Soaring Avionics Archaeological Finds

[JohnDeRosa]

We have been cleaning out our club's hangar's store room and are
finding all sorts of old and odd items, no doubt left over from some
old and odd members.

I was curious about two of the items and wondering if anyone can shed
some light.

- A clear bag containing two smaller clear bags. First bag is marked
"Netto" and contains what appears to be a very small brass valve with
~1/16" aluminum tubing coming out of each end. It might not be a
valve and might not be tubing. Second bag was labeled 0.003 (!)
stainless steel wire (almost thought the bag was empty at first). How
are these used in a Netto system?

- Cambridge Model AU-22 - Cigarette sized black aluminum box with a
speaker, two knobs, circuit board and a cable coming out of it.
Complete with a repair tag labeled Cambridge Aero Instruments, Warren-
Sugarbush Airport. I have never heard of this model number and
Google doesn't turn up any hits. Is this an early audio vario? What
does the connector connect to?

Thanks, John DeRosa

[JP Stewart]

I believe the AU22 is the audio control on the CVS-50:
http://www.airtalk.org/cambridge-vario-audio-control-vt74218.html
http://www.bas.uk.net/docs/AU22.pdf

JP

On Monday, November 5, 2012 4:18:34 PM UTC-5, JohnDeRosa wrote:
> We have been cleaning out our club's hangar's store room and are
>
> finding all sorts of old and odd items, no doubt left over from some
>
> old and odd members.
>
>
>
> I was curious about two of the items and wondering if anyone can shed
>
> some light.
>
>
>
> - A clear bag containing two smaller clear bags. First bag is marked
>
> "Netto" and contains what appears to be a very small brass valve with
>
> ~1/16" aluminum tubing coming out of each end. It might not be a
>
> valve and might not be tubing. Second bag was labeled 0.003 (!)
>
> stainless steel wire (almost thought the bag was empty at first). How
>
> are these used in a Netto system?
>
>
>
> - Cambridge Model AU-22 - Cigarette sized black aluminum box with a
>
> speaker, two knobs, circuit board and a cable coming out of it.
>
> Complete with a repair tag labeled Cambridge Aero Instruments, Warren-
>
> Sugarbush Airport. I have never heard of this model number and
>
> Google doesn't turn up any hits. Is this an early audio vario? What
>
> does the connector connect to?
>
>
>
> Thanks, John DeRosa

[Dave Nadler]

On Monday, November 5, 2012 4:18:34 PM UTC-5, JohnDeRosa wrote:
> We have been cleaning out our club's hangar's store room and are
> finding all sorts of old and odd items, no doubt left over from some
> old and odd members.
>
> I was curious about two of the items and wondering if anyone can shed
> some light.
>
> - A clear bag containing two smaller clear bags. First bag is marked
> "Netto" and contains what appears to be a very small brass valve with
> ~1/16" aluminum tubing coming out of each end. It might not be a
> valve and might not be tubing. Second bag was labeled 0.003 (!)
> stainless steel wire (almost thought the bag was empty at first). How
> are these used in a Netto system?

That's not wire, it is tubing, used to create a calibrated leak
for a netto. Perhaps valve turns netto leak on/off.


> - Cambridge Model AU-22 - Cigarette sized black aluminum box with a
> speaker, two knobs, circuit board and a cable coming out of it.
> Complete with a repair tag labeled Cambridge Aero Instruments, Warren-
> Sugarbush Airport. I have never heard of this model number and
> Google doesn't turn up any hits. Is this an early audio vario? What
> does the connector connect to?

Its an audio, hooks up to early Cambridge Variometer products.
Uses a unijunction oscillator !


You should see the stuff in my basement !
See ya, Dave "YO electric"

[JohnDeRosa]

On Nov 5, 3:58*pm, Jp Stewart > wrote:
> I believe the AU22 is the audio control on the CVS-50:http://www.airtalk.org/cambridge-vario-audio-control-vt74218.htmlhttp://www.bas.uk.net/docs/AU22.pdf
>
> JP

The CVS-50 was the hint I needed. Thanks to Tim Mara for keeping this
old information available online.

http://www.wingsandwheels.com/pdf/au20%202.pdf
http://www.wingsandwheels.com/pdf/cvs40%2050%2060.pdf

Still trying to figure what the 0.003" SS wire is for.

