Reverse-engineering an electromechanical Central Air Data Computer (www.righto.com)
from tedu to techpics on 29 Feb 2024 02:56
https://azorius.net/g/techpics/p/2zf92mb76h54tjzvQB-Reverseengineering-an-electromechanical-Central

Determining the airspeed and altitude of a fighter plane is harder than you'd expect. At slower speeds, pressure measurements can give the altitude, air speed, and other "air data". But as planes approach the speed of sound, complicated equations are needed to accurately compute these values. The Bendix Central Air Data Computer (CADC) solved this problem for military planes such as the F-101 and the F-111 fighters, and the B-58 bomber.1 This electromechanical marvel was crammed full of 1955 technology: gears, cams, synchros, and magnetic amplifiers. In this blog post I look inside the CADC, describe the calculations it performed, and explain how it performed these calculations mechanically.

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