Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => General chat about Amiga topics => Topic started by: giZmo350 on June 12, 2015, 12:08:52 AM
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1980s computer controls GRPS heat and AC
http://woodtv.com/2015/06/11/1980s-computer-controls-grps-heat-and-ac/
Pretty cool! :)
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So they're looking at a $1million+ replacement? The Amiga price-to-performance ratio continues to hold after all these years!
I almost want to buy them a couple of spare A500s to save them from their own wasteful spending...
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Love it! We need to fill up their comment forum with praise for the Amiga, maybe they don't realize you can still buy them on ebay, etc.?
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Love it! We need to fill up their comment forum with praise for the Amiga, maybe they don't realize you can still buy them on ebay, etc.?
That's a good idea! There's already some good comments on there...
Detroit Public Schools are inquiring if they can buy this computer when it is replaced.
Atari computer down at road commission office that runs the game "frogger" 24/7 controls all the walk/don't walk signals in town.
:lol:
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I missed that last one, that's good! :roflmao:
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So they're looking at a $1million+ replacement? The Amiga price-to-performance ratio continues to hold after all these years!
I almost want to buy them a couple of spare A500s to save them from their own wasteful spending...
Yeah. It looks like they're itching to spend money where it doesn't need it.
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Methinks they need an X1000 or three. That should last them at least another 30 years! ;)
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Love it! We need to fill up their comment forum with praise for the Amiga, maybe they don't realize you can still buy them on ebay, etc.?
With current prices on e-/Ami-Bay, it might work out cheaper to spend the $1,000,000.
I liked this bit:
"Parts for the computer are difficult to find, Hopkins said. It is on its second mouse and third monitor."
Just a 2nd mouse!! I must have gone through a dozen in 20 years..! I'm currently back using an original A500 mouse so it shows how tough those original Commodore bits can be.
Final comment: they kept say "80s" computer, but it's running at least OS 2 which puts it firmly post-1990 - but okay, it's an A2000 which was on sale from '87-'92.
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Yeah. It looks like they're itching to spend money where it doesn't need it.
I think everyone is too fixated on the Amiga. All the hardware in the solution is 20+ years old, you can't buy it all on ebay. It uses a 1200 baud modem hooked up to radio which interferes with their own radios.
I know someone who used a BBC micro to control stage lighting up until a few years ago. Ultimately it got replaced because the person who built it stopped being involved and the UI was clunky. What it was replaced with was not as good, but you could buy it off the shelf.
It's sad when it happens, but it doesn't mean it's a bad idea.
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I think everyone is too fixated on the Amiga. All the hardware in the solution is 20+ years old, you can't buy it all on ebay. It uses a 1200 baud modem hooked up to radio which interferes with their own radios.
I know someone who used a BBC micro to control stage lighting up until a few years ago. Ultimately it got replaced because the person who built it stopped being involved and the UI was clunky. What it was replaced with was not as good, but you could buy it off the shelf.
It's sad when it happens, but it doesn't mean it's a bad idea.
They could always make their own radiomodems (http://aminet.net/package/docs/hard/pr-modem) to same some $.
This is one place who realy need to think about getting spares and not relly on day to day e/ami-bay prices.
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Thanks for sharing this!
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They are complaining about the Amiga being unreliable, but to me it seems the only parts that are problematic are external peripherals:
1. Mouse; replaced twice in 20 years (probably only needed a cleaning)
2. Monitor; heck, if they really can't get an Amiga compatible monitor, then any CRT or LCD TV with a composite in would probably work using the monochrome output of the A500 (it's actually pretty sharp compared with the A1200s colour composite mode).
3. 1.5 million? Buy a couple more Amiga 500s, or buy a PC and run an Amiga emulator. WinUAE can use the PC's serial port (USB to RS-232 adapters are $3 each online if the PC doesn't have a serial port anymore).
Also, "1200 bit" modem?
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I can think of much better ways to spend that kind of education money than replacing a functional, if quirky, computer system.
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They are complaining about the Amiga being unreliable, but to me it seems the only parts that are problematic are external peripherals:
1. Mouse; replaced twice in 20 years (probably only needed a cleaning)
2. Monitor; heck, if they really can't get an Amiga compatible monitor, then any CRT or LCD TV with a composite in would probably work using the monochrome output of the A500 (it's actually pretty sharp compared with the A1200s colour composite mode).
3. 1.5 million? Buy a couple more Amiga 500s, or buy a PC and run an Amiga emulator. WinUAE can use the PC's serial port (USB to RS-232 adapters are $3 each online if the PC doesn't have a serial port anymore).
Also, "1200 bit" modem?
We are catching that the 1.5 million is not just to replace the computer. Right? It will actually upgrade all of the control systems in the buildings with modern HVAC controls. The PC that will be set up to control them will likely be under $1K. There are likely to be other advantages to updating the HVAC controls themselves like finer control of boiler settings, etc.
This may result in more comfortable buildings or potentially energy savings.
All that said, look at how long this computer ran continually and the only parts replaced were peripherals as others have said. It made me nostalgic to see another innovative use of Amiga from 30 years ago that no one knew about at the time. Imagine what marketing could have done with that information if they had a clue how to market.
There was no reason that the Amiga could not have taken the entire computer world over, except they didn't know how to sell it's innovative uses.
