moleski, SJ on July 18, 2010, 03:48:25 AM
Hilary took this photo from the E-bay page to which our attention was directed in another thread.

(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vZ4A06KI5BY/TELJCvWFraI/AAAAAAAAIBs/g9ui4v9_7wI/s640/arrowed%20sextant.jpg)

She noticed that there is a slider switch on this instrument. 
Title: Re: Artifact 2-6-S-32
Post by: James G. Stoveken on July 18, 2010, 12:10:00 PM
In the picture Marty posted, the part of the sextant holding the "tube" (scope?) at the top bears a resemblance to, although is not the same as, Artifact 2-6-S-43. (http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/help/Artifact1.html) 
Title: Re: Artifact 2-6-S-32
Post by: John Joseph Barrett on July 19, 2010, 05:43:04 PM
Is this the same model of sextant that FN was known to use or one of similar vintage to show the slide? In my humble opinion, if I were Fred and survived the landing with enough of my faculties intact I would use my trusty sextant for its intended pupose of figuring out exactly where I am. After that I use it for anything else it may be useful for, boat anchor, hammer, whatever. I already know where I am, now I need to survive. If I recall, wasn't there something about an inverting eyepiece having been found? If I'm fresh out of matches or the zippo runs out of fluid then why not break apart my sextant and use the lenses to start a fire, or fires as is the case here. It seems the knife was broken apart so that it could be used for other than its intended purpose. Why not the sextant? Additionally, did AE have any navigational skills? Would the sextant have been of value to her as a sextant without FN or would it have been a means to an end, ie, starting fires?   LTM
Title: Re: Artifact 2-6-S-32
Post by: Martin X. Moleski, SJ on July 20, 2010, 12:13:45 AM
Is this the same model of sextant that FN was known to use or one of similar vintage to show the slide?

Probably not.  The guess (so far) is that Fred had a Brandis.

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... If I recall, wasn't there something about an inverting eyepiece having been found? If I'm fresh out of matches or the zippo runs out of fluid then why not break apart my sextant and use the lenses to start a fire, or fires as is the case here.

That was a guess that Gallagher made (http://tighar.org/wiki/Inverting_eye_piece_found_on_Nikumaroro) when the natives described what they had found and lost (or not turned in, at any rate).

I'm not sure that anyone has shown that an inverting eye piece would work for starting fires.
Title: Re: Artifact 2-6-S-32
Post by: Steve Moberley II on August 28, 2011, 02:58:18 PM
I believe this is the same model sextant pictured above.  I asked this good fellow to take some more pics and he obliged. 

Its a little pricey for me to buy to bust open, but I'm thinking its not the same as the recovered artifact.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120765327952&ssPageName=ADME:X:eRTM:US:1123

Its item number 120765327952 if the link does not work.



Title: Re: Artifact 2-6-S-32
Post by: Martin X. Moleski, SJ on August 28, 2011, 03:10:05 PM
... I'm thinking its not the same as the recovered artifact.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120765327952&ssPageName=ADME:X:eRTM:US:1123 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120765327952&ssPageName=ADME:X:eRTM:US:1123)

It's item number 120765327952 if the link does not work.

The tube in which the slide operates on the Ball sextant looks way too small to contain the serrated portion of 2-6-S-32 (http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/Archives/Help/Artifact3.html).