Looking inside a flown Soyuz space clock - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 07, 2019, 11:48:48 pm
content: CuriousMarc, master of unique electronics videos, is at it again with this superb and beautiful find:https://youtube.com/watch?v=JBIhzEZkWEA

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2019, 12:59:04 am
content: Nice.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2019, 02:20:41 am
content: This gear would have been a nice complimentary item to the Apollo-Soyuz model at the Smithsonian. Too bad if it ends up in a bin after this guy will milk it for a video.

author: m98
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2019, 03:10:23 am
content: If a museum was interested, they'd have bought it at the auction. What those guys are doing with their videos is far more valuable to the public than just putting it in a glass enclosure with a label on the side.

author: KE5FX
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2019, 03:14:48 am
content: Quote from: Bud on December 08, 2019, 02:20:41 amMaybe you should watch a few of his other videos.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2019, 03:43:48 am
content: Quote from: m98 on December 08, 2019, 03:10:23 amHave you been to the Smithsonian Space museum? Do you realize how many people come there every day.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2019, 03:46:37 am
content: Quote from: KE5FX on December 08, 2019, 03:14:48 amMay be you should save my time by keeping your cryptic messages to yourself.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2019, 04:11:02 am
content: Quote from: Bud on December 08, 2019, 02:20:41 amErm, of all the YooToobaz in the world, I respect Marc as a man of great integrity and intelligence, and I wouldn't surmise that anything on his channel indicates that he is "milking" ANYTHING. He's allowed to make money you know, that's what our Mr Jones also does.It is HIS property, but I highly doubt that he's the kind of person to just chuck out a very rare item. If you follow some of his videos, he and his team spend GIGANTIC amounts of time and effort, often many, many months, sourcing rare items, restoring them with FORENSICE LEVELS OF DETAIL AND CARE, and often donating them to museums (they do work for museums also).Think first,thentype.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2019, 04:11:58 am
content: Quote from: Bud on December 08, 2019, 03:46:37 amWow...

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 08, 2019, 04:25:21 am
content: Quote from: Bud on December 08, 2019, 03:46:37 amMaybe you start researching the subject instead of randomly accusing people of doing things? It's not only about this thread.

author: WastelandTek
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2019, 04:57:13 am
content: Quote from: Bud on December 08, 2019, 03:46:37 amaren't we just full of ourselves

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2019, 09:21:27 am
content: Wow that's really cool bit of kit. Always been intrigued by USSR/Russian tech, there's just a certain charm to it.It would be neat to hack one as an alarm clock, but that would be sacrilege.

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2019, 02:26:35 am
content: Awesome video. I was just HOPING that I would see it operational... maybe feed it some voltage and see if anything comes on!Obviously they want to be careful with it, so they will try to get an idea of what is broken, what needs to be fixed, and whether it will run "on it's own". It must be really difficult to get any kind of schematics for these things. I can't wait to see it operational and powered on! That is one elegant bit of kit!

author: 0culus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2019, 03:29:58 am
content: Quote from: eti on December 08, 2019, 04:11:02 am+1.These are the same guys who got that Apollo Guidance Computer running again. That's gotta be one of the damn coolest playlists on all of youtube. Personally, I'd rather him having it than the museum, because when the Museum gets their grubby hands on stuff, any restoration work will almost certainly be done mostly outside the public eye, and probably not with a view to making it work again.The Air and Space Museum is great, don't get me wrong. Been many times and it doesn't get old. But sometimes other venues are also appropriate for appreciating history.

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2019, 04:49:20 am
content: Any guesses for the IC technology? RTL/DTL? There's so many IC's and a huge power supply with toroid transformers having more windings than I've ever seen.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 09, 2019, 11:04:00 am
content: It's all TTL. 133 series is a clone of SN54xx. 134 series SN54L. 514ИД2 led driver has no western counterpart.

author: richnormand
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 09, 2019, 09:08:31 pm
content: Hope they post a follow up video if they manage to power it.

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2019, 09:30:45 pm
content: Also I am pretty sure Smithonian has a clock like this already - they have several flown Soyuz capsules, AFAIK. Flown Soyuz TM hardware is not exactlythatrare, given how many of those capsules have been made and used.

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2019, 10:46:56 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on December 09, 2019, 11:04:00 amThe IC count seems high, I see a sandwich of 8 boards and about 135 of 14-pin IC's total in the logic sections. For a six digit clock with count down timer? That's why I thought small-scale integration, few gates per IC. No 7490 similar part but maybe 7447 like for the LED driver.Have to see it running, if it's a state-machine and why so many I/O pins on the main connector.I think it's more than a clock.

author: duak
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 10, 2019, 05:54:46 am
content: Neat stuff! I like the little switch guards. I designed a piece of equipment that flew in aircraft (not space) and I used U shaped handles to prevent some lever switches from being thrown accidently. Not as spiffy as some special hardware but it worked; it just didn't have the aerospace 'look'.I don't know what all the functions of this chrono-gizmo are so I'm just throwing out some chip counts If I had to do this in 1975:Timebase block:7 = 1 Hz from 1 MHz needs 6 decade counters & a mux to select input source for clock & timer,Current time block:8 = 6 decade counters + 2 logic to preset counters to correct time and handle 24 hoursCountdown timer block:6 = 4 decade counters + 2 logic to preset countersDisplay block:10 decoder driversI/O receivers and transmitters, maybe RS-422?Switch debouncingPower supplyThis would put the chip count in the mid 30's. If there were special functions like external preloading of values, generation of time code blocks for other equipment, multiple times or mission day count, it could increase the count considerably because of adding muxes or busses. Also, space stuff generally needs rad-hardened chips which may limit the selection. A state machine with a RAM might be interesting, but it may not be available. Even some MSI like a decade counter could be a problem.

author: WastelandTek
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2020, 01:58:41 pm
content: episode 2 dropped a couple days ago

author: darrellg
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 23, 2020, 11:39:29 pm
content: Ken did a write-up too. It's athttps://www.righto.com/2020/01/inside-digital-clock-from-soyuz.html.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2020, 12:09:04 am
content: Quote from: Bud on December 08, 2019, 02:20:41 amKnowing Marc , it will get a nice place in his house , next to the IBM360 control panel .

author: WastelandTek
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2020, 05:55:33 am
content: They got it powered up

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2020, 08:23:51 am
content: I'm amazed it survived all the rough handling and mis-wiring, including non-ESD latex gloves that made me cringe. But Soyuz strong comrade. Glad it turned out OK.So... the aux timer is likely for burn time?Amazing that this 45 year old tech beats Boeing's Starliner solution. The $410M Boeing allocated to do a re-launch could include making another one of these...

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 16, 2020, 12:06:40 pm
content: Quote from: floobydust on February 16, 2020, 08:23:51 amIt's TTL, not CMOS. And CMOS normally would not be killed either.