Basic Mechanisms of a Fire Control Computer (1950's Navy Training Film)

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[DemforBush]

A pretty neat little film about the various parts of the mechanical fire control computers of those days, and how they are applied to real-life gunnery issues.

[DemforBush]

Mechanical computers have always fascinated me. The step-by-step explanation of how each part works in this one is pretty cool stuff, even for a non-engineering type like me.

[Steely Tom]

I love those films. Thanks so much. I’ll probably watch it a few dozen times over the next few months.

[Lurker]

Ok that’s cool.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Circa 1978 Army TACFIRE artillery computer system.

[citizen]

Bfl

[Paladin2]

"Mechanical computers" = analog?

Those puppies are darn fast.

[Pox]

WOW!

That was the system I was trained to repair in the Army. 34-Y10. I haven’t seen a picture of that equipment ever, and in person in decades!

I spent a year in two different locations (APG Maryland and Ft Sill OK) in AIT learning how to troubleshoot and repair that and the FALT/FADAC system that was it’s predecessor. Finished top of my class in both locations in 83/84 and was shipped off to West Germany after that.

Thank you for posting that picture. It brings back a LOT of memories!

[2ndDivisionVet]

What’s up with his haircut? And the mismatched fatigues?

[KarlInOhio]

Now I know what I want for Christmas.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Thanks for posting this. My Dad worked on mechanical computers and guidance systems at GE in the 50s in upstate NY. I remember him bringing home various parts such as zero-backlash gear sets for me to play with. I think that was instrumental in me becoming a mechanical engineer.

[Pox]

Probably a civilian posing as a military tech. We were actually phasing in the BDU’s and Phasing out the old OD uniforms when I enlisted, so we mixed and matched on occasion as well, but never like him! :)

The TACFIRE was actually digital and only the printers were mechanical. The thermal printer was very interesting, but the plotter was really cool tech for its time.

The CPU and MEMORY units were enormous and the CPU was comprised of dozens of small IC’s that were encapsulated into a very large enclosure (Nothing like you would expect today), and the Memory was actually MCMU, which stands for Mass Core Memory Unit. They were tiny donut magnets with several wires running through them in a grid for each “Card”. Very EMP resistant and reliable for the era.

I believe I still have saved a box full of technical material for that system and all of the components, but I doubt it's even in use in this day and age as its day is long past.

The FALT/FADAC system was much more “primitive”, but technically not “mechanical” except for perhaps the tape drive which used a long paper “tape” with punch holes in it to load the “bios”. Very reliable, but very ancient compared to anything in use today.

So many memories...

[CodeToad]

Bump for later reading.

[Chode]

great video...

[woerm]

bump for later analog computers Rock!

[Half Vast Conspiracy]

The haircut is what was tolerated in the late 70s to early 80s.

The fatigues look like the old cotton pants with the “new” permanent press shirt.

[KarlInOhio]

and the Memory was actually MCMU, which stands for Mass Core Memory Unit. They were tiny donut magnets with several wires running through them in a grid for each “Card”.

8 bytes of core memory with an 8 gigabyte flash card sitting on top. I just dropped a whole $30 on 4 times that memory today.

[2ndDivisionVet]

We still had 1940’s era equipment in some cases when I was in, but I’m sure TACFIRE can only be seen in a museum.

[Pox]

For the FADAC, only one unit is known to be around due to hazardous waste: One reason for a lack of surviving examples of early units was the use of radium on the dials, which officially made them hazardous waste, and as such were disposed of by the United States Department of Energy. Currently there is one surviving example of FADAC at the Fort Sill artillery museum.

[2ndDivisionVet]

It wasn’t “tolerated” in any unit I was stationed in, and I wasn’t exactly in a STRAC infantry unit, I was in intelligence. As for the fatigues, you’re probably right. I was forced to buy BDUs right before I got out but only wore them to one formation. Did not like them.