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Thread: Large Scale Systems Museum

  1. #1
    Orca Whisperer W3WN's Avatar
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    Large Scale Systems Museum

    Article in the local paper (well, what used to be the local paper, now an online shell of itself) about a computer museum in New Kensington, PA, that features 'large scale' mainframe and mini computers.

    http://triblive.com/local/valleynews...mputing-relics

    The 'crown jewel' is a PDP/11-70

    Incidentally, it appears that the owner of this museum may be AK4HZ (names match and the QRZ address matches that of the museum).
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    Orca Whisperer n2ize's Avatar
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    My first real experienced started on a PDP-11. Also a DEC 20 and later the VAXen. It's amazing how computers and microprocessors have become smaller and smaller and more and more powerful. Almost everything has some kind of computer built in to performs some function. Even my newest RC helicopter has an onboard computer running software that replaces the mechanical (Bell-Hiller mixing) flybar. Instead while in flight the computer receives sensory input from the 6-axis gyro and and accelerometers . This enables the onboard computer to determine the attitude, position, and acceleration of the aircraft at any given instant in time and to compensate in much the same way that a mechanical flybar would, only better. Virtually all full scale rotary aircraft and rc model aircraft use this system nowadays as opposed to a mechanical flybar/stabilizer bar. . A decade or two ago this would have been impossible or at the very least, quite difficult.

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    Last edited by n2ize; 05-02-2017 at 03:30 PM.
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    "Island Bartender" KG4CGC's Avatar
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    They tell me that my phone could fly a fleet of shuttles, John.

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    Is this considered "fly-by-wire"? Computer goes TU, vehicle goes down?
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    Now this is pretty cool. Might need to make a trip there to visit!
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  6. #6
    Orca Whisperer n2ize's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KG4CGC View Post
    They tell me that my phone could fly a fleet of shuttles, John.
    They are almost correct. The stuff that can be done with modern day technology is incredible People carry far more powerful computing power in their pockets than an entire computer lab of the 1980's. Even the application for the RC helicopter that I described above is relatively simple and straight forward compared to what is out there as we speak. Yet a decade ago it would have been considered mind boggling state of the art. Yet here it is replacing older mechanical functionality and doing it in a way that is far more versatile, robust and dependable than it's earlier mechanical counterparts. Which leads to another aspect, many of these newer technologies are also extremely reliable. They do what they were designed to do and in most cases do it better. So yeah, as this stuff becomes smaller and more powerful and more prevalent the possibilities seem more and more unlimited. You may soon find yourself controlling that fleet of shuttles with your smart phone.
    I keep my 2 feet on the ground, and my head in the twilight zone.

  7. #7
    Orca Whisperer n2ize's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by N3XJN View Post
    Is this considered "fly-by-wire"? Computer goes TU, vehicle goes down?
    I would call it "fly by wifi". :)
    I keep my 2 feet on the ground, and my head in the twilight zone.

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