Author Topic: If you knew then what you know now, what would you buy for backup power?  (Read 20881 times)

Simtech

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Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you buy for backup power?
« Reply #30 on: January 05, 2012, 07:33:56 PM »
I'll never leave the sim world.  Its fun, professionally challenging, I work with a great bunch of guys, and I get to learn something new every day.
I'm getting paid pretty darn good, especially for a Air Force retiree with only an CCAF "underwater basketweaving" (Applied Science - Aeronautics) useless type degree and 1 year into a real BSE degree.

Tell you what though, my first 3 years into this career field blew my hair back in a big way - my learning curve went straight up for 3 years.  Before I was a "computer and networking guy" with tinkering on the side.  Now I'm a "gotta be everything guy".  As of 4 months ago I now also support the maintenance trainers which are basically big chunks of the aircraft in a hanger so now I gotta be a "A&P mechanic" guy too and my learning curve is going straight up again.

I love my job.

Quinnf

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Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you buy for backup power?
« Reply #31 on: January 05, 2012, 08:12:24 PM »
Back in the 1970s a friend was the tech on the Singer C130 simulator at El Toro MCAS.  I got to fly/crash it a couple of times.  But that one used a camera rigged on an X-Y gantry over a model of the countryside.  Model was about 20' high and 40' long.  Camera moved slowly over the model and when you got near the edge, haze/fog was introduced digitally so you wouldn't see the rest of the room.

Rather primitive, but that was fun, too.

Quinn
Ashwamegh 6/1, PowerSolutions 6/1 "Kit" engine, and a Changfa R175a that looks like a Yanmar I once knew

BruceM

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Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you buy for backup power?
« Reply #32 on: January 05, 2012, 11:20:12 PM »
I can only imagine how good the real time digital image generators are today.  And how much smaller they would be, too. (Ours filled multiple rooms in the 70's, by the mid 80's maybe 30 feet of cabinets.)

When I was working as a tech for Singer Simulated Products Division, they had a great bunch of guys who really knew their stuff, many without too much in the way of "blessings" by academia. Pay was significantly related to knowledge, ability and performance. The AF was pretty smart about valuing top notch tech support.  Most of us felt like you, Simtech, we loved the work.  Glad to hear it's still like that.   

Simtech

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Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you buy for backup power?
« Reply #33 on: January 09, 2012, 03:58:06 AM »
We're using a system called the Vital 9, its got a bazillion processors on 20"x20" cards feeding five 3-tube RGB projectors, its not quite photorealistic but it looks pretty incredible. 
The program big cheeses have been discussing upgrading to a Vital 10 system, which is PC and gaming video card based, and its less than a 100th the cost...  :o

When flying it on full motion the sim feels absolutely authentic. 

Heh, wandered off topic a bit...

BruceM

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Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you buy for backup power?
« Reply #34 on: January 09, 2012, 04:17:01 AM »
I'd probably be drooling if I could see the systems you have now!
Have a ball.
Bruce

Stan

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Re: If you knew then what you know now, what would you buy for backup power?
« Reply #35 on: January 18, 2012, 02:54:56 AM »
What Tom said.

With your needs, redundancy is key, second only to reliability.
Stan