" POTTED AND PRINTED CIRCUITS " 1950s ELECTRONICS INSTRUCTIONAL FILM V-1 BUZZ BOMB XD52434

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“Potted and Printed Circuits” (c.1950) is a black-and-white film made on behalf of M of S Elliott Brothers and the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE), the main UK r&d organization for electronics during and after World War II. The film illuminates the process that was used to develop potted and printed circuit techniques. It was produced by H. Dewhurst, camera by L. Dawson, and directed by E.B. Sudbury. (Note: printed circuit boards (or PCBs) contain an electronic device’s most critical components. PCB potting protects circuit boards by filling a PCB enclosure with a liquid material called a potting compound or encapsulation resin.)
The film also shows an early computer, probably the Elliott Brothers' Elliott- Nicholas computer circa 1952. Elliott Brothers merged with English Electric Co. and eventually ICL (International Computers Ltd.)
A pulse jet, German V-1 Flying Bomb on a launch rail; montage of components (0:48). Aerial view assembly line at factory for flying bomb (1:08). Small square board featuring 38 components used in a potted circuit (1:52). Female scientist demonstrates steps of jig assembly: connects perspex mounting plates with tubular brass inserts (2:06). Inserts leads after they are cut to right size (2:33). Close-up assembly after multiple leads have been inserted by hand, scientist goes in with bare metal wire to create connections (2:39). Close-up scientist holding finished component assembly (3:00). Young woman prepares casting resin in enclosed glass box, balance scale inside used to weigh the micro loaded polyester resin; other beaker contains mix of catalyst, accelerator, and mica powder (3:03). Beaker placed in glass chamber, air bubbles removed (3:58). Parts of demountable mold used in brick-type assemblies laid out (4:21). C/u mold as scientist pours resin mixture (4:57). Casting removed from mold: step by step instruction of disassembly beginning with positioning pins (5:19). Scientist uses tongs to lower mold into beaker of boiling water then flask of carbon dioxide (5:45). Close-up brick after being exposed to extreme temperatures (6:38). Subminiature valves in split metal holders (6:44). Scientists look over design mock-ups for printed circuits using heated dye stamping process on silver-coated plastics (7:12). Scientist stands at drafting table, creates full-scale drawing of proposed printed circuit (7:34). Scientist carefully cuts pro-film stencil (7:54). Scientist pulls stencil off of surface ground steel block (8:22). Scientist uses tweezers to place steel strips along imprinted design then wipes down block to remove traces of cement (8:53). Close-up finished block, dye ready for use (9:54). Block bolted to heater assembly, mounted into a press (9:58). Close-up plastic card where circuit will be printed (10:09). C/u plastic base with cut geometric pattern from acetate tape (10:21). Plate coated with thermosetting cement, silver powder applied via mesh sieve (10:39). Finished plate positioned in press, dial displays hydraulic pressure (11:17). Plate retrieved (11:47). Components mounted plate (12:13). Scientist prepares soldering device: pours beaker of palm oil, fits assembly into equipment (12:26). Finished unit mounted, forms plug-in unit (13:41). Circuits beside ruler (13:52). M of S Elliot Brothers Computer Lab (London): wires on back of computer, man works on arithmetic circuit at electronic digital computer (14:15). Unit opened revealing cooling glass plates (14:35). Steps for creating glass plate circuit: fits glass plate to pattern with 72 drill holes (15:06). Close-up 9-spindle drilling machine, cutting lubricant floods plate, plate ready for printing (15:25). Another scientist tests plate for continuity in automatic machine (16:24). Plate added to jig, stencil clamped down and jig sprayed (16:54). Final plate with circuit pattern (17:32). Engineer inspects furnace used for processing resistor films (17:39). Engraving machine (17:50). Plate showing finished engraved pattern on typical resistors (18:15). Scientist carefully uses tweezers to add capacitor elements, solders (18:38). Final plates are sealed, operator inspects finished products (19:11). Completed plug-in units showing different types of metal screen (19:34). Engineer, G.W.A. (Geoffrey) Dummer discusses future of electronic manufacturing, flow diagram of automatic assembly process (19:47).
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFi...

