- Joined
- Feb 13, 2017
- Messages
- 2,138
Analog Computing (AC) at its' best. Naval "fire control" was essentially the final attempt at analog computing. And the first electronic digital computing. I think it was "Eniac" or " * * *Analog Computer" that came first. But my memory isn't too good any more. In any case, a "computer bug" that was actually a moth got hung up in a relay contact causing an erroneous output. Today, it isn't a bug, it's an undocumented feature.
Aircraft Analog Computers came from minaturization of Naval systems. The earliest systems were for shore batteries, the "ballistic" calculations were enormous, requiring buildings dedicated to the equipment. As they were made smaller they were migrated to ships, where pitch, roll, distance, and direction were the only serious variables. Only then to aircraft as the mechanisms were miniaturized further.
A couple of the ships I was stationed on in '69-'73 were, by my time, considered non-combatant vessels. But when they were comissioned, they had (relatively) small guns. The largest a [5"-38 caliber] single turret. The ship had two (2) Sperry Mark 13 Compasses. A "fire control" compass that was linked to the Analog Computer with "synchros" or compass card followers.
Even by my time, 25 years after WW2, details of the system were still considered to be classified to a very low level. A step or two higher than restricted. I don't know if the stuff is still classified or (probably) not. But it has been ingrained in me not to talk about it so I don't. I don't know what level security I actually had. Only that I was allowed in to the "crypto" spaces in the radio room with the machines (ASR-19 teletypes) uncovered. If I was working, nobody was allowed in for "social" purposes.
.
Aircraft Analog Computers came from minaturization of Naval systems. The earliest systems were for shore batteries, the "ballistic" calculations were enormous, requiring buildings dedicated to the equipment. As they were made smaller they were migrated to ships, where pitch, roll, distance, and direction were the only serious variables. Only then to aircraft as the mechanisms were miniaturized further.
A couple of the ships I was stationed on in '69-'73 were, by my time, considered non-combatant vessels. But when they were comissioned, they had (relatively) small guns. The largest a [5"-38 caliber] single turret. The ship had two (2) Sperry Mark 13 Compasses. A "fire control" compass that was linked to the Analog Computer with "synchros" or compass card followers.
Even by my time, 25 years after WW2, details of the system were still considered to be classified to a very low level. A step or two higher than restricted. I don't know if the stuff is still classified or (probably) not. But it has been ingrained in me not to talk about it so I don't. I don't know what level security I actually had. Only that I was allowed in to the "crypto" spaces in the radio room with the machines (ASR-19 teletypes) uncovered. If I was working, nobody was allowed in for "social" purposes.
.