Here is an excellent in-depth explanation of the concept from one of my favorite educational YouTube channels - Technology Connections: https://youtu.be/v5OANXk-6-w
He seems to really be overcomplicating its construction with all those fancy 21st century electronics when in reality you can build it with early 20th century materials.
I wonder if a camera obscura would be enough to create the focused image instead of having to bother with lenses.
Set appropriate expectations before you watch this video, it was definitely educative and entertaining, but the emphasis is on 'tried'. I was a little disappointed that it didn't actually end up working.
This is very similar to the old fax machines, that had a needle over a rotating text on a wax cylinder and reproduced the needle up-down on the other end with a pen. Predated telegraph etc.
I don't understand why you have to approximate straight scanlines by using a fraction of a really large disk. What's the disadvantage in using a smaller disk and letting the scanlines be curved?
The spelling of disk, with a K, intrigues me, since I was under the impression that disk-with-a-K was short for "diskette", meaning a circular spinning object protected inside an outer casing.
Circular flat objects are spelled disc, with a C.
Hence floppy disk, hard disk, but compact disc.
(MiniDisc is the only exception to this rule that I can think of, probably because it is a trade mark.)
> in the case of flat, rotational data storage media the convention is that the spelling disk is used for magnetic storage (e.g. hard disks) while disc is used for optical storage (e.g. compact discs, better known as CDs). When there is no clear convention, the spelling disk is more popular in American English, while the spelling disc is more popular in British English.
