[GreenKeys] Fwd: Re: Mercury delay lines

[Bruce Gentry]

I don't know if the mercury delay lines in  early computers ever hurt 
anyone, but there are resrtictions about them. Restoring a computer that 
used them could probably be done using gallium or other very low melting 
alloy with a heater to keep it liquid.  A solid state bucket brigade 
delay chip might also be substituted to get the computer working again. 
Light houses once used a trough of mercury to float the projection lens 
assembly so a weight and gearing system could rotate it.  Are there any 
accounts of anyone being harmed from the fumes?

       Bruce Gentry, KA2IVY






On 6/13/20 12:11 AM, Dave Horsfall wrote:
> Umm, well at least there was a Teletype in frame :-)
>
> ABC-TV "Grantchester" (a detective-priest series[*]) featured someone 
> who died from mercury poisoning, when someone opened the tanks.  Apart 
> from the beautiful Teletype, there was a machine with lots of dials in 
> the background; obviously some early computer, but not enough footage 
> for me to tell which one, but is a British show if that helps.
>
> [*]
> I suppose that I need not remind any Monty Python freaks of these lines:
>
> "There's another dead bishop on the landing, Vicar-Sergeant!"
> "Err, Detective-Parsons, Madam."
>
> Etc...  Otherwise I'd go on all day :-)
>
> -- Dave
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