The invention of the transistor, Japanese electronic skills, and a mass market eager for small, battery-powered, pocketable devices turned the world around some fifty or so years ago.
But fear not! For - in the true spirit of British
bodging ingenuity - the heady days of Dan Dare, valves, and rooms full of electro-mechanics are back. With a vengeance. Lacking only the heady smell of warm bakelite and the crackle of ozone, the Racundra Mark III jib winch is complete.
Mark III? Well, yes.
The Mark I, using a linear track drawing on 40 years of
dubious devastating Meccano skills (and, of course, the tracks from the Meccano Army Multikit of the late 70s), was deemed
too big to fit even in the cavernous interior of the boat. Plus there was a bit of slop in the movement. Not good. Not good at all. And I didn't fancy sawing the battery in half.
The diminutive Mark II, all gears and winch drums, followed. This homage to Frank Hornby was cute, did the job, but ... lacked a certain flair. A bit like your Dad saying he'd just bought a new car, and as you eagerly ran to the window, ready to brag to your mate Phillips in class the following day, you caught a glimpse of a second-hand beige Hillman Avenger, leaking oil, on the road outside your house.
And so the Mark III was born ...
Drive belts, worm gears and another set of gearing result in a lever arm that could
easily beat The Terminator in an arm-wrestling contest. Full throw, end to end takes about 8 seconds. And those cunning microswitches are ready to prevent the out-of-limit arm continuing on to slice its way
effortlessly through the bottom of the boat. Which would be a little embarrassing.
Here the
black tyre of safety <tm> says "enough" once the right limit has been hit ...
So, this thing fits the space available. Yes, it's basically a home-brewed sail arm servo, but it weighs the best part of a pound and a half, is over eight inches long and cost a fortune. Who needs miniaturisation? British industry is alive and well!
Next time - back to building in wood.
Andy