A4 / V2 Rocket in detail: A72 launch switch

Ғылым және технология

Rightly called a robot bomb during WWII, the V2 rocket was the world's first fully cybernetic weapon - a war robot. And nothing illustrates the V2 robot's automated character better than the A72 launch switch. It's a small, almost invisible, part of the missile, but as our video shows, it leads us into the deepest secrets of the V2's function.
(Want to help us make more videos like this? See our Patreon link below.)
00:00 A look at the A72 , the true King of switches
01:00 Where to find the A72 on the missile
04:20 Adding the mounting plate
04:47 The exact location using old parts
05:50 Finding the A72 on museum V2 rockets
08:27 Looking at the spring actuator design
10:43 Where to find it on drawings
13:11 What the A72 does
18:59 The importance of electromagnetic relays
24:06 The domino analogy
24:36 Model demonstrating what it does and how relays are used on the missile
35:00 The V2 robot wakes up
36:50 Back to the real thing
38:02 The click you never hear
39:04 Thanks for watching
Our thanks to www.v2rocket.com and Ed Straten for additional photography.
Visit www.v2rocket.com for more information about the V2 missile.
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/ v2rockethistory
Although Turbopump Part 2 was three years in the making, very little of that time was spent in front of a camera. Most of the time and effort was spent in research and you see the culmination in the hour-and-three-quarter video presented here.
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Presented by Robert J Dalby
Produced by DB Video Services for Astronomy and Nature TV

Пікірлер: 109

  • @grossersalat578
    @grossersalat5782 жыл бұрын

    Just visited Peenemünde in parts because of this channel.

  • @tomclark6271
    @tomclark62712 жыл бұрын

    Very excellent explanation. Before 1937, Lockheed utilized a similar switch called the "wieght on wheels" switch to disable the electric landing gear actuator motor so the gear could not be retracted before the airplane was flying. The same concept is incorporated into modern retractable landing systems today. The same weight on wheels method is used to enable the spoilers and thrust reversers on many types.

  • @neilfurby555
    @neilfurby5552 жыл бұрын

    Around 13 minutes....A simplified circuit diagram ..... this man produces extraordinary support materials like rabbits out of a hat! Another wonderful and strangely captivating episode of this magnificent series.

  • @shoersa
    @shoersa2 жыл бұрын

    Great video! Well done. Thanks Robert. Electrical Engineer here. I can see that in the modern world a LOT of this design could be done today with a microcontroller and software. I appreciate the deep dive into this 1940s design with relays, motors, gears & cams driving contacts in sequence.

  • @hisheighnessthesupremebeing
    @hisheighnessthesupremebeing2 жыл бұрын

    Why did I just spend 40 minutes watching a video about some archaic switch/button? .. I haven't got the faintest idea why.. But it was well narrated and oddly interesting

  • @williamgreen5575
    @williamgreen55752 жыл бұрын

    The way this electromechanical system works, with the central timer motor connected to various relays and switches, is exactly how an old pinball machine keeps score, adds bonuses and counts balls etc. Very clever.

  • @longden57
    @longden572 жыл бұрын

    So good to see a new video! Hope you guys are doing well over there 🙂👍

  • @tracysrocket
    @tracysrocket2 жыл бұрын

    "The" important switch. Well done Robert, A+ again.

  • @jtveg
    @jtveg2 жыл бұрын

    A very interesting look at part of the takeoff circuitry of the V2 / A4 and the all important switch which triggers the systems to begin a chain of events because the rocket has left the pad and is on its way. Thanks so much for sharing.

  • @Mekchanoid
    @Mekchanoid2 жыл бұрын

    Fascinating and superbly detailed as usual, thanks Robert.

  • @volkerkalhoefer3973

    @volkerkalhoefer3973

    11 ай бұрын

    But BILTEMA batteries, no wonder they lost the war 😂

  • @woodywoodlstein9519
    @woodywoodlstein95192 жыл бұрын

    These blueprints are amazing.

