The actual recorders ... have vertically mounted memory-module cylinders ...
My intent was to give a general visual description. It would have been more complete if I had written: “The actual recorders have large diameter, orange coloured, vertically mounted, memory module containing cylinders. With the ‘pinger’ being the small diameter, silver coloured cylinder, mounted horizontally with two black brackets onto two orange brackets on the vertical cylinders.
Note - on quite a few recorders these two black brackets are connected directly to the memory module cylinders. Both actual 8501 recorders have a kind of ‘rather fat’ intermediate orange brackets on which these black brackets are mounted.
There is one ‘pinger’ each on the FDR and the CVR. ‘Pingers’ are better called Underwater Locator Beacon’s (ULB's), But in this case labelled “EMERGENCY LOCATING BEACON” by the manufacturer on the one mounted on the actual CVR. Not smart from the manufacturer to label it like this, as the ELB acronym might easily be confused with ELT. The (some are yellow) ELT is the Emergency Locator Transmitter, which should start its work on impact, and works above the water surface (ref its specific ELT higher frequencies). The ULB should start its work when it contacts(sea)water, and works under the water surface (ref its specific ULB lower frequencies). Seems like a small detail. But naming conventions are a sub-category of what is called “configuration management”. And the (most) advanced state of configuration management in aerospace, being both art and science, is (just) one of the reasons why the industry has become, and is, as safe as it is.
@Archae86 - agreed. Note that his image shows horizontally mounted memory module cylinders. So they are not from 8501. Thanks for the nice and shiny image. Better one than you usually find.
@p.j.m. - agreed. @albatross, note that the boss of the KNKT/NTSC pulls the CVR out of the black container by holding onto the ‘pinger’.