[BC] Early computer automation

[WBRadiolists at aol.com]

In a message dated 04/22/2008 8:24:26 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
Radiofreetom at gmail.com writes:

> I built one in 1978 using a Commodore 64... EOM was through the Joystick 
>  port; I built an expansion slot card for the switcher and machine 
>  starts.  First attempt at a 25 Hz PLL detector, too.......
>  
>  Tape decks were modified Pioneer RT-707s.  (The 707 doesn't have remote 
>  control; I added remote pause.  Worked, too!)
>  
>  Programming was on the 1541 drive..... (Lots of POKES and PEEKS; the 
>  C-64 was lovely, though - it also had a REAL TIME HARDWARE CLOCK!  Only 
>  drawback; they didn't have any way to keep it powered up, so re-boot and 
>  the time had to be reset.

Wow! Yours was a fair bit more complex than mine. :)

It used a Commodore 128d (the one in an Amiga-like case) with the 1571 drive 
built-in. It used the "user port" (Addresses 0000 and 0001, I think) to 
control two solid-state relays, which were connected to two cassette decks. They had 
a switch which would cause them to immediately start recording at power-up, 
which my system made use of. 

My system also took advantage of the built-in time chip. Based on the 60Hz 
line, it was certainly accurate enough to start a recording from satellite 
within a second!

It saved my bacon quite a few times! With the installation of this primitive 
system, we went from having a missed program more than once a week, to almost 
never! The last guy for the day would set the analog sat receivers (two of 
them) to the appropriate channels. Drop the rewound cassettes into the two decks, 
and press a key on the computer keyboard.

When I came in in the early morning, those two programs were all set, ready 
to be rewound and cued. I'd pop-in the next set, change channels, and press a 
key. The old manual method involved doing this during a stopset! (Top/bottom of 
hours.) Sometimes, you'd be in the middle of a live read, and you'd hear that 
fateful KA-CLICK! when the machine auto-stopped at the end of the tape. The 
feeling of dread was painful! :P 

This was why some feeds would be missed or started late. With the primitive 
automation working, we could easily swap tapes and press the key during, say, 
the first :30 or :60 cart of the set with time to spare! :)

That system served us VERY well for several years... until the Unity 4000 
satellite system went into operation, and we began using the then-new AudioVault 
system.

I now have that old Commodore machine in my basement. :) Yes, it was and is 
mine. :)

Willie...


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