A Very Early Radio-Controlled Device -- Using Spark and a Coherer, in Spain

Click on the picture for a better view -- check out the coherer and the tapper 

Hack-A-Day has an interesting story about Leonardo Torres Quevedo and his very early automated chess machine.  Torres Quevedo was a Spanish inventor active in the early years of the 20th century. 

The chess device was really interesting, but two things caught my eye about this fellow: 1) he lived and conducted some of his experiments in my old home of Bilbao, Spain and 2) he built a very early radio-control system that used -- in the receiver -- a coherer as the detector.  

There is a lot material on Torres Quevedo.  Here is just a sample of what is out there  

His book:  https://www.torresquevedo.org/revistas/index.php/BIB/issue/view/12/1.  Discussion of the Telekino device is on pages 109-127. 

The Branly Tube or Coherer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coherer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_Torres_Quevedo

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/2998424_Early_Developments_of_Wireless_Remote_Control_The_Telekino_of_Torres-Quevedo

https://cyberneticzoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Telekine-Yuste.pdf

1903 article in Electron (Spain) about the Telekino and Coherers. https://hemerotecadigital.bne.es/hd/viewer?oid=0028654330&page=6

https://alpoma.net/tecob/?p=13766   This article contains the diagram of the device (see above).  You can see the coherer with its tapper.  

Here we see the Telekino installed in a boat in Bilbao harbor.

Ross Hull and Clinton DeSoto -- Ham Radio and R/C Planes

Rogier PA1ZZ sent me a video that linked Ross Hull and Clinton DeSoto to the development of today's killer drones.  While it looks like that is quite a stretch (I'm sure Rogier would agree), the involvement of these two radio guys in the early development of radio-controlled planes is very interesting.  

An article, “Radio Control of Model Aircraft,” by Ross A. Hull and Roland B. Bourne, was the first to describe in detail a working radio system suitable for model aircraft.  They wrote: “Most hams are usually far from being one-hobby men and one discovers, almost invariably, an interest in the other sciences and the crafts. A common interest in ham radio, aeronautics, model building, and photography is almost the rule. We happen to be built that way and our interest in aircraft led us, this summer, to take an active interest in this problem of radio control.” (QST, October, 1937) 

More here: 

https://jmrc.tripod.com/fa/days/days_2.htm

And here: 

 https://ethw.org/Ross_A._Hull

The Power and Potential of Small Computers (Quad Copter Videos)

Start by looking at this one: 

https://www.ted.com/talks/raffaello_d_andrea_meet_the_dazzling_flying_machines_of_the_future

Then, for more details, look at these:

Homebrew Blimp with paper-thin Arduino (Printoo)

More on Printoo (very interesting!):

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1030661323/printoo-paper-thin-flexible-arduinotm-compatible-m


Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Kishan Has the Knack! (video)

Many of us were staring out similar windows, also dreaming of model airplanes, and of transmitter circuits, and telescopes, and rockets... This video runs only 12 minutes.  Don't be deterred if you don't speak Hindi -- the story is easy to follow.

Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

The Manassas Hamfest

Elisa heroically accompanied me to the Manassas Hamfest on Sunday.  We had fun.  I thought they had a good turnout of vendors and tailgaters, and it seemed like the sellers of real ham stuff were winning the battle against the encroaching computer people.  I saw many interesting old boatanchor radios, including two R-390A receivers, one HT-37, an HW-101 and several other Heathkits.

As for NEW technology, the fellows from the NOVA LABS maker space had a very interesting table, and their web site has a very kind acknowledgement that hams were "the original hackers, who organized build groups and hack labs similar to modern day makerspaces—back before people called themselves “Makers” and long before it was “cool.”  They had a 3-D printer that was doing its thing in a very impressive manner.  They also had some quadro- and octo-copters built by a group called DC Area Drone User Group.   Very cool.  Want one.

Inspired by Nick Kennedy, I have included in this post a picture of my purchases from the hamfest.  As you can see, I controlled myself.  But I couldn't resist the humungous flashlight!  I got a bunch of .1 caps (should have bought more!).  Got a Bud-box (maybe for an Arduino DDS project?)  The little circuit board with the IF cans is interesting.  I bought it (1 dollar!) for the 365 pf variable  cap, but I later realized that it is probably a complete All-American Five receiver on a single board.  I'm not crazy about tubes on PC boards, but this one may have some possibilities.  The roll of tape is supposedly coax sealer.  I also got a little 35 mm slide viewer, and a 12 volt wall wart.

I wore the "Real Radios Glow in the Dark" T-shirt that Elisa got me (on the recommendation of Rogier).  I got more positive comments on that shirt than on any other piece of clothing I've ever owned!

And we saw our first Cicadas of this 17 year cycle. 

Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Drone Dudes

Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

Amazing R/C Airplane Video From Germany

Wow, this is real techno-art. Take seven minutes, put it on full screen, crank up the audio and sit back to enjoy a unique aerial view of a beautiful part of Germany. Thanks to Bill, N5AB, for alerting us to this.

Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics"http://soldersmoke.com/book.htmOur coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmokeOur Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20

R/C Plane with Camera over New York City

This is really amazing. You should watch it in HD. 120 mile range? Maybe from the top of the Empire State building, right?

More info here:

http://singularityhub.com/2010/12/21/breath-taking-aerial-video-footage-from-new-york-city-taken-by-a-rc-plane/

Homebrew SR-71 Blackbird (with real jet engines)

Our New R/C Electric Airplane

We are thinking that olive groves are not quite as forgiving as the corn fields that the kid in the picture is using. And the bit about "no experience needed" probably should have a "as long as you don't mind crashing." Oh well, I guess crashing is part of the learning experience. But a quick review of the pertinent R/C airplane forums reveals there may be problems with this wing design: Apparently when it stalls, one wing stalls before the other (i.e. it "tip stalls"), with catastrophic results. The plane has a very comforting ACT ("Anti-Crash Technology") feature, but the forums advise that this feature may cause more crashes than it prevents.

We have the plane back on the Rome workbench this weekend. Crazy glue and tape are being applied. We will be back out at Chinghale International Airport (i.e. a clearing in the olive grove) next weekend to see if we can get a few good flights out of this thing.

Radio notes: The radio control system is on 27.145 MHz FM.