That tape drive is for DECtape II cartridges. I used to have a data storage unit which I tore down for the floppy drive inside of it; it had separate linear power supplies for +5 and +12 volts, and had a Tandon TM100 floppy drive and a Tandon TM502 hard disk drive inside, both of which worked. The +12 power supply is currently being used to power a Tripath amplifier.
I sent a message I sent with some details, and now ill share it here in the comments: " Hello, So i went looking around for some information about the NDB-2 machine you recently made a video about. I found that it was mentioned in what i think is a magazine titled "FLIGHT International, 13 December 1980" The section that mentions the NDB-2 is here: i.imgur.com/xauD0L0.png From the sound of the advert it talks as if the device was used on the airplane its self. This would explain the build quality. But since the machine you have is wired for mains. This device most likely sat on a desk in the ATC tower and had the update tape left in the machine for the current month. This would allow pilots to remove the memory module, bring it to the ATC tower to get the latest updates each month from the update tape in the machine. The pilots would then take the tape back to their aircraft and install it again in the corresponding device on the aircraft. It also mentions the OMEGA navigation system, which is used for helping aircraft know where they were on the earth with an accuracy of +/- 2.2km which in 1980 was still quite good. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_(navigation_system) The GPS system we use today was first begun as a US gov. project back in 1973, But civilians were not given access to the GPS system until 1995 when it was completed. i.imgur.com/KqpPZfG.png Here is another mention of the NDB-2 using "bubble memory" that was used in satellites at the time for quick memory read and write times. If you would like more information I could probably find more. Cheers, and congratz on a great find :D "
Lots of nice things in there to save, if you do have to scrap it. the power switch, bulb housings, the 6800uF caps on the PSUs are good for something if still within spec, and the hex rotary encoders definitely. when you move into your new place and get a shed again, if you inevitably have to scrap this unit, save that power switch for the LEDs that go over or under your workbench. I'd love to see a project that reads the encoder block using an arduino to unlock the shed via maglock aside from a key, or at least a proof-of-concept towards that which shuts off an electromagnet.
An NDB is a navigation system for airplanes, 400Hz is common used in airplanes, maybe the 2 power supply could be redundant or one for 500hz and other for 400Hz, I think, looking on switchint power supply avaiable now, that the transformers could be different to work at diferent frequencies.
You have an oddity there. It is entirely possible that the wire-wrapped perfboard in there was created at the behest of the customer to replace one which was no longer in production.
The encoder wheel is to regulate the speed of the tape, not to determine its position. It would just rewind the the beginning and start reading the data. As long as you have a consistent speed, it can work out the serial data.
Very interesting piece of equipment. It seems that based on the weight and size, this would be in either a Business Jet company's office or FBO or an Air Traffic Control tower (Less likely). Like you said, it probably updated the memory banks using tapes. Regarding what to do with it, you could take out most of the circuitry and tape drive, and install a SSD or Hard drive dock in one or both slots, and have a fun way to make backups of hard drives! :) I know movie studios and RUclipsrs who record digitally have docks for offloading videos quickly, and this could be a fun way to do it.
Fab video Carl - Always love vintage tech - so much more interesting than current generation kit. All the functionality of that unit could now be in an IC not much bigger than your fingerprint.
+Richard Parry Thank you, Richard. Yes, every function here could easily be emulated in an Arduino, and still have plenty of memory and processing left over, and for 1/500th of the price and complexity
I have built boards not completely different to that blue board - was building a CPU project out of 74 series logic. That board looks incredibly professional compared to what I built. :) I would guess that it took about 50 to 100 hours to build, at least. Incredibly hard work and the fault finding would probably be a nightmare. The worst part was that it was very easy to burn off the insulation on that prototyping wire so you would end up having to do things then repeat them, it also heated up so quickly that you would always be burning yourself.. That's also why all the components are in sockets - to avoid them being destroyed by overheating.
Regarding the cassette slot: Maybe the two switches have to be engaged e.g. with the end of a screwdriver, in order to connect me electrically? And regarding the two power supplies: As the manufacturer resided in the USA where 115V are in use, maybe they put two supplies in a row to divide the european 230V to 115V (just guessing without further knowledge), so that the remaining device design could be reused without any further modification?
That is a QIC tape slot. I can tell by the slots on the bottom. QIC tapes had a metal base plate that stuck out on the edges. This takes the smaller tapes like DC2120 formfactor.
