capstan

A winch is a machine that is used to wind up a rope. In its simplest form it consists of a spool and attached crank. More modern, elaborate designs may have gear assemblies or electric drives, and/or include a solenoid brake and a mechanical brake. Besides industrial applications (e.g. in cranes), winches are used for towing cars, boats, or gliders. There are several winches on almost every boat or ship where they are used to pull anchor or mooring lines, halyards, and sheets. The rope or cable is usually stored on the winch, but a similar machine that does not store the rope is called a caps ...

Read more here: » Winch: Encyclopedia - Winch

The 8-track cartridge is a now-obsolete audio storage magnetic tape cartridge technology, popular from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. The 8-track was created by Bill Lear in 1964 at Lear Inc. (the company of Lear Jet fame), after he heard Earl "Madman" Muntz's 1962 Stereo-Pak 4-track stereo tape system, which had been inspired in turn by the 1959 Fidelipac 3-track tape cartridge system used by radio broadcasters for commercials and jingles. The original format for magnetic tape sound reproduction was reel-to-reel audio tape ...

Including:

• 8-track cartridge - Development

Read more here: » 8-track cartridge: Encyclopedia - 8-track cartridge

An engine is something that produces some effect from a given input. The origin of engineering was the working of engines. There is an overlap in English between two meanings of the word "engineer": 'those who operate engines' and 'those who design and construct new items'. Engine - Usage of the term. In original usage, an engine was any sort of mechanical device. The term "gin" in cotton gin is a short form of this usage. Practically every device from the industrial revolution was referred to as an engine, ...

Including:

• Engine - Usage of the term
• Engine - History of engines
• Engine - Antiquity
• Engine - Modern
• Engine - Air-breathing engines

Read more here: » Engine: Encyclopedia - Engine

Wow is a relatively slow form of flutter (pitch variation) which can affect both gramophone records and audio cassettes. In the latter, the collective expression "wow and flutter" is commonly used. Wow recording - Gramophone records. When playing gramophone records, 'wow' is a once-per-revolution pitch variation which could result from warping of the record or from a spindle hole that was not precisely centered. In a gramophone record, the ideally constant angular velocity of the platt ...

Including:

• Wow recording - Gramophone records
• Wow recording - Audio cassettes
• Wow recording - Video recording

Read more here: » Wow recording: Encyclopedia - Wow recording

A Gypsy (derived from Egyptian/Copt) may be: any member of any nomadic people (the term is sometimes considered derogatory), especially: the Roma and Sinti, found worldwide but mainly in Europe; Travellers found mainly in Great Britain, Ireland and the United States; and Luli in Central Asia. Gitanos or Spanish Gypsies speak Caló. Gypsy: A Musical Fable, a musical Gypsy (MST3K), a robot character from

Read more here: » Gypsy: Encyclopedia - Gypsy

A windlass is an apparatus for moving a heavy weight. Typically, a windlass consists of a horizontal cylinder (barrel), which is rotated by the turn of a crank or belt. A winch is affixed to one or both ends, and a cable or rope is wound around the winch, raising a weight attached to the opposite end. Windlasses are used in sailing, often to raise anchor on smaller vessels, wherever space is at a premium and a capstan would be too large. The windlass can be operated by handbrakes, allowing workers to stay in place and turn the ba ...

Read more here: » Windlass: Encyclopedia - Windlass

The Age of Reason and the Industrial Revolution had brought experimental enquiry, scientific reasoning and, thus, engineering to bear on the legends, traditions and practices of all the crafts. Naval architects and shipwrights were no exceptions. Richard Gower quoted a Mr Mackonochie “ … in a mechanical point of view (a ship) is the feeblest, most inartificial, and unworkmanlike structure in the whole range of mechanics”. Gower continued to the effect that almost any vessel, however badly it may sail, would probably get there in the en ...

See also:

Richard Hall Gower, Richard Hall Gower - Mariner, Richard Hall Gower - Empirical Philosopher, Richard Hall Gower - Inventor, Richard Hall Gower - Entrepreneur, Richard Hall Gower - Humanitarian

Read more here: » Richard Hall Gower: Encyclopedia II - Richard Hall Gower - Empirical Philosopher

When playing gramophone records, 'wow' is a once-per-revolution pitch variation which could result from warping of the record or from a spindle hole that was not precisely centered. In a gramophone record, the ideally constant angular velocity of the platter translates into a linear velocity of the stylus relative to the record groove depending on the distance from the rotational axis of the record (that is, the spindle hole). The velocity follows the relationship vstylu ...

