Control System Visual Output Station and Modular Interface, San Francisco State College (Updated two months ago)
You can view this bundle in the SFSU Over the Years collection area.
A closed-circuit television monitor serves as the visual output station for an analog control system, connected to a modular interface with extensive patch wiring. The configuration demonstrates real-time visualization, signal routing, and adjustment within a control systems or analog computing laboratory.
Tags: historic technology
Added to SFSU Over the Years on July 31, 2026.
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Information
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Identifier:
TP-ATA-1887
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Context:
<p><strong>“CLOSED CIRCUIT TV ONLY” Monitor</strong></p>
<ul>
<li data-start="751" data-end="1021">
<p data-start="753" data-end="819">The <strong data-start="757" data-end="785">“Closed Circuit TV ONLY”</strong> monitor could have been used for:</p>
<ul data-start="822" data-end="1021">
<li data-start="822" data-end="868">
<p data-start="824" data-end="868">Previewing or monitoring cable channel feeds</p>
</li>
<li data-start="871" data-end="932">
<p data-start="873" data-end="932">Acting as a <strong data-start="885" data-end="901">video return</strong> in a live teaching environment</p>
</li>
<li data-start="935" data-end="1021">
<p data-start="937" data-end="1021">Displaying simulation output for <strong data-start="970" data-end="1021">aircraft, electrical, or physics demonstrations</strong></p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p> <strong data-start="757" data-end="780">Patch Panel Modules</strong></p>
<ul data-start="781" data-end="1088">
<li data-start="781" data-end="890">
<p data-start="783" data-end="890">The four stacked devices above the monitor are <strong data-start="830" data-end="889">modular analog signal amplifiers or function generators</strong>.</p>
</li>
<li data-start="891" data-end="1088">
<p data-start="893" data-end="987">Each one is labeled (hard to read the exact text), but they likely perform specific functions:</p>
<ul data-start="990" data-end="1088">
<li data-start="990" data-end="1014">
<p data-start="992" data-end="1014">Signal voltage control</p>
</li>
<li data-start="1017" data-end="1039">
<p data-start="1019" data-end="1039">Frequency modulation</p>
</li>
<li data-start="1042" data-end="1088">
<p data-start="1044" data-end="1088">Output conditioning for simulated components</p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li data-start="1042" data-end="1088">
<p data-start="1024" data-end="1102">The <strong data-start="1028" data-end="1044">patch panels</strong> and analog control hardware may have been shared between:</p>
<ul data-start="1105" data-end="1256">
<li data-start="1105" data-end="1151">
<p data-start="1107" data-end="1151">The <strong data-start="1111" data-end="1147">flight simulator/control systems</strong> lab</p>
</li>
<li data-start="1154" data-end="1256">
<p data-start="1156" data-end="1256">And <strong data-start="1160" data-end="1184">broadcast operations</strong>, given overlapping hardware (signal routing, amplification, monitoring)</p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong data-start="201" data-end="232">SF State’s Cable TV Legacy:</strong></p>
<ul data-start="233" data-end="701">
<li data-start="233" data-end="590">
<p data-start="235" data-end="346">In the <strong data-start="242" data-end="262">1960s and beyond</strong>, SFSU was one of the few universities with a <strong data-start="308" data-end="335">dedicated cable channel</strong>, used for:</p>
<ul data-start="349" data-end="590">
<li data-start="349" data-end="418">
<p data-start="351" data-end="418"><strong data-start="351" data-end="378">Educational programming</strong> (often produced by students or faculty)</p>
</li>
<li data-start="421" data-end="455">
<p data-start="423" data-end="455"><strong data-start="423" data-end="455">Public service announcements</strong></p>
</li>
<li data-start="458" data-end="489">
<p data-start="460" data-end="489"><strong data-start="460" data-end="489">Live or recorded lectures</strong></p>
</li>
<li data-start="492" data-end="590">
<p data-start="494" data-end="590">Experimental media work from the <strong data-start="527" data-end="579">Broadcast & Electronic Communication Arts (BECA)</strong> department</p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li data-start="591" data-end="701">
<p data-start="593" data-end="701">It was also a training ground for students entering TV production, media education, and technical direction.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Credits:</strong> </p>
<p>Some technical descriptions and historical interpretations were developed with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model by OpenAI.</p>
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Geographic Coverage:
San Francisco, CA
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Type:
Still Image
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Format:
Negative
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Source:
San Francisco State University Archives
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Rights:
Public
Content
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