Picture of the tape for that drive here, on the right: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/DECtape.jpg DECtape was kind of the lingua franca for microcomputers in the 70's, it would have been used to transfer data from a VAX or PDP.
I had a thought that the blue board May be a custom deal. if the original board was no longer manufactured, or was not in the budget at the time, and was needed ASAP, they might have had someone wire up a reasonable facsimile of one, so they could continue to use this piece of equipment with out replacing the unit or switching to a newer / more advanced/ more expensive model of the machine.
Woah - for the hand wiring. Maybe this was set up to interface with a legacy system that couldn't be upgraded? Or a repair job? I'm surprised that the whole thing is so elaborate, given what it seems to do. Perhaps it carried out some calculations on the data it real time or the encoding/decoding for tape was complex? Yeah, probably redundant power supply. Any ports so that it could power a similar auxiliary unit? Interesting teardown.
Looks to me a lot like a prototype. Vandling Corporation appears to have been bought by Sundstrand Corporation in 1981. At 230 VAC, the power supplies may have been made for the European market, but there's no telling if the update date on that sticker is May 11th or November 5th, since Vandling (and Sundstrand) was based in the US. The IC production dates seem to push the overall production date into late 1980 or 1981.
Ok, so if you saw my last comment, I was totally wrong, What this device was used for was when there was a firmware of software up date for any system of the plane, they would load the data on to a VHS (ish) sized thing I cant remember the name now. Then someone would write the number on the drive (lets call it that) where the file they were looking for is. I hope this helps. And also, from air bus.And I was born in 2001, so... Don't take any thing I say as a true fact. It might be wrong.
![The Navy Lark! Series 1.1 [E01 to 6 Incl. Chapters] 1959 [High Quality]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ff2PFBHN55s/mqdefault.jpg)
That tape drive is for DECtape II cartridges.
I used to have a data storage unit which I tore down for the floppy drive inside of it; it had separate linear power supplies for +5 and +12 volts, and had a Tandon TM100 floppy drive and a Tandon TM502 hard disk drive inside, both of which worked. The +12 power supply is currently being used to power a Tripath amplifier.
The good ol DECtape II... in all its usual gooey roller goodness
The on off switch is an aircraft switch! Similar to the Honeywell type used by Boeing
I sent a message I sent with some details, and now ill share it here in the comments:
"
Hello, So i went looking around for some information about the NDB-2 machine you recently made a video about.
I found that it was mentioned in what i think is a magazine titled "FLIGHT International, 13 December 1980" The section that mentions the NDB-2 is here: i.imgur.com/xauD0L0.png
From the sound of the advert it talks as if the device was used on the airplane its self. This would explain the build quality. But since the machine you have is wired for mains. This device most likely sat on a desk in the ATC tower and had the update tape left in the machine for the current month.
This would allow pilots to remove the memory module, bring it to the ATC tower to get the latest updates each month from the update tape in the machine. The pilots would then take the tape back to their aircraft and install it again in the corresponding device on the aircraft.
It also mentions the OMEGA navigation system, which is used for helping aircraft know where they were on the earth with an accuracy of +/- 2.2km which in 1980 was still quite good. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_(navigation_system)
The GPS system we use today was first begun as a US gov. project back in 1973, But civilians were not given access to the GPS system until 1995 when it was completed.
i.imgur.com/KqpPZfG.png
Here is another mention of the NDB-2 using "bubble memory" that was used in satellites at the time for quick memory read and write times.
If you would like more information I could probably find more.
Cheers, and congratz on a great find :D
"
Finally a retro tech video maker that has not vanished apart from 8 bit guy and the obselete geek
I was practically born with a screwdriver in my hand ;-) As long as I keep finding unusual bits of technology, I will keep making RUclips videos.
Lots of nice things in there to save, if you do have to scrap it. the power switch, bulb housings, the 6800uF caps on the PSUs are good for something if still within spec, and the hex rotary encoders definitely. when you move into your new place and get a shed again, if you inevitably have to scrap this unit, save that power switch for the LEDs that go over or under your workbench. I'd love to see a project that reads the encoder block using an arduino to unlock the shed via maglock aside from a key, or at least a proof-of-concept towards that which shuts off an electromagnet.
An NDB is a navigation system for airplanes, 400Hz is common used in airplanes, maybe the 2 power supply could be redundant or one for 500hz and other for 400Hz, I think, looking on switchint power supply avaiable now, that the transformers could be different to work at diferent frequencies.
