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Father Ted Kilnettle Shrine Tape Dispenser
203 indiantinker 54 6/1/2025, 5:31:20 AM stephencoyle.net ↗
My lovely horse (My lovely horse) Running through the field (Running through the field) Where are you going, with your fetlocks blowing in the wind? (All Summer)
I want to shower you with sugar lumps And ride you over fences Polish your hooves every single day And bring you to the horse dentist
(My lovely, lovely, lovely horse)
My lovely horse, (My lovely horse) You're a pony no more (You're a pony no more) Running around with a man on your back Like a train in the night... like a train in the night (I Love You Anyway) My lovely, lovely, lovely horse
I was a teenager, and some of the episodes were filmed at my school. The lovely horse video is the field behind my school where we used to sneak out during break. They even stopped class one day to film a scene at the front of the school - they used the school building as the outside of the craggy island sports center.
Just a week ago I became aware of Father Ted and watched only the show with the tape dispenser because it was recommended to me by Youtube. This article is year old, and shows up now in my feed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_America
This looks like the type of application which, if mass-produced, would have the electronics done on a $0.10 mask-programmed COB.
> Instead of a rotary encoder to measure the tape rotation, it now uses an IR led and sensor.
I don't get it; how does this work? Are there openings at certain positions in the reel that it detects the light through? Why is this better than the rotary encoder design?
> Are there openings at certain positions in the reel
Yes, that's exactly it! The spool has holes, and there's an IR emitter/detector on either side. You can view the STLs on the GitHub repo or Printables and see for yourself.
It's better than the rotary encoder [for this project specifically] because it's cheaper and doesn't require the sensor to be a load-bearing part.
“Go on, go on, go on, go on, goes on”
Or that gives you a coup of tea instead
I mean, I wouldn't put it past Mrs Doyle if some government got in the way of her serving tea, I suppose.
- know the total length of the tape, and when it's changed, and therefore predict the current radius of the roll
- a small sprung variable resistor pressing against the under side of the role
But that could be over-engineering something that almost more perfect if it's a little imperfect.
cellophane tape does emit xrays when unrolled, so correlate the strength of the radiation with the angular velocity of the roll to more precisely calculate how much tape was removed. I suspect a second photodiode may respond to the radiation.
ARSE!
The Father Ted Kilnettle Shrine Tape Dispenser
which is a reference to a show name Father Ted, in which a Kilnettle Shrine tape dispenser was sold as a souvenir at the Kilnettle Shrine, and brought on a plane by Father Ted in the show Father Ted.