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What Is It?

What Is It? is a place for engineers to test their knowledge (and sense of humor). Each week (or month, or...) the CR4 team will post an unidentified picture of an object, tool, animal, something. We're looking for your best (or funniest) guesses at what it might be in the comments.

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What Is It? for 10/21/12

Posted October 21, 2012 8:00 PM by Mizuti

Can you guess what this image is?

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This image was submitted by bett4haze!

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SavvyExacta
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#1

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/21/2012 8:08 PM

I think it looks like a typewriter. The things at the top look like the things attached to the keys. And then it has a bell for the carriage return.
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#2

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/21/2012 8:17 PM

Looks like a Braille (sp) printer to me.

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#3

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/21/2012 8:30 PM

It's a LynDoor™Industries Opinionator® 1,000. Just put your question im the top and the answer will come out the bottom, somewhere.
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#4

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/21/2012 9:54 PM

Yeah, it look like a typewriter-type device, but it seems to be the wrong overall shape for a typewriter.

Maybe it's the guts of a teletype machine - or an old cardpunch machine?

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#5

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/21/2012 10:02 PM

It's a punch for making player piano rolls.

Or, a "hanging chad" machine.
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#35
In reply to #5

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 1:23 PM

no... Floridians make hanging chads.

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#6

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/22/2012 5:08 AM

So there's no truth in the rumour that it is a KrisDel™ device for sending out automatic personal messaging for organising the next CR4 minibus trip? What a shame.

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#8
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Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/22/2012 7:46 AM

Not enough valves, tuning caps or semaphore flags for that. And nowhere to put the nuts and feathers on string...

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#9
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Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/22/2012 9:26 AM

Yum!

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#10
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Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/22/2012 10:56 AM

Just what we need to get that warm and fuzzy feeling.

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#11
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Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/22/2012 11:00 AM

Nah. No help needed here.

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#23
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Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 3:38 AM

But at your age it doesn't last long...

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#26
In reply to #23

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 5:25 AM

Sorry.

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#28
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Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 7:47 AM

Forgiven...it leaves you time for other things.

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#34
In reply to #9

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 11:20 AM

PWSlack :

That is an EF87 and I beleive it came from

Siegfried Neumann, Germany - Tube collection.

http://www.radiomuseum.org/tubecollection/siegfried_neumann~4.html

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#7

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/22/2012 7:43 AM

I too was thinking typewriter type thingy. I was thinking either an early electric typewriter, with the keys removed, or maybe a fax machine?

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#32
In reply to #7

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 10:55 AM

Maybe a facts machine for generating random facts.
It only exists because it generated the fact that it exists, it's an antecedant of the infinite improbability drive.
Del

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#37
In reply to #32

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 9:23 PM

Did you know that 85% of all statistics are made up on the spot?

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#12

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/22/2012 2:53 PM

It was supposed to be the wife's repaired sewing machine. It works better than ever after the few modifications made.

No missing parts (and even a few extras).

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#13

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/22/2012 8:05 PM

Looks like the inside of a electric typewriter or printer, fax machine combo.

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#14

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/22/2012 9:19 PM

It's an Enigma.

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#24
In reply to #14

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 3:42 AM

PMSL!!!

Shirley there's not enough wheels?

[GA for the joke: when are Admin going to add "Funny" to OT and GA...]

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#15

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/22/2012 10:32 PM

I would have said either a printer of some type, or perhaps a teletype
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#16

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/22/2012 10:54 PM

How about an old electric cash register without the outer cover as good a guess as any

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#17

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/22/2012 11:54 PM

Looks like an early version of an impact printer.

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#18

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/22/2012 11:58 PM

Where's Solar Eagle with the definitive answer?
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#19

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 12:26 AM

It is the core element in the Turbo Encabulator.

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#20

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 2:20 AM

It looks like what we used to call a golf-ball typewriter

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#21

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 3:01 AM

Linotype or competitor?

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#22

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 3:21 AM

Prototype Meccano press?

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#25

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 5:12 AM

That is the inside of an IBM Selectric II electric typwriter. This one is being modified with solonoids as a project to make it automatic.

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#27
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Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 5:34 AM

http://www.robotdialogs.com/2012/05/started-working-on-selectric-ii.html

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#31
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Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 10:55 AM

Boo, you found it

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#29

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 8:00 AM

A teletype machine.....

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#30
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Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 8:29 AM

It is something that has been assimilated by the Borg

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#33

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 11:06 AM

Looks like a teletype printer that is outside of its housing. We used to use a lot of those in the Navy, I'm not saying that is what this is but it looks very similar.

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#36

Re: What Is It? for 10/21/12

10/23/2012 1:23 PM

Just a guess but an older model cash register.

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CaptMoosie (1); English Rose (6); GM1964 (1); jack of all trades (1); Janissaries (1); Joe Sparky (1); Johannescnc (1); JPool (3); LakeGrl (1); LOCKDUKE (1); lyn (2); Mizuti (1); MOBI (1); North of 60 (1); passingtongreen (1); PWSlack (4); rcapper (1); Ron (1); roy hammy (1); SavvyExacta (1); StandardsGuy (1); Tom_Consulting (1); Usbport (1); user-deleted-1105 (1); WAWAUS (2)

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