DOES anyone remember ACOUSTEC?

[NanoFrog]

Kevin:

Thanks for the link(y).

shallbehealed:

Got to love the old "Cold War" construction. Over-built and then some.

[kevinkr]

Originally posted by shallbehealed
I work in the building where the Apollo computers were developed. We call it "the bomb shelter", as it's got a 20ft thick floating concrete slab in the basement and no windows on the first two floors.

I've always understood the AGC was developed at the old MIT Instrumentation Lab in Cambridge, MA which today is known as Draper Labs http://www.draper.com/history/history.htm after the fellow who managed it. It's independent of M.I.T now.

Here is a link to schematics for the Block II AGC - the version which flew to the moon.

http://klabs.org/history/ech/agc_schematics/index.htm

The hardware was built by Raytheon.

I'm actually old enough to remember quite vividly the whole moon landing thing.. Now that was exciting!

[d to the g]

Originally posted by kevinkr

I've always understood the AGC was developed at the old MIT Instrumentation Lab in Cambridge, MA which today is known as Draper Labs http://www.draper.com/history/history.htm after the fellow who managed it. It's independent of M.I.T now.

Hrmm... I'm trying to find some documentation. I know that I heard it from one of the staff scientists, who looks like he's been there for the past 40 years. All I could find on the 'net is that this was that was where the "gopher" web was created. I'll ask the old dudes as to what the real story is, when I have a minute.

[kevinkr]

Originally posted by shallbehealed


Hrmm... I'm trying to find some documentation. I know that I heard it from one of the staff scientists, who looks like he's been there for the past 40 years. All I could find on the 'net is that this was that was where the "gopher" web was created. I'll ask the old dudes as to what the real story is, when I have a minute.

I'd be really curious, perhaps they collaborated on one of the subsystems.. Apollo had two other navigational systems in addition to the AGC for redundancy. (IIRC I think optical and inertial??) Perhaps it was one of these...

[gain-wire]

while all this appolo stuff is facinating, and it's actually something that I am interested in(given the fact I love old technology, including obscure and now-obsolete Military technology), I'd like to bring the subject back to the original topic which was ACOUSTECH. lol

anyway, I've quickly searched the web to find anything about Acoustech, and there seems to be NO information whatsoever. No units for sale, not even ebay! What, did people just trash these?
The only source of interest I found wa on hifiengine where there were a couple of members asking for schematics becuase they owned one the add-a-kit amplifiers. Which is cool becuase that's what I'm after.

anyone care to post a scan of a schematic?

That'd be great.

Thank you again!!

[kevinkr]

Thread's been dead for 3 1/2yrs, those AGC posts were way back in mid 2008.. So old in fact that despite posting here I did not receive a notification of your post.

Hope you find what you are looking for, just wondering what the fascination with them is.. I suspect they were obscure enough and defunct sufficiently before the internet that there is nothing at all on the net about them.

[gain-wire]

Thanks for answering Kevinkr,
Yeah I know it's been long, (didn't think it was that long!) but you never know.
As luck would have it my google search yielded some interesting results, I found a webpage from a French Acoustech amplifier owner who seems fascinated by them enough to make a small blog about his restoration project. Luckily french is my native tongue. And ear!

[ctcdaggett]

Anybody still have interest in Acoustech, let me know (ctcdaggett@mindspring.com). I have most details on their product line, the high point was the Model X, a full range electrostatic (Janszen origin, ala KLH-9), which included a variation of their 500 watt amp, mated to the Model VI preamp. Very early transistor, kits, tuners, amps, integrated amps, and preamps. Wound up being bought by Koss. Bob

[gain-wire]

Excuse my lateness. I am still interested in this stuff.. Obviously, like any person with many hobbies, my interested shift in priority, depending on time, occupations, work, band time, and axis of the moon.

Just kidding, occupations doesn't influence it at all.