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ARCHIVED FORUM -- April 2007 to March 2012
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This is the first Archived Forum which was active between 17th April 2007 and 1st March February 2012

 

Latest post 01-30-2012 2:21 PM by Rich. 27 replies.
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  • 01-11-2012 7:15 AM

    Anyone into slide rules?

    I thought I might try to ask people here, as a couple of B&O products have been designed with the precision of a slide rule in mind.

    I suppose that many in here are familiar with the slide rule Smile

    Fun facts:

    A skilled person can make calculations much faster than on pocket calculator.

    A slide rule is based on the relation to different logarithmic and linear scales.

    Was invented back in the 1630's, the pointer added to the design by Isaac Newton himself.

    Of course the main idol of Jacob Jensen when he designed the Beomaster 5000/Beolab 5000 combo and later the Beomaster 1200/1001, 3000, 4000 and 4400 with the destinctive slide rule design. Some other Beomasters do also have hints from the slide rule, as the volume/tone/balance controls on the Beomaster 2000 and later the 3400.

    Just posted this because I have become very interested in this historical object when I inherited my Grandfather's Danish Diwa sliderule in rosewood and celluid/bakelite Stick out tongue

    Beocenter 9300, Beogam CD50, Beocord 5500, Beomaster 3400, Beomaster 4400, 2 Beogram 4000, Beomaster 8000, 2 beogram 8002, Beovox S-75, Beovox MS150.2, Beovox RL6000, Beovox S-35, Beomaster 6000, 2 Beocord 9000, Beocord 8004, Beocord 5000, Form 1, 2x Beolink 1000, Beo4, MX3500, LS4500. Born 1993.

  • 01-11-2012 8:58 AM In reply to

    • Step1
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    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    My Grandfather was a structural engineer (helped design some of the major power stations in the North West and also South Americas first Gas powered plant in the 70's) and was raised on slide rules! I always remember him opening his buereau and there would always be one at hand, just in case! We owe a lot to these wonderful 'calculators'. Sadly, I am not sure where his are now, must ask mum!

    Have you learnt how to use the thing?

    Olly.

  • 01-11-2012 9:03 AM In reply to

    • andy
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    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    i was secondary school between 76 and 81, was taught how to useone but i think i might struggle now !..we even got given one on our first day at school if i remember

    andym

  • 01-11-2012 9:16 AM In reply to

    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    End of the 1960s we was using sliderules in my education as an industrial mecanic (maskinarbejder), after my education I continued using it a couple of years, but then the small handy pocket calculaters got cheaper and more sofisticated and the sliderule was obsolete. It was also used in DK in high school and universities 60s-70s.

    I had a small one that fit in my brest pocket, some 15 cm long, for "on the floor use", and one big one, like in your pic, but mine was made to also serve as a drawing ruler (to draw lines in scales), a slide rule is a wonderful handy instrument when you know how to use it, super fast calculator, and yes faster than a pocket calculator and more convenient to use. For the small ones you needed a very good eye sight.Geeked

    Beosound 3000, BL 4000, BL 8000, BG 2404,BG 5000, BG CD50, Beocord 5000, BM 901, BM 2400, BM 4000, BV S45, BV 3702. There is nothing we cannot do, but a lot of things we don't want to do!!

  • 01-11-2012 10:39 AM In reply to

    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    I think it was around 1980 when when we were first allowed to use calculators during certain classes in school. To confuse people, I learned to use my father's old slide rule and brought it to class. Much hilarity ensued!

    Wish I knew where that thing is now. It was a (Western) German pretty large device; can't remember the brand though...

    -mika

  • 01-11-2012 11:25 AM In reply to

    • stotty1111
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    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    Way back whe`n, I used to use a cylindrical variant - bit like a telescope with a cylindrical cursor in the middle, brilliant piece of kit - equivalent to a 2 metre slide rule - its floating around here somewhere, if I can find it I'll digi it

    Tony

    I always try to operate using/following the KISS principle --  Keep it simple stupid!

