"Who would test T1 lines anymore?" says the guy who restored teletypes.

@greendryerlint

3 жыл бұрын

It's interesting how some technology perseveres while some falls by the wayside and is not worth preserving. T1 lines are obsolete, and not too many people have any love for VHS tapes, but audio cassettes are making a comeback to a limited extent. And Teletypes and old typewriters are just cool and kind of steampunk these days.

@Clancydaenlightened

3 жыл бұрын

@@greendryerlint I can go to Walmart and buy vinyls now

@R.Daneel

3 жыл бұрын

Having a T1 line, even as a largish corporation, gave you significant bragging rights. Megabits when ~300 BYTES per second was still the norm.

@PINKBOY1006

3 жыл бұрын

About 60% of the PBX's I installed in 2019 was T1 line based. Im not in telecom anymore however.

@acmefixer1

3 жыл бұрын

@@PINKBOY1006 Exactly. Cisco VoIP phone systems are connected to the PSTN network with T1 ISDN PRI lines.

My favorite is the "Why?" button - you must keep it!

@CuriousMarc

3 жыл бұрын

That one cracked me up too. It's actually the "help" button. It should have had another one that said "Why not?" too!

There are literately thousands of these switches on hundreds of Navy ships. When we got bored on watch we would do a lamp test and break out the large plastic jug of bulbs we had and replace the burned out ones. I took a tour of the Johnson Space Center in Houston and sat at the consoles used for the early space missions. Out of habit I popped one out, I didn't take it I just took it out and put it back. You had to have the right touch to press the switch back into place with out depressing the switch. Some had a little wire lever that stuck out that you had to turn to release it.

These switches, lights, and displays also were used in the Minuteman Missile System. I was in the Air Force at Vandenberg AFB from 1967 to 1970 and I repaired and changed out these switches when they failed. They were pretty reliable, except for the bulbs. The lamp check switch saved a lot of work. You commented on the fact that you cannot tell when the switch was on or off. In reality every switch produced some action somewhere on the panel. If it was off, a corresponding light was lit, saying it was off or that it was in a default position. When actuated, the previous light would go out and the selected function would be activated and another indicator light would illuminate indicating that the new function had been selected. The panels were usually designed in a fairly intuitive way, so the operation was fairly logical. The launch control facility (LCF) was where most of these panels were found. A lot of the switches were wired so that the upper light was the default, and the lower light was the selected function and the lights would change when the switch was pressed. Nice job on the Apollo box. Bob

Todays museum "This Apollo's sculpture is a roman copy of a greek original we lost..." Future museum "This Apollo's device is a Curious Marc copy of an original device we lost..."

Building GSE for small satellites gave me an enduring love for Lemo connectors. Too bad they're too expensive for the applications I work on now. They're things of beauty and a joy forever.

"...so we replaced one useless box with another useless box, but I think it looks pretty." Spoken like a true artist.

Beautiful to see these switches used in a project. Now i wanna see some of them flashing like you see in the old recordings of the control rooms xD

In the 80's USAF We had what we called the CFA. Central Fault Alarm that employed these switches. We had it set up to monitor Microwave relay Stations across the U.K. As a AUTOVON switch we controlled a number of links in and out of country. Satellite included. Whopping 600 Voice and Digital Channels at hand.

"Stay tuned for the next episode" Next Episode: "So we're here with a surplus redstone rocket that we're gonna fix up and launch using my launch control box here."

@the48thronin97

3 жыл бұрын

It would be sweet to run actual model rockets off of this box, can't imagine it would be difficult

@jakobole

3 жыл бұрын

10....9.....8......7..

Ah, you can't beat a useless box full of blinking lights - love it - want one!!!!!!!!

I love Excess Solutions one of the last stores like this here in the bay area. I have some many good memories buying stuff from these supply stores. one man's trash another man's treasure

@stheil

3 жыл бұрын

I would be completely broke if we had a store like that here. But I still wish we did ^^"

@littlejason99

3 жыл бұрын

I have ordered so much from them online over the years!!!!

Very nice, Huston, we have found missing one. Greetings from Karachi, Pakistan.

The asset tag looks pretty nice too. An alternate technique for making that style is the transparent label maker on top of aluminum foil tape (used for HVAC stuff)

The actual consoles used by Huston were designed and built by the Ford Motor Company as they acquired a company that had all the resources that NASA was looking for and won the contract for the Apollo program ground stations, IBM got the computers, North Aviation got the Command Capsule and Grumman got the LEM, stuff you learn when trying to find switches from the 1960's!

