“Just the same, I won’t try taking this one for a pet,” Tom said with a rueful chuckle.
After a brief search, another carved stone was found. The group carried it back to the Flying Lab.
Tom quickly set up his camera, flicked a switch, and began tuning several dials. “These markings look fairly recent-not more than a thousand years old,” he remarked jokingly, “but it’s good enough for a test.”
The others watched the cathode-ray screen
A DISMAYING FAILURE 49
with intense interest. But the resulting picture was a mere blur! Tom made numerous adjustments without success. His face filled with dismay. Was his new invention a failure?
CHAPTER VI
THE GIANT FIGURE
“ANY idea what’s wrong?” Dick Folsom asked.
“Not yet.” The young inventor unscrewed the rear panel of the camera’s reproducing unit. “Have to check a few of these circuits first.”
Doc and the two engineers watched as he probed deftly among the maze of electronic parts. Using an oscilloscope and several other testing devices, Tom made a quick check of the reproducer, then the “brain,” and finally each part of the scanning apparatus.
“What’s the verdict, trouble shooter?” Jack Murray asked, as the young scientist finished examining the setup.
“Everything checks out,” Tom said gloomily, “so the fault must be in my design. I have a hunch it’s the scanner. Apparently it doesn’t ‘see’ the stone in enough detail for the reproducer to form a clear picture.”
“Boy, you’ve got a job on your hands, skipper.”
50
THE GIANT FIGURE 51
Dick frowned as he examined the two detectors with a professional eye. “My guess is that redesigning your camera ‘eyes’ will take at least a week’s work back at the plant.”