10939 Reliability and dependability: 7 oldest working devices

Reliability and dependability: 7 oldest working devices



Надежность и безотказность: 7 старейших работающих устройств

Now every year we create thousands of new devices and technologies. But if the mechanism and may be the soul, only the old and time-tested. Thing, made with love, will reliably operate all provided her time, but even after it will not go on break. Even when it will be replaced with a new one and clean the basement, and many years later would get covered with dust, and will be included in the network — it will work as in previous years. In fact, in the world there are not so many devices which have survived their creators and work properly so far. Some of them we will cover in this article.

The Oxford electric bell

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The Oxford electric bell is one of the oldest experimental devices, which continuously has been working for almost 200 years. The call was made in the workshop Watkina and hill in 1840 and then acquired by Professor Robert Walker. At the moment the exhibit is stored in the Clarendon Laboratory of Oxford University. The sound of the bell is almost inaudible to the human ear, because the call is behind two panes of glass Windows. All these years the device is powered by two high-voltage batteries called Zamboni pillars, the principle of operation and structure of which are still not fully understood by scientists.

Under the battery there are two brass cups bells, between which a constant frequency of 2 Hz varies 4 mm metal ball suspended on a string. While the ball is in contact with one of the pillars, the battery emits a small electric charge, repulsive to the opposite bell. During the existence of the device, the ball made more than 10 billion cycles. It is unknown how long will continue the experiment. Everything will depend on the battery capacity and the time of wear of the elements of the mechanism.

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Watch Beverly

Reliability and dependability: 7 oldest working devices

The closest device to the concept of “perpetual motion” are considered to be the Beverly clock, which operates continuously since 1864. The watch is in the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, and still show the exact time. The clock’s mechanism, designed by master Arthur Beverly, is driven by changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure fluctuations. The main criterion for the constant operation of the mechanism is changeable temperature. If during the day the ambient temperature change less than 6ºС, then the clock will stop. In a box with a volume of 28 liters of air expands or is compressed, pushing the diaphragm. Changes of temperature sufficient to form a pressure capable of moving the aperture.

If to speak about the oldest working clock in the world, needing periodical cleaning of the wound, they considered the instance created in the 14th century, located in Salisbury Cathedral in England.

Centennial light bulb

Reliability and dependability: 7 oldest working devices

The fire Department of the city of Livermore, California, USA installed a light bulb that at the request of employees part continuously shining since 1901. Later scientists have proved the veracity of these claims, because no analogues in the world technology for light. The device was built manually by engineers of the company the Shelby Electric Company in the late 19th century, and in 1901 is connected at the firehouse of Livermore, where he works round the clock for more than 100 years. It is known that the lamp was designed according to the drawings of Adolf Shaie, the main competitor of Thomas Edison. As part of the filament in the lamp has a carbon filament, which is 8 times thicker than modern models. Now the lamp is shining very dimly, as on a power of 4 W, while previously it had a capacity of at least 30 watts. Recent years, lamp is under the control of the special Committee, which ensures that the network was absent sudden surges, and the device was constantly connected to a power source.

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The oldest solar battery

Reliability and dependability: 7 oldest working devices

In 2010, one of the relatives of the British scientist, accidentally discovered in a box of a solar cell prototype developed by his ancestor in the 1950’s. Surprisingly, it turned out that the battery is still functioning. In fact, the device is the world’s first successfully working prototype solar battery. The design was created by British scientists as evidence to his colleagues the fact that sunlight can be turned into energy. The battery has the form of a glass ball and can generate 1.5 V of energy under direct sunlight. To convert sunlight into electricity, the scientist used a special substance — a photosensitive selenium, which, like the silicon emit electrons when struck by direct sunlight.

The oldest operating computer

Reliability and dependability: 7 oldest working devices

In Japan, Toshio Ikeda memorial hall at Fujitsu Numazu plant is the world’s oldest working computer FACOM 128B, which still has not lost its original functionality. The device was designed in 1956 by company Fuji Tsushinki Manufacturing Corporation, now known as the Fujitsu, and was the first computer operating on the principle of the relay. First version was created 128A, which was established in the Institute of statistical mathematics of the Ministry of education of Japan, and two years later a model was developed to 128B, which since its founding to the present day is in Toshio Ikeda memorial hall. Model 128B was created on the basis of the computer, FACOM 100, but it was significantly improved circuits and methods of calculation that gave the new computer a higher computational speed and increased memory. For all the years the computer has never crashed and managed to survive several updates.

Commodore Amiga

Reliability and dependability: 7 oldest working devices

For more than 30 years in school district of Grand rapids (mi, USA) continues to run a budget PC , Commodore Amiga, bought in the early 1980-ies. During this time the computer continues to control the air conditioning and heating air in 19 schools of the city. Software that controls the operation of the system, was written by a high school student who for the past 30 years continues to maintain and support their development. The computer has a modem with a funny today, a bandwidth of 1200 bits/sec. It is noteworthy that the computer in all the years of almost constant work never broke. The only costs that have been made — is to buy two new monitors and mouse. If management has decided to replace an old PC, a modern system for maintaining the climate, it would cost 1 to 2 million dollars.

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Longest server

Reliability and dependability: 7 oldest working devices

Server developed by Stratus Technologies continuously works for 24 years. The server operates under an operating system that has not been updated since the beginning of 2000-ies. The device is never switched off and never had a failure. So long work and the fault tolerance of the system due to duplication of some elements of the server. Each of the logical processors on the server created on the basis of 4 physical processors that are installed in two paired sets. During the work, some elements of the server were replaced by new ones, however, the preservation of the original architecture is more than 80%.

Of course, one can cite several dozen examples of such devices that affect their life. For example, some onboard computers, located in the American Intercontinental ballistic missiles LGM-30 Minuteman, working successfully since the early 1970-ies. Briton Harry Cox for several years vacuum cleaner 1904 edition. Still successfully running TV Marconi, created in 1936. The oldest working car was built in 1884 in France for the count de Dion. Write in the comments what old running devices do you have?

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