The retroencabulator was the FTL engine used by the Kuhneebo Conglomerate for over a millenium from its invention in the early 21st century until the introduction of the turboencabulator in the mid-32nd century. It was the first known drive to not incorporate Mythril in its design, but required such a large frame that it was impractical for the ships of other nations. Additionally, it relied on properties of materials science and mechanical engineering that were mostly unknown or untested by other civilizations, due to the electricity-based technology that the majority of the galaxy used being largely incompatible.
The development of synthetic jump drive technology in 3103 by the United Stars influenced Kuhn engineers, who used the electrical drives created by the Snailians as a basis when designing the turboencabulator. The newfound understanding of quantum mechanics discovered by the United Stars allowed Conglomerate engineers to rethink the motion of subatomic particles, resulting in significantly improved engines that were comparable in performance to the synthetic jump drives of other nations. By 3160, all new Arks were built with the turboencabulator, and by the 33rd century all existing retroencabulators had been upgraded to the turboencabulator.
Operation[]
For a number of years, work had been proceeding in order to bring perfection to the crudely conceived idea of a transmission that would not only supply inverse reactive current for use in unilateral phase detractors, but would also be capable of automatically synchronizing cardinal grammeters. Such an instrument was the retroencabulator.
Basically the only new principle involved was that instead of power being generated by the relative motion of conductors and fluxes, it was produced by the modial interaction of magneto-reluctance and capacitive diractance.
The original machine had a base plate of pre-famulated amulite surmounted by a malleable logarithmic casing in such a way that the two spurving bearings were in a direct line with the panametric fan. The latter consisted simply of six hydrocoptic marzlevanes, so fitted to the ambifacient lunar waneshaft that side fumbling was effectively prevented.
The main winding was of the normal lotus-o-delta type placed in panendermic semi-boloid slots of the stator, every seventh conductor being connected by a non-reversible tremie pipe to the differential girdle spring on the "up" end of the grammeters.
The retroencabulator reached a high level of development, and was successfully used in the operation of novertrunnions. Moreover, whenever a forescent skor motion was required, it was employed in conjunction with a drawn reciprocation dingle arm, to reduce sinusoidal repleneration.