The Smithsonian Institution sponsored a free museum day. One of the participating museums was the National Electronics Museum, which is not part of the Smithsonian.
The museum focuses on communications and detection technology, mostly from the twentieth century. Some of the exhibits are too large to fit inside the building, so they are outside.
The Nike Ajax was an anti-aircraft missile radar built in the 1950s. These radars were stationed in the United States and used to guide surface-to-air missiles in the event the Soviet Union sent bombers to mainland America.
Produced from the 1960s to the 1980s, the TPS-43 was a tactical surveillance radar used to detect approaching air crafts. The unit folds up and is transportable by truck, helicopter, or aircraft. They were built by Westinghouse and sold to more than twenty nations.
Inside the museum, the first room displays early technology. The exhibit has lots of hands-on opportunities that were popular with our children.
One display had an Edison phonograph, which isn't so much electronic but is a technological marvel.
More recent technologies on display include smoke alarms and speed detectors.
One corner has an oversized vacuum tube to show how it works.
Technology created new forms of communication and eventually created the need for securing those communications. Morse code is fun to try out but hard to do properly, much less hear what is being broadcast. My children gave it a try anyway.
World War II featured a lot of famous cryptological inventions to secure information. Strip ciphers as on the right below were used to encode and decode messages. The strips had different arrangements for different days. Naturally, both sender and recipient need the strips.
The most famous coding machine was Germany's Enigma. The Allies couldn't crack the code until they managed to capture a machine. The Germans were unaware of the loss for a long time and lost a big advantage.
The museum has its own amateur radio station, with a combination of latest tech and earlier equipment. No one was in the station to demonstrate but it did look like fun.
A big development was the ability to turn a voice (or any noise) into an electronic signal that could be broadcast over the airwaves or through phone lines. One machine showed our voices turned into waves.
One of the earliest car phones was one from the 1960s. Obviously it's not in use any more. I was amazed because I thought the Batphone in the Batmobile from the 1960s show was something made up!
The next room feature all sorts of World War II radar equipment, including a truck outfitted for radar support.
Airplanes were fitted with radars as well, sometimes to detect threats, sometimes to thwart threats.
A temporary exhibit showed equipment from NASA's Apollo missions. It was very exciting to see for me.
The undersea electronics were fascinating. Sonar is the sub-surface cousin of radar! A display showed World War II-era equipment.
Another hall shows electronic countermeasures. Radar is important in civilian life and during war. Wartime makes the need for countermeasures, a way of jamming radar or fooling it by creating false targets. Different measures have been used since World War II.
Chaff is the most basic type of jamming. Chaff is basically strips of tinfoil dumped out the back of a plane to confuse the radar signals. While chaff is simple and low cost, it also requires carrying a lot of it to be effective.
Higher tech equipment includes missiles to mislead enemy weapons.
My son tried out a Theremin, an electronic instrument played without touching it. One hand controls the volume, the other makes semi-musical noises. This must be a really tough instrument to master!
The satellites room shows various rockets and the satellites they put in space.
The museum was fun to visit. It's not too big so the kids didn't get bored fast enough for us to miss much, if any, of the displays.
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| National Electronics Museum |
The museum focuses on communications and detection technology, mostly from the twentieth century. Some of the exhibits are too large to fit inside the building, so they are outside.
The Nike Ajax was an anti-aircraft missile radar built in the 1950s. These radars were stationed in the United States and used to guide surface-to-air missiles in the event the Soviet Union sent bombers to mainland America.
 |
| Nike Ajax |
Produced from the 1960s to the 1980s, the TPS-43 was a tactical surveillance radar used to detect approaching air crafts. The unit folds up and is transportable by truck, helicopter, or aircraft. They were built by Westinghouse and sold to more than twenty nations.
 |
| TPS-43 |
Inside the museum, the first room displays early technology. The exhibit has lots of hands-on opportunities that were popular with our children.
 |
| Jacob's Ladder, popular with mad scientists and younger brothers |
 |
| Using physical force to create electrical power |
 |
| Showing where electricity is used in the home |
One display had an Edison phonograph, which isn't so much electronic but is a technological marvel.
 |
| One of Edison's marvels |
More recent technologies on display include smoke alarms and speed detectors.
 |
| Some modern developments |
One corner has an oversized vacuum tube to show how it works.
 |
| Largest vacuum tube ever? |
Technology created new forms of communication and eventually created the need for securing those communications. Morse code is fun to try out but hard to do properly, much less hear what is being broadcast. My children gave it a try anyway.
 |
| Morse code station |
World War II featured a lot of famous cryptological inventions to secure information. Strip ciphers as on the right below were used to encode and decode messages. The strips had different arrangements for different days. Naturally, both sender and recipient need the strips.
 |
| Crypto equipment |
The most famous coding machine was Germany's Enigma. The Allies couldn't crack the code until they managed to capture a machine. The Germans were unaware of the loss for a long time and lost a big advantage.
 |
| Enigma |
The museum has its own amateur radio station, with a combination of latest tech and earlier equipment. No one was in the station to demonstrate but it did look like fun.
 |
| Radio station |
A big development was the ability to turn a voice (or any noise) into an electronic signal that could be broadcast over the airwaves or through phone lines. One machine showed our voices turned into waves.
 |
| Singing in the machine |
One of the earliest car phones was one from the 1960s. Obviously it's not in use any more. I was amazed because I thought the Batphone in the Batmobile from the 1960s show was something made up!
 |
| Mobile phone, if you have a car to go with it |
The next room feature all sorts of World War II radar equipment, including a truck outfitted for radar support.
 |
| Truck full of electronics |
Airplanes were fitted with radars as well, sometimes to detect threats, sometimes to thwart threats.
 |
| Airplane radar |
 |
| A sample plane |
A temporary exhibit showed equipment from NASA's Apollo missions. It was very exciting to see for me.
 |
| More equipment from the Apollo missions |
 |
| NASA Apollo mission equipment |
The undersea electronics were fascinating. Sonar is the sub-surface cousin of radar! A display showed World War II-era equipment.
 |
| Pinging! |
 |
| Countermeasures used to create false signals for torpedoes |
Another hall shows electronic countermeasures. Radar is important in civilian life and during war. Wartime makes the need for countermeasures, a way of jamming radar or fooling it by creating false targets. Different measures have been used since World War II.
Chaff is the most basic type of jamming. Chaff is basically strips of tinfoil dumped out the back of a plane to confuse the radar signals. While chaff is simple and low cost, it also requires carrying a lot of it to be effective.
 |
| Just throw some stuff out to fool the radar |
Higher tech equipment includes missiles to mislead enemy weapons.
 |
| Actually electronic countermeasures |
 |
| A long wall of countermeasures |
My son tried out a Theremin, an electronic instrument played without touching it. One hand controls the volume, the other makes semi-musical noises. This must be a really tough instrument to master!
 |
| Playing a theremin |
The satellites room shows various rockets and the satellites they put in space.
 |
| Sending satellites into space |
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| Explaining different satellites |
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| GPS satellites |
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| Broadcast satellites |
The museum was fun to visit. It's not too big so the kids didn't get bored fast enough for us to miss much, if any, of the displays.
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