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1950's Automation — Parallax Forums

1950's Automation

ercoerco Posts: 20,244
Surprisingly advanced stuff IMO, the precursor to robotics, 60 years ago!

Comments

  • Relay ladder logic -- with real relays! What cracks me up are the same squeaky sound effects added for all the tools: drills, borers, milling cutters, etc.

    -Phil
  • I recently read about punch card based CNC machines that existed before the advent of digital computers. So I'm glad I got to see this video.

    Add one more thing that existed before digital technology: ICBMs, electrical ignition, antibiotics, television and radio, air conditioning, etc.

    Despite 60 years of slight gains in technological advancement, most people are actually now less materially wealthy.
  • That's what is called dedicated tooling because it's only designed to do one specific thing but it does it very efficiently.
  • I think I might be right in saying that those gearboxes will still being used in Land Rovers until about fifteen years ago.

    Precision? Accuracy? I wondered if that is down to microswitches?

    Common sense instead of health and safety.

    Fancy having a job replacing blown indicator lamps...
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    Phil,
    What cracks me up are the same squeaky sound effects added for all the tools: drills, borers, milling cutters, etc.
    As far as I recall, that squeaky sound effect could as well be a recording of the sound the BMC cars made as you drove them. :)

  • The_Master wrote: »
    I recently read about punch card based CNC machines that existed before the advent of digital computers. So I'm glad I got to see this video.
    ...
    Despite 60 years of slight gains in technological advancement, most people are actually now less materially wealthy.

    Punch card type programming was used in textile manufacturing long before CNC machines, tabulators & computers.

    Hmm... 60 years of slight gains in technology? Not sure about that. Lots of technological innovation between 1958 & 2018, in almost every aspect of our lives (from what we eat, how we work, how we go to war, how we heal the sick, even how we procreate!). Less material wealth? Not sure how you lived in the 50's, but my experience is a vastly different one than that of my parents. Not saying everything is better (in fact, there are many aspects of the "good old days" that would be welcome, today), but we live cleaner, more healthy and longer lives than ever before thanks to technology. It's a shame that we're now living long enough for a whole new cast of degenerative diseases to affect us, but technology is at work on those problems as well.

    Check out: https://amazon.com/Good-Old-Days-They-Terrible/dp/0394709411/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525827277&sr=1-1&keywords=the+good+old+days+they+were+terrible&dpID=51K8GMZQ01L&preST=_SY344_BO1,204,203,200_QL70_&dpSrc=srch, if you're interested in a look as far back as the turn of the last century, for an interesting view on how times are not so bad!

    dgately

  • I made a 4-code punch-card type command to execute different maneuvers(two QTIs and 4 pieces of cardstock with sharpie:P). The idea was to set it to do line-following, sumo-bot, etc.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244
    Another great vintage video about Henry Ford pushing his best engineers to mass market a V-8 engine. In particular, I like the serious off-road plunge at 3:40 and that he isolated his top engineers in Thomas Edison's lab (on his property) to develop the engine in secret. Also forced them to use only Edison's old belt-driven machine shop! Henry was quirky, also the richest man in America. Elon has a long way to go to catch up.

  • As I recall the punched card was first created for looms, for making complicated weaves such as tweed. They are still used for custom orders of broadloom such as carpeting. Then Herman Hollerith came up with the idea to use them for his tabulator which was used to speed up the census.

    But the punched paper tape which was also used by teletype machines, was used by the CNC machines.

    Eventually the whole idea series led us to computers, and where we are now.

    And speaking of Edison and Ford, let's just say one thing, Florida. I won't mention in public their thoughts which would make Wagner feel good.
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