Master Control Panel (Updated two months ago)
You can view this bundle in the SFSU Over the Years collection area.
Master Control Panel—the brain and dashboard of the entire analog system. This panel was designed to control, monitor, and sync various analog systems—likely in support of: A flight simulator, A control systems lab Or a broadcast/closed-circuit educational setup. It centralized everything from power activation to signal synchronization, allowing a technician or instructor to supervise complex experiments or training modules from one place.
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-1892
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Context:
<h5> <strong style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" data-start="710" data-end="770">Key Features and Labels:</strong></h5>
<h6> <strong data-start="780" data-end="809">SYNC, PULSE, SWEEP, INTRR</strong></h6>
<ul style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" data-start="810" data-end="1265">
<li data-start="810" data-end="954">
<h5 data-start="812" data-end="954">SYNC / SYNC ENGAGE: Synchronizes system signals—crucial for keeping oscilloscopes, scopes, and TV outputs aligned with simulator feedback.</h5>
</li>
<li data-start="955" data-end="1071">
<h5 data-start="957" data-end="1071">PULSE / KILL PULSE: Likely injects or halts a triggering pulse across circuits for timing or feedback systems.</h5>
</li>
<li data-start="1072" data-end="1173">
<h5 data-start="1074" data-end="1173">SWEEP: Might relate to waveform or scope behavior—controlling how a signal is swept or scanned.</h5>
</li>
<li data-start="1174" data-end="1265">
<h5 data-start="1176" data-end="1265">INTRR (interrupt): Could temporarily halt a process—like a signal or cycle interrupt.</h5>
</li>
</ul>
<h6> <strong data-start="1275" data-end="1304">FAIL / MONITOR / COMPUTER</strong></h6>
<ul style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" data-start="1305" data-end="1669">
<li data-start="1305" data-end="1423">
<h5 data-start="1307" data-end="1423"><strong data-start="1307" data-end="1318">FAILURE</strong> and <strong data-start="1323" data-end="1331">FAIL</strong> lights: Indicate system or signal failure—possibly tied to simulation logic or power drops.</h5>
</li>
<li data-start="1424" data-end="1517">
<h5 data-start="1426" data-end="1517"><strong data-start="1426" data-end="1437">MONITOR</strong>: Might toggle a display source—switching between simulation channels or scopes.</h5>
</li>
<li data-start="1518" data-end="1669">
<h5 data-start="1520" data-end="1669"><strong data-start="1520" data-end="1547">COMPUTER POT / COMPUTER</strong>: Points to a potentiometer or input line tied to a computing element (possibly a separate analog computer or patchboard).</h5>
</li>
</ul>
<h5> <strong data-start="1679" data-end="1689">Meters</strong></h5>
<ul style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" data-start="1690" data-end="1881">
<li data-start="1690" data-end="1881">
<h5 data-start="1692" data-end="1733">Nine analog meters are probably used for:</h5>
<ul data-start="1736" data-end="1881">
<li data-start="1736" data-end="1801">
<h5 data-start="1738" data-end="1801">Monitoring <strong data-start="1749" data-end="1761">voltages</strong>, <strong data-start="1763" data-end="1775">currents</strong>, or <strong data-start="1780" data-end="1801">signal amplitudes</strong></h5>
</li>
<li data-start="1804" data-end="1881">
<h5 data-start="1806" data-end="1881">Confirming system conditions (e.g., servo output, loop gain, error margins)</h5>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h6> <strong data-start="1891" data-end="1931">MON. AUDIO / HOR. AUDIO / VERT. TRIG</strong></h6>
<ul style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" data-start="1932" data-end="2175">
<li data-start="1932" data-end="2058">
<h5 data-start="1934" data-end="2058">These lower switches hint at audio channel routing and <strong data-start="1989" data-end="2011">triggering signals</strong> for horizontal and vertical waveform displays.</h5>
</li>
<li data-start="2059" data-end="2175">
<h5 data-start="2061" data-end="2175">Suggests integration with <strong data-start="2087" data-end="2120">oscilloscopes or video scopes</strong>, possibly feeding into the <strong data-start="2148" data-end="2163">CRT monitor</strong> next to it.</h5>
</li>
</ul>
<h5> <strong data-start="2189" data-end="2227">Function Within the Larger System:</strong></h5>
<p style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" data-start="2228" data-end="2256">This panel let the operator:</p>
<ul style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" data-start="2257" data-end="2415">
<li data-start="2257" data-end="2283">
<p data-start="2259" data-end="2283">Start and stop sequences</p>
</li>
<li data-start="2284" data-end="2305">
<p data-start="2286" data-end="2305">Inject test signals</p>
</li>
<li data-start="2306" data-end="2364">
<h5 data-start="2308" data-end="2364">Monitor performance across <strong data-start="2335" data-end="2364">multiple simulation nodes</strong></h5>
</li>
<li data-start="2365" data-end="2415">
<p data-start="2367" data-end="2415">Interface with scopes, sensors, and signal logic</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h5 style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" data-start="2417" data-end="2485">In short—it’s the <strong data-start="2435" data-end="2454">mission control</strong> of the analog simulator setup.</h5>
<h5><strong>Credits:</strong> </h5>
<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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