-Nyle
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@Oldsmobile_Mike
Unfortunately I think it is more likely teh A2000 will be still running 30 years later than X1000.
If i have understood right, todays computers arent built from as lasting parts as 80s were, which is partly due to them having been simpler back in the day.
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We are catching that the 1.5 million is not just to replace the computer. Right? It will actually upgrade all of the control systems in the buildings with modern HVAC controls. The PC that will be set up to control them will likely be under $1K. There are likely to be other advantages to updating the HVAC controls themselves like finer control of boiler settings, etc.
This may result in more comfortable buildings or potentially energy savings.
All that said, look at how long this computer ran continually and the only parts replaced were peripherals as others have said. It made me nostalgic to see another innovative use of Amiga from 30 years ago that no one knew about at the time. Imagine what marketing could have done with that information if they had a clue how to market.
There was no reason that the Amiga could not have taken the entire computer world over, except they didn't know how to sell it's innovative uses.
-Nyle
I read this over on EAB... but my favorite part was that a high school student programmed it, and still works on it to this day as he's still in the neighborhood.
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I love it. It is more likely that these will be running longer.
I wonder if they changed the battery?
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Hot, and cool!
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I doubt it costs $1 million to replace it.. what they are probably doing is replacing their climate control system / AC/heating equpiment which costs the $1 million and includes whatever hardware to replace the Amiga.
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With a million they can buy 5 Apple I.
One to use and four for spare :-D
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The original coder has been posting in the comments section. Paraphrasing, but it isn't the Amiga that's the problem, its the hayes radio modems. That's what the majority of money is going to replace.
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I know we've entered Popcornland now that we have Franko posting to the comments section of a local news channel about a municipal bond issue in suburban Michigan :)
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I know we've entered Popcornland now that we have Franko posting to the comments section of a local news channel about a municipal bond issue in suburban Michigan :)
@Matt.... Awesome! Thanks for watching Morning WOOD Comments! "Morning Wood" is what the morning radio show is called. :lol:
This is actually an interesting interaction between AO the "real world". It would be cool if someone posted a comment advertising Amiga.Org + the normal weird stuff WE say here. I would but I don't currently have a Winhose machine (no JavaScript) to post to comments. Someone should do a shoutout to Franko in the comments...!
@Franko... Insurance covers "grandfathered" public facilities such as this... (pretty sure there's no time limit on those BOILERS either - Yikes). Not to Mention.... try suing a school! Yea, everything is state run these days... damn the taxpayers! LOL..... BTW, did you ever get that puppy?
Franko posting on WOODTV, That's freaking great!!!! :roflmao:
It's like Franko lurking in your back yard (if you were me)...
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1980s computer controls GRPS heat and AC
http://woodtv.com/2015/06/11/1980s-computer-controls-grps-heat-and-ac/
Pretty cool! :)
That video stream sucks the big one..even high speed internet it dogs out..and doesn't load..
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They were probably using an old packet radio type program on shortwave, The bandwidth available at 40 to 80 meters can only support 1200 Baud. The new radio system is the the problem, Higher frequency and different protocalls.
Chris
I bet there is a newer one on Aminet.
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At first I suspected an urge to just blow money, because they love doing that over there, but I think this "story" basically breaks down to the vaguely newsworthy anecdote of the technical quality and superiority of the Amiga at the time, and the completely non-newsworthy fact that the district are hesitant on spending $2 million replacing 20 systems in 20 buildings that currently work and run with very few hitches.
But yeah, you have to spin and sensationalize things. How else would you fill up the news?
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Wait for it...
A-EON Acquires Grand Rapids Public Schools.
Come to think of it... with $1.5mn, GRPS can acquire A-EON (or part of it), R&D a new AmigaOne-based system, launch it, and go head to head against the likes of Johnson Controls.
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Quote:
"GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - A 30-year-old computer that has run day and night for decades is what controls the heat and air conditioning at 19 Grand Rapids Public Schools.
The Commodore Amiga was new to GRPS in the early 1980s and it has been working tirelessly ever since. GRPS Maintenance Supervisor Tim Hopkins said that the computer was purchased with money from an energy bond in the 1980s. It replaced a computer that was about the size of a refrigerator."
Amazing...! :eek:
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They could always make their own radiomodems (http://aminet.net/package/docs/hard/pr-modem) to same some $.
It would cost considerably more than 1 million dollars to make your own equipment and get it certified. It also sounds like it would be insecure.
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Oh man, Doomy must be thrilled that it's an A2000! :lol:
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High school grade:roflmao:
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Did anyone notice the A2000 in the video is hooked to a Commodore 1702 (composite) monitor? This is the monitor is usually for CBM the 8-bit line. So obviously they are using the A2000's composite black and white video output.
Any TV with a composite input could replace that if it failed.
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Did anyone notice the A2000 in the video is hooked to a Commodore 1702 (composite) monitor?
YES. And it really messes with my OCD. :( :lol:
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YES. And it really messes with my OCD. :( :lol:
I wonder if that mismatch between the A2000 and the 1702 monitor was intentional?
I'm guessing that the Amiga's original 1084 monitor died and some uninformed person just went on eBay and bought the first Commodore monitor they saw because they though any model would do. Oops. Oh well, at least it works well enough for their purposes (text display) - and those 1701s were better built than the 1084s.