"Forgotten" technologies
Aug. 3rd, 2020 10:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kengrFor folks writing or gaming in situations where people might encounter long forgotten (or hidden) installations there are several technological bits that would make fun additions.
First off, our old friend TIMMs. Thermally Integrated Micro Modules.
These were blocks of ceramic and high temp metals. They were developed after EMP was discovered as something that could survive EMP bit still not be much bigger than the then current gear that used printed circuits with individual transistors and the like.
They were tube based, but the tube were the size of a dime. and the units were a solid block of metal and ceramic except for the cavities that were the vacuum inside the tubes or the filling of capacitors.
The didn't have filaments for the tubes, so that eliminated one common source of failure in tube based equipment. Instead the blocks were placed in what amounted to a well insulated oven and heated to a dull red heat which got the cathodes hot enough to work.
These would be great for gear in the stereotypical volcano lair or around a big nuclear reactor.
Next, if you encounter a *really* old installation (say 1890s to 1920s) you may encounter radio transmitters (morse code only, not voice) that don't use tubes. Instead they use an alternator (a sort of AC generator) to generate the signal.
Another fun thing are radon bulbs. Used for emergency lighting, they are glass globes or other shape, The inside is coated with a phosphor much like the ones used in fluorescent lights. They are filled with radon gas, and the particles emitted by the decaying radon strike the phosphor coat and produce light.
You could probably make some something similar with other radioisotopes, but radon is what was used in the ones I've read about.
"Gee, how are these lights still working? They're a bit dim, but..."
"Wait a sec. Look at how they are mounted. There aren't any wires..."
Just the thing to creep out the radiation averse. :-)
(added later)
Oh yeah, refrigeration gear. Before freon was invented commercial refrigeration used 3 different easily liquified gases as working fluid: Chlorine, ammonia and sulfur dioxide.
all of these are toxic. and they meant leaks were a *really* bad thing. Which is why home refrigeration didn't take off until freon came along.
Note that they are *still* used to some extent in commercial plants.
First off, our old friend TIMMs. Thermally Integrated Micro Modules.
These were blocks of ceramic and high temp metals. They were developed after EMP was discovered as something that could survive EMP bit still not be much bigger than the then current gear that used printed circuits with individual transistors and the like.
They were tube based, but the tube were the size of a dime. and the units were a solid block of metal and ceramic except for the cavities that were the vacuum inside the tubes or the filling of capacitors.
The didn't have filaments for the tubes, so that eliminated one common source of failure in tube based equipment. Instead the blocks were placed in what amounted to a well insulated oven and heated to a dull red heat which got the cathodes hot enough to work.
These would be great for gear in the stereotypical volcano lair or around a big nuclear reactor.
Next, if you encounter a *really* old installation (say 1890s to 1920s) you may encounter radio transmitters (morse code only, not voice) that don't use tubes. Instead they use an alternator (a sort of AC generator) to generate the signal.
Another fun thing are radon bulbs. Used for emergency lighting, they are glass globes or other shape, The inside is coated with a phosphor much like the ones used in fluorescent lights. They are filled with radon gas, and the particles emitted by the decaying radon strike the phosphor coat and produce light.
You could probably make some something similar with other radioisotopes, but radon is what was used in the ones I've read about.
"Gee, how are these lights still working? They're a bit dim, but..."
"Wait a sec. Look at how they are mounted. There aren't any wires..."
Just the thing to creep out the radiation averse. :-)
(added later)
Oh yeah, refrigeration gear. Before freon was invented commercial refrigeration used 3 different easily liquified gases as working fluid: Chlorine, ammonia and sulfur dioxide.
all of these are toxic. and they meant leaks were a *really* bad thing. Which is why home refrigeration didn't take off until freon came along.
Note that they are *still* used to some extent in commercial plants.
no subject
Date: 2020-08-03 05:21 pm (UTC)The integrated circuit pretty much killed TIMMs, though I think they'd *still* be a good idea for some jobs (Venus landers, for example).
The alternators bit is an oft overlooked bit of radio history. They'd have 100 or even thousand watt alternators running at say 600 kilocycles and they'd "key" that (now that's some switching gear *I* wouldn't want to deal with!)
With the advent of tubes, there were better ways to do it.
and yes, the radon bulbs existed. One of those ideas from the late 40s/early 50s that sounded good at the time but....
They weren't hugely bright to start with, but were ok for emergency lighting in a tunnel or something. and, of course they got dimmer as time went on (though radon has a decent half-life)
These days? I'd mix the phosphor with a strong alpha or beta emitter with a reasonable half life and embed it is something strong but transparent. But the NRC would have fits.