Re: The joy of FORTRAN

On 3/8/25 9:42 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:

rbowman <bowman@montana.com> writes:

On Sat, 8 Mar 2025 00:21:15 -0500, c186282 wrote:

 

Relay logic was sort of fun. You were building state machines with relays,
Eagle Signal electro-mechanical timers, limit switches, and so forth. I
never did it but even more fascinating were some of the complex machines
that were all cams, levers, gears, and springs except for the drive
motor.

 I use and repair relay logic even in these digital times:
 https://pinside.com/pinball/machine/target-pool

   Hey, still has its place and uses !
   You don't see vacuum-tube electronics much
   any more - but it still has its place and
   uses. Found a use for a little diode-resistor
   logic in a project a few years ago - easier
   and simpler than anything else (decoding
   multiple switch positions after an interrupt
   using minimal pins, a sort of 7->3 converter).
   A good question ... are 'solid state' relays
   always "better" ? Admittedly no contacts to
   wear out and quicker. DID encounter a situation
   once where the delay was a GOOD thing, made
   it possible to test a critical condition before
   the entire relay chain was engaged. Maybe not
   the best design strategy, but what was, was.