4 ms·

Not necessarily. Sometimes there are whole words on the flaps. Look at this example: https://stock.adobe.com/uk/images/split-flap-or-just-flap-display/327223416

Not necessarily. Sometimes there are whole words on the flaps. Look at this example: https://stock.adobe.com/uk/images/split-flap-or-just-flap-display/327223416?prev_url=detail https://stock.adobe.com/uk/images/split-flap-or-just-flap-di...

rob74 2y ago
Actually, I don't think that example is a real one. Adobe has a full view of the same board too (https://stock.adobe.com/uk/images/split-flap-or-just-flap-display/327223343 https://stock.adobe.com/uk/images/split-flap-or-just-flap-di...), and at a closer look it seems very strange for an airport board. The flight numbers don't have airline codes, there are no direct flights, and the "vias" don't really make sense for any location I could think of (from Frankfurt via Oslo, from Moscow via Skopje, from Copenhagen via... Khartoum?!). There definitely are split-flap displays with whole words on the flaps, but for airports it doesn't really make sense because there are too many potential destinations.
- krisoft 2y ago
  > and the "vias" don't really make sense for any location I could think of Most likely because the board has been decommissioned and the flaps got flapped around randomly. Very likely that is why one can't find a picture which shows the board with its surroundings. > I don't think that example is a real one. Real as in what sense? Do you think it is CGI? > but for airports it doesn't really make sense because there are too many potential destinations. Here is an other one: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Departures_from_ITM-RJOO_North_Terminal_(3443615427).jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Departures_from_ITM-... and here is an other one: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/ws/640/cpsprodpb/16C66/production/_110868239_windhoek1965_02.jpg.webp https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/ws/640/cpsprodpb/16C66/producti... and here is an other one: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/976/cpsprodpb/85EE/production/_110868243_newbery1960ca_01.jpg https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/976/cpsprodpb/85EE/pro... Yes, it is not as common as the per-character deesign, but it certainly was used sometimes.
  - rob74 2y ago
    Ok, I stand corrected - in some cases it makes sense to have whole words on the flaps. The first picture are domestic Japanese flights (limited number of destinations, and it's probably not possible to have all Japanese characters on flaps anyway), the second is Windhoek (Namibia) in the 1960s (also limited number of destinations), and the third seems to be at the counter of a domestic Argentinian airline (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austral_L%C3%ADneas_A%C3%A9reas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austral_L%C3%ADneas_A%C3%A9rea...), so just shows their flights. But the "Adobe board" still looks suspicious (mainly because of the missing airline codes in the flight numbers, which all the "real" boards have).
red_admiral 2y ago
Even if the airport example is not real, there were whole-word ones at pretty much every train station in Switzerland in the past:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Split-flap_displays_at_train_stations_in_Switzerland https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Split-flap_displ... Some big stations had per-letter ones. For the standard design for smaller stations, even terms like "5 minute delay", "10 minute delay" etc. all got their own flap rather than having a separate box for the numbers. This one shows a 6 minute delay on a single flap (pair): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Basel_SBB_EC2_Anzeiger_211214.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Basel_SBB_EC2_Anzeig...
- rob74 2y ago
  Wow, so the Swiss have a 1-minute precision even for delays? Germany has this convenient (for the train operator) system: - 0 - 4m59s -> "no delay" (so it doesn't have to be announced and the train counts as "on time" as far as metrics are concerned) - 5m - 9m59s -> "5 minutes delay" - 10m - 14m59s -> "10 minutes delay" ...and so on.
  - red_admiral 2y ago
    I think it might start at 2 or 3 minutes, but from then on it's in 1 minute increments up to at least 10, and I think even 15 minutes. I believe the maximum on the system is 120 minutes delay, after which (or if it's not sure) it switches to "Unbestimmte Verspaetung" (unknown delay). You can certainly find a 4min, a 5min, and a 6min on the linked page. The message "Bitte nicht / einsteigen" (please do not board) always used to be split over two flaps. This caused some humor whenever the first one got stuck, so what was supposed to read "Olten / Basel" ended up as "Bitte nicht / Basel" which roughly reads as "Please don't take me to Basel!", a sentiment that a lot of people in Zurich would agree with.

