minicomputers
Systems Engineering Laboratories, Inc. [SEL]
Polaris missile Data Acquisition system, SEL700, photo [jpg],
This photo shows the Data Acquisition System for the Polaris missile. It was built in 1963 for Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Labs. This was the first large data system that was built by SEL. This system could be patch panel programmed to accept Polaris missile pre-detection flight telemetry data, instrumentation tapes from Polaris 616 series submarines, 8-channel punch tape from scientific satellite programs, and 5-channel tape from the LORAC program. It processed the magnetic tapes brought back from the naval subs and acquisition sites. The tapes were recorded in PCM/FM and this could also output data to magnetic tape which were compatible with IBM 7000 series systems.
If you look at the picture you can see 4 discriminators that removed the data from the tapes. On the right was a multi-stylus recorder that plotted and printed on voltage sensitive paper. The plotting section operates under control of a stored program and provides automatic chart positioning, scaling, and translation of selected data. This system is housed in 8 racks including the IBM 729 IV tape unit. The system accepts tapes at 1,000bits/inch packing density and has full data editing capability.