I don't really watch videos/channels consistently, but there are a few that I always come back to when I feel the spark. These are the channels where I press "Like" before watching, because I know I will like it a lot before the first second and I don't want to forget doing it afterwards when the recommendations draw me to more cool videos. Yours is one of them. I love watching you build and repair "useless" boxes. Your passion is inspiring and I have learned so many amazing things about computer history from your and your "show guests'" explanations.

The click sound is DIVINE

here is a cool idea. rig it into a coffee maker to control the fill of the water reservoir from the tap and brewing and preheating of the coffee and water as well as pressurizing the tank! That would be such a cool way to make coffee when friends come over!. You could base it around a siphon coffee maker and a couple of automotive fuel pumps and a level sensor plus a relay to control the temperature and a sensor shut off at temperature. one button to fill the Lox reservoir (The water) opens a valve on the water line then shuts down when the reservoir level is reached and flips the light to red. then a button to preheat the water turns on a heating coil and turns off when a sensor reaches the desired temperature. Flips the button from red to green. Finally, a button to control the iPhone fill and turn on the heater for the lower bulb of the siphon (Gas control and ignition would be ideal with a temperature sensor to control gas flow. then gets turned off when a level sensor indicated the lower bulb is empty. then another button to monitor for siphon completion turns from green to red when the button bulb is full of coffee! There you go a NASA over-engineered manual coffee make and astronaut refreshment dispensing system. Now sell it to Nasa for 20 million along with the 750,000-toilet seat. Might want a couple of Arduinos for relay and pump control tied to your control box! I've seen this done on a friend's chemistry lab at work. hers is NOT NASA Approve or controlled.

before i watch the rest of this video, you got me at 39 seconds, I really want switches like that for my computer console project. I plan on setting up 3 pcs with angled panel between them and I wanted to fill the gap between them with what I call POPL, or panel of pointless lights. I love pushing buttons that light up and it would look awesome with those in place rather than just boring switches and random leds drilled in place. I want I want I want lol

Yes, that switch was waiting for you. I'm elated to see "SYSTEM GO" was left as is. OK, I'd be happy to see the mansion once its done .

@CuriousMarc

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot for the awesome switch Kevin

T1s and 66 blocks. Wow, that takes me back. I think I still have a few 66s around somewhere. I know I have a 66 punchdown tool.

Seriously top notch work! You should try to get in touch with Adam Savage, he would absolutely lose his mind over this!

Tempted to just Like video without even watching it. Always like to see new videos from you, Marc :)

@bennylloyd-willner9667

3 жыл бұрын

Yup, not many things in life are safer to predict than that Marc's new video will be great to watch 😊👍

@bennylloyd-willner9667

3 жыл бұрын

@@baconology3065 one can always unlike it afterwards so no permanent shitty fan stuff 😊

Now all you need is a half-peeled-off sticker at a haphazard angle on the front panel that says "CALIBRATION NOT REQUIRED". :-) How strange did it feel to have to bend wire around actual contacts instead of just soldering everything into a PC board? :-)

@CuriousMarc

3 жыл бұрын

It takes forever but it is incredibly reliable. It's near impossible to desolder these connections.

What this really needs is a spring-loaded key switch, like they used in Titan II launch complexes. Just so you can start the automated sequence to initiate launch.

Everybody needs a system go button

Great tip on the Avery labels.

I love these nerdy things. Amazing people in world outside.

@twotone3070

3 жыл бұрын

There's an outside?????? :O

Thanks for the walk down memory lane. My first experience with the push button switches was the AN/SPG-51C (Digital) Radar Control Console. Learning how to operate and maintain those consoles was my introduction to the Bay Area, the school was in Vallejo at Mare Island Naval Shipyard.

i remember having one pocket full of 286 bulbs and the other with 287 bulbs- for replacing the burned out bulbs during the daily check at at our satty site

T1s are still widely used in office PBX systems, mostly to deliver ISDN PRI services for delivering large numbers of phone trunks. Even though there are SIP trunks over the Internet available today, they have lots of call quality and reliability problems. Nothing beats a T1 for reliable voice phone calls.