See also:

Wow recording, Wow recording - Gramophone records, Wow recording - Audio cassettes, Wow recording - Video recording

Read more here: » Wow recording: Encyclopedia II - Wow recording - Gramophone records

A typical AC motor consists of two parts: An outside stationary stator having coils supplied with AC current to produce a rotating magnetic field, and; An inside rotor attached to the output shaft that is given a torque by the rotating field. There are two fundamental types of AC motor depending on the type of rotor used: The synchronous motor, which rotates exactly at the supply frequency or a submultiple of the supply frequency, and; The induction motor, which turns slightly slower, and typically (though not necessarily always) takes ...

See also:

Electric motor, Electric motor - Operation, Electric motor - DC motors, Electric motor - Wound field DC motor, Electric motor - Universal motors, Electric motor - AC motors, Electric motor - Three-phase AC induction motors, Electric motor - Three-phase AC synchronous motors, Electric motor - Single-phase AC induction motors, Electric motor - Single-phase AC synchronous motors, Electric motor - Stepper motors, Electric motor - Brushless DC motors, Electric motor - Coreless DC motors, Electric motor - Linear motors, Electric motor - Textbooks

Read more here: » Electric motor: Encyclopedia II - Electric motor - AC motors

Audio system measurements - Analog Electrical. Frequency response  The signal should be passed at least over the audible range (usually quoted as 20 Hz to 20 kHz) with no significant peaks or troughs. The human ear can discern differences in level of about 3 dB, so peaks and troughs must be less than this. Modern equipment is capable of less than ±1 dB variation over the quoted frequency range. Total harmonic distortion (THD)  For high fidelity, this is usual ...

See also:

Audio system measurements, Audio system measurements - Measurable performance, Audio system measurements - Analog Electrical, Audio system measurements - Mechanical, Audio system measurements - Digital, Audio system measurements - Unquantifiable?

Read more here: » Audio system measurements: Encyclopedia II - Audio system measurements - Measurable performance

A very noteworthy feature of the LINC was the LINCtape, seen in the photographs below. It was a fundamental part of the machine design, not an optional peripheral, and the machine's OS relied on it. In retrospect, the easiest way to understand the LINCtape's role is to think of it as a linear diskette with a slow seek time. The magnetic tape drives on large machines of the day stored large quantities of data, took many minutes to spool from end to end, but could not reliably update blocks of data in place. In contrast, the LINCtape was a sma ...

See also:

LINC, LINC - The Control Panel, LINC - LINCTape, LINC - The Keyboard, LINC - Text Display, LINC - The LINC-8 And PDP-12 Computers, LINC - The MINC-11 Computer

Read more here: » LINC: Encyclopedia II - LINC - LINCTape

The endless loop tape cartridge was designed in 1952 by Bernard Cousino of Toledo, Ohio, around a single reel carrying a continuous loop of standard 1/4 inch plastic oxide-coated recording tape. Program starts and stops were signalled either by a conductive foil splice or sub-audible tones. The 8-track version simplified the mechanism by rolling the motorized metal capstan in the player against a pinch wheel installed inside the cartridge to pull the tape across the player's read head (in the earlier 4-track Stereo-Pak, the pinch wheel was p ...

See also:

8-track cartridge, 8-track cartridge - Development

Read more here: » 8-track cartridge: Encyclopedia II - 8-track cartridge - Development

Engine - Antiquity. While chemical and electrical engines of enormous power dominate the modern world, engines themselves are not new. Engines using human power, animal power, water power, wind power and even steam power date back to antiquity. Human power was focused by the use of simple engines, such as the capstan, windlass or treadmill, and with ropes, pulleys, and block and tackle arrangements, this power was transmitted and multiplied. These were commonly used in cranes and aboard ships during Ancien ...

See also:

Engine, Engine - Usage of the term, Engine - History of engines, Engine - Antiquity, Engine - Modern, Engine - Air-breathing engines

Read more here: » Engine: Encyclopedia II - Engine - History of engines

Every videotape system attempts to pack as much video as possible onto a given-sized tape, but information from one recording stripe (pass of the video head) can't be allowed to contaminate information on the adjacent stripes. One method to provide isolation between the stripes is the use of guard bands (unrecorded areas between the stripes), but this wastes valuable tape space. Helical scanning recorders instead usually use a method called azimuth recording. The head drum usually contains two heads with the magnetic gap ...

