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Here is another score I got from a recent university science department house cleaning. This unique and otherwise mundane looking white box almost got away from me. Much like the Steampunk motor with five speed transmission, I almost left this one sitting on the shelf. Again, glad my curiosity got the better of me. I didn't crack it open until I got home. This old device is a "solar radiation monitor" and it is 100% mechanical. It uses a wind up drum that probably record a month at a time per revolution. The device under the glass dome is the "thermopile". Again, 100% mechanical. It flexes when warmed by the sun hitting it and through a series of levers and arms it moves the stylus up and down on the slowly rotating drum. So, no it's not really an LPM but it could be I suppose. It wouldn't be very accurate and response time would be pretty slow. I have however shined one of my 3w 445's onto the "thermopile" and it certainly moves the stylus. All I need now is a faster moving drum and some calibrating and I'm set to go. Not sure what it's maximum power rating would be. I suppose somewhere around 100w considering the few millimeters I got it to move with my 445. I may just have to figure out a way to make this a genuine LPM someday. I've got too many other interesting projects to do right now but someday when I'm bored this may just become my standby LPM. I'm gonna talk with ARG and see if he could implement his datalogging into it for me as well 
Enjoy the pics.
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Enjoy the pics.
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