I know now exactly what this type of technology is good for: Sudoku! You could use various display technologies as in Franlab. It would be endless fun. And with endless I mean bottomless, because you could use Raspberry to generate harder and harder problems. These buttons can take all the frustration and abuse foreveeer.

You need to put an asset sticker on the edge. 1/2 on the panel, 1/2 on the can. That would be a tamper security seal.

Congrats on 100k subs - very well deserved. Have a great year!

"Stay tuned for the next episode" Ooohhh. I hope you have enough space behind the switches for some relay-ladder logic or maybe a common indicator blink circuit. :)

Excellent work, I want one of these now, those switches are just fantastic

Happy new year, Marc! Wish you all the best in the new 2021!

That is gorgeous Marc. And functional. I really enjoy the content on your channel.

We used to have these same switchlights at work! I love those guys

This is just really neat stuff ! It is truly amazing to see *working* technology of the past as it really makes you think about how amazing today's technology really is. Thanks for posting!

Need to repurpose that Z80 to drive the lamps in there too, so that you can send via TTY to do lamp status, and get back via TTY input switch status. Should be enough IO on the existing board to do all of that with the existing number of switches on the panel, and the number of LED outputs, though probably a drive board to convert the TTL drive for the LED's to whatever voltage (24V I would guess) is needed for the lamps. bonus points to use a whole load of JANTX2N2222A's to do it, as being space rated transistors, and the de facto military switching and driver transistor for decades.

@thepumpkingking8339

3 жыл бұрын

I was right with you up until "Need" ;-)

Love, now time for a rest network interface!

the control panels and the whol control room were a piece of art ... I wonder how many people were busy all the time with repairing things

Nicely done Marc!

Great! Now I have something interesting to watch when I get home from work.😊

Ah. Beautiful memories... Thank you, Sir!

that sound is just amazing click . love the prop! now i want one

@TechFabLab

3 жыл бұрын

Me too

Very well done sir!

I had one of those switches like 6 years ago, now its in pieces! I wish I still had it, I would send it to you ! :(

Ooooh. I didn't realize Excess Solutions was still around. Thanks for the tip!

For a moment I thought we were going to see an Apollo themed Simon game playing the close encounters of the third kind tune!

@greendryerlint

3 жыл бұрын

Putting the guts of an old Simon game in that panel and using the momentary switches for the Simon buttons would be kind of cool..

Wow - that glider was just beautiful. Given the way you work, I can imagine the internals were a balsa and spruce wonder!

Yeah another curiousmarc video, nice way to start the day!

when covid is over, youll have to get together with the crew, and the guy who has the apollo computer, and run a proper ground test with your mock up ground service equipment panel.

A delightfully indulgent pursuit 🚀

You would be surprised how many people still use T1 in retail, even though it's often terminated in fiber nowadays. It is still used, even in new setups, due to its ubiquitousness and very high reliability. It is so reliable that even larger retailers still demand it for backup capacity.

@paulcerveny9384

3 жыл бұрын

For POS uses I would imagine?

@douro20

3 жыл бұрын

@@paulcerveny9384 POS, back-office, MIS, any mission critical system.

@CuriousMarc

3 жыл бұрын

Oh you sure can still buy a “T1” 1.55Mb chunk, but it’s a (very small) demultiplexed part of a fiber link. Almost no copper left in the carrier infrastructure for at least 15 years.

Very fun. Keep up the great work

Ah, this is a nice video! Reminds me of the time when I tried to build a cold fusion reactor, or hey - my good old anti-gravity drive system. Well actually, none was built. But it sure was a good dream!

That would make an awesome Model Rocket launch console!

Wonderful! Love your vids!!

Awesome! Now you've caused me to start trying to find some of these for myself.

I love prop builds! I mean, I love the real electronics restorations too, but props are easier to understand for us non-technical viewers. Maybe now that you have the BERT, you and Carl could put your Teletypes on a T1 line...

Great job!

Just make sure you'll have an SCE to AUX button. Okay, that's not a ground instrument but would look cool :)

@Rob2

3 жыл бұрын

That was a toggle switch...

