How It's Made (2001–…): Season 15, Episode 10 - Alligator Bags/Lockers/Bench Planes/Deployable Flight Recorders - full transcript
See how alligator bags; lockers; bench planes; and deployable flight recorders are made.
Captions paid for by
Discovery Communications LLc.
Narrator: Alligator bags enjoyed
their first wave of popularity
At the end of the 19th century.
The material was chosen
for its exotic look,
Rich texture,
high pliability, and durability.
Since then,
many legendary designer handbags
Have been made
with alligator skin.
For some women,
A handbag is more
than a practical accessory.
It's also a way
to express their personal style.
Depending on the bag's size,
shape, and desired look,
Many exotic animal skins
can be used --
Alligator, lizard,
python, or ostrich.
This red skin
is from the nile alligator.
The cutter maintains the pattern
in place with a weight.
He cuts out
the shape of the bag,
Leaving a border,
called a turning-in,
All along the pattern.
The skiving machine
Delicately shaves
the back of the alligator skin
To make it thin and pliable.
A polishing jack
creates a sheen.
A plating machine
applies heat and pressure
To remove creases
and make the skin shiny.
Now it is placed on a hot plate
for a few seconds
To raise the skin
And create what is called
french bombay.
They brush rubber cement
on the back of the skin
And apply it to a thin piece
of leather called a pliver.
This will keep the bombay
from flattening over time.
Then he cuts off
the excess skin,
Creating a turning-in.
This heavy paper and foam
will go inside the bag's cover
To give it structure
and a cushiony feel.
He removes
the center part of the paper
To help the cover fold easily.
He uses a bone folder to fold
the turning-in over the paper...
Then carefully hammers it
in place.
Now he's making the sides,
called gussets,
And the bottom of the bag.
He applies thin muslin
And rubs it in place
under a protective paper.
Both gussets are sewn
to the bag's bottom
Using a very fine needle.
The stitches
must be as discreet as possible.
The bag's lining is made
Of soft lamb leather
called cabretta.
The top half
contains a magnetic circle
Which serves to close the bag.
The brand's nameplate
is also attached to the lining.
The nameplate
sits inside the bag
So it will only be visible
when the bag is open.
The pocketbook maker
Delicately glues the lining
to the bottom of the bag.
He folds the leather over
with the bone folder
And uses the hammer
To make the juncture
as thin as possible.
Since the covers
are glued in place,
There are no stitches visible
On the front and back
of the bag,
Giving it a more luxurious look.
Now he scratches the border
to remove the sheen,
Which will help the glue adhere
to the leather.
He applies the back and front
cover to the lining of the bag,
Making sure all the covers
line up perfectly.
This step is only performed
By experienced
pocketbook makers,
As it is crucial
to the final look of the bag.
Anything less than perfect
Would look like
a cheap imitation.
Custom-colored paints
will fill in any gaps
And cover any variation
in the leather.
They finish
by polishing the bag,
Using a small amount
of shoe polish
And a buffing cloth.
They must use very little polish
To avoid buildup
in the grain of the leather.
This also removes
any dirt or cement.
It takes about seven hours
to make an alligator bag.
All the time, effort,
and materials
Result in a stylish
fashion accessory
That's made to last for years.
Narrator:
Lockers are a familiar sight
In high-school corridors,
gym changing rooms,
And many workplaces,
And in the world
of professional sports,
Lockers are the backdrop
to many a post-game interview.
The latest trend is buying
lockers for kids' bedrooms
As cool and practical
storage furniture.
While they vary
in size and design,
All lockers
have ventilation holes.
These help air circulate,
which prevents odors.
Lockers are made
of a hard type of steel
That's just flexible enough
For presses to bend
to the required shape.
The steel sheets
are 1/10 of an inch thick.
Workers feed one at a time
Through a cutting tool
called a square shear.
It slices from one end
of the sheet to the other,
Cutting pieces
with the required width.
Each door piece goes
into a 100-ton punch press,
Which stamps out
the ventilation holes.
The next press punches screw
and rivet holes around the edges
And a hole for the cup that
houses the locker's closure.
The first bending press
Simultaneously folds over
the top and bottom edges,
Forming flanges.
This bend sets
the finished height of the door.
The next bend sets
the finished widt of the door.
The press folds the side edges
over twice,
Forming a box-shaped rim.
Next, workers position
a steel reinforcement panel
Against the hinge side
of the door.
