posted 09-05-2009 03:34 PM               

This panel was from one of the Firing Rooms at KSC. It appears to have last been used during the ASTP launch in 1975. It shows the major countdown sequence items for the S-IB first stage, from initial prepping of the power networks and LOX loading, through the ignition sequence, and finally to engine cutoff and radio silence.

The first task at hand was cleaning 30+ years' worth of grime off of the plastic labels in the indicator panels. You can see below that at the time of this photo, I had cleaned some and others were awaiting a cleaning.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the panel before and after all of the indicators were cleaned.

Another task was mapping the indicator lights to the 61-pin connector on the back of the panel. I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to try to power up this panel via the connector, or just use alligator clips to the terminals on the lamp sockets.

posted 09-05-2009 03:49 PM               

All Engines Running...

Ignition...

and Liftoff! We have a liftoff!

I hope you can imagine my thrill at seeing these lights go on again, rekindling the glory of the final Apollo mission.

More to come!!

posted 12-08-2009 07:00 PM               

First task was to research exactly how this panel would have been used during a launch and countdown. Fortunately, there is a "Skylab Saturn IB Flight Manual" available online, dated September 30, 1972. It contained invaluable and detailed information on what happened and when, during both the countdown and boost phases of the Saturn IB's flight. Even more fortunate, it contained several direct references to another control panel that I'm also restoring - the S-IB Networks panel. This panel monitors the S-IB's electrical buses, power transfer, "switch selector," and ignition sequence. It also includes switches and indicators for "plug drop" tests (simulated countdowns).

After dissecting the Flight Manual, I carefully mapped out the function of every indicator, gauge, and switch into a spreadsheet, along with the specific times in the countdown they would have been used, as well as any cross-dependencies with other functions (e.g., when light A goes on, lights B and C go off). This allowed me to start modeling the logic for programming the events controller.

The demo I posted in September involved my PLC connected to only 4 of the 28 'populated' indicators on the Operations panel. Connecting the rest of them to the PLC meant that I had to get a 40-lead connector module and cable. Here's where one of my greatest weaknesses came in: I'm red-green colorblind, and these 40 wires are all color-coded! I humbly enlisted my wife's assistance in identifying the wires, and I temporarily labeled them with tape so that I wouldn't lose track of them. I then crimped on a ring connector at the end of each wire, labeling the insulator with the wire number.

The ring connectors fit nicely on the terminals on the back of the Roto-Tellite enclosures. They're temporary, but they also avoid my having to make any permanent connection that would alter the panel. I may eventually find an appropriate plug to mate with the connector at the back of the panel, but that's later. Here's an overhead shot of the panel as I was connecting the wires.

I then replaced the 28V aircraft lamps in each enclosure. I lost a lot of skin off of my thumb, trying to rotate some of those Bakelite enclosures which hadn't been turned in 40 years. (They all have manufacture dates of November or December 1965, and I doubt they've been serviced very often since then!) I saved the original lamps in a plastic bag, which will be kept with the panel.

Then came another challenge - learning to program the PLC. I am neither an electrical engineer nor a computer programmer, but I know enough about both areas to at least enable me to learn some "advanced basics." I purchased some instructional materials on PLC concepts, but the only way to really learn was to start playing around. There are many different ways to do the same type of operation, some of which led to unexpected results. So, it took a LOT of trial and error before I finally figured out what I was doing.

Last night, I reached the point where I had the complete logic for a "normal" countdown and launch as the Operations panel would display it. I am attaching two videos, which show time-compressed versions of the sequences. The first shows the countdown from LOX Loading up until the time that the Space Vehicle Preparation is considered complete (again, heavily time compressed, more to show the logic than the actual timing):

The second video clip shows the last 5 seconds of the countdown, and then the 2-1/2 minute S-IB flight time compressed to 25 seconds:

Next steps: Starting to integrate the S-IB Operations panel and the S-IB Networks panel, driving them both from the same PLC. I should be able to have switch throws on the Networks panel result in changes on the Operations panel. That will necessitate my replacing the lamps in the Networks panel, labeling and putting connectors on two more 40-wire cables, and writing more code...but it's immensely rewarding.

I also obtained a surplus Countdown/Range Time clock from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Perhaps the end state of this project is to have both S-IB panels and these clocks synchronized! Now, if only I didn't have to work for a living and could spend all the time I want to on this project!

posted 12-09-2009 08:53 AM               

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Originally posted by minipci:
Just one question: There are red indicators at the end of one of the videos. Is that due to a different filter or to the lamps themselves?

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Thanks for everyone's kind comments.

There are indeed different colored filters on some of the indicators. Each panel has three or four plastic bits. Working from the back of the cell, they are a translucent (flimsy and easily breakable, as I found out the hard way) piece at the back, a colored gel (my panels have white, green, red, or blue), a thicker white piece, and then a transparent piece with the label inked on it.

When I obtained these panels, the indicator labels were in pretty bad shape. In some cases, the gel appeared to have partially melted and oozed between the other layers of plastic. I had to carefully pry them apart and clean them. Mildly soapy water wasn't strong enough to get the grime off, so I used some denatured alcohol gently applied with a cotton swab. In a few cases, the alcohol started dissolving the label ink itself, so I quickly dunked them in water to dilute the alcohol. Here's a piece before and after cleaning:

posted 12-10-2009 04:25 AM            

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Originally posted by ilbasso:
Working from the back of the cell, they are a translucent (flimsy and easily breakable, as I found out the hard way) piece at the back, a colored gel (my panels have white, green, red, or blue), a thicker white piece, and then a transparent piece with the label inked on it.

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quote:

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(Pay no attention to the Fireball XL5 model in the background.)

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