@CuriousMarc

3 жыл бұрын

You can actually by quite well made props of these. Carl has one, and proudly switched it to Aux on the anniversary of the Apollo 12 take-off: www.concordaerospace.com/collections/project-apollo/products/copy-of-apollo-command-module-switch-replica-sce-to-aux-triple-toggle-switch

@anomaly95

3 жыл бұрын

@@CuriousMarc Lol, I love these guys already: www.concordaerospace.com/collections/specials/products/exclusive-limited-collection-2020-off-panel

I wonder if another reason to use a toggle switch is the tactile feel and muscle memory for turning them on/off. It's easier to learn that up is on, down is off, without really having to look. Especially if you have to toggle several of them on in succession. They sure don't look as nice, though.

looks like original these little things are beauty I'm planning to Build my computer setup and make it look like mission control console just like in the 60s

Someone is going to buy that one day and go down a rabbit hole

Very cool panel. You need to have the switches control an array of useless machines, like those that exist only to switch themselves off.. Or use it to control some home automation, perhaps.

Insanely cool.

Bloody awesome!

Props to @Franlab for the find.

When changing the lamps I would guess the colored caps would often fly off into the fifth dimension. You would have to keep a few spares.

I might have a shoot for your switch props in future. Love em

I have seen these switches made even more ridiculously complicated with an optional solenoid added to the shaft that allows for remote control of the button itself. If you set the button up for momentary action instead of alternate action the magnet could be wired to hold the button down and on until an external interlock released it and the button would pop back up again. I can't imagine what the government paid for that switch.

@CuriousMarc

Жыл бұрын

Indeed. I have a few of them with the magnet module you describe. It’s just another module that you insert in the stack by clipping it. These were hermetic, the H version were flight/MIL rated switches, so they sure did cost a fortune.

looking forward to see where this is going

Awesome =D Looks fantastic!

1969: You pressed a Button, therefore you meant it! 2021: Flimsy touchscreens that react either not at all or overly sensitive, triggering random actions all over the place.

@senilyDeluxe

3 жыл бұрын

1970s customer: This button is too hard to press! 1980s engineer: OK we make these buttons easier to press. (designs easy to press push button) 1990s customer: ThIs BuTt0n Is ToO hArD tO pReSs! 2000s engineer: What do you want!? (designs button that will go off whenever you look at it weird) 2010s customer: THIS BUTTON IS TOO HARD TO PRESS!!!1!!!one!!

totally here for the bgm

The one bit of old SGI kit I kept was an Indycam which still has an original NASA asset tag.

Very convincing!

We did something similar for the switches on the Edo mk 105 magnetic minesweeper except we applied the label to the switch and not the lens.

Hey Marc!! Great project! :) can you connect it to the internet so that we can use it too?

Love it!!

Salut marc, Même si je ne comprend pas tout, j’admire ton travail ! Félicitations ;)

I bought a few and might make a lab/smart home control panel using them

There is another type of switch/indicator made by Honeywell that looks similar to these ones. You had to pull out tge front to change the bulbs.

I noticed the switch lights are in a steady state. When you watch Mission Control footage some of them are flickering. Is that some kind of standby mode?

@CuriousMarc

3 жыл бұрын

The flickering Twist Lites are on the voice comm panel (also known as the "VIS keyset"), and indicates the status of the voice loop or "net". Dark means the net is not monitored. Lit means it is being monitored. Flashing means it is the channel the operator is talking on. Winking (slower flashing) means active channel (the last two may be swapped). The info is from this link here: www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum14/HTML/001582.html

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!

Of course you used the 50 wire cable! I was thinking midi but that is soo 80's

Very timely looking. Nice work! I'd imagine use cycles for those switches is insanely good if NASA was using them. 10s of thousands of cycles I'm guessing.

If anybody can find remote control boxes for Navy or airborne instrumentation recorders, bag them. They have the same lineage switches.

If you want illuminated push switches that are very similar looking, but easier to source and cheaper then take a look at Clare Pendar

Beautiful. Waiting next episode. Like!

:'( we don't have any surplus electronics stores in UK now - they were everywhere in the 80s

switch on .... welcome to earth Marc ... switch off

Ah! Excellent, what is life without whimsy... 😁👍

I wondered if you had seen Frans video. I want one so bad!

Time to rig it up to play Kerbal Space Program with it !

Made one useless box to replace another useless box.... That pretty much sums up most of my electrical hobbies.

An easy way to make the legends is to print them on a sheet of OHP transparency (and print the borders for a cutting reference). If you've got a decent color printer you might be able to print the background colors too.