  • @johnpotter4750

    @johnpotter4750

    2 жыл бұрын

    Blueprints always engage me, and the amount of copies, must make reproduction so expensive. Modern wide base photocopying is so cheap (so many rehashes/mods :-)

  • @michaelwebber4033
    @michaelwebber40339 ай бұрын

    This is the sort of electrical stuff I live for. I have worked on some technical plants over the years and I love it

  • @ThomasGabrielsen
    @ThomasGabrielsen2 жыл бұрын

    Fantastic work! I'm binge watching your videos after rediscovering your channel. Great stuff!

  • @bumboclat
    @bumboclat2 жыл бұрын

    That was brilliant. Hope to see more episodes in the future. Those engineers were so far ahead of their time.

  • @Fauxbra
    @Fauxbra7 ай бұрын

    Not sure why i need to know any of this but it's fascinating.

  • @wolf_4128
    @wolf_41282 жыл бұрын

    Thank you very much for this awesome series, love the huge effort put into everything!

  • @schwabrs
    @schwabrs2 жыл бұрын

    I did not seen video but put like, will watch later from bed for good night. Great work keep up the good work on these V2 rocket videos.

  • @chrisbishop1534
    @chrisbishop15342 жыл бұрын

    Best video i've seen on this subject!!.A few years ago i built and flew several solid powered models of the v2.I know it sounds strange but pressing the launch button gave a strange excitement!!

  • @myoniwy
    @myoniwy2 жыл бұрын

    @Astronomy and Nature TV Can you provide high definition wiring diagram?

  • @pierrechouet1016
    @pierrechouet10162 жыл бұрын

    Really impressing! The technical solutions founded by the engineers are really smart and elegant.

  • @frankv7068

    @frankv7068

    2 жыл бұрын

    Their elegance was quickly burned away halfway falling through hell before meeting Lucifer 🔥👹🔱

  • @lubbas72
    @lubbas722 жыл бұрын

    Superb videos! Please do more videos about the guidance system and improvements over time.

  • @AlainVanhove
    @AlainVanhove2 жыл бұрын

    Fascinating stuff , I love the work that went into this video !!! Thanks Robert !!!

  • @mikus4242
    @mikus42422 жыл бұрын

    I thank you for this insight into the minds of the engineers that designed the V2.

  • @craigrogers3864
    @craigrogers38642 жыл бұрын

    Great to see you again! You're videos helped me through lockdown ⭐

  • @edbailey7533
    @edbailey75332 жыл бұрын

    What a fascinating video--thanks so much for putting it together for us!

  • @gshort4707
    @gshort47072 жыл бұрын

    Great explanation. Thanks for taking the time, which must have been considerable, to make the model to help our understanding. Excellent video.

  • @fernandoperfumo3181
    @fernandoperfumo31812 жыл бұрын

    I would to have the V2 electric schematic diagram!. It's really interesting to see the German's designing choices at that time. Thanks for this really good research work!.

  • @markussteinbacher8807

    @markussteinbacher8807

    Жыл бұрын

    www.aggregat4.de/pdf/Ger%C3%A4tebeschreibung_A4.pdf

  • @charliebravo8622
    @charliebravo8622 Жыл бұрын

    Fantastic display as always! Thank you!

  • @grassblade2
    @grassblade210 ай бұрын

    Admiring the beautifully written piece of prose there at the end clearly defining the 'mission statement' for your presentations here. Their poignancy most correct...etc. The irony then of Herr Von Braun's procurement by the American Authorities for 'peacetime scientific advancement'. Nut's to what he and cronies did. Powerful stuff. Moving On. As we all had to...apparently. Thank you for your illustrations. Simply fascinating insight.

  • @glennmorrissey5309
    @glennmorrissey5309 Жыл бұрын

    A well researched, well presented presentation of the A-72 launch switch. Thank you very much for the effort to make a complicated sequence of events so easy to follow.

  • @peterbustin2683
    @peterbustin26837 ай бұрын

    Really great series of videos. Many thanks!

  • @KB9LAD
    @KB9LAD2 жыл бұрын

    When you say, "in detail", you really mean it!

  • @Mike44460
    @Mike444602 жыл бұрын

    With all of the knowledge you have shared with your videos, then viewing the old launch movie clips, one can understand and grasp what is taking place and when. Excellent production start to finish on all of your videos, thanks from Ohio in the USA.

