Mud-club

Vehicle & Technical => Discovery => Topic started by: Andy. on June 23, 2005, 23:22:41

Title: What is this ?
Post by: Andy. on June 23, 2005, 23:22:41

Seen this on ebay tonight and wondered what it is and what does it do/tell you  :?:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31348&item=4558100730

Title: What is this ?
Post by: ChrisW on June 23, 2005, 23:26:37

It's the old style of parts catalogue - microfiche's - you know when you're watching some old american movie and they start pulling up old newspapers on a screen sortofthing - loads of info shrunk down too small to read without magnifying lots and lots

Title: What is this ?
Post by: Wanderer on June 23, 2005, 23:26:39

Microfische was the old way of storing parts catalogues etc before computers took over.
You'd need a viewing machine which used to be larger than a PC. It wasn't easy when you first used them. You'd have to get used to the speed it travelled over the microfische.

Very outdated and difficult to use.
You'd need all of the fiches to make it even worthwhile. If the index one is missing then it's no good.

Ed

Title: What is this ?
Post by: ChrisW on June 23, 2005, 23:27:20

Snap!  :lol:

Title: What is this ?
Post by: Andy. on June 23, 2005, 23:29:24

Arh right, got you  :D

Interesting, I suppose you'd need something to be able to read them then  :?:

Title: What is this ?
Post by: Wanderer on June 23, 2005, 23:29:27

2 replies within 4 minutes. Not bad though Chris.

Ed

Title: What is this ?
Post by: Andy. on June 23, 2005, 23:30:51

Just seen your post Ed, about the machine.

Pre computers must be old  :lol:

Title: What is this ?
Post by: Wanderer on June 23, 2005, 23:34:45

1980s although some were still in use for a while after.

They were bigger than a desktop and old monitor.

Ed

Title: What is this ?
Post by: hobbit on June 23, 2005, 23:48:18

Big magnifying units basically

Title: What is this ?
Post by: robbie on June 24, 2005, 02:20:58

Believe it or not, ALL of the BT Directory Enquiries info used to be on these in the 70's/80's, my wife worked them in their latter days before computers

AND

These were the upgrade from loads of books!!!!!

The viewers were similar to a large self-contained rear projector which passed the image onto the screen for viewing. It always looked odd when you used them cos when you moved the slider to the left, the writing went to the right and vice versa.... never easy to get your head around

Title: What is this ?
Post by: landyman Ash on June 24, 2005, 11:56:01

If you go to Dingocrofts in High Wycombe they still use them for all the land rover parts.

They are great and MUCH quicker than a book!

Title: What is this ?
Post by: Xtremeteam on June 24, 2005, 19:41:57

i got 1 with all the fiches out the skip at the local main dealer & also have 1 at work for all the series bits

Title: What is this ?
Post by: Range Rover Blues on June 25, 2005, 13:37:21

Microfische doen't crash and is fully Y2K compliant :D