  • 01-11-2012 12:02 PM In reply to

    • Rich
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    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    I am old enough to have grown up in a house with a slide rule in the cupboard, yet young enough to have never used one.  Give me an RPN HP calculactor and I'll take on any of you "a slide rule is faster than a calculator" posers....  Stick out tongue

    @Soren Mexico - couldn't stay away, could you?  Or did the server timeouts go away?

    Current primary listening:  SMMC20EN -> BG4002 -> BM4000 -> Beovox M70

     

  • 01-11-2012 12:16 PM In reply to

    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    I have a slide rule - and can use it! My physics teacher however memorised log tables and could perform long multiplication in his head quicker than a calculator - and I saw him do it! I have to confess to always using log tables rather than a slide rule - easier and quicker. Calculators were relatively new and you were not allowed to use them in exams.

  • 01-11-2012 1:00 PM In reply to

    • Neil
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    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    I still have my slide rule that served me well right through to HNC. We used to call it a "guess stick" as the results could be far from accurate, and trying to decide where to place the decimal point in the answer could be a nightmare. Can't help but think today's generation have it too easy!

    Neil.

  • 01-11-2012 2:38 PM In reply to

    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    Rich:
    @Soren Mexico - couldn't stay away, could you?  Or did the server timeouts go away?

    I have difficaulties in staying away, but the timeouts are still there, or I get the "you have come to this page ----, please tell us about it. The moderators dont know about it or something like that, so I will stay away as much as I can, until someone does something.

    Beosound 3000, BL 4000, BL 8000, BG 2404,BG 5000, BG CD50, Beocord 5000, BM 901, BM 2400, BM 4000, BV S45, BV 3702. There is nothing we cannot do, but a lot of things we don't want to do!!

  • 01-11-2012 4:08 PM In reply to

    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    Nice to hear that somebody had a memory of these "nerd rulers" Smile

    I learnt to use basic funtions on my Grandfather's 1947 Diwa, a basic "Mannheim" model (the Einstein and Von Braun type). Multiply, devide, finding square roots, cubic roots and trigonometry.

    I had just acquired a ca. 1962 Nestler "Darmstadt" type model, a little more complicated but fun to use. Today I found an interesting instruction book in Danish, found it very usefull at showing the differences and how to fully exploit the extra functions. This slide rule can actually add a power op up to x * 10^5 with three log-log scales on the back of the slider Stick out tongue

    I'm not a math nerd, just sat down for a couple of hours with a book about logarithms and some experience from my mid-level gym math.

    Beocenter 9300, Beogam CD50, Beocord 5500, Beomaster 3400, Beomaster 4400, 2 Beogram 4000, Beomaster 8000, 2 beogram 8002, Beovox S-75, Beovox MS150.2, Beovox RL6000, Beovox S-35, Beomaster 6000, 2 Beocord 9000, Beocord 8004, Beocord 5000, Form 1, 2x Beolink 1000, Beo4, MX3500, LS4500. Born 1993.

  • 01-11-2012 7:25 PM In reply to

    • geearr
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    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    This little beauty helped me through university many years ago.  The inner six concentric circles are equivalent to a 50 inch slide rule.

    Still in perfect working order and does not require a capacitor change.Smile

    Regards

    Geoff

     

  • 01-12-2012 2:58 AM In reply to

    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    One of the reasons I first fell in love with B&O was that cool scientific slide rule look :-)

    I had always been in awe of my Dad (an engineer) and his slide rule (which I still have)

    And I bought my own (more sophisticated one) when I went to Uni, but lost it shortly afterwards when I went overseas

    I "teach" sliderule concepts to people by taking to normal rulers, inverting one, and showing how the two rules slide together to perform addition or subtraction Laughing the conversion of the slide rule scale to logarithmic is of course the magic that turns addition into multiplication

    When I was at Uni my friend had this device - and was mych envyed (I had always drooled over them in advertisements in Scientific American) for his technological advantage (accuracy) over the rest of us plebs Laughing

    But it was irritating to be sitting in a silent examination hall and hear the whirring of the Curta's gears as he cranked his way through the calculations Laughing Laughing

    But before I left Uni the first HP calculators had appeared and so these beautiful devices for a 400 year heritage were destined to become collectors items !