They affix one side of the panel
Using a welding machine that
fuses 12 spots simultaneously.
Then they weld the other side
manually.
Now they mount the door
in an alignment fixture
Hinge-side up
And clamp a piano hinge
to the edge.
They fuse the hinge to the door
By welding it
to the top row of screw holes.
Meanwhile,
they bend pieces of steel
To form the locker's top,
bottom, back, and sides.
Now they weld those parts
together.
Then they weld the hasp,
The steel loop
through which you hook a padlock
To lock the locker.
The hasp
goes on the edge of the body
And protrudes through a slot
in the closure cup in the door.
Next,
the locker's interior shelf.
They set four rivets
onto a positioning fixture --
Two in the center,
two on the edge --
Then position the shelf on top,
Aligning the shelf's four holes
with the four rivets.
They position a single hook
over each edge rivet
And weld it on.
Then they take a double hook
And position it
over the two center rivets...
Then weld that on.
Then they weld the shelf
into the locker body.
All the parts now head
into the factory's paint shop.
The powder paint
they use for this model
Contains electrically charged
silver particles --
A natural disinfectant
That kills any bacteria,
viruses, and fungi
On the locker's surface.
Once coated, the parts go
into an oven for a half-hour
To bake the paint.
Then final assembly begins.
First, workers mount the
closure cup and the door hole
With a screw
and a retaining washer.
Next,
they install magnet catches
To hold the door closed...
And apply an adhesive sticker
Indicating this locker has
an antimicrobial paint coating.
Then they attach the door
to the body
By driving rivets
through the lower row of holes
On the piano hinge.
They make sure
the door moves smoothly
And that the hasp aligns
with the slot in the cup.
The factory makes lockers
Of various sizes,
shapes, and configurations.
Some models even have
built-in combination locks.
Of various sizes,
shapes, and configurations.
Narrator: Since roman times,
woodworking planes
Have been part
of the carpenter's tool kit.
And despite the invention of
power tools for wood surfacing,
Many still prefer the hands-on
approach of this simple tool.
Using it is a skill
That can take a piece of timber
from rough to refined.
If wood needs shaping,
It's time to reach
for the bench plane.
On the push stroke,
It shaves down
bumps and high spots on wood
To make the surface
level and true.
Production begins
with bench-plane patterns.
They place several in a box
And pour fine sand, mixed with
a bonding chemical, over them.
The bonding chemical
solidifies the sand.
They poke holes
to vent gases later on.
And with the patterns removed,
It's clear that the bonding
chemical has worked its magic.
The patterns have left
a definite impression
In the hardened sand.
They apply glue
to one half of the mold
So it adheres to the half
with the impressions in it.
They then glue
two square-shaped spouts
Around holes in the sand mold.
Next, they fire up
the foundry furnace
And melt iron
into a white-hot liquid.
Workers then carefully pour
the molten metal
Down the square spouts
and into the sand molds.
Gases are released through the
holes poked in the sand earlier,
While weights keep the lids
from lifting from the pressure.
After a two-hour cooldown,
They break the molds and
pick out the cast-iron parts.
The planes
have a knobby protuberance,
Formed as metal flowed
into the mold.
They slice that off.
And after strengthening the
cast iron's physical properties,
They mill
the bottom of the bench plane
To make it reasonably flat.
They also expose a slit
formed during molding.
They now lock the bench plane
in position
To allow the spiked teeth
of a cutting wheel
To carve into the molded slit.
It enlarges the slit to form
the mouth of the bench plane,
The opening through which
the plane's blade will protrude.
Some precision work is needed,
So a tapered and serrated tool
is forced through the mouth.
This opens it up a little more
To give it
the exact dimensions required.
Coolant now flows
to prevent overheating,
As a grinding wheel machines
the base of each bench plane
Until it's completely flat.
They now try to slip
a very thin steel strip
Between a level bar
and the base of the bench plane.
Failure confirms
it's perfectly flat.
Next, a cutting tool
evens a sloped pad
Molded onto the front
of the bench plane.
This pad, called the frog,
will hold the sliding wedge
That sets the angle
of the plane blade.
Production
now focuses on the blade.
They heat a steel rod
in a furnace
Until it's white-hot
and malleable.
They then place it
under a mechanized hammer
Which pounds it until it's flat.
They turn the flattened steel
sideways,
And the pulsating hammer
squares the edges.
