Bendix Air Data Computer - Part 5: Restoration Finished, It Works!

[@CuriousMarc]

Goodness gracious, KZbin stuffed 7 ad breaks in the video behind my back! I deleted all of them but one. Sorry about that.

[@MarcoTedaldi]

Thank you! KZbin has definitely gone to the dark side. Thank you for your awesome videos!

[@mikkolempinen2717]

You can leave the adds. Content is so interesting that I dont mind them.

[@halofreak1990]

@@mikkolempinen2717 I have an AdBlocker, so I don't see them, anyway.

[@peterwmdavis]

I subscribed to YT Premium so I could watch the Apollo restoration series uninterrupted

[@alex13902]

Please keep removing these ads. The content is great, but i wont watch it if it means i have to sit through 7 ad breaks.

[@jean-huguesbouchard1045]

If ever they redo an apollo 13 movie, I want Marc, Mike, Eric and Master Ken to have a cameo as NASA engineers in it. Great job guys.

[@benjaminhanke79]

Or the sequel "Apollo 14 - The greatest hack in computer history" With Mike as Don Eyles.

[@DangerousPictures]

war games with marc as the professor

[@tomsawyer8102]

Ken is a bloody legend. We should all be like Ken.

[@woldemunster9244]

Flowing with that Kenergy.

[@olik136]

I don't think my IQ will make a 3 digit jump any time soon...

[@Spookieham]

I thought I was smart being an Engineer but I'm not even in the same universe as Ken

[@stevewalston7089]

@@Spookieham Do realize that we all likely have our areas of expertise, but I do appreciate what he has done here for sure.

[@Neurotik51]

Don't tell other people how they should be.

[@vincei4252]

Can we just appreciate the insanity of the mechanical marvel. I wish Marc and team could get their hands on the giant mechanical computer that controls the engines on the fabulous supersonic SR-71 skunk works plane.

[@RobSchofield]

...or the unit in the Saturn V IU!

[@cfrincon]

or its Astroinertial Navigation Computer.

[@Sonex1542]

All three of you are absolutely brilliant to be able to bring this to life. The fact that Master Ken is able to reverse engineer this contraption, takes him to the next level guys.

[@simontay4851]

"takes him to the next level" and then some. The highest level.

[@rsmrsm2000]

Unbelievable. You are amazing. It immortalized a technology that would probably be forgotten. Congratulations on showing it.

[@Brian-L]

Props to the Bendix manufacturing engineers for being able to assemble and time this beast. I love assembling intricate works, yet I think something like this would have put me over the edge.

[@DerekHerbst747]

I am trained in aircraft avionics and was a bench technician, mostly HF transceivers and antenna couplers for several years before I became a Flight Engineer. I remember those days with fondness seeing these videos. Thanks Marc.

[@performa476]

This channel has the most riveting content on KZbin. A team of big brained all-stars working on the coolest gear. Congratutlations on hitting 200K subscribers! Woohoo!

[@soulrobotics]

"Are you in constant current mode on purpose?" This Mike has no ego! What an excellent engineer! Your entire team, Marc, is inspiring! (even though my wife tells me I'm a nerd looking at these things)

[@computer_toucher]

Nerd and proud, @soulrobotics!

[@zebo-the-fat]

Nerds rule!

[@simontay4851]

We do indeed. Without nerds, nothing would ever get built.

[@tekvax01]

Marc publishes a video, and I immediately stop what I'm doing, and watch it! Hitting like before the video plays!!

[@marpintado]

The level of expertise and pure genius that is condensed in this vídeo is overwhelming!!! Tank you all!!!!

[@EdwinSteiner]

Only the combined geek powers of Ken, Marc, Eric, and Mike make such an amazing restoration possible. Congratulations!

[@depstech]

Grabs the front row! 😎Thanx Marc for sharing!🥳

[@tezinho81]

I am in absolute awe of the quality of Ken's documentation. A truly talented guy.

[@natedawww]

What would be really cool is to get a custom acrylic enclosure for the Bendix, that way you can store it safely while still being able to demonstrate it! You can of course keep the original case nearby to show what it would have looked like in situ.

[@zeitgeist909]

do you have a spare $50k?

[@natedawww]

In what world does an acrylic box cost $50k?

[@stevenliggins1623]

A job for Adam Savage.

[@Alexander-the-ok]

This has been a fascinating project to follow. It’s like a grown up version of the Curta Calculator. That said, I’m always surprised at how compact the Bendix CADC is.

