Patent Document ID: 3996457
Application ID: 05525511
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. An analog computer structure for solution of differential equations which, in addition to active computing components, includes coefficient potentiometers of the incremental displacement type, wherein said panel includes coefficient potentiometers of the incremental displacement type, said potentiometer consisting of three or more cylindrically-shaped fixed portions mounted on a common hollow nonmetallic axle and each having an exterior rotatable sleeve held in position horizontally, faced with numerals from zero to ten, said fixed portions mounted side by side, so that even a blind person may be capable of rotating said sleeve and setting the desired attenuation value in appropriate digital numbers by feel, each said fixed portion having ten captured recessed rectangular-shaped resistors of equal magnitude and connected in series fashion, each of said resistors encased in hard insulation material and each said resistor having rigid electrical leads attached at each end, each said lead making electrical contact with a conductive bar and each said bar attached to a non-metallic hollow rod passing radially to the exterior surface of said axle; each said resistor held outward by a coiled tension spring located beneath each, each said spring supported at its lower end by the solid material of said fixed portion; said electrical contacts for a single one of said resistors made by two metallic captured balls and a riser beneath said sleeve, said riser pressing against one of said resistors and causing same to lose electrical contact with adjacent resistors, said two captured balls being connected to the zero and 10 ends of 10 other resistors serially connected around an adjacent cylindrical fixed portion, each of said balls electrically connected thereto via a set of spring wipers, each said set making electrical contact with one of two grooved conductive cylindrical flanged surfaces, separated electrically by insulation material, each said zero and 10 conductive bars having a conductor attached thereto, said conductor passing through said hollow rod and through said hollow axle and connected to each of two of said flanged surfaces of an adjacent said cylindrically-shaped fixed portion, said fixed portion having an exterior marker denoting said zero conductive bar location and exterior of said sleeve having indentations at the location of each said number so that when an indentation aligns with said marker, the numerical value of the total number of resistors connected in series is identified by said number and represents an attenuation digit with its decimal point determined by said fixed portion's position relative to other said fixed portions mounted on said common axle.