What Is It?

Maybe this is the ribbon driver for a printer. If so, it might not stay delrin white for long in operation.

The pawl-and-ratchet do not drive.

I had the correct answer in #88. My wording was not clear enough I suppose. I was thinking of an inhaler I dismantled years ago....

Is it something with which to confuse one particular CR4 reader?

• Some say, his armpits taste of seville marmalade
• And that he doesn't understand human food.
• All we know, is he is called the PlbMak.

_{with apologies to Jeremy Clarkson, motoring journalist.}

Would you tell us, is the fingered part fixed (acting as a pawl), or does it turn and drive the ring gear?

A part of a pill dispenser?

I'd've been inclined to go for that if there were 7 vanes.

drive used to index a Calendar display

It is an upper cam toggle that is connected to the litter cylinder bolt that prevents the spindle spline from oscillating. This in turn will reverse the flux field from the induced energy crystals and hopefully divert quantum energy from inciting complete molecular disorientation.

Electric toothbrush guts (the ones that have several motions at once) or a disposable pepper-mill

It could be a water agitator in an aquarium. To slow down bacterial growth in the fish tank?

winding spool holder in a correction tape dispenser?

Part of a rotary style razor.

No close shaves here.

From a coffee maker (Keurig?) to move water from the main water reservoir to the heating reservoir?

Part of a one way (ratcheting) clutch assembly, possibly used on auto paper-feeding of printer/copier, a VCR or something less hi tek. Anyway it should work inside another, intrnally toothed cylindrical part. S.M.

More likely from the mechanism dispensing paper hand towels.

But, lyn says used once a day...

Ok since it doesn't measure, suck, or blow, I'm asuming it holds something, perhaps a toilet paper roll holder. But then that doesn't explain why you woul have power feed TP. It was never mentioned what drives the gear. It's the motor or manually powered?

"perhaps a toilet paper roll holder. But then that doesn't explain why you would have power feed TP"

It's for the day after curry night.

Stuart21 (82) Guts, but no glory.

Jerrell Conway (83) Not automotive

vsar (84) Nope.

lonster (86) No indexing

lonster (88) Untouched by humans.

Rockyscience (89) No gov.

Unredundant (90) Everything's for sale here. The size has more to do with rotational speed than torque.

TLC Designer (91) Some truth here, but not enough

Stuart21 (92) Nope.

PWSlack (93) Good to have you back.

TLC Designer (94) Stick with your other guess.

TommyTech (95) Full speed ahead.

Doorman (96) All turns together in normal service

HiTekRedNek (97) No JohnDG (98) number immaterial

jdsighter (99) no

That's enough for now.

Confused me for a mo - mine was 99.

You're confused?

I'm jumping between 3 screens to do group replies.

101-115, No.

spades, yes, there are two. I think the designers just like symmetry.

part of the mechanism that changes the date on a clock or appliance

Sorry. Its function is passive in the sense of changing or causing any change of state of another object.

It is typically powered by the human thumb.

r&ddoc, No money here.

"It is typically powered by the human thumb". Through a lever actuated gear train.

Well I don't know what you guys use that side of the pond!

Drum roll please.

Yes, it is the cover lay take-up mechanism of an inhalation medication dispenser that packages the powder in small pockets in a continuous reel.

Each actuation of the thumb lever advances the reel to the dispensing cavity and the cover lay is stripped away by the take up reel. Note the peg at the one o'clock position that captures the end of the cover lay roll. The pawls allow for slippage, which I have never knowingly experienced.

Here are two pictures. Anyone care to speculate how it all goes together?

Hats off to the Englishman. I'm having one in your honor JohnDG.

Cheers!

Shame on me for believing that your hints were true.

Earlier it was said that we use it once a day and that it was not used to dispense anything.

I have never used one and it clearly dispenses, that's two lies in my book and would terminate any further business relationship unless you worked for Obama, therefore deny any knowledge of what you are doing and change the rest of the story to suite your own need.

I will suggest that you day job work ethic matches this crap.

It, this device,

is used once a day.

It" does not dispense anything.

It" is a take-up reel.

Irrationality and hysteria can be controlled, with intense psychological therapy.

PM me with your location and I can recommend some local help for you.

I hope you enjoyed the thread, otherwise.

Go easy on him, it was good fun after all.

At least now I may be able to get a good night's sleep.

As for Lyn's question "Anyone care to speculate how it all goes together?" might I suggest one piece at a time, and very carefully.

