THE NEW LOGRING
Digital Graph Plotter
THE LOGRING DIGITAL GRAPH PLOTTER automatic-
ally plots one variable against another algebraically in incremental steps, in response to electrical impulses. It is ideally adapted for use as a read-out device for electronic digital computers, especially digital differential analyzers, and for use in connection with such problems as aircraft tracking and automatic data reduction.
• plots at speeds up to 20 steps per second, in incremental steps of 1/64 of an inch.
• simultaneous movement on both axes in either direction.
• can be controlled electronically or by external or remote switches or relays.
• will make several carbon copies or duplicating stencil.
• instant manual positioning of pen and drum.
• takes 12″ x 18″ paper or continuous 12″ strip.
Mechanical simplicity ..high reliability ..digital accuracy ..quick pen cartridge change..self-contained power supply.
Additional information supplied on request.
LOGISTICS RESEARCH COMPANY
141 South Pacific Avenue
Redondo Beach, California

This is the second in a series of 5 articles I’ve scanned from an amazing 1952 issue of Scientific American about Automatic Control. It discusses automatic machine tools, feedback loops, the role of computers in manufacturing and information theory. These are really astounding articles considering the time in which they were written.

• Part 1 – Automatic Control
• Part 2 – Feedback
• Part 3 – The Role of the Computer
• Part 4 – Automatic Machine Tools
• Part 5 – Information

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FEEDBACK

It is the fundamental principle that underlies all self-regulating systems, not only machines but also the processes of life and the tides of human affairs

by Arnold Tustin

FOR hundreds of years a few examples of true automatic control systems have been known. A very early one was the arrangement on windmills of a device to keep their sails always facing into the wind. It consisted simply of a miniature windmill which could rotate the whole mill to face in any direction. The small mill’s sails were at right angles to the main ones, and whenever the latter faced in the wrong direction, the wind caught the small sails and rotated the mill to the correct position. With steam power came other automatic mechanisms: the engine-governor, and then the steering servo-engine on ships, which operated the rudder in correspondence with movements of the helm. These devices, and a few others such as simple voltage regulators, constituted man’s achievement in automatic control up to about 20 years ago.
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Far Cry from the “Cuckoo” Clock
Germany’s Black Forest was once famed for its cuckoo clocks. Bringing its technology up to date, the Saba-Works of the Black Forest has come out with a handsome large-screen projection TV set (left) that can be remotely controlled. An image of high optical density is formed on a small-faced cathode-ray tube in back of the set and projected on the screen through a lens system.

Hearing Aid for Cat
“Unfortunate” heard for the first time recently when the cat’s owner, Mrs. A. H. Cooper of Fort Worth, Tex., had a hearing aid fitted to the feline. The hearing aid is the latest of a series of steps by Mrs. Cooper to improve the life of the unfortunate cat, which was born deaf, crippled in the hind legs and had no teeth until the age of two. The owner massaged the cat’s gums until the teeth finally came through and had a wheeled support built which enables the cat to scoot around the house.

Plastic Plants
Real enough in appearance to fool the eye of any but the most discerning, plastic plants provide attractive floral decorations that require no attention other than an occasional dusting. These plants, made of Ameran plastisol, are not affected by heat up to 175 degrees Fahrenheit and are fire repellent and completely washable. Available in a wide color range, the plastic eliminates the fire hazard of previous artificial foliages. Leaf and stem structure of such decorative plants as Chinese evergreen, Philodendron and Caladium are reproduced by the manufacturer.

Makes Coffee as You Drive
The young lady is enjoying a cup of coffee made by a German gadget that clamps onto the dash and plugs into the car’s electric system. Hot water filters through powdered coffee into a cup. Cimo Sievers, NYC, distributes Paluxette.