Fascinating device!
The tape drive looks like an earlier DECtape model
You have an oddity there. It is entirely possible that the wire-wrapped perfboard in there was created at the behest of the customer to replace one which was no longer in production.
The encoder wheel is to regulate the speed of the tape, not to determine its position. It would just rewind the the beginning and start reading the data. As long as you have a consistent speed, it can work out the serial data.
Very interesting piece of equipment. It seems that based on the weight and size, this would be in either a Business Jet company's office or FBO or an Air Traffic Control tower (Less likely). Like you said, it probably updated the memory banks using tapes.
Regarding what to do with it, you could take out most of the circuitry and tape drive, and install a SSD or Hard drive dock in one or both slots, and have a fun way to make backups of hard drives! :) I know movie studios and RUclipsrs who record digitally have docks for offloading videos quickly, and this could be a fun way to do it.
Fab video Carl - Always love vintage tech - so much more interesting than current generation kit. All the functionality of that unit could now be in an IC not much bigger than your fingerprint.
+Richard Parry Thank you, Richard. Yes, every function here could easily be emulated in an Arduino, and still have plenty of memory and processing left over, and for 1/500th of the price and complexity
I have built boards not completely different to that blue board - was building a CPU project out of 74 series logic. That board looks incredibly professional compared to what I built. :) I would guess that it took about 50 to 100 hours to build, at least. Incredibly hard work and the fault finding would probably be a nightmare. The worst part was that it was very easy to burn off the insulation on that prototyping wire so you would end up having to do things then repeat them, it also heated up so quickly that you would always be burning yourself.. That's also why all the components are in sockets - to avoid them being destroyed by overheating.
This would have been used to update programming at a transmitter for the Non Directional Beacon aircraft navigation system.
Regarding the cassette slot: Maybe the two switches have to be engaged e.g. with the end of a screwdriver, in order to connect me electrically?
And regarding the two power supplies: As the manufacturer resided in the USA where 115V are in use, maybe they put two supplies in a row to divide the european 230V to 115V (just guessing without further knowledge), so that the remaining device design could be reused without any further modification?
That hand wiring is crazy. You do not get stuff like that anymore
That is a QIC tape slot. I can tell by the slots on the bottom. QIC tapes had a metal base plate that stuck out on the edges. This takes the smaller tapes like DC2120 formfactor.
Picture of the tape for that drive here, on the right: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/DECtape.jpg DECtape was kind of the lingua franca for microcomputers in the 70's, it would have been used to transfer data from a VAX or PDP.
I had a thought that the blue board May be a custom deal. if the original board was no longer manufactured, or was not in the budget at the time, and was needed ASAP, they might have had someone wire up a reasonable facsimile of one, so they could continue to use this piece of equipment with out replacing the unit or switching to a newer / more advanced/ more expensive model of the machine.
There could easily be 50 to 100 hours of work in that board - its a technique you would normally only use for building a prototype so very strange.
Woah - for the hand wiring. Maybe this was set up to interface with a legacy system that couldn't be upgraded? Or a repair job?
I'm surprised that the whole thing is so elaborate, given what it seems to do. Perhaps it carried out some calculations on the data it real time or the encoding/decoding for tape was complex?
Yeah, probably redundant power supply. Any ports so that it could power a similar auxiliary unit?
Interesting teardown.
Looks to me a lot like a prototype. Vandling Corporation appears to have been bought by Sundstrand Corporation in 1981. At 230 VAC, the power supplies may have been made for the European market, but there's no telling if the update date on that sticker is May 11th or November 5th, since Vandling (and Sundstrand) was based in the US. The IC production dates seem to push the overall production date into late 1980 or 1981.
So according to the magazine article, that would most likely be used to update Flight Computer data in aicracft.
I would love to have it! 😍
The metal catch on the memry module are called Dzus fastners.
ruclips.net/video/cHNfFaiPfCs/видео.html
Cool!
Ok, so if you saw my last comment, I was totally wrong, What this device was used for was when there was a firmware of software up date for any system of the plane, they would load the data on to a VHS (ish) sized thing I cant remember the name now. Then someone would write the number on the drive (lets call it that) where the file they were looking for is. I hope this helps. And also, from air bus.And I was born in 2001, so... Don't take any thing I say as a true fact. It might be wrong.
plenty of information on the internet about this company.