May be easier to buy a new one, although if, as I suspect, like me, many on here would rather fix than replace, even if it takes way too much time and effort, this will be re-assembled, and may even work again.

He must have discovered that the grand prize was a 6-pack of Billy Beer. I've put on my tin foil hat in case he comes back.

Anyway, you get a new dispenser each time, whether you want it or not. They (contents) last for 30-60 days. What a waste.

It snaps together and is easy to disassemble if you understand injected molded parts and assemblies.

I did not photograph a step-by-step disassembly.

Thanks, but really, X-rays?

"Thanks, but really, X-rays? "

And here I was thinking that I got away with that

Thanks for a GOOD version of "What is it". I will try to come up with something as diabolical.

If you have not heard, Mr. Lyn, tin foil hats have been superceded by pumpkin hats. They look like crap, smell like crap, fit like crap. Any further guesses?

The thumb actuation was the biggest clue IMHO. We do indeed have this type of dispenser over here (in fact I was prescribed one several years ago), but the vertical cylinder propellant-driven metered-dose inhaler is much more common. I have one, but it's more a psychological prop than a necessary medication. (I only use it about 3 times a year).

I guess that you need to be old or infirm to know about those things, the rest of us had no hope.

True I'm getting on a bit (62), and not in the best of health (but I would go as far as "infirm"!), but increasing numbers of children and young adults need to use inhalers these days.

I should have known that there would be other old geezers out there with bad lungs.

The drug dispensed by this contraption (salmeterol xinafoate inhalation powder) was formerly packaged in containers like the albuterol with propellant that you have. I have one of those too. And another one that you suck to get the dose.

I think that they designed the device now used so that they could sell more of the drug.

I use Advair Diskus two times per day, that has been in that form since I started it about twenty years ago. I couldn't swear that it does or does not do good work, it is slow acting. It includes a steroid which reduces inflammation but leaves one more open to pneumonia. My main lung medication is used with a nebulizer every four hours unless I'm away from home when I use an inhaler with the same stuff.

The inhaler changed recently, it used to use a hydroflourocarbon to power it, now, the user "pumps it up" to power it. I'll try to remember to take one of those apart when it runs out. How to use it.

So much for my paper-roll-holder theory. It comes from being fashionably late (hats off to JohnDG).

On a related topic: Where's the flame war? It's freezing here and my furnace quit yesterday.

At one inch by one half it's way too big for a Ventolin-style medicine dispenser.

May be one of the two impellers money counting machines have? Or perhaps the paper feeder of a desktop printer?

So now!

If we was just to solve this riddle we was fine!

Righto?

I'll post a new thread!

I use mine twice a day. I'm surprised that I haven't taken one apart myself.

I sense a few disgruntled people here.

It's a clever bit of engineering design, Lyn clearly seen it a such, prompting him to post it.

Now trying to think if I seen this application used elsewhere.

I had the correct answer in #88. My wording was not clear enough I suppose. I was thinking of an inhaler I dismantled years ago....

(i accidentaly posted as reply to #91...)

To all who feel hurt.

Get over it! Next time, don't play my silly game.

I started to make some more individual comments, but, what's the use?

Both TLC Designer and Brian Falconer came close to describing the device's function.

Thanks to all, I enjoyed it anyway.

not hurt here, I enjoyed the excercise... I gave it 5 stars!

My best guess is that it's one end of a paper-roll holder from a lever- or motor-actuated restroom paper hand-towel dispenser mechanism? The vanes look to be radial springs that might also tend to resist the roll's counter-rotation (if that's what the piece is for).

It reminds me of a squirrel cage fan. If we knew the speed (rpm) it was driven, it would be more obvious. It is too small to move large volume of air, but if it was just once a day, it would also be nice to know how long it was being used. Once a day could be 12 hours or more.

Once a day for twelve hours would be more like an iron lung or hyperbaric chamber instead of a powder inhaler dispenser.

It has reminded many people of fans and pump impellers and toilet paper roll holders.

Although I have never measured the speed, I estimate that it turns at about 1/2 RPM

for about 1/4 second each day.

I'll be revealing the answer next week, for those late to the party.

We refused to fit a fan to Kris's cage on the basis he'd dismantle it and escape. Additionally, the inherent fumes keep him sedated.

Not quite sure when lateness loses its fashionability, but "Hi, everyone!! I brought more beers...."

Hi. You're never too late to join the party.

A vital component in printer to move paper or currency counting machine to slide bills...

Yes, I noticed the exact same represented as I reduced a FAX machine for recycle.