Then another tool
stamps the company's insignia
Onto one end of the blade.
The steel rod has been
flattened, squared, and stamped.
It's then cut to the desired
shape and dimensions
And given
a beveled cutting edge.
The next part
is called a lever cap,
And it will be used to clamp the
blade to the bench-plane frog.
They sand it smooth to
improve its look and function.
They then buff
each part of the bench plane
Against a cloth wheel
to a mirror-like finish.
It's now time
to fit the bench-plane frog
Into the pad
machined especially for it.
They secure it with screws.
The cutting blade,
By now reinforced
by a part called the cap iron,
Fits flush to the frog.
They top off the assembly
with a lever cap
And clamp it all together
with a spring system.
They fit a knob
made of tropical wood
On a threaded rod
on the front of the bench plane.
The knob and the back handle
will allow the user
To firmly grip the bench plane
and push it forward.
And with the blade
now protruding
From the base on an angle,
It's ready
to level any piece of wood,
Leaving only shavings
in its wake.
Narrator:
A flight data recorder,
Or a black box,
Records every detail
of an aircraft's operations,
From engine speed
to cabin pressure.
After a crash,
investigators extract the data
To determine what went wrong.
Black boxes
are actually bright orange
So they'll stand out
amid the wreckage.
These black boxes
are the deployable type,
Meaning they separate
from the aircraft upon impact.
This makes them easier
For search-and-rescue crews
to recover.
To make the outer shell
that houses the components,
They use a two-part mold,
First waxing it
to ease extraction later on.
Then they brush on
an orange-tinted gel coat,
A liquid that, after four hours,
Hardens into a durable,
waterproof finish.
Over the hardened gel coat,
They apply pieces
of fiberglass cloth,
Saturating them
with orange-tinted resin.
They apply extra pieces in
the corners for reinforcement.
They continue
until they've built up
Three layers of fiberglass.
The rectangular box on this mold
half-casts a cavity in the shell
That will house
the device's key components.
They embed aluminum plates
within the fiberglass
To reinforce the area
Where screws will attach
the cavity cover.
A computer-guided
milling machine
Contours a piece of foam
That will fit the empty space
inside the shell.
This foam
absorbs the force of impact
So the flight data recorder
can survive a crash.
They coat one side of
the foam core with resin paste,
Then lay it into the mold.
They fill voids with
a temporary retaining block
To prevent the foam core
from collapsing inward
During the vacuum process
that comes next.
They wrap the mold in felt
to protect the surface,
Put it in a plastic bag,
attach a hose,
Then start the suction.
Over four hours, the vacuum
slowly extracts the air,
Drawing the fiberglass
tightly against the foam core
Without any wrinkles or puckers.
It takes another four hours for
the resin to completely cure.
Then they remove the mold
from the vacuum bag,
Coat the other side of
the foam core with resin paste,
And embed steel reinforcements.
Besides absorbing
the force of impact,
The foam core makes
the flight data recorder buoyant
Should the aircraft go down
in a body of water.
The device
contains two antennas,
The first of which gets pasted
Into a designated spot
in the foam core.
One antenna
transmits a distress signal,
The other a homing signal
To help search-and-rescue crews
locate the downed aircraft.
Now they mate
the two parts of the mold,
Carefully sliding the antenna
that protrudes from one half
Through and out an opening
in the other half.
They bolt the mold closed
And leave the paste
to air-cure overnight.
The next day, they unbolt
the mold and extract the shell,
The two halves of which
are now bonded
With the first antenna inside.
Now they can install
the other components,
Such as this memory module
containing the circuit boards
That record the flight data
and cockpit audio.
All the components,
prior to installation,
Undergo extensive testing
to ensure they operate properly
When subjected to vibration
and extreme temperatures.
The memory module
goes into a fireproof box,
Along with the transmitter that
sends out the locating signal
Via the antennas,
The second of which
they now install
Into the component cavity
at the top of the box.
Then they install the battery
That powers the transmitter
for 150 hours.
They connect the battery
to the transmitter
In the fireproof box...
Connect the transmitter
to the antennas,
Then screw the cover
to the aluminum plates
Embedded
around the cavity's perimeter.
The finished device undergoes
a series of performance tests.
This one,
in a special echo-free chamber,
Verifies the signal
the transmitter sends out
Via the antennas.
The chamber's receiving antenna
is connected to a computer
That analyzes
the signal's frequency
And transmission pattern --
Critical factors
in recovering the box
That provides vital clues
for crash investigators.