[@jorgealzate4124]

This video was produced less than 10 years before the Apollo project. By the 60s the printed circuit process and materials changed drastically, resembling more the modern PCBs, being some of the apollo PCBs one of the the firsts multi layer PCBs, having some five layer boards filled with digital ICs. For reference, today is common for a modern computer to have 12 layers or more on its mainboard, and what this reel describes are single layer boards with a very primitive manufacturing process and materials. Is amazing for any Electronics enthusiast how fast that changes happened thanks to the Space Race and the Cold War.

[@PeriscopeFilm]

Thanks for the insightful comment.

[@themagus5906]

I was an engineer in the military PC industry back in the 80s. We engineered up to 10-layer mutilayer hybrid solid / flex assemblies, and they were nightmares. Mil spec 50884D sometimes specified only 5 mils (0.005 ") tolerances around pads and between conductors. Registration (overlapping) between layers became extremely more difficult as you added more layers. Sometimes we had as little as a 20% effective yield on some job runs. Lots of waste and re-work. And the source-inspectors for the military sub-contractors could be real bitches.

[@scottzehrung4829]

@@themagus5906 I remember when DCMA told us as engineers we had no disposition authority in our Material Review Board. “No MRB” so our production lines effectively were stopped and contract changes needed to be made etc. until the program offices came to visit. Three branches of military came to visit from DC and we all resolved the situation soon thereafter.

[@themagus5906]

@@scottzehrung4829 Yeah; I remember fighting those fights as well. 👍 It was before I moved on to production chemistry lab work for ten years, then chemical sales for 20 years.

[@matthaxx7137]

Incredible! March 1952. I lost count of the techniques in common use now that were shown as experimental in this film. Let me try to remember a few; printed circuits and potting QED, printed carbon film resistors, precision trimming, fixed pitch circuit layout, dipped soldering, dense fan cooled cabinets, backplane wiring, solid state diodes Automated Test Equipment. All just waiting for transistors which had only been invented one year before.

[@jsaurman]

Now they have machines in China that can pump out a million of these per hour and still turn a profit at ten cents each.

[@paulusthegrey]

Don't forget surface mounting of the capacitors.

[@realryder2626]

​@JimTheSoundman yeh but they make chips that are fake / stolen tech

[@MaxLupton]

It is amazing how many electronics manufacturing techniques still in use 70+ years later they had developed or were developing right around the time transistors were just starting to replace vacuum tubes or "valves" in British vernacular. One thing that did stand out to me: At 14:00 "since errors cannot occur in printed wiring inspection is unnecessary at this stage." It's kind of cute that they thought this way in 1952. Realistically I think they meant that there was nothing that could be done to rework errors at this stage so no point in inspecting when a final function test would weed out any bad units. These days we would inspect after every step and use the resulting manufacturing data to drive down defects produced in that step but in 1952 such data driven quality management practices had not yet diffused from academia to industry. I suspect any competent production manager at the time would be aware of some of these ideas and might practice some subset of them. After all Walter Shewhart (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_A._Shewhart) first advocated early inspection and control charts at Western Bell in 1924 and W. Edwards Demming (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Edwards_Deming) met him at Bell Labs in 1927. Demming went on to develop and proselytize statistical quality methods during and after WW II but the first significant non-military industrial interest seems to be among the Japanese industrialists Demming was brought over to help rebuild Japans industrial base under McArthur's tenure running Japan. US manufacturers finally got the quality memo in the 1970's when inexpensive, reliable Japanese cars and electronics started seriously threatening the market share of major US manufacturers. Apparently British industry, at TRE anyway, in 1952 had not adopted Shewhart's 1924 ideas about control charts and inspections nor integrated Demming's ideas about quality management. Max L.

[@thomasgoodwin2648]

I have finally seen the real "Polythene Pam". Thank you! 😍

[@AppliedCryogenics]

Yeah, look at that finger dexterity! Hubba hubba

[@jamesslick4790]

Well, now I'm gonna leave the KZbins alone and put on "Abbey Road"! Yeah!, Yeah!, Yeah!!!. 🎶🎶🎶

[@johnalexander7490]

@@jamesslick4790 She came in through the bathroom window :)

[@Clark-Mills]

5:46 That's not boiling water rather carbonic / dry ice in water. The vapour is distinctive and falls even and you can see the "ice" in the water. There is a bunsen burner under there though; probably for effect. Maybe this was easier to film...