  • @gaylefeinberg1237
    @gaylefeinberg12372 жыл бұрын

    Thank,s RobertI did some "Stuff 'as a young person in the USAF.Flt engineer Recip engineer training C-97,,C141A and Finally C-5a run qualified Tf-39 testing .What fascinates me is the seemingly reliance on german technoigy the USAF relies upon for jet engine development not to mention rocketry.For example the sequntial activation caused by A72.The 4 speed box and voltage regulator of the APU starting is almost identical.Having spent so many years of my youth in aviation your presentation has left me wondering about the panic situation that existed during the war to defeat Germany and Japan.It was a terrible cost in human lives.but if it wasn't stopped that next missle would have been tipped with nuclear war head,headed straight for Delancy street in Manhatten

  • @blackhawkorg
    @blackhawkorg Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for a look deep inside the functionality of this amazing rocket. After seeing one in person they have always fascinated me. The resemblance of latter liquid fuel rockets to the father of them all is obvious even after 20 years. Your vid is a gem, the best I've ever seen on this aspect of the control system. Amazing.

  • @adeeponion9152
    @adeeponion91522 жыл бұрын

    Clever machine, dark and deadly. Now I understand more! Thanks!

  • @88njtrigg88
    @88njtrigg882 жыл бұрын

    Absolutely amazing and how comprehensive these videos and descriptions are. I've learnt more and rehashed my basic knowledge more then most theirtube videos. Thank you for the intuitive information.

  • @darrelljohnston5214
    @darrelljohnston5214 Жыл бұрын

    Such an excellent series! Quick trip to the hardware store and I’m building my own personal V2!!! Danke!!

  • @burningb2439
    @burningb24392 жыл бұрын

    Amazing breakdown right down to a little Button into a Switch , unleashing Destruction...Great Vid.

  • @PabloA64
    @PabloA642 жыл бұрын

    Great, superb video! and very well explained, as ever. Thanks Robert!

  • @6Diego1Diego9
    @6Diego1Diego9 Жыл бұрын

    This build up was amazing

  • @tomlongbow
    @tomlongbow2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you very much for sharing !

  • @biplaneflights
    @biplaneflights2 жыл бұрын

    Another fantastic video! Loved the animation at the end!

  • @geogeo1261
    @geogeo1261 Жыл бұрын

    Excellent presentation sir! Thank you!

  • @ln5321
    @ln53212 жыл бұрын

    Love the deep dive videos

  • @BigMaxTube
    @BigMaxTube2 жыл бұрын

    As an enthusiast of understanding things of a retrotechnical nature, i found this to be thouroughly engaging. Thanks SO much for taking the time to show us!

  • @Simple_But_Expensive
    @Simple_But_Expensive10 ай бұрын

    The switch actuation is called snap action, and is commonly used in instrumentation today. All of this including the drum timer could be done with a simply designed PLC nowadays.

  • @MrTONESHOP
    @MrTONESHOP9 ай бұрын

    Very well explained and presented !! Thanks so !

  • @RocketPlanet

    @RocketPlanet

    9 ай бұрын

    Hi and thanks. Don't forget to subscribe if you want to see more like this - and be sure to take a look at Turbopump Part 2, which looks at some surprising physical effects of the pump system on the rocket in flight. kzread.info/dash/bejne/daGI2qN_iZOZlrg.html Best wishes A&NTV

  • @fudruckers3916
    @fudruckers39162 жыл бұрын

    Take a shot every time rob says "fin number one"

  • @markiobook8639
    @markiobook8639 Жыл бұрын

    Superb documentary

  • @AbuctingTacos
    @AbuctingTacos2 жыл бұрын

    This series is so good I look forward to each one. This is my third time watching this video

  • @typxxilps
    @typxxilps2 жыл бұрын

    So well documented and explained - every detail gets attention even the brandings of Siemens and Halske. You might also know that in Dresden in the german military museum is another V2 rocket in the exhibition, but without that launch base I guess. Ihad been there last year before the video had been released otherwise I would have checked that V2 for the switch. A72 in the A4 rocket as it had been called during developement if I remember right. And it was a great idea to show the switch mounted on that rebuilded plate among the debris of that fin / rudder where it belonged. I watched it 3 times to get the full picture right.

