Edmonds ARC Presentation, Oct 13, 2022

10/13/2022

Background

This is when management decided to open some new technology with a High Speed Computer system, allowing us to Digitize the telemetry. (~1968-1969)

For a Digitizer, we had one of Only 2 A/D units in the world, with 320K samples per second, with an accuracy of  +/- 2mv over a range of -2V to +2V.

While being responsible for maintenance on our new Digital System, and I was writing diagnostics in machine code for all the support peripherals, 

- - and creating a couple of new Operating Systems for the new SIGMA II Mainframe (also in Machine Code).

The SDS-910 was used to manage the liquid Nitrogen coils in the Space Chamber along with controlling the Solar Hood, to simulate heat from the sun.

Scientific Data Systems (SDS) and SIGMA had earlier joined companies. The SIGMA II and the SIGMA 7 were newly released together.

AWACS Technician Training

I was called back to the Industrial Training Center to be assigned to teach the AWACS Technicians about Digital and Computer Concepts.

At Everett Hanger    1969    Radar Disk     Array Cockpit     Inside-1     Inside-2 Oops     Oops

AWACS First Flight: May 25, 1976 (E-3A with full mission avionics)   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_E-3_Sentry

I had 2 weeks with each of the 3 work shifts of the Techs that worked with the Westinghouse Engineers,

taking them from absolute zero to fluency, with what they could understand immediately, remember and apply.

To the best of my knowledge, some of the methods and techniques presented at that time, are not yet in the textbooks even today.