Description
Varo Type D-3 Driver Section Power Supply, P/N 4124-1, NSN 6130-00-635-3043
Item Overview
This Varo Type D-3 Driver Section is an aircraft-mounted power-supply module associated with an early Cold War U.S. Air Force gyro-computing gun, bomb, and rocket sight. It converted aircraft electrical power into the three-phase alternating current required by the sight system. This is an electrical component only and is not the optical sight itself.
Identification and Features
The original Federal Stock Number was 6130-635-3043, later written as NSN 6130-00-635-3043. The federal stock record classifies the unit as a nonrotating electrical converter and identifies its application as a gyro-computing gun, bomb, and rocket sight. A repair tag on this example is dated August 3, 1955.
- Manufacturer: Varo
- Type: D-3 Driver Section
- Varo part number: 4124-1
- Original FSN: 6130-635-3043
- Later NSN: 6130-00-635-3043
- Federal classification: Converter, electrical, nonrotating
- Input: 28-volt DC aircraft power
- Output: 28-volt, 400 Hz, three-phase AC
- Rated output: 90 VA
- Application: Gyro-computing gun, bomb, and rocket sight equipment
- Repair-tag date: August 3, 1955
- Status: Non-explosive aircraft electrical component
How It Worked
Military aircraft normally supplied 28-volt direct current, but the sight’s gyros, servos, and analog computing mechanisms required controlled three-phase alternating current. The D-3 Driver Section helped convert the aircraft’s power into 28-volt, 400 Hz, three-phase AC at 90 VA. Because it performed this conversion without a rotating motor-generator, it was cataloged as a static or nonrotating converter.
Two-Section Power-Supply Design
Available records indicate that the D-3 power supply used two related sections. This Driver Section carries Varo part number 4124-1, while companion part 4124-2 is listed under NSN 6130-00-635-3044 and contains associated thyratron and grid-drive circuitry. The two cataloged sections were parts of the same specialized sight-power system.
Sight-System History
Gyro-computing sights helped pilots aim aircraft guns and deliver bombs or rockets by accounting for aircraft movement, target range, and ballistic factors. During the early 1950s, these systems combined gyros, servos, and mechanical or electrical analog computers. The Varo D-3 belongs to the same period and general U.S. Air Force sight family as the A-1C and A-4 systems.
History of Use
A-4 gun, bomb, and rocket sight manuals date from 1953 and 1954, and A-4 sights were installed in aircraft such as the F-84 Thunderjet and F-86 Sabre. These systems supported both aerial gunnery and ground-attack missions. This history places the D-3 within the same generation of sight equipment, but it does not confirm that this individual module was installed in a specific aircraft.
Condition
This is a vintage military-surplus electrical module with an August 3, 1955 repair tag. It may show scratches, finish wear, discoloration, oxidation, faded markings, old inspection marks, or other signs of service and storage. Electrical operation has not been verified, and the unit is offered as a historical component for collecting, study, or display.
Ideal For
This specialized module is well suited for collections and exhibits covering early Cold War aviation, U.S. Air Force fire-control equipment, analog computing systems, and historic aircraft electronics.
- Cold War aircraft collections
- USAF fire-control displays
- Gyroscopic sight exhibits
- Vintage aviation-electronics collections
- F-84 and F-86 historical displays
- Military museums and educational exhibits
Approx length 11.125", Approx width 7.125", Approx height 3", Approx weight lbs.
Pictures are stock images of our inventory. Unless otherwise noted, you will not be receiving the exact item shown in the pictures. The pictures are representative of the item’s general condition. The item you receive might be slightly better, or worse, condition than was shown in the pictures.
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