  • @stephenarcher8929
    @stephenarcher89295 ай бұрын

    brilliant thanks I can't get enough of these bloody rockets. Rocket motor to drive a turbo pump to pump the propellant into the rocket motor, neat eh?

  • @alanmorris7634
    @alanmorris76342 жыл бұрын

    Very interesting

  • @nephilimcrt
    @nephilimcrt2 жыл бұрын

    Ah, the perfect video to watch on a Friday night after the wife's gone to bed :)

  • @stekra3159
    @stekra31592 жыл бұрын

    Thank you

  • @chrishyslop1
    @chrishyslop12 жыл бұрын

    really great video.

  • @aaronbinns220
    @aaronbinns2202 жыл бұрын

    Id love to see a new video on the way they designed the bell of the rocket motor, and how they integrated cooling into the system that you mentioned in the video about the injector pots.

  • @trulsx
    @trulsx2 жыл бұрын

    Part of me knows that this information will be vital.... for me to be the guy who knows way to much about the a4/v2 /?R1? rocket. so thanks for enabling me to be "That Guy"

  • @DarpaSeven
    @DarpaSeven2 жыл бұрын

    Awesome

  • @rockabillyalex
    @rockabillyalex2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks very interesting

  • @toddanonymous5295
    @toddanonymous52952 жыл бұрын

    Great video. I wonder what effect G forces had on the various relays during flight. I would imagine they were oriented on the missile to reduce the influence of these forces. The engineers must have put relays designed for telephone service through rigorous testing.

  • @salhadinashair1011
    @salhadinashair1011 Жыл бұрын

    Great really great

  • @MountainFisher
    @MountainFisher Жыл бұрын

    There is a complete V2 at White Sands Missile Range's Missile Museum. Much of it is cut-away so you can see the inside construction. I was surprised that much of the circuits were mounted on a plywood stiffener up near the nose.

  • @thatbme8736
    @thatbme87362 жыл бұрын

    Such detail that explains how technologic advanced the Nazis were in weapons development. Thank God for the allies being able to cut of their supplies in order to suspend further development. Scary to imagine how differently the outcome of the war could have turned. Great detail and visual explanation in all the videos I've watched. Instinctive and intuitive feeling whenever seeing an actual historical video of a launch of the V2 rocket. Will always have a different view when watching any documentary including the V2 in use against the allies. Thank You!!

  • @cla707
    @cla7072 жыл бұрын

    There was a term in German "zwangsgeführte federunterstützte schaltmechanik" (force-guided spring-assisted switching mechanism) when you where looking for push buttons in electronics mail order companies. I guess this was meaning the same kind of switch-characteristcs though I can't find this term now anymore. I was using that kind of switch for my self-wound starting transformer. The same features microswitches have as well I suppose.

  • @johnpotter4750

    @johnpotter4750

    2 жыл бұрын

    Missed out on the variable resistors Carbon film or swept wirewound. The switch reminds me of pre-war ceramic light switches, lot of brass pivot points, fast , for early town DC supplies before Grid Enforcement.

  • @stevensheldon9271
    @stevensheldon9271 Жыл бұрын

    How did you acquire so much knowledge about the V2 systems? Are the technical schematics available to the public?

  • @johnbattista9519
    @johnbattista95192 жыл бұрын

    Love the model of the launch stand, your explanation started to sound like Eric Idles explanation of the attack plans in the sewer system in The Life of Brian.

  • @pungskum
    @pungskum Жыл бұрын

    Amazing video! Cant wait for more detalied videos (turbopump part 2 🤔😉) Did you make the model in Sweden? Those batteries are from Biltema and Kjell & Co. Swedish stores 🙂.

  • @MauricioJoseKaczmarech
    @MauricioJoseKaczmarech Жыл бұрын

    Congratulations for this video about the technology of the A4-V2. In this and other videos, he presented schemes. Is there any way to make them available to those of us who are fascinated by rocket technology?

