Date: 10/06/06 (Computer Geeks)    Keywords: ebay

I've been volunteering lately at the Computer History Museum, which, if you are anywhere near Mountain View, CA, you should visit. You can play Spacewar on a completely restored PDP-1.  If not, there's great stuff on-line.  I recently encountered the NORDSIECK Differential Analyzer  (scroll down to find it) while helping move masses of historic machines from one location to another.  This draws on Babbage's work and has been restored by Tim, whose amazing Analytical engine and Differential Analyzer made of Meccanos can be seen here. But there's a Selsyn motor, model C78249, with one burned out winding that needs replacement.  Because of museum conservation practices, the existing one can't be rewound (don't ask me, I'm just repeating what I'm told).  So a replacement needs to be found for it to operate properly. 

I wish there were a better picture:  it's row upon row of selsyn motors, but the most entertaining part is the bank of lightbulbs hanging down under the top - those are the overload fuses.  If there's a power problem, the lightbulbs blow.  Ah, engineering!

There are other model selsyns, but there are plenty of those around.  Apparently the C78249 is rare or at least hard to find. Searching eBay for about a year has not helped.  I gather these motors showed up in WW2 battleships and were popular with CBers who used them for rotating antennas.  Help us find a motor!  Please check your garage, your neighbor's garage, and the workshop of the weird guy down the street with the aluminum foil hat and see if you can find one.  Call ship dismantlers - whatever you can think of.  Please email me at mopalia at livejournal dot com if you succeed. And thanks for trying.

Crossposted to vintagecomputer, computergeeks, scientificwhims.  Please spread the word if you can think of anywhere else to post this. 

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/988327.html