[Chip Bearden[_2_]]

> Still trying to figure what the 0.003" SS wire is for.

IIRC, the wire is inserted into the tubing to calibrate the netto
device. One end of the netto is "T"d into the line between the vario
and the capacity bottle and the other end is connected to pitot, or--
depending on how the netto leak is calibrate--to static. It was easier
to change the effective resistance of the netto by moving the wire in
and out slightly than by trimming off tubing until, oops, you trimmed
too much.

This was in the days when nearly every vario (except for the Ball
series) had a 1/2 liter flask. And when the really fancy final glide
computers were plastic wheels instead of cardboard. And when real men
navigated with paper maps! And....

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"
USA

[Tony[_5_]]

> This was in the days when nearly every vario (except for the Ball
>
> series) had a 1/2 liter flask. And when the really fancy final glide
>
> computers were plastic wheels instead of cardboard. And when real men
>
> navigated with paper maps! And....

no one had time to look outside while trying to figure out where they were on the map and if they could make it?

;)

[Eric Greenwell[_4_]]

On 11/5/2012 3:36 PM, Tony wrote:
>> This was in the days when nearly every vario (except for the Ball
>>
>> series) had a 1/2 liter flask. And when the really fancy final
>> glide
>>
>> computers were plastic wheels instead of cardboard. And when real
>> men
>>
>> navigated with paper maps! And....
>
> no one had time to look outside while trying to figure out where they
> were on the map and if they could make it?
>
> ;)

It could be very time consuming figuring out where you were on the map,
then measure distances to your waypoint/airport, decide on a wind
component to use, twirl the "prayer wheel" to the right setting, and
finally discover your arrival altitude.

Shoot, just unfolding and folding the map and switching from one
sectional to the other was a big challenge! Electronic flight computers
eliminated almost all this distraction.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)

[Peter Purdie[_3_]]

The brass valve is a pneumatic switch, and lets a calibrated leak through
the capillary (the s/s 'wire') into the flask. connected at the other end
to pitot if using a diaphragm TE compensation, or static if using a probe.
Flow proportional to IAS squared, which approximates to a polar curve for
useful speeds. You then have an ordinary vario with the switch closed, and
a netto (airmass movement) vario with valve open.

Uing the JSW circular slide rule was pretty easy, and surprisingly
accurate, but computery does it all for you now. Nostalgia doesn't make me
want to go back to the old methods.

At 03:46 06 November 2012, Eric Greenwell wrote:
>On 11/5/2012 3:36 PM, Tony wrote:
>>> This was in the days when nearly every vario (except for the Ball
>>>
>>> series) had a 1/2 liter flask. And when the really fancy final
>>> glide
>>>
>>> computers were plastic wheels instead of cardboard. And when real
>>> men
>>>
>>> navigated with paper maps! And....
>>
>> no one had time to look outside while trying to figure out where they
>> were on the map and if they could make it?
>>
>> ;)
>
>It could be very time consuming figuring out where you were on the map,
>then measure distances to your waypoint/airport, decide on a wind
>component to use, twirl the "prayer wheel" to the right setting, and
>finally discover your arrival altitude.
>
>Shoot, just unfolding and folding the map and switching from one
>sectional to the other was a big challenge! Electronic flight computers
>eliminated almost all this distraction.
>
>--
>Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
>email me)
>

[aerodyne]

I have a manual for the a-22 series audio and you can find same for
the CVS 50 vario on the cambridge site.

I guess I must be archaic, I still have a pnuematic netto swich for
the Sage on my panel...Works fine for me!

aerodyne

[Dave Martin[_3_]]

Speak for yourself

I still have the "John Willie" calculator and it is still accurate. NO
batteries or complex circuits to fail.

John Williamson (JSW Soaring) set my glider up too many years
ago to divulge and the system still works as well now as then.

Other electronic gubbins have come and gone.