  • @user-ps3ob8ch7k
    @user-ps3ob8ch7k8 ай бұрын

    Hi there, fantastic video, very informative. In what way do you think a V2 could have been sabotaged without detection during pre-launch tests? Thank you.

  • @johnpotter4750
    @johnpotter47502 жыл бұрын

    Question Sir, Does your V2 display visit any of the Civilian Museums.... and does your Meade still work ? Followed your diagrams and interconnection fine, but since so much sabotage was carried out, an external DC Sw(A72). would be very tempting. The pre-testing (missing) would be most important for the A7y relay (I Prefer ASEA relays, but not robust for lorries) and will not be heard, did the crew use a 'mulitester/dedicated' to discern free movement of both A72 and setting relay A7y. Wiring - Rubber or asbestos insulation ? Love the 'tiny' trembler/bell vibrator 300hz Square A.C. Generator ! The Cam Switcher/programmer if not sealed, it would be delightful to spoil with, a quick contact depression of the thumb, would slow its rotation. Reviewing the Rkt schematic "they really passed over Timer Start Sw" .

  • @mauriciokaczmarech1028
    @mauriciokaczmarech10282 жыл бұрын

    Very interesting video, shows how small things were part of big things! Where can I get the technical drawings shown in the video? Thanks!!

  • @schabanow
    @schabanow2 жыл бұрын

    You should use automatic washing machine's control unit (tiny electric geared program motor with drum of cams/contacts) for better illustration for your A4 electric model. Thanks a lot, it was really impressive! +1

  • @graemeallan54
    @graemeallan542 жыл бұрын

    do I see the beginning of the PLC from Siemens?

  • @TheInvoice123
    @TheInvoice123 Жыл бұрын

    I love circuitry

  • @johndonaldson3619
    @johndonaldson36192 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for another great vid Robert (But what about the 8 ton valve!!! lol)

  • @raoulberret3024
    @raoulberret3024 Жыл бұрын

    Looking for: “The Turbo Pump Part 2”! Where can I find it?

  • @maxdavies5776
    @maxdavies57762 жыл бұрын

    Best system

  • @dan-nutu
    @dan-nutu Жыл бұрын

    Hah! Who would have thought that my old washing machine had V2 technology in it!

  • @zoltanpekic3119
    @zoltanpekic3119 Жыл бұрын

    Thank your amazing deep-dive video! My question is was the control feedback loop using PID or just P (proportional) control? From what I gathered from videos, the control fins and vanes were counteracting the error signal from gyros only in proportion? If so, certainly a deliberate design choice to simplify the missile control unit.

  • @MrTONESHOP

    @MrTONESHOP

    9 ай бұрын

    Helmut Hoelzer’s Fully Electronic Analog Computer used in the German V2 (A4) rockets Synopsis: A fully electronic general-purpose analog computer was designed by Helmut Hoelzer, a German electrical engineer and remote-controlled guidance specialist. He and an assistant built the device in 1941 in Peenemunde, Germany, where they were working as part of Werner von Braun’s long-range rocket development team. The computer was based on an electronic integrator and differentiator conceived by Hoelzer in 1935 and first applied to the guidance system of the A-4 rocket.

  • @MrTONESHOP

    @MrTONESHOP

    9 ай бұрын

    www.cdvandt.org/Hoelzer%20V4.pdf

  • @schabanow
    @schabanow2 жыл бұрын

    19:45 V2 is the dark/evil ancestor of all automatic washing machines. ))))

  • @orlandonostagiafever1964
    @orlandonostagiafever19642 жыл бұрын

    Boy Von Braun was years ahead.

  • @balaramsharangi9747
    @balaramsharangi9747 Жыл бұрын

    Excellent 💚💚💚 🇮🇳💚🇺🇲

  • @RobDeVos101
    @RobDeVos1012 жыл бұрын

    How did they aligned the rocket to point to the target? I know the Lance rocket had a whole team of land surveyors to properly mark the launch location and calculate the direction to which the rocket should be launched.