See also:

Helical scan, Helical scan - Azimuth recording, Helical scan - Contrast with quadruplex recording

Read more here: » Helical scan: Encyclopedia II - Helical scan - Azimuth recording

The purpose of the primary deck is structural, and only secondarily to provide weather-tightness, and to support people and equipment. The deck serves as the lid to the complex box girder which is the hull. It resists tension, compression, and racking forces. The deck's scantling is usually the same as the topsides, or might be heavier if the deck is expected to carry heavier loads (for example a container ship). The deck will be reinforced in the way of deck fittings s ...

See also:

Deck ship, Deck ship - Discussion, Deck ship - Common names for decks, Deck ship - Construction, Deck ship - Glossary, Deck ship - Anatomy of sailing ships

Read more here: » Deck ship: Encyclopedia II - Deck ship - Discussion

Richard was the youngest son of Rev. Reginald Foote Gower, physician and antiquarian. He won a scholarship to Winchester College. He left school, "thankfully", to join the British East India Company as a midshipman in the vessel Essex carrying troops and invalids. He was a lively and observant lad. At the age of 16 he was promoted captain of the main top, where he waged active war with the lads of the fore top, shrouds and stays providing the high roads of communication. He was noted for his spirit and ingenuity, his depth of knowledge of his ship and his skill as a ship model maker; unra ...

See also:

Richard Hall Gower, Richard Hall Gower - Mariner, Richard Hall Gower - Empirical Philosopher, Richard Hall Gower - Inventor, Richard Hall Gower - Entrepreneur, Richard Hall Gower - Humanitarian

Read more here: » Richard Hall Gower: Encyclopedia II - Richard Hall Gower - Mariner

The design, building and sailing of the vessels Transit and the promotion of the novel ideas that he incorporated in them, occupied much of his life. The most original features of these vessels were their slab sides above, and the concave and convex sweeps of the hull, below the waterline, the Joints scarfed and bolted rather than chocked and treenailed, ballast was iron cast into special shapes to sit just above the deadwood and between the floor timbers and the narrowest part of the hull above the keel was reinforced by strong cross ...

See also:

Richard Hall Gower, Richard Hall Gower - Mariner, Richard Hall Gower - Empirical Philosopher, Richard Hall Gower - Inventor, Richard Hall Gower - Entrepreneur, Richard Hall Gower - Humanitarian

Read more here: » Richard Hall Gower: Encyclopedia II - Richard Hall Gower - Entrepreneur

Midway between ordinary DC motors and stepper motors lies the realm of the brushless DC motor. Built in a fashion very similar to stepper motors, these often use a permanent magnet external rotor, three phases of driving coils, one or more Hall effect devices to sense the position of the rotor, and the associated drive electronics. The coils are activated, one phase after the other, by the drive electronics as cued by the signals from the Hall effect sensors. In effect, they act as three-phase synchronous motors cont ...

See also:

Electric motor, Electric motor - Operation, Electric motor - DC motors, Electric motor - Wound field DC motor, Electric motor - Universal motors, Electric motor - AC motors, Electric motor - Three-phase AC induction motors, Electric motor - Three-phase AC synchronous motors, Electric motor - Single-phase AC induction motors, Electric motor - Single-phase AC synchronous motors, Electric motor - Stepper motors, Electric motor - Brushless DC motors, Electric motor - Coreless DC motors, Electric motor - Linear motors, Electric motor - Textbooks

Read more here: » Electric motor: Encyclopedia II - Electric motor - Brushless DC motors

Air-breathing engines use atmospheric air to oxidise the fuel carried, rather than carrying an oxidiser, as in a rocket. Theoretically, this should result in a better specific impulse than for rocket engines. Air-breathing engines include: Internal combustion engine Jet engine Ramjet Scramjet Pulse detonation engine Pulse jet Liquid air cycle engine/SABRE ...

See also:

Engine, Engine - Usage of the term, Engine - History of engines, Engine - Antiquity, Engine - Modern, Engine - Air-breathing engines

Read more here: » Engine: Encyclopedia II - Engine - Air-breathing engines

In original usage, an engine was any sort of mechanical device. The term "gin" in cotton gin is a short form of this usage. Practically every device from the industrial revolution was referred to as an engine, and this is where the steam engine gained its name. This form of the term has recently come into use once again in computer science, where terms like search engine, "3-D graphics rendering engine" and "text-to-speech engine" are common. The earliest mechanical computing device was called the difference engine; Military devices such as catapu ...

See also:

Engine, Engine - Usage of the term, Engine - History of engines, Engine - Antiquity, Engine - Modern, Engine - Air-breathing engines

Read more here: » Engine: Encyclopedia II - Engine - Usage of the term