OT: Slinky Question

What happens when the escalator reaches the end???

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Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG ========================================= WebPage

...Jim Thompson

-- | James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | | | E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat | |

Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four?

On 7 Mar 2004 07:49:24 -0800, snipped-for-privacy@meeow.co.uk (N. Thornton) Gave us:

Just make the slinky large enough in diameter, and large enough in coil count to make the standard escalator tread "just right" in size and depth. That way, the lateral movement wont matter either. It will always fall onto the next tread down.

Hmm. What about an actively steered slinky? A small plate at the end, with a weight that can be moved around it.

A Phased array slinky?

Remove "HeadFromButt", before replying by email.

On Sun, 07 Mar 2004 16:30:27 GMT, maxfoo Gave us:

A remotely controlled, gyro stabilized, rad hard, rugged slinky.

What will they think of next?

In any event, slinky technology will have to be stretched beyond its present limits and such issues addressed one step at a time.

Don

Certainly here on the London Underground they make the escalators long enough that they last all day. They do a fast rewind at night so they are all loaded up again at the right end of the escalator. I haven't done the maths to work out how much track they need to store for a day's operation, but it must be quite a lot. They must have really big pits under the escalators for storage.

I have never been on an escalator that reached the end while it was still supposed to be working, but I imagine it must happen sometimes, like when there are delays on the rail network. I suppose there must be some kind of stop, otherwise the loose end would pop out of the track, and it would be really hard to thread back in again.

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I thought they were a continuous belt?

Tim

-- "I have misplaced my pants." - Homer Simpson | Electronics,

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Oh for goodness sake!

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I read in sci.electronics.design that Tim Williams wrote (in ) about 'Slinky Question', on Sun, 7 Mar 2004:

I expect that's an urban myth.

Now you've done it those WERE secret they were to be used during the first wave attack on the Steps in Mongolia

#If you place a Slinky on an escalator, will it go forever ?:-) # # ...Jim Thompson

No. But this newsgroup thread will!