    First B&O (1976) was a Beogram 1500 ... latest (2011) change has been to couple the BL11 with the BL6Ks *sounds superb*

  • 01-12-2012 8:50 AM In reply to

    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    elephant:
    Curta's gears

    Well, that brings this thread full circle for me!

    As a recovering retired engineer, I missed the window (college in the '80's) to use a slide rule. I know my father had one, but it disappeared in the early 70's when a TI hand-held calculator showed up. Always wanted to learn, so I may give it a whirl someday.

    Back to Curta... Some late night, long ago... I was on an induced eBay binge (read: too much juice) and I stumbled upon old (some vintage) drafting supplies. I thought that would make an interesting collection theme and duly bought a bunch of "stuff" -but stopped short of a Curta. Wow, they can bring some money!

    Here is a CURTA SITE if anyone is interested.

    • B&o bottle opener
  • 01-12-2012 9:31 AM In reply to

    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    burantek:
    Here is a CURTA SITE if anyone is interested.

    Just looking at their main poster of an exploded/exposed Curta Mark I reminds me how beautifully engineered they were and how complex they were.

    First B&O (1976) was a Beogram 1500 ... latest (2011) change has been to couple the BL11 with the BL6Ks *sounds superb*

  • 01-12-2012 1:03 PM In reply to

    • stotty1111
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    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    I always try to operate using/following the KISS principle --  Keep it simple stupid!

  • 01-12-2012 6:16 PM In reply to

    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    That "pepper grinder" sure looks interesting, a very clever piece of engineering Smile

    My 60-year-old physics teacher (mid-level in upper secondary school) became totally nostalgic when he saw my Mannheim slide rule. He have had a very similar one, but it disappeared in the 70's when he bought a TI calculator instead. He could still remember how to operate it after 35 years!

    One of my old friends who is also 18 years old like me has become very interested in old-school stuff. She went nuts when I told her that I could use a slide rule and begged me to learn her how to make all arithmetic operations.

    I might popularize them for use in math exams. In Denmark, a written math exam divided(pun not intended) into two assignments; one done without any mathematical assistive (books with tables/formulas and electronic calculators), and one with assistives. The slide rule is not called a "mathematical assistive" anymore because it's outdated, thus a slide rule can legally be used during the first part of the test Whistle

    Beocenter 9300, Beogam CD50, Beocord 5500, Beomaster 3400, Beomaster 4400, 2 Beogram 4000, Beomaster 8000, 2 beogram 8002, Beovox S-75, Beovox MS150.2, Beovox RL6000, Beovox S-35, Beomaster 6000, 2 Beocord 9000, Beocord 8004, Beocord 5000, Form 1, 2x Beolink 1000, Beo4, MX3500, LS4500. Born 1993.

  • 01-12-2012 9:55 PM In reply to

    • Evan
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    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    Søren Hammer:

    One of my old friends who is also 18 years old like me has become very interested in old-school stuff. She went nuts when I told her that I could use a slide rule and begged me to learn her how to make all arithmetic operations.

    Wait a minute, so your telling me I can pick up chicks with math??!?!???!?!!!!?

     

    Evan

     

  • 01-13-2012 1:16 AM In reply to

    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    Evan:

    Søren Hammer:

    One of my old friends who is also 18 years old like me has become very interested in old-school stuff. She went nuts when I told her that I could use a slide rule and begged me to learn her how to make all arithmetic operations.

    Wait a minute, so your telling me I can pick up chicks with math??!?!???!?!!!!?

