Büttner

Four-species pinwheel machine

1888

The mechanic Otto Büttner, Dresden, is the designer of this very sophisticatedly manufactured early pinwheel machine. The machine was patented on 7 November 1888 (DRP 47243). However, Büttner and his patent and business partner Wilhelm Brückner were never able to achieve proper serial production.

The design based on Odhner's pinwheel principle (patent of 1878, DRP 7393) is remarkable for its elongated shape and the switching lever for add/mult. and subtr./div. These were typical features of the Thomas stepped drum machines commercially available at that time. Thus, Büttner did not make use of the actual advantages of the pinwheel principle as they became obvious with the market launch of Odhner machines at the end of the 1980s (compact form, easy handling due to reversal of the direction of rotation). This anachronism, together with the far too elaborate workmanship, will also have been the reason for Büttner's business failure. At least he bought Brückner's widow's shares in the patent in 1902 (see the handwritten settlement certificate). Until at least 1892 the machine must have been available on the market in different sizes. According to Dyck [1892] it cost 325 m. in 6 digits (setting mechanism), 425 m. in 8 digits and 625 m. in 10 digits. These prices were slightly below the price level of the Burkhardt relay roller machines. Our machine with machine no. 90 is the one that Büttner presented to the Royal Saxon Ministry of the Interior in Dresden in 1889 (see the corresponding certificate in the operating instructions).