January 1957 Popular Electronics
 Table of Contents
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles
from
Popular Electronics,
published October 1954 - April 1985. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged.
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Here are a few tech headlines
from the January 1957 issue of Popular Electronics magazine. Sky-High Radar by Sikorsky is a new
high-powered airborne search radar. The electronic Trial & Error Machine
"differentiates between right and wrong decisions and profits from its own
mistakes," making it the perfect gadget for today's environment where any
freakish act gets rewarded and eventually normalized. Lab Aloft Chases
Cosmic Rays uses a UASF
KC-97
Stratofreighter for researching those mysterious and ubiquitous
high energy entities which perpetually bombard our Earthly existence. This Brain That Squirts reports on Bendix's prototype
carburetor that uses an electronically controlled "electrojector" to inject fuel
directly into the cylinder. Now, all of our internal combustion vehicles contain
an electrojector.
Sky-High Radar
 A
sailor in the "crow's nest" atop the tall forward mast was once the Navy's method
for seeing ahead. Later, the rotating search radar helped to keep a lookout
in night and fog. Now Sikorsky's new radar helicopter, shown at left, hovers as
a high vanguard above the fleet, expanding the early-warning range. The bulging
radome in the nose houses the antenna for high-powered radar, capable of spotting
planes at double the usual distance.
Trial/Error Machine
 A
new electronic brain, called "Automex," which differentiates between right and wrong
decisions and profits from its own mistakes, is operated by Dr. R. Hooke of Westinghouse.
In the photo at right, the machine is solving the problem of a man trying to climb
a mountain in total darkness and reach the top with the fewest steps, knowing only
whether he has moved up or down. This logic solves many different problems.
This "Brain" Squirts
 Say
goodbye to carburetor trouble. In fact, say goodbye to the whole carburetor - which
may soon be replaced by Bendix' new "Electrojector" fuel injection system. The engine
displayed at left is fed by the little electronic "brain box" in front, which senses
operating conditions and adjusts fuel spray accordingly. Humidity, temperature,
and richness of fuel mixture are all taken into account for best engine performance.
Lab Aloft Chases Cosmic Rays
 Outwardly,
the globe-girdling KC-97 shown here looks like just another big Air Force tanker.
Yet it houses a unique flying lab now being taken on a 90,000-mile research mission
to chart the incidence of cosmic rays around the world. Detectable only at great
height, these rays affect the outer magnetic field of our planet. Whether they influence
radio reception is not known.
Posted January 23, 2023
(updated from original
post on 1/20/2013)
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