  • @williamgreen5575

    @williamgreen5575

    2 жыл бұрын

    The rocket was on a rotating turntable. They knew the compass heading from the launch location to the target and just rotated the rocket so that fin number 1 was pointing toward the target. I'm not sure how they set the range of the rocket though. I'm guessing it was done by setting the rocket to fire for a specific length of time, using the timer system that was started by switch A72 at launch.

  • @zoltanpekic3119

    @zoltanpekic3119

    Жыл бұрын

    @@williamgreen5575 I believe it was the opposite - the velocity was measured (integrating the acceleration through time) and when the preset velocity was reached (which depended on desired range), the engine was cut off.

  • @wooha600
    @wooha6002 жыл бұрын

    Why wasn't the A4 or V2 accurate? It would often miss its target by up to 50km, yes?

  • @alexwild4350
    @alexwild43502 жыл бұрын

    Hmm. I can relate to the wiring issues more directly than I realise. My first job after leaving school, 1981, was wiring mobile telephone handsets to the transmitter/ receivers and logic boards using a 20 way un-colour coded ribbon cable. This meant all 20 wires, bar one, were coloured grey an looked the same, while having to be hand soldered to their respective contacts in different locations across the unit. This produced a rats nest of grey wires going everywhere. One wire had a red stripe trace, and that was wire No.1. And virtually every handset made had an initial wiring fault because with all the wires so closely bunched, it was just too easy to pick up the wrong wire in the sequence, or mis-count from a re-check to double check the wire count/ termination. Usually any double check, and a double check the double check lead to a different count leading to doubt on the work just done. The best way to check the wiring was to plug it in, but due to costs of components at the time, this was not possible until the unit was installed where it was meant to be, reliably considered, a new and fully functioning unit. It rarely ever was that until the installation engineer plugged it in and now identified by subsystem fault where the likely wiring issue was. But this all added time and frustrated them. Now I can grasp that being hungry, for being under fed, working eighteen hours a day in a dimly lit noisy environment with guards looking for any excuse to beat you physically, always being tired for under sleeping in a bad environment, always being hungry and dealing with what was hinted as being such a complex wiring system that there were insufficient colours to distinguish all the required wires, would have just been an intolerable environment to work in, and produce a product free of defects. The core issue was common to both work environments, what mattered was getting the units out the door for production numbers. And it was just expected you'd get the wiring right first time. It was just too much to expect.

  • @OYEUAV
    @OYEUAV2 жыл бұрын

    Please sir thank you for the good work... I will like to chat you privately . Please what can I do

  • @manifold1476
    @manifold14762 жыл бұрын

    I guess there's no chance of getting to watch the video of the umbilical cable system with *useful* audio.

  • @balaramsharangi9747
    @balaramsharangi9747 Жыл бұрын

    🇮🇳💚🇬🇧

  • @philipboug
    @philipboug2 жыл бұрын

    And to think that all that incredible Engineering and complex electronics would, after a short flight time be blown to smithereens as the Warhead contacts it's Target. I cannot help but wonder what these things cost to build? Of course the same holds true for modern equivalence of the V2. ICBM at the top end of the scale and possibly air to air missiles at the bottom end, they all cost millions to develop and more millions to build. All for man to wreak destruction on his fellow man, and along the way make huge profits for the armaments industry.

  • @onedayagogo
    @onedayagogo7 ай бұрын

    _Staatsgehiemnis !_

  • @fernandoperfumo3181
    @fernandoperfumo31812 жыл бұрын

    Sorry! I would like I mean:)

  • @janetizzy6741
    @janetizzy67412 жыл бұрын

    Hmm.. And I wonder why they called this rocket science.

  • @woodywoodlstein9519
    @woodywoodlstein95192 жыл бұрын

    Incredible tutorials from favourite “ fat “ Englishman. (I’m quoting him and I don’t think he’s fat)

  • @andreavico6198
    @andreavico61989 ай бұрын

    40 minutes and I still don't know what the switch does.

  • @franksigwart9777
    @franksigwart97772 жыл бұрын

    Just add water.

  • @joseph-mariopelerin7028
    @joseph-mariopelerin70282 жыл бұрын

    ''click'' mouhahaha

  • @prostytroll
    @prostytroll9 ай бұрын

    Elvis switch...

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