A variable capacitor is formed by a multilayer circuit board having a plurality of dielectric layers; a first conductive plate, provided within the multilayer circuit board, for serving as one electrode of the variable capacitor; a second conductive plate, provided within the multilayer circuit board, for serving as the other electrode of the variable capacitor; a plurality of third conductive plates provided between the first conductive plate and the second conductive plate; and a plurality of …

A variable capacitor comprising a rotatable drum, which serves as an electrode, and a belt, which is circumferentially guided about the drum and an auxiliary drum, for supporting the counter-electrode layer. This layer is separated from the rotatable drum by a vapor-deposited dielectric layer.

A diffuser for a centrifugal compressor has an annular array of vanes which are movable to vary the configuration of the diffusing passages between the vanes. Each vane includes a first leaf pivoted adjacent the leading edge of the vane and a second leaf pivoted on the first leaf. These leaves have slots extending chordwise of the vanes which are engaged by pins extending from an actuating ring rotatable about the axis of the diffuser. The slots in the two leaves are at an angle to each other so…

A variable resistor is disclosed which may readily attain or reproduce a preset value. A wiper arm or plate is carried by an outer shaft for rotation with a wiper in sliding contact with a resistor so that the resistance value may be continuously varied in a conventional manner. In order to detect the angular position of the outer shaft where a preset value is obtained, a click mechanism is incorporated. A click spring of the click mechanism is fixed to a switching plate carried by an inner shaf…

A variable resistor provided with a mechanism which permits the tap resistance to be varied non-linearly; that is, the mechanism permits a contactor to be displaced at a varying rate in response to the operation of input means at a constant rate.

A capacitor having an elongated, generally tubular shape includes a metal clad dielectric sheet formed into an elongated, generally tubularly shaped core that is mounted between two conductive terminals and receives an elongated conductive member electrically connected to one of the conductive terminals. The axial position of the elongated conductive member within the core is variable to vary the capacitance of the capacitor. The method of making or assembling the capacitor includes the steps of…

A variable calendar is provided in which the days of the week for several successive weeks are displayed in registry in first and second fixed scales which cooperate, respectively, with first and second sliding scales cumulatively displaying the calendar dates of the days of an entire month and positioned adjacent and parallel to the fixed scales with the spacing intervals of the various scale indicia being identical. The sliding scales are preferably arranged such that the first represents the …

A variable capacitance transducer has a cable loop interlinked with a metallic tube. The cable loop comprises a metallic cable-half joined to an insulative cable-half. The portion of the cable loop passing through the metallic tube is axially positioned in the tube and a capacitive element is formed by the metallic tube and the metallic cable-half. Displacement of the cable loop to vary the amount of the metallic cable-half inside the metallic tube varies the capacitance of the capacitive elemen…

A variable capacitor includes a plurality of stator plates supported on spaced parallel rods. A plurality of rotor plates supported on a shaft are arranged so that each rotor plate is placed a predetermined distance from the surface of the adjacent stator plate. This is accomplished by spacer members disposed between the adjacent stator plates as well as between the adjacent rotor plates. Each spacer member is made of metal wire, with a circular cross-section, and is shaped in form of a ring. Us…

A variable resistor having a short-circuiting member which is displaced in response to the generation of abnormally high heat in the resistance member of the variable resistor with a piece thereof in contact to short-circuit the input and output terminals of the resistance member. This results in a bypass for large current, so that a protection circuit in an output amplifier is operated to suspend the generation of heat.