3 ms·

I don't know if the Bendix was considered field-repairable. The Sacramento Air Logistics Center (McClellan AFB) sticker on it as seen on CuriousMarc's video ind

by chiph 3y ago

I don't know if the Bendix was considered field-repairable. The Sacramento Air Logistics Center (McClellan AFB) sticker on it as seen on CuriousMarc's video indicates no. But there should be either a manual from Bendix and/or an Air Force Technical Order for it that covers repair & servicing. Not a Bendix expert (but I was stationed at McClellan in the mid-1980s) - I would think that cleanliness and proper lubrication are going to be frequently mentioned. Also I wonder if they had a process to seal the unit up while in a atmosphere chamber. When the diaphragms expand they will be pressing against the air in the unit, so it needs to always be at a known altitude (pressure). The altitude of McClellan Field (KMCC) is 76.8 feet, so outside the tolerance range if they just sealed it up while on the bench.

kens 3y ago
I'm sure a repair and servicing manual existed, but I haven't found one, or even a mention of one. Even obtaining the mil spec for the CADC was a big effort. As far as servicing, the official specification is "The computer shall have a reliable life of 1,000 hours with reasonable servicing and shall be designed to have a minimum operating life of 5,000 hours with reasonable servicing and replacement of parts. The computer shall have a mean life of at least 300 hours."
- jacquesm 3y ago
  Can you explain why the mean life is so much smaller than the reliable or operating life? Or was that meant to be 3000 hours?
  - kens 3y ago
    "Mean life" is essentially MTBF, the average time during testing until the system malfunctions, at which point the system is serviced and testing continues. The "reliable life" is the life with servicing, so it is longer.
    - jacquesm 3y ago
      Ah I see, thank you. Given the complexity of the device and the amount of mechanical bits and pieces in there these numbers are very impressive even if they might seem low compared to solid state.

by chiph 3y ago

kens 3y ago

I'm sure a repair and servicing manual existed, but I haven't found one, or even a mention of one. Even obtaining the mil spec for the CADC was a big effort. As far as servicing, the official specification is "The computer shall have a reliable life of 1,000 hours with reasonable servicing and shall be designed to have a minimum operating life of 5,000 hours with reasonable servicing and replacement of parts. The computer shall have a mean life of at least 300 hours."

jacquesm 3y ago
Can you explain why the mean life is so much smaller than the reliable or operating life? Or was that meant to be 3000 hours?
- kens 3y ago
  "Mean life" is essentially MTBF, the average time during testing until the system malfunctions, at which point the system is serviced and testing continues. The "reliable life" is the life with servicing, so it is longer.
  - jacquesm 3y ago
    Ah I see, thank you. Given the complexity of the device and the amount of mechanical bits and pieces in there these numbers are very impressive even if they might seem low compared to solid state.