Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 19:53:50 -0500
From: Chris Elmquist <chrise at pobox.com>
To: cctalk at
classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: KI front panel "VOLTAGE" adjust?
Message-ID: <20130814005349.GG2148 at n0jcf.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
OK. Thanks for all the input on the topic guys.
It just struck me as interesting that they needed this adjustment on the
front panel of the machine-- which implied that they needed to adjust
it often.
I guess it was a long forgotten art of making the machine easily
servicable for their SEs :-)
The IBM 360's (at least the mid-size and up) had
voltage margin controls and a big meter on the front.
Not adjusting mains voltage with a Variac, but there
was a raise/lower knob and a power supply selector.
The FE would run certain diagnostic loops while
exercising the voltage margins. I believe the
raise/lower knob ran motorized pots on the various
power supplies in the back of the machine. Might have
saved an hour over doing the whole procedure with a
meter and screwdriver adjustment. I think that the
raise/lower control was inactive unless the FE key
was turned.
Jon