If you have any comments
about the show,
Or if you'd like to suggest
topics for future shows,
Drop us a line at...
Discovery Communications LLc.
Narrator: Alligator bags enjoyed
their first wave of popularity
At the end of the 19th century.
The material was chosen
for its exotic look,
Rich texture,
high pliability, and durability.
Since then,
many legendary designer handbags
Have been made
with alligator skin.
For some women,
A handbag is more
than a practical accessory.
It's also a way
to express their personal style.
Depending on the bag's size,
shape, and desired look,
Many exotic animal skins
can be used --
Alligator, lizard,
python, or ostrich.
This red skin
is from the nile alligator.
The cutter maintains the pattern
in place with a weight.
He cuts out
the shape of the bag,
Leaving a border,
called a turning-in,
All along the pattern.
The skiving machine
Delicately shaves
the back of the alligator skin
To make it thin and pliable.
A polishing jack
creates a sheen.
A plating machine
applies heat and pressure
To remove creases
and make the skin shiny.
Now it is placed on a hot plate
for a few seconds
To raise the skin
And create what is called
french bombay.
They brush rubber cement
on the back of the skin
And apply it to a thin piece
of leather called a pliver.
This will keep the bombay
from flattening over time.
Then he cuts off
the excess skin,
Creating a turning-in.
This heavy paper and foam
will go inside the bag's cover
To give it structure
and a cushiony feel.
He removes
the center part of the paper
To help the cover fold easily.
He uses a bone folder to fold
the turning-in over the paper...
Then carefully hammers it
in place.
Now he's making the sides,
called gussets,
And the bottom of the bag.
He applies thin muslin
And rubs it in place
under a protective paper.
Both gussets are sewn
to the bag's bottom
Using a very fine needle.
The stitches
must be as discreet as possible.
The bag's lining is made
Of soft lamb leather
called cabretta.
The top half
contains a magnetic circle
Which serves to close the bag.
The brand's nameplate
is also attached to the lining.
The nameplate
sits inside the bag
So it will only be visible
when the bag is open.
The pocketbook maker
Delicately glues the lining
to the bottom of the bag.
He folds the leather over
with the bone folder
And uses the hammer
To make the juncture
as thin as possible.
Since the covers
are glued in place,
There are no stitches visible
On the front and back
of the bag,
Giving it a more luxurious look.
Now he scratches the border
to remove the sheen,
Which will help the glue adhere
to the leather.
He applies the back and front
cover to the lining of the bag,
Making sure all the covers
line up perfectly.
This step is only performed
By experienced
pocketbook makers,
As it is crucial
to the final look of the bag.
Anything less than perfect
Would look like
a cheap imitation.
Custom-colored paints
will fill in any gaps
And cover any variation
in the leather.
They finish
by polishing the bag,
Using a small amount
of shoe polish
And a buffing cloth.
They must use very little polish
To avoid buildup
in the grain of the leather.
This also removes
any dirt or cement.
It takes about seven hours
to make an alligator bag.
All the time, effort,
and materials
Result in a stylish
fashion accessory
That's made to last for years.
Narrator:
Lockers are a familiar sight
In high-school corridors,
gym changing rooms,
And many workplaces,
And in the world
of professional sports,
Lockers are the backdrop
to many a post-game interview.
The latest trend is buying
lockers for kids' bedrooms
As cool and practical
storage furniture.
While they vary
in size and design,
All lockers
have ventilation holes.
These help air circulate,
which prevents odors.
Lockers are made
of a hard type of steel
That's just flexible enough
For presses to bend
to the required shape.
The steel sheets
are 1/10 of an inch thick.
Workers feed one at a time
Through a cutting tool
called a square shear.
It slices from one end
of the sheet to the other,
Cutting pieces
with the required width.
Each door piece goes
into a 100-ton punch press,
Which stamps out
the ventilation holes.
The next press punches screw
and rivet holes around the edges
And a hole for the cup that
houses the locker's closure.
The first bending press
Simultaneously folds over
the top and bottom edges,
Forming flanges.
This bend sets
the finished height of the door.
The next bend sets
the finished widt of the door.
The press folds the side edges
over twice,
Forming a box-shaped rim.
Next, workers position
a steel reinforcement panel
Against the hinge side
of the door.
They affix one side of the panel
Using a welding machine that
fuses 12 spots simultaneously.