[@fredflintstone8048]

Kudos to Ken AGAIN! He's the man. You really have a great team of engineers. In today's age of questionable quality in manufacturing I always test new parts before I install them. Doesn't take much time and can save some 'hair pulling' later.

[@jasonmurawski5877]

I love how you just casually have a FLOWN apollo inverter and use it to repair this. I have no doubt that we’ll soon be hearing about the inverter in the next comms episode, but are you able to sneak a hint as to what mission it flew on?

[@CuriousMarc]

Mike thinks it flew on Skylab, not sure which mission.

[@jasonmurawski5877]

@@CuriousMarc I was honestly hoping that it was one that had gone to the moon, but any flown hardware is equally as awesome. Are the serial numbers for these cataloged the same as the AGCs where it’s possible to work out where they’re from?

[@albing1397]

Those Allen Bradley carbon composition resistors are trouble free. My uncle had the job to paint the color bands (running the paint machine). Made in Milwaukee, WI.

[@BGTech1]

Fantastic work! That computer is an engineering marvel. I’ve only done teardown of analog avionics and flight computers. They are still incredible pieces of engineering, but your mechanical air data computer is just on a completely different level of engineering.

[@38911bytefree]

Mr Ken does it again !!!!. What a nice machine ! a piece to adnire electronically, mechanically and visually.

[@ferrellsl]

I'm amazed that fighters could even get airborne with the weight of all that analog equipment.

[@MrSlipstreem]

Outstanding work guys! Loved every minute of watching this!

[@hymermobiler]

What a pleasant half hour that was thanks to you all for sharing!!

[@zeitgeist909]

gears, cams, differentials, pitots etc - analog computers just blow me away.

[@sweetpeaz61]

Outstanding ! Thank you for making these videos, its so great to see such incredible minds at work. Not only who made this equipment but those that have decoded it 🙂

[@Sir_Uncle_Ned]

What a beautiful machine, amazing job getting it working again! We need to keep knowledge of how to do mechanical computing alive so that in the event a solar flare knocks out our electronics; we won't be starting from pen, paper, and slide rules.

[@alanclarke4646]

Nothing at all wrong with slide rules! 😁😁

[@mrricky3816]

Thanks!

[@CuriousMarc]

Well thank YOU!

[@nunessilva2162]

What an amazing contraption... Thanks for the video

[@tomb8156]

9:26 Mike 'couldn't we just use a pnp?' Stewart always knows the answer ♥

[@acmefixer1]

Amazing amount of intricate hardware to interpret sensor information into useful outputs that are displayed on the instruments. Now all Marc needs is the human interface to interpret the instruments and translate the information into joystick movements. Wheeeee!! 🤪🤪 Thanks, crew!

[@graemedavidson499]

A Mach made in heaven… so much gear, so many gears!

[@brandona1370]

Someone please tell me I am not the only person who thinks this unit is beautiful...

[@simontay4851]

You're definitely not the only person. It is indeed beautiful. Absolutely.

[@brandonishsnaksj3273]

As an aircraft mechanic who deals with pilots managing to break things in ways that defy the laws of physics.....no. I only see a collosal headache of a work order.

[@rolfdieterklein]

Amazing work, congratulation. I like all of those videos very much, can learn so much. Its great to have a look as you work through all the steps to get those things running.

[@chriholt]

"mechanical marvel" doesn't begin to describe how amazing that computer is!

[@islandhopperstuart]

Brilliant work Master Ken!

[@tony359]

This is just a marvel of engineering. What today is done by a Raspberry Pi and a few lines of codes, back then was done with gears. It's beautiful to watch! Thanks for investing so much time bringing it back from the Afterlife!

[@ياقوت-ق]

This video shows the actual real engineering. I also think that coding will be more difficult and complex than this real engineering; Because you will need to memorize the commands, how to use them, and how to close them, and I do not think that it will require “ a few lines of codes ” ! But much more . Frankly, I hate programming ( coding ) very much, especially those that depend on electronics.

[@ATTIAPRODUCTIONS]

Bravo Magnifique restauration !! beau travail!

[@VincentGroenewold]

So so amazing, fixed formulae in gears, I love how that makes maths a bit more logical.

[@5andWitch]

I'm glad i found your channel, you have extraordinary contents.

[@surgeon942]

It's an unbelievable art ! Thank you guys !

[@JeepinBoon]

I miss the rocket engine tests every week at Huntsville. The dishes rattling in the cabinet. I'd give anything to go back to my old house and feel that again.

[@Kurgutt]

What a marvel of mechanical jewelry, thanks for bringing this back to life ! ❤

[@rwsh1976]

Thank you alot ! This is very inspiring !