Dave


At 08:20 06 November 2012, Peter Purdie wrote:
>The brass valve is a pneumatic switch, and lets a calibrated
leak through
>the capillary (the s/s 'wire') into the flask. connected at the
other end
>to pitot if using a diaphragm TE compensation, or static if using
a probe.
>Flow proportional to IAS squared, which approximates to a
polar curve for
>useful speeds. You then have an ordinary vario with the switch
closed, and
>a netto (airmass movement) vario with valve open.
>
>Uing the JSW circular slide rule was pretty easy, and
surprisingly
>accurate, but computery does it all for you now. Nostalgia
doesn't make me
>want to go back to the old methods.
>
>At 03:46 06 November 2012, Eric Greenwell wrote:
>>On 11/5/2012 3:36 PM, Tony wrote:
>>>> This was in the days when nearly every vario (except for
the Ball
>>>>
>>>> series) had a 1/2 liter flask. And when the really fancy
final
>>>> glide
>>>>
>>>> computers were plastic wheels instead of cardboard. And
when real
>>>> men
>>>>
>>>> navigated with paper maps! And....
>>>
>>> no one had time to look outside while trying to figure out
where they
>>> were on the map and if they could make it?
>>>
>>> ;)
>>
>>It could be very time consuming figuring out where you were
on the map,
>>then measure distances to your waypoint/airport, decide on
a wind
>>component to use, twirl the "prayer wheel" to the right
setting, and
>>finally discover your arrival altitude.
>>
>>Shoot, just unfolding and folding the map and switching from
one
>>sectional to the other was a big challenge! Electronic flight
computers
>>eliminated almost all this distraction.
>>
>>--
>>Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to
".us" to
>>email me)
>>
>
>

[Bob Whelan[_3_]]

On 11/5/2012 8:46 PM, Eric Greenwell wrote:
> On 11/5/2012 3:36 PM, Tony wrote:
>>> This was in the days when nearly every vario (except for the Ball
>>>
>>> series) had a 1/2 liter flask. And when the really fancy final
>>> glide
>>>
>>> computers were plastic wheels instead of cardboard. And when real
>>> men
>>>
>>> navigated with paper maps! And....
>>
>> no one had time to look outside while trying to figure out where they
>> were on the map and if they could make it?
>>
>> ;)
>
> It could be very time consuming figuring out where you were on the map, then
> measure distances to your waypoint/airport, decide on a wind component to use,
> twirl the "prayer wheel" to the right setting, and finally discover your
> arrival altitude.
>
> Shoot, just unfolding and folding the map and switching from one sectional to
> the other was a big challenge! Electronic flight computers eliminated almost
> all this distraction.
>

Somehow I missed a lot of angst and distraction when soaring XC with paper
charts, a whiz wheel, Mark I eyeballs all done in relatively unknown,
variable, wind fields. Enjoyed the views tremendously, too!

I always knew where I was, even when soaring from unknown-to-me/1st-time
sites. (That's not arrogance, merely the same statement of fact I've applied
to my driving for lo! those many pre-GPS years. "Mild bewilderment" as to
exact location simply doesn't matter in 99.9% of all situations, whereas
"Roughly where am I?" does...and changes relatively slowly over time. Why
routinely sweat the small stuff?)

I kept sectional(s) beneath a thigh, pre-folded if likely necessary. Mostly I
used 'em to remind myself of my next town/checkpoint; amazingly, staring at
'em never helped! (At certain sites, I cut-n-pre-taped. No angst there, either.)

I hardly ever used the whiz wheel (or, homemade final glide chart), because
estimating 25:1 was easy/accurate enough for my - position always known -
purposes. Wind fell out in the wash of estimation and Mark I eyeball estimates
and assessments.

Bob - surely it MUST be northern winter by now! - W.

[Bob Whelan[_3_]]

On 11/6/2012 8:49 AM, aerodyne wrote:
> I have a manual for the a-22 series audio and you can find same for
> the CVS 50 vario on the cambridge site.
>
> I guess I must be archaic, I still have a pnuematic netto swich for
> the Sage on my panel...Works fine for me!
>
> aerodyne
>

Hey - if it ain't broke, don't fix it still has value, even in today's
electronic age! Now...where're those pneumatic batteries...?

Regards,
Bob W.

[JS]

John, et al:
If you install the AU-22 in a glider with a metal instrument panel and have a problem with radio transmissions interfering with the vario, Dave Ellis had a mod:
Cut the -12V trace in the audio box that goes to the chassis.
Believe "That instrument was before my time at Cambridge" was in his explanation.
Also believe mine was an AU-20, the 22 may be sans built in ground loop.
Jim