Spools

Principle types
The spool is part of the scoring apparatus. There are two, one for each fencer; the left is connected to the red light of the box by a ground lead, the right to the green. Invented to tidy up the 20m or so of electric cable that each fencer is attached to in order that they may move and attack the whole length of the pisté unhindered. There are two principal types in use in the U.K. The Allstar-Uhlman manufactured abroad, and the Leon-Paul, made in the England.

Components
This is a picture of a fully disassembled Leon Paul spool.

Description	Find out more	Reference number
Spool case (either side)		(Reference C66CAS)
Spool wire carrier half		(Reference C66WC)
Spool commutator		(Reference C66CM)
Spool nozzle		(Reference C66NOZ)
20m cable		(Reference C74)
Spool brush assembly complete		(Reference C66CB)
Spool spindle with dog		(Reference C66SPL)
Spool spindle knurled nut and washer		(Reference C66NUK)
Spool spindle hexagonal nut and washer		(Reference C66NUH)
Spool spring in case complete		(Reference C66SPC)

How a spool works

Click on the images below to open a pop-up flash video. If you do not have flash installed on you browser you can download it free here: http://www.macromedia.com. Although physically different, both types of spool work essentially in the same way. A 3-ply re-enforced electric cable is attached to a rotating drum at one end (see film 1); the other is plugged into the bodywire (see film 2) of a fencer. As the fencer advances up the pisté, the rotating drum puts tension onto a spring system (see film 3). Electrical continuity is maintained through 3 steel contacts (the collimator) that rotate inside of three static spring-loaded brass brushes (see film 4). These brushes are connected via the ground lead to the control box (see film 5). When the fencer retreats down the pisté, the tensioned springs rewind the slack cable back onto the drum. The whole ensemble is protected by two molded fiberglass cases.

Film 1	Film 2	Film 3
Film 4	Film 5

 

THE TENSION STORED IN REEL SPRINGS CAN CAUSE INJURIES WHEN RELEASED. ALSO THE SPRINGS ARE LUBRICATED AND MESSY. PLEASE REMEMBER TO WEAR SUITABLE EYE PROTECTION, CLOTHING AND GLOVES WHENEVER HANDLING OPEN SPOOL CANISTERS

Spools are subjected to extremely high levels of wear and tear at all levels, but more especially at competition levels. They therefore require a certain amount of regular maintenance to ensure continued problem-free operation. Each spool should be given a regular mechanical and electrical check-up twice a year, and especially before its use in a competition. A simple sticky label, or piece of tape, can be fixed to the apparatus and serve as a reminder of when it was last checked.

The Leon Paul spool is easily assembled and dissassembled by hand, and parts may be bought and replaced easily, but almost all repairs are simple and may save considerable time and money. However some repairs do requre certain tools of the sort most DIY'ers have on hand. Read the relavent repair section, then refer back to the tool list.

Tools

Gloves, Multi-meter, philips, screwdriver, cross-head screwdriver, pliers, craft knife, wire strippers, gas blow torch, 3mm drill, work bench, soldering iron, vice, solder and flux

Spool Wire

The spool wire consists of a triple core cable, colour coded in white (for the center terminal), brown (for the near side terminal), and green (for the furthest terminal). A multi-strand Kevlar reinforcing cable is also wraped around the wires. The whole cable is protected by a rubberised coating.