[@laforetsuspendue]

Congratulations to Master Ken and quarante milles mercis Marc to bring this wonders up.

[@McTroyd]

Brings a whole new meaning to "gear acquisition syndrome..." 😅👍 Looking awesome as ever.

[@bobwatson957]

Words fail may on how cool this is. I rememeber in the mist of time when I was a nipper we had a Bendix washing machine and then it went and I never heard the name again until I was in university. It great to see what what they did.

[@b43xoit]

Now that's the way to multiply! No worries about shifting or carry bits. Just read those cams and differential gears.

[@tomgoff8670]

Thank you Marc, a fantastic journey

[@kevincoulombe6742]

A incredible effort! Thank you for all the insight!

[@97marqedman]

You persuaded me to pick up one of these endoscopes - I’m a mechanic and have been shopping around for one for awhile now, but really didn’t want to pay Snap-On prices ($280 for the cheapest one with a 2” screen, $600 for the bigger screen!). So far so good, it works very well (and amazingly for the price!)

[@twingoman2000]

Hey Guys, thanks so much for your Videos! I would really love to be a Team member for repairing/restoring things like that. I really love the way you work, sometimes simply "sketchy" builds (sorry for this) but in the end it is the way to go, take what you have and use it. A little like words from eastern germany "make gold out of Shit" as you needed to take what was available. I am absolutely no specialist unfortunately but a mechanical Design engineer and now work for an antenna manufacturer, so many things at least I can understand 😅. So thanks for all your work and effort, it is great to save old knowledge with your Investigation Work!

[@ericrawson2909]

Absolutely beautiful. A work of art.

[@AlexElectronics]

Are we going to see an upcoming video about the Apollo inverter? That would be so cool!

[@spg3331]

congrats on 200K Subs!

[@TeslaTales59]

Fabulous engineering and work on these mech instruments.

[@Lasse_Viklund]

Fantastic piece of work!

[@mikebarushok5361]

One method for supplying 115 VAC 400 Hz that doesn't require fancy and expensive inverters is a "motor generator", technically a motor alternator. A motor powered however you want, with precision speed control turns a three phase 115 VAC alternator with sufficient output to run all your loads. When I worked in an avionics repair shop that was how we supplied all the test benches from a single inexpensive (relative to a large inverter) source. For most purposes the precise frequency and voltage of an inverter isn't needed as long as both the source syncro and destination syncro are seeing identical frequency, sufficient voltage and a sinusoidal waveform.

[@unangpangalansurname]

Thank you CuriousMarc

[@madmax2069]

Mechanical computers are a thing of beauty.

[@paul.gagniuc]

fabulous stuff !

[@fredinit]

CuriousMarc's Steampunk Aeronautical Restoration Services... has a nice ring to it. Nice job, fellas!

[@robertperlstein3527]

The next step should be to create a self-contained display panel set up to demonstrate the functionality of the computer. The panel might contain instruments-- maybe find or modify instruments so that they actually readout plausible data and some controls to provide input parameter selections. And of course a self-contained power supply to energize the system. This way the system would be more than just gears and pointers randomly spinning in response to unknown input parameters. Very impressive reverse engineering and documenting exercise!

[@crowguy506]

Congrats to 200K🎉🎉🎉

[@joelalain]

congrats! this is amazing works! i've always wanted to "see" how a computer works, now i guess i do ;)

[@RichardFraser-y9t]

Happy landings

[@Jon6429]

Started my electronics career at the tail end of this era saw some punch tape readers and nixie tubes hanging on till the late 80's, last VCR machine on the bench for repair was xmas eve 1995. Rush job, half a carrot, a mince pie and a letter to santa mashed inside with the tape. Swore I would never mess with gears & springs ever again after that!

[@ياقوت-ق]

I think that gears and springs are easier to deal with than electronics, especially if those systems are well designed.

[@gimlirulesall2450]

This is beautiful

[@edgeeffect]

That endoscope's end is a robotic caterpillar!

[@keresztesbotond740]

Nice video about the computer, but I'm more looking forward to the video about the Block II inverter :D

[@kobrapromotions]

As a student pilot watching those dials spin like that kicked in my awareness response

[@Nudnik1]

Awesome 👍

[@KeritechElectronics]

A work of art, a thing of beauty and a joy for ever! Of all things I wouldn't expect to see Apollo tech in action here, haha. Antikythera mechanism? Babbage's differential engine? Curta calculator? Here comes the next one! Lovely restoration and reverse engineering, nice to see it in action.

[@markgreco1962]

Thanks Gang!