rob74 2y ago

Actually, I don't think that example is a real one. Adobe has a full view of the same board too (https://stock.adobe.com/uk/images/split-flap-or-just-flap-display/327223343 https://stock.adobe.com/uk/images/split-flap-or-just-flap-di...), and at a closer look it seems very strange for an airport board. The flight numbers don't have airline codes, there are no direct flights, and the "vias" don't really make sense for any location I could think of (from Frankfurt via Oslo, from Moscow via Skopje, from Copenhagen via... Khartoum?!). There definitely are split-flap displays with whole words on the flaps, but for airports it doesn't really make sense because there are too many potential destinations.

krisoft 2y ago
> and the "vias" don't really make sense for any location I could think of Most likely because the board has been decommissioned and the flaps got flapped around randomly. Very likely that is why one can't find a picture which shows the board with its surroundings. > I don't think that example is a real one. Real as in what sense? Do you think it is CGI? > but for airports it doesn't really make sense because there are too many potential destinations. Here is an other one: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Departures_from_ITM-RJOO_North_Terminal_(3443615427).jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Departures_from_ITM-... and here is an other one: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/ws/640/cpsprodpb/16C66/production/_110868239_windhoek1965_02.jpg.webp https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/ws/640/cpsprodpb/16C66/producti... and here is an other one: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/976/cpsprodpb/85EE/production/_110868243_newbery1960ca_01.jpg https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/976/cpsprodpb/85EE/pro... Yes, it is not as common as the per-character deesign, but it certainly was used sometimes.
- rob74 2y ago
  Ok, I stand corrected - in some cases it makes sense to have whole words on the flaps. The first picture are domestic Japanese flights (limited number of destinations, and it's probably not possible to have all Japanese characters on flaps anyway), the second is Windhoek (Namibia) in the 1960s (also limited number of destinations), and the third seems to be at the counter of a domestic Argentinian airline (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austral_L%C3%ADneas_A%C3%A9reas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austral_L%C3%ADneas_A%C3%A9rea...), so just shows their flights. But the "Adobe board" still looks suspicious (mainly because of the missing airline codes in the flight numbers, which all the "real" boards have).

red_admiral 2y ago

Even if the airport example is not real, there were whole-word ones at pretty much every train station in Switzerland in the past:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Split-flap_displays_at_train_stations_in_Switzerland https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Split-flap_displ... Some big stations had per-letter ones. For the standard design for smaller stations, even terms like "5 minute delay", "10 minute delay" etc. all got their own flap rather than having a separate box for the numbers. This one shows a 6 minute delay on a single flap (pair): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Basel_SBB_EC2_Anzeiger_211214.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Basel_SBB_EC2_Anzeig...

rob74 2y ago
Wow, so the Swiss have a 1-minute precision even for delays? Germany has this convenient (for the train operator) system: - 0 - 4m59s -> "no delay" (so it doesn't have to be announced and the train counts as "on time" as far as metrics are concerned) - 5m - 9m59s -> "5 minutes delay" - 10m - 14m59s -> "10 minutes delay" ...and so on.
- red_admiral 2y ago
  I think it might start at 2 or 3 minutes, but from then on it's in 1 minute increments up to at least 10, and I think even 15 minutes. I believe the maximum on the system is 120 minutes delay, after which (or if it's not sure) it switches to "Unbestimmte Verspaetung" (unknown delay). You can certainly find a 4min, a 5min, and a 6min on the linked page. The message "Bitte nicht / einsteigen" (please do not board) always used to be split over two flaps. This caused some humor whenever the first one got stuck, so what was supposed to read "Olten / Basel" ended up as "Bitte nicht / Basel" which roughly reads as "Please don't take me to Basel!", a sentiment that a lot of people in Zurich would agree with.