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  • Did not expect such an insanely detailed blog, crazy how even the computers for Spacelabs had such history.
    by pickleballcourt
  • Author here if anyone has questions...
    by kens
  • The PCB construction is curious (which you say is multi-layer) - why use a grid of 0.1" holes? Is that so it could be easily jumpered? Can you tell if the traces run through the holes or between them?

    I don't have the patience to reverse-engineer these types of boards, but I do find them really interesting to think about. CAD was just getting started (I just looked up that Gerber format was released in 1980) so I wonder if the masks were hand-drawn.

    by GlibMonkeyDeath
  • I have zero experience with anything in the space program, but this all looks REMARKABLY like the F/A-18 Avionics I worked on for years. The board connecters look identical to what most of those boxes used, as well as the test benches (I'm specifically familiar with the AN/USM-484). The circuit board designs, etc. all have a ton of similarities as well.

    I imagine it was a function of the design constraints in that time period, and similar program needs.

    There are very few records of any of this out there, similar to the Spacelab equipment I imagine. The -484 ran a Harris H100 minicomputer with an HP terminal and a GPIB bus. I've linked one of the few photos that you can find, but it's from an extended version of the test bench and has the minicomputer rack off to the right cut off.

    Sorry for the off topic, but it's always cool to see stuff like what I spent years working on come across this site!

    https://api.army.mil/e2/c/-images/2007/02/12/2612/army.mil-2...

    by CobaltFire

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