Then they weld the other side
manually.
Now they mount the door
in an alignment fixture
Hinge-side up
And clamp a piano hinge
to the edge.
They fuse the hinge to the door
By welding it
to the top row of screw holes.
Meanwhile,
they bend pieces of steel
To form the locker's top,
bottom, back, and sides.
Now they weld those parts
together.
Then they weld the hasp,
The steel loop
through which you hook a padlock
To lock the locker.
The hasp
goes on the edge of the body
And protrudes through a slot
in the closure cup in the door.
Next,
the locker's interior shelf.
They set four rivets
onto a positioning fixture --
Two in the center,
two on the edge --
Then position the shelf on top,
Aligning the shelf's four holes
with the four rivets.
They position a single hook
over each edge rivet
And weld it on.
Then they take a double hook
And position it
over the two center rivets...
Then weld that on.
Then they weld the shelf
into the locker body.
All the parts now head
into the factory's paint shop.
The powder paint
they use for this model
Contains electrically charged
silver particles --
A natural disinfectant
That kills any bacteria,
viruses, and fungi
On the locker's surface.
Once coated, the parts go
into an oven for a half-hour
To bake the paint.
Then final assembly begins.
First, workers mount the
closure cup and the door hole
With a screw
and a retaining washer.
Next,
they install magnet catches
To hold the door closed...
And apply an adhesive sticker
Indicating this locker has
an antimicrobial paint coating.
Then they attach the door
to the body
By driving rivets
through the lower row of holes
On the piano hinge.
They make sure
the door moves smoothly
And that the hasp aligns
with the slot in the cup.
The factory makes lockers
Of various sizes,
shapes, and configurations.
Some models even have
built-in combination locks.
Of various sizes,
shapes, and configurations.
Narrator: Since roman times,
woodworking planes
Have been part
of the carpenter's tool kit.
And despite the invention of
power tools for wood surfacing,
Many still prefer the hands-on
approach of this simple tool.
Using it is a skill
That can take a piece of timber
from rough to refined.
If wood needs shaping,
It's time to reach
for the bench plane.
On the push stroke,
It shaves down
bumps and high spots on wood
To make the surface
level and true.
Production begins
with bench-plane patterns.
They place several in a box
And pour fine sand, mixed with
a bonding chemical, over them.
The bonding chemical
solidifies the sand.
They poke holes
to vent gases later on.
And with the patterns removed,
It's clear that the bonding
chemical has worked its magic.
The patterns have left
a definite impression
In the hardened sand.
They apply glue
to one half of the mold
So it adheres to the half
with the impressions in it.
They then glue
two square-shaped spouts
Around holes in the sand mold.
Next, they fire up
the foundry furnace
And melt iron
into a white-hot liquid.
Workers then carefully pour
the molten metal
Down the square spouts
and into the sand molds.
Gases are released through the
holes poked in the sand earlier,
While weights keep the lids
from lifting from the pressure.
After a two-hour cooldown,
They break the molds and
pick out the cast-iron parts.
The planes
have a knobby protuberance,
Formed as metal flowed
into the mold.
They slice that off.
And after strengthening the
cast iron's physical properties,
They mill
the bottom of the bench plane
To make it reasonably flat.
They also expose a slit
formed during molding.
They now lock the bench plane
in position
To allow the spiked teeth
of a cutting wheel
To carve into the molded slit.
It enlarges the slit to form
the mouth of the bench plane,
The opening through which
the plane's blade will protrude.
Some precision work is needed,
So a tapered and serrated tool
is forced through the mouth.
This opens it up a little more
To give it
the exact dimensions required.
Coolant now flows
to prevent overheating,
As a grinding wheel machines
the base of each bench plane
Until it's completely flat.
They now try to slip
a very thin steel strip
Between a level bar
and the base of the bench plane.
Failure confirms
it's perfectly flat.
Next, a cutting tool
evens a sloped pad
Molded onto the front
of the bench plane.
This pad, called the frog,
will hold the sliding wedge
That sets the angle
of the plane blade.
Production
now focuses on the blade.
They heat a steel rod
in a furnace
Until it's white-hot
and malleable.
They then place it
under a mechanized hammer
Which pounds it until it's flat.
They turn the flattened steel
sideways,
And the pulsating hammer
squares the edges.
Then another tool
stamps the company's insignia
Onto one end of the blade.
