Endevco announces Grand Prize winning submission for “World’s Oldest Functioning Endevco Sensor”

As part of its 60th anniversary celebration in 2007, Endevco created several fun and informative contests for customers to participate in marking this important milestone. One of those competitions was to find and submit the “World’s Oldest Functioning Endevco Sensor.”

After a review of the entries over the course of the year, the Grand Prize winner is Michael Donaruma in the Environmental Test Facility of C.S. Draper Laboratory, Inc. in Boston. The Endevco model 2224C he submitted was factory calibrated by Endevco in July 1962 and purchased by Dr. Charles Stark Draper, a professor at MIT who also ran the MIT Instrumentation Lab.

In the early 1970s, Dr. Draper and MIT spun the lab off as a non-profit operation. In keeping with Endevco’s longstanding involvement in providing advanced sensing solutions for the aerospace industry, the accelerometer was used in the testing of the gyroscopes that were used on the earliest Apollo missions.

Consistent and reliable performance over time is a critical factor for any measurement application, but particularly so in spaceflight with human safety and large investments at stake. When tested in 2007 after being received from Donaruma, the device showed extraordinary stability over a period of four decades with original vs. current frequency deviations of +2.0% and +1.19% at 20 Hz, 0% and +0.02% at 50 Hz, 0% and -0.76% at 100 Hz, and 0% and -1.46% at 200 Hz.

“It is always intriguing to hear the stories behind the applications for Endevco devices,” said Endevco President Scott Silcock. “And it’s truly astounding to ponder the advances made in aerospace technology from the early days of the Apollo program to the programs that seem routine today. We are very proud of the role Endevco plays in that legacy. Our goal is to deliver this high level of quality in all our products, so that we may continue to hear stories like this for many years to come.”

As Grand Prize winner, Donaruma will receive $5,000 in Endevco Test Essential products or training services; a gift package including an Endevco backpack, folio and thermal mug; a 15% discount on calibration services for one year; and a framed award certificate.