flip-flip-flip: auto-mechanical train schedule?

August 1, 2005 9:50 PM

I would like to obtain one of those auto-mechanical flip-flip-flip-flip train schedule signs (or leader boards).

Where can I buy one?

My google searches and ebay searches have not gone well. I imagine that a leader board (same technology as the train schedule board, used for displaying rankings at tournaments) would be less expensive and less difficult to transport.

A related question: How are these boards controlled? (I assume I would be able to figure something out if I got my hands on one).

posted by nobody to shopping (4 answers total)

How are they controlled? The roller has all the flippy things for the whole alphabet on it and it is indexed. A stepper motor rotates it the right amount to reveal the proper letter. They used to make digital clocks like that in the 70s when LEDs were still expensive and considered high-tech.
posted by Doohickie at 9:55 PM on August 1, 2005

I don't know if this will help you, but Ascom is a large manufacturer of the display systems you'll see in train stations..
posted by Rothko at 10:38 PM on August 1, 2005

The clocks Doohickie mentions were originally made by a company called Copal and are more generally known as "flip digit" clocks. As for public signage, you may want to look into a "flip dot" sign, since those seem to be a little easier to find manufacturers for (Scoretronics, AD Engineering, Luminator, McKenna). There's also large flip digit display manufacturers for scoreboards and remote number displays: Electronumerics, AICPL, FDT.

I'm guessing it'll be hard to find an "old-school" alpha-numeric mechanical flip system manufacturer. Also, any system like that (or the ones above) are going to cost a ridiculous amount of money. They're mainly made for public works and to be very reliable. That adds up to a high cost...

An aside/derail: I've been trying to source new single-digit flip assemblies used in new Copal-style clocks for a few months now with no luck. If anyone know anything about where I can get those parts please email me.
posted by PantsOfSCIENCE at 5:06 AM on August 2, 2005

Let me rephrase a bit in light of this new information. I didn't realize that the train signs actually had separate control of each letter/number position. Was the older flip-flip-flip technology always this way? (My question about how they are controlled meant to be asking about what one uses to control/program the step motors).

Perhaps I'm mistaken here as well, but I was under the impression that the sports leader boards were controlled as full horizontal rows, into each of which are fitted/loaded the various team-names. (I'm not much of a sports fan, but saw one of these most recently in Murderball). This would be sufficient (or even better) for what I have in mind, and probably sidesteps the public-works/reliability/high-cost issue.

The flip dot signs are neat (thanks, Pants) but won't work for what I have in mind. The Ascom signs are so gleaming new (and look like they may be modernized to dot-formed fonts and not flip-flip letter selection. I'm really looking for something much simpler and older.
posted by nobody at 8:38 AM on August 2, 2005