The steel rod has been
flattened, squared, and stamped.
It's then cut to the desired
shape and dimensions
And given
a beveled cutting edge.
The next part
is called a lever cap,
And it will be used to clamp the
blade to the bench-plane frog.
They sand it smooth to
improve its look and function.
They then buff
each part of the bench plane
Against a cloth wheel
to a mirror-like finish.
It's now time
to fit the bench-plane frog
Into the pad
machined especially for it.
They secure it with screws.
The cutting blade,
By now reinforced
by a part called the cap iron,
Fits flush to the frog.
They top off the assembly
with a lever cap
And clamp it all together
with a spring system.
They fit a knob
made of tropical wood
On a threaded rod
on the front of the bench plane.
The knob and the back handle
will allow the user
To firmly grip the bench plane
and push it forward.
And with the blade
now protruding
From the base on an angle,
It's ready
to level any piece of wood,
Leaving only shavings
in its wake.
Narrator:
A flight data recorder,
Or a black box,
Records every detail
of an aircraft's operations,
From engine speed
to cabin pressure.
After a crash,
investigators extract the data
To determine what went wrong.
Black boxes
are actually bright orange
So they'll stand out
amid the wreckage.
These black boxes
are the deployable type,
Meaning they separate
from the aircraft upon impact.
This makes them easier
For search-and-rescue crews
to recover.
To make the outer shell
that houses the components,
They use a two-part mold,
First waxing it
to ease extraction later on.
Then they brush on
an orange-tinted gel coat,
A liquid that, after four hours,
Hardens into a durable,
waterproof finish.
Over the hardened gel coat,
They apply pieces
of fiberglass cloth,
Saturating them
with orange-tinted resin.
They apply extra pieces in
the corners for reinforcement.
They continue
until they've built up
Three layers of fiberglass.
The rectangular box on this mold
half-casts a cavity in the shell
That will house
the device's key components.
They embed aluminum plates
within the fiberglass
To reinforce the area
Where screws will attach
the cavity cover.
A computer-guided
milling machine
Contours a piece of foam
That will fit the empty space
inside the shell.
This foam
absorbs the force of impact
So the flight data recorder
can survive a crash.
They coat one side of
the foam core with resin paste,
Then lay it into the mold.
They fill voids with
a temporary retaining block
To prevent the foam core
from collapsing inward
During the vacuum process
that comes next.
They wrap the mold in felt
to protect the surface,
Put it in a plastic bag,
attach a hose,
Then start the suction.
Over four hours, the vacuum
slowly extracts the air,
Drawing the fiberglass
tightly against the foam core
Without any wrinkles or puckers.
It takes another four hours for
the resin to completely cure.
Then they remove the mold
from the vacuum bag,
Coat the other side of
the foam core with resin paste,
And embed steel reinforcements.
Besides absorbing
the force of impact,
The foam core makes
the flight data recorder buoyant
Should the aircraft go down
in a body of water.
The device
contains two antennas,
The first of which gets pasted
Into a designated spot
in the foam core.
One antenna
transmits a distress signal,
The other a homing signal
To help search-and-rescue crews
locate the downed aircraft.
Now they mate
the two parts of the mold,
Carefully sliding the antenna
that protrudes from one half
Through and out an opening
in the other half.
They bolt the mold closed
And leave the paste
to air-cure overnight.
The next day, they unbolt
the mold and extract the shell,
The two halves of which
are now bonded
With the first antenna inside.
Now they can install
the other components,
Such as this memory module
containing the circuit boards
That record the flight data
and cockpit audio.
All the components,
prior to installation,
Undergo extensive testing
to ensure they operate properly
When subjected to vibration
and extreme temperatures.
The memory module
goes into a fireproof box,
Along with the transmitter that
sends out the locating signal
Via the antennas,
The second of which
they now install
Into the component cavity
at the top of the box.
Then they install the battery
That powers the transmitter
for 150 hours.
They connect the battery
to the transmitter
In the fireproof box...
Connect the transmitter
to the antennas,
Then screw the cover
to the aluminum plates
Embedded
around the cavity's perimeter.
The finished device undergoes
a series of performance tests.
This one,
in a special echo-free chamber,
Verifies the signal
the transmitter sends out
Via the antennas.
The chamber's receiving antenna
is connected to a computer
That analyzes
the signal's frequency
And transmission pattern --
Critical factors
in recovering the box
That provides vital clues
for crash investigators.
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