I have just come across a fully functional piece of equipment that may
be some form of a Crooks Tube and I wonder if anyone can fill in any
details on its operation.
The tube is beautifully made in an evacuated glass tube in which there
are two circular electrodes. Between the electrodes are parallel glass
rails on which a paddle wheel is mounted in such a way as it can roll
back and forth between the electrodes very smoothly. The paddles are
apparently coated with one color or phosphorescent material on one side
and another color on the other side. The paddle wheel is situated so
that the upper half of the paddle wheel is on a line that would connect
the two electrodes.
When it is energized it is caused to rotate and moves, quite rapidly, to
one end of the parallel rails exhibiting bright colors as to goes.
One surprising observation is that, no matter how level we seem to get
the device, the paddle wheel maintains a movement of rotating back and
forth continuously between the electrodes. I am assume that this is
because of the accumulated rotational inertia but I wonder if there is
something I am missing.
When might such an instrument have been made? Are they still available
anywhere? It is truly a fine piece of workmanship. Anyone have more
information about this device?