How did the electromechanical chart recorder, appearing in the early 20th century, function as an automated logger?
Answer
It married an electrical sensor signal to drive a pen across graph paper on a rotating drum provided by a mechanical timer
The chart recorder represented the first widespread, practical solution for automated, continuous recording by combining existing technologies elegantly. It took the electrical output from a sensor, such as a thermocouple or resistance thermometer, and used that signal to move a pen proportionally across a moving surface. The surface itself was graph paper mounted on a precisely rotating drum driven by a mechanical clockwork timer. The vertical movement of the pen tracked temperature change over time, while the drum's rotation provided the time axis, creating a permanent, visual, electromechanical record.
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