[R-390] Weird-ass PTO parts

[Joe Foley]

The "Cow Tools" refers to opposable thumbs, or lack
of.  Mr. Larsen was cognizant of that advantage and
used it often to denigrate those without such.

I suspect some vague consideration of having tools
that the subject operator can physically, and maybe
mentally, make use of.

Joe





--- Tim Shoppa <shoppa_r390a at trailing-edge.com> wrote:

> OK, I've been into the deep jungle of the PTO can
> and back out.
> 
> I understand at least a little bit the oddball caps
> inside the
> can. I'm guessing that the big cylindrical one is
> some kind of
> fixed vacuum cap, and that many of the others have
> special
> tempcos.
> 
> But... what's with some of the weird componentry
> outside the can
> but around the tube socket? As Barry was asking
> about, they've
> got a tiny glass piston cap in the plate circuit,
> although it's
> nominally detuned with a resistor to a very low Q. I
> associate
> glass piston trimmers with VHF/UHF high-Q (or at
> least "as higha
> of a Q as we can get") stuff, not with low-Q
> broadbandish type
> stuff.
> 
> And then there's that bizarre waxed-up stack of
> ceramic bypass
> caps.
> 
> Clearly really smart and experienced people, who
> understood
> lots of complicated mechanical AND electrical
> compensation stuff,
> made the PTO's. I'm not gonna try to second-guess
> what they put
> inside the can at all. BUT... the weird combination
> of stuff
> around the tube socket is just bizarre. Sort of like
> Gary Larson's
> "Cow Tools" cartoon
> 
> 
>
http://www.salon.com/people/portfolio/1999/12/21/larson/older4.html
> 
> I'm left trying to figure out the deep meaning and
> purpose of
> these odd constructs. Any insights? (into either the
> PTO or cow tools,
> that is!)
> 
> Tim.
>
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