Maybe!
it could be someone very advanced in home electronics or an auto electrician. probably not an electrical engineer.
just my 2 cents
OK, so maybe not electrical engineer.
You mentioned other occupations. What about a general electrician? Or a power company employee? Any other occupations that would have the skill level Z displayed?
“Murder will out, this my conclusion.”
– Geoffrey Chaucer
Maybe!
Did Zodiac’s design involve radians?
My point is that you have to take everything together. He used radians, he understood photoelectric trigger, and was able to create a design for a bomb that while impractical, could work. He showed a level of sophistication with with electrical components above the average person based on all the available evidence it appears. I’m open to someone showing me why I am full of crap.
No Chaucer! I don’t think you are full of crap at all. He could have been an electrical engineer, but he could have been a lot of things. Our career doesn’t always revolve around what we have a passion for.
“…they may be dealing with one or more ersatz Zodiacs–other psychotics eager to get into the act, or perhaps even other murderers eager to lay their crimes at the real Zodiac’s doorstep.“ L.A. Times, 1969
You mentioned other occupations. What about a general electrician? Or a power company employee? Any other occupations that would have the skill level Z displayed?
yes pretty much anyone conversant in electrical schematics. even an advanced self taught electronics geek. lots of people in that era devoted time building hi fi and radios. radio shack and others boomed on its popularity. but i would guess that the schematics we are seeing is self created design making me think its not someone just following instructions on how to build. it is using the technique of opening and closing contacts with timers and photo electrics. i have never really studied the diagram in depth because it has been discussed frequently before. again just my opinion. I take back my "probably not an electrical engineer" as there are lots of varying positions in that occupation and different levels of skill sets.
It has been said, with those schematics, his devise would not have worked. Truth to that? I have no idea. If true, it would seem he wasn’t as knowledgeable as one who did that as a profession. I would think. ??
“…they may be dealing with one or more ersatz Zodiacs–other psychotics eager to get into the act, or perhaps even other murderers eager to lay their crimes at the real Zodiac’s doorstep.“ L.A. Times, 1969
It has been said, with those schematics, his devise would not have worked. Truth to that? I have no idea. If true, it would seem he wasn’t as knowledgeable as one who did that as a profession. I would think. ??
I have read from others who have an electrical background that yes, the bomb COULD have worked but it would have been very impractical. It’s clearly not made up gibberish and science fiction. Here’s what I mean: the bomb’s use of photoelectric triggers were meant to have the shadow of the bus as it goes by trigger the explosion. The thing is, that shadow has to be in just the right location at the right time. Moreover, photoelectric triggers weren’t triggered instantaneously. It took up to three minutes for them to detonate.
So, yes, Zodiac’s design would have worked, but he would have needed the bus to drive up at the perfect spot at the perfect time with the sun at the perfect angle to cast a shadow at just the perfect location and remain there for upwards of three minutes. Given those variables, it COULD have worked, but the likelihood of the all of those conditions being met are highly unlikely.
With that said, I am NOT any kind of expert on electricity, bombs, or electronics. I am only echoing others who are. I would welcome any more discussion this enthusiastically.
Based on my VERY amateur observations, I think Zodiac had a high level (college educated) knowledge of electrical components. I also think he had a very active imagination and was influenced by comic books and TV shows.
“Murder will out, this my conclusion.”
– Geoffrey Chaucer
You are discussing both his original schematic and his new and improved version? Both with some tinkering would work. Both impractical. The first shows some half decent knowledge of normally open and normally closed contacts and structure and interpretations like wire crossing over without joining. Not so sure about the sun bit and three minutes time frame. Once the light source is broken the switch makes or brakes its normally open or normally closed position instantly. Then you are supposed to get a big KABOOM.
in modern computer use i dont like to discuss this topic. i hear black hawk helicoptors in my sleep with every letter i tweet.
Notice i did not use the ‘B’ word. 
He was trying to complete a circuit with 2 DC power sources and two copper leaf springs. The rationale for this is voltage drop and redundancy. Basically, too much distance to hold enough charge with a single 12v cell. That’s smart, that’s researched, that’s something that would be a solution for someone who took an electrical engineering survey course.
“Murder will out, this my conclusion.”
– Geoffrey Chaucer
He was trying to complete a circuit with 2 DC power sources and two copper leaf springs. The rationale for this is voltage drop and redundancy. Basically, too much distance to hold enough charge with a single 12v cell. That’s smart, that’s researched, that’s something that would be a solution for someone who took an electrical engineering survey course.
electrical engineering survey course? you have someone in mind then.
He was trying to complete a circuit with 2 DC power sources and two copper leaf springs. The rationale for this is voltage drop and redundancy. Basically, too much distance to hold enough charge with a single 12v cell. That’s smart, that’s researched, that’s something that would be a solution for someone who took an electrical engineering survey course.
electrical engineering survey course? you have someone in mind then.
No. In fact, not at all.
I’m just trying to build a profile based on the available evidence. It would appear to me that his design and description required an upper level knowledge of electrical components and engineering. Also, his choice to use "radians" indicate some work with electricity and/or electronics. Taken by themselves, this could mean anything. Taken together, I think it suggests that he was either an electrical engineer, general electrician, or a power company employee. I’d also point out that I think Zodiac worked a 9 to 5, Monday through Friday job. I base this on his crimes occurring on weekends (when he would be free) and in his letters threatening to "cruise around Friday nights" and "all weekend" killing. This indicates that he wasn’t available to commit his murders during the work week. Perhaps he was a contracted civilian electrician at Mare Island?
Again, I’m not making any definitive claims and I’m happy to hear evidence from others that would suggest otherwise.
“Murder will out, this my conclusion.”
– Geoffrey Chaucer
S.F. Chronicle "My Name Is" Letter – April 20 1970, at Michael Butterfield‘s wesite;
http://www.zodiackillerfacts.com/galler … play_media
Chaucer said;
"use of photoelectric triggers were meant to have the shadow of the bus as it goes by
trigger the explosion. The thing is, that shadow has to be in just the right location at
the right time. Moreover, photoelectric triggers weren’t triggered instantaneously. It
took up to three minutes for them to detonate."
…"he would have needed the bus to drive up at the perfect spot at the perfect time with
the sun at the perfect angle to cast a shadow at just the perfect location and remain there
for upwards of three minutes."
A photoelectric trigger, say, as used across opened doorways, would sense the interruption
of light (upon person entry) and activate a remote audio device typically in the rear of a store.
It would be unusual for there to be a three minute delay before triggering.
You may be conflating the time taken for a photoelectric trigger device, upon power being
initially provided to the photoelectric trigger device, to become useful (i.e. the time it
takes to achieve a state of readiness upon initial power up such that the trigger function
would be able operate), as opposed to the time it takes to action the triggering. Whether
the initial power up readiness time is ‘up to three minutes’ is very arguable – in this case, if
Zodiacs construction was to function as intended, the device would probably not have any
such three minute delay, or if it had such a delay, the construction would have the timer
provide power ‘early’ by minutes prior to the intended trigger time so the photoelectric
trigger device would have the time it needed to achieve a state of readiness to operate.
——–
It might be not a total waste of time to consider what might now ever be found remaining
in any road embankment – if we wish to consider that there ever was anything put in place
by the Zodiac…
