What Happened to Mechanical Governors? The Devices That Controlled Engines Before Electronics
Lost Motion Archive
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#MechanicalGovernors #EngineeringHistory #ForgottenTechnology
Before electronics, mechanical governors controlled the speed of steam engines, diesel engines, and industrial machines. How did these ingenious devices regulate powerful engines without electricity—and why did they gradually disappear?
Discover the fascinating history of mechanical governors, from James Watt's steam engines to the rise of centrifugal governors and modern electronic engine control systems.
Explore how these remarkable mechanisms prevented dangerous overspeed, transformed industrial engineering, and laid the foundation for modern feedback control technology.
🔔 Subscribe for more untold stories of forgotten machines, groundbreaking inventions, and the engineering innovations that changed the world!
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#SteamEngines #CentrifugalGovernor #MechanicalEngineering #IndustrialHistory #enginetechnology
9 Comments
Works very well, hold the speed (so the frequency) astonishingly accurate from no load to full load. (For diesels engines all is included in the injection pump but the basic principle is the same).... Governors are not disappearing yet.
Oh your air blower, lawnmower and such are also speed regulated by governors...
At this highest speed, the engine is said to be "running balls-out".
The flyball governor thus has even changed our language.
What Happened to Mechanical Governors? The Devices That Controlled Engines Before Electronics
Lost Motion Archive
6,310 views
#MechanicalGovernors #EngineeringHistory #ForgottenTechnology
Before electronics, mechanical governors controlled the speed of steam engines, diesel engines, and industrial machines. How did these ingenious devices regulate powerful engines without electricity—and why did they gradually disappear?
Discover the fascinating history of mechanical governors, from James Watt's steam engines to the rise of centrifugal governors and modern electronic engine control systems.
Explore how these remarkable mechanisms prevented dangerous overspeed, transformed industrial engineering, and laid the foundation for modern feedback control technology.
🔔 Subscribe for more untold stories of forgotten machines, groundbreaking inventions, and the engineering innovations that changed the world!
👍 Like, comment, and share if you love mechanical engineering history!
#SteamEngines #CentrifugalGovernor #MechanicalEngineering #IndustrialHistory #enginetechnology