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The weird Logarex Typ-01 |
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By now I’ve seen a great many slide rules, but when I sighted the one in this photo it came as a total surprise. It’s simply so weird! |
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 Click photo to enlarge |
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As it says on the handle (if that’s what it
is), this is the Logarex Typ-01, made in Czechoslovakia by that
well-known maker of more ordinary slide rules. You can find a great
many of those online, but there is no information anywhere about
this particular model. The diameter of the outermost (metal) disk is
11 cm, and the length of the base is 17.8 cm. Basically this is a two-cursor circular slide rule, one cursor fixed to the transparent extension of the handle that overlays the disk, and the second cursor on its own movable transparent disk (the one with the four frilly grips). Below all these is a disk with multiple scales, and below that is a metal disk with a knurled edge; I suspect that the scales used to be glued to this metal disk (they are unglued now). The two black things are spring loaded and retract what I imagine were brakes for the two moving disks, although at present only one works (kind of). The mechanics of this device are definitely loose and I can only surmise how they used to work. If I’m right, in order to multiply N x M you’d turn the metal disk by its edge to put the “1” of the main logarithmic scale under the fixed cursor, rotate the second cursor to N, then keep the second cursor in place relative to the first and rotate the scale to place M under the first cursor; the result would be under the second cursor. The spring-loaded brakes would be manipulated to keep the disks stationary, or not, as required. The scale disk has the usual math functions: n, 1/n, n**2, log, sin, tg, and a 2-turn spiral that seems to be the LL2 and LL3 scales combined. Pretty much a standard slide rule, just in a very unusual form factor. It is possible that the strange form of the handle was intended to help hold it in the palm of one’s right hand, with the thumb nestled in the curve at the far end and able to manipulate the two brakes. The back is also weird -- note the logarithmic ruler at the edge and the extensive reference that looks like something a student would write on a cheat sheet... far beyond the basic formulas you’d expect. |
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 Click photo to enlarge |
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The device comes in a nice zippered leather sleeve -- Logarex did a quality job on this one. Now if only we had some documentation to clarify what they were thinking... |
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 Click photo to enlarge |
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Exhibit provenance: eBay, from a seller in Bulgaria. More info: |
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