[@3263927]

unbelievable guys! you are genius!

[@stevemahrer7097]

inspirational brain food! Bravo! Humbling what can be done with just the "basics"...

[@VegasCyclingFreak]

That is really an amazing piece of technology

[@KingJellyfishII]

I love how you used a semi-working apollo inverter for this... amazing

[@francesconicoletti2547]

There is a Heinlein Juvenile where the adventures end up on the Tropical version of Venus. It is very heavily implied that the space ship they are using uses a computer much like the one shown here. The plot point being the plant life gets into the nominally sealed computer and stops the devices inside from moving trapping the hero’s on Venus. Even in the 70s when I read the book this computer was long obsolete and probably only known to the military when it was in use, so it stuck in my head as something that seemed plausible but that I had never heard of in reality. Thanks for clearing up a little bother.

[@colinstu]

Does it support any more dials or indicators? I just love seeing things spin... especially if they're mechanically controlled/calculated.

[@CuriousMarc]

It has way more outputs indeed, Ken describes them in his blog I think. Some are obscure such as air density, probably meant for engine management or other systems, not dials.

[@LetsPlayKeldeo]

Aawww hell yeah ! I cant sleep so I got something cool to watch now

[@pauldzim]

It just blows my mind that complicated math(s) can be done using gears and cams!

[@lazerusmfh]

You all are amazing

[@Andy-c4y5j]

I didn't know about such a mechanical computer!

[@SkyOctopus1]

The Weeep sound effects are 100% justified. Revision 2.01 will make the noises itself to save you from needing to.

[@bigsarge2085]

So cool.

[@Riiludragon]

this would make for a great interactive museum display.

[@thomasives7560]

Next do a Flight Director (FDC), like the Honeywell FZ-702. With a FDC, you can have a rudimentary autopilot and fly a course, altitude, or glideslope. Avionics are fun! Cheers!!

[@joyopd]

Amazing series. I love those LED strips 🙂

[@38911bytefree]

This piece is just p0rn ... they fit perfectly !!!!

[@bennylloyd-willner9667]

Obi Wan Ken is amazing! Ok, you other dudes/dudettes involved like Marc and all the others are all brilliant, but the superhuman knowledge and abilities of Ken are Supersonic and qould max out all instruments 😊 I don't understand much of it, but it tickles my brain wonderfully just to try and understand a fraction❤❤

[@JustFamilyPlaytime]

Even Heath Robinson could not have made this more complicated. Or more unlikely to work. The fact that it did is remarkable. The fact that you've repaired it is simply astonishing.

[@skfalpink123]

I wonder if the San Diego Air & Space Museum (at Balboa Park) would love that? If it was all all properly mounted (with the Bendix in perspex) it would make an amazing display piece!!

[@tehlaser]

12:30 heh, yup, that’s why if I’m replacing one cap I try to replace all of the same type in that particular device (and, later on, why I probably shouldn’t.)

[@flyer617]

Nice work. I appreciate the amount of work as I did the same with a Conrac ADC then later a GEC Avionics solid state unit. I had minimal gauges though as they were more expensive than the ADC units themselves. I still have those ADC units! But unfortunately I lost the documentation I figured out. Grrr. Moving does that. Now I'm working on INS units, I have an ASN-109 almost completely figured out and just got a Carousel IV which hopefully I can locate some documentation on as reverse engineering these these things takes an enormous amount of time. We should have worked together on projects, I just never thought anyone else would be into it at this level like me. I just picked up a synchro angle indicator from my trip to Dayton so that will help.

[@gvii]

Now if only you could get your hands on a ballistic computer from a 40's battleship... And a large truck to haul it. Lol... But, I don't see that happening. Which is a shame, always been fascinated by those. But I have a feeling there aren't many that still exist outside of the ships they were installed in. Oh well, lol...

[@markdavis2475]

Wow, this reminds me of the Charles Babbage mechanical "computers"!

[@danielatbasementtech]

Simply brilliant … “mechanical calculation” finally clicked … I feel like, if stranded on a desert island with only a pile of gears and cams, I might be able to do something useful 🤓

[@KallePihlajasaari]

Watched this a second time, magnificent machine and even better video. The slow calculating response is kind of intriguing. I can see the instruments taking some moments to display valid data after a stall condition has occurred and the angle of attack vane has flipped by over 90 degrees. I wonder how one could estimate the speed, would a digital relay computer be able to do the calculations any faster?

[@radarmusen]

That air data computer, has probably lots to do when chuck yeager was pressing his F104 up to the limit.

[@benjaminhanke79]

I love this thought.