    Absolutely ... magnets too 

    First B&O (1976) was a Beogram 1500 ... latest (2011) change has been to couple the BL11 with the BL6Ks *sounds superb*

  • 01-13-2012 5:08 AM In reply to

    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    Evan:

    Søren Hammer:

    One of my old friends who is also 18 years old like me has become very interested in old-school stuff. She went nuts when I told her that I could use a slide rule and begged me to learn her how to make all arithmetic operations.

    Wait a minute, so your telling me I can pick up chicks with math??!?!???!?!!!!?

    Yep, though only those hipster chicks; But it is an interesting thought that I, in theory, can pick up a girl with something as nerdy and outdated as a slide rule!

     

    Imagine if girls would have the same reaction to my valve guitar amplifiers Big Smile

    Beocenter 9300, Beogam CD50, Beocord 5500, Beomaster 3400, Beomaster 4400, 2 Beogram 4000, Beomaster 8000, 2 beogram 8002, Beovox S-75, Beovox MS150.2, Beovox RL6000, Beovox S-35, Beomaster 6000, 2 Beocord 9000, Beocord 8004, Beocord 5000, Form 1, 2x Beolink 1000, Beo4, MX3500, LS4500. Born 1993.

  • 01-13-2012 5:30 AM In reply to

    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    Søren Hammer:

    Evan:

    Søren Hammer:

    One of my old friends who is also 18 years old like me has become very interested in old-school stuff. She went nuts when I told her that I could use a slide rule and begged me to learn her how to make all arithmetic operations.

    Wait a minute, so your telling me I can pick up chicks with math??!?!???!?!!!!?

    Yep, though only those hipster chicks; But it is an interesting thought that I, in theory, can pick up a girl with something as nerdy and outdated as a slide rule!

    Imagine if girls would have the same reaction to my valve guitar amplifiers Big Smile

    Really Soren !

    Surely you are wise enough to know that they SAY they are interested until the knot is tied, and then it is "game over" and a new set of rules Laughing Laughing Laughing

    First B&O (1976) was a Beogram 1500 ... latest (2011) change has been to couple the BL11 with the BL6Ks *sounds superb*

  • 01-13-2012 6:56 AM In reply to

    • Evan
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    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    Søren Hammer:

    Yep, though only those hipster chicks; But it is an interesting thought that I, in theory, can pick up a girl with something as nerdy and outdated as a slide rule!

     

    Imagine if girls would have the same reaction to my valve guitar amplifiers Big Smile

    LaughingLaughingLaughing

    Hipster chicks - nevermind!

    Trust me, there is nothing cool about amps to them.. I have 5 (hi-fi) amps in one stereo and not a peep out of the girlfriends. 

    Evan

     

  • 01-13-2012 7:41 AM In reply to

    • Rich
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    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    It's not the slide rule that attracts the girls, it's the EP of the guy using it.

    Current primary listening:  SMMC20EN -> BG4002 -> BM4000 -> Beovox M70

     

  • 01-13-2012 8:20 AM In reply to

    • Puncher
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    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    Why make things easy for yourself - delete your calculator app and use this instead!Big Smile

    (I'm sure there are similar for those ibods among you)

    Generally speaking, you aren't learning much if your lips are moving.

  • 01-13-2012 3:21 PM In reply to

    • Daniel
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    Re: Anyone into slide rules?

    Rich:

    I am old enough to have grown up in a house with a slide rule in the cupboard, yet young enough to have never used one.  Give me an RPN HP calculactor and I'll take on any of you "a slide rule is faster than a calculator" posers....  Stick out tongue

    @Soren Mexico - couldn't stay away, could you?  Or did the server timeouts go away?

    I'm with Rich! HP48SX ruled in my days at the Institute of Technology.

    Beovision LX5500, BeoCord V6000, BeoSound 9000, BeoLab 8000, BeoLab 3500, BeoLab 2000, BeoVox1, BeoCom 6000, Form1, LightControl 1

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