[@Ascania]

A lot of the processes you see in this film are done the way you see them for effect, to demonstrate them in a way for the viewer to contextualise them. I rather doubt even in the experimental stage they would run the various process steps in beakers. But "beakers" to the lay person scream "laboratory" and "experimental". Same with the vapour. You want to clearly demonstrate that the water in use is boiling hot purely through visual means. That means bubbles and steam. Yet steam is somewhat hard to film clearly and tends to do naughty things to the camera lenses. Thus the movie magic alternative you see demonstrated here.

[@tz8785]

The opening is also interesting. It calls a V-1 by name, shows the launch and then cuts to a collection of V-2. While ballistic missiles definitely also benefit from acceleration-resistant circuits, this complete change of weapon category with no mention in the narration is a little odd.

[@TheNoodlyAppendage]

14:14 "since errors cannot be made in printed circuits, inspection is not necessary". If any corporation did this today Id short the hell out of their stock.

[@JCWren]

First, he said "not necessary AT THIS STAGE". Second, what they meant was that if point A was supposed to connect to point B, there was no need to check if it had been mis-wired to point C, as it could be if the wiring was done by hand. There's no way they wouldn't be doing an inspection to confirm there are no solder bridges or connections that didn't get soldered.

[@fhunter1test]

This is compared to manual assembly.

[@benjaminbarrera214]

That's true, an error with the potted circuit components cannot be ruled out.

[@A3Kr0n]

At 3:30 NEVER PIPETTE BY MOUTH!

[@robertboll1503]

And asbestos gloves during the dip soldering

[@ClausB252]

2:30 NASA called this 'cordwood construction' and used it with transistors in Apollo. Search for 'reverse engineering cordwood flip flop module with x-ray'.

[@benjaminbarrera214]

Yup, I worded with a lot of former Apollo engineers and one of them told me about cordwood. It was , but vibration and g-resistant.

[@deankay4434]

My grandfather graduated with an electronics engineers degree. Hired by Bell Telephone, drafted into WW-II, he ran field generators with 4 voltages, 1 A/C and DC for Radar on the coast of England. The inverters and converters produced heat and cooling systems were used. He told me little as distraction was seen when his shift was over and the places he lived were gone including blocks around them. Sleeping in the back of a Jeep was the best place to be. Their equipment was almost entirely tube type. The were reliable, easy to test and change. He passed time by reading about transistors, math, function and use in circuits! Sounds like fun to me...

[@jimeditorial]

Sure hope that "miniaturization" concept catches on in electronics......

[@deankay4434]

@@jimeditorial Speak German, For English press 2, For Spanish you are next! Glad we figure it out first. It used to be Japan who copied everything, but Russian?

[@das250250]

Compare that to today where a person from home can design and order a circuit board for delivery . Now take that advance and ask what are we doing right now that will become child play in 50 years ? Would love some predictions ....

[@winstonsmith478]

You'd think someone would have come up with the simple idea of masking and etching away copper foil adhered to, back then, phenolic plates instead of going through these super PITA processes.

[@fhunter1test]

Phenolic plates are brittle, and if it is something like FR4 - it may pull in water. And this is military equipment - it is about reliability and resistance to various stresses. We actually have ceramic or metal PCBs to this day in special applications. As for copper - compressing silver powder with a die is a mechanical single-step process. Even better - it is DRY process. Etching/masking is a multi-step process. Every step is where something may go wrong.

[@ChiefBridgeFuser]

Whole bunch of concepts here sort of exist today but not exactly. Resistors not made as part of circuit assembly now. Surface mounting of more than capacitors. Glass circuit board substrate is very rare (but not enameled aluminum). Electroplating / etching rather than sintering/fusing metal to the board now. I think the advent of computer controlled machinery has driven a large part of how we do it now (look at all of the rigid tooling for each board drilling, resistor fabrication, track fabrication). Trimming of thick (and thin) film resistors was done in the 80's and 90's for precision integrated circuits and hybrids.

[@Spookieham]

The only perhaps variance from what you said is microwave and stripline where the board patterns are used as part of the circuit design

[@ChiefBridgeFuser]

@@Spookieham Maybe cheaper ways of fabricating the substrate and metal layers is what enabled RF kinds of structures, compared to that early origin. Yesterday's microwave frequencies are now WiFi on everything!

[@oz1747]

Imagine how big your iPhone or whatever tablet you are watching this on would need to be if still using this level of technology!?

[@jandjsgunchannel449]

Probably the size of Nevada haha

[@ngrader]

Nevada is a good guess. The UNIVAC was size of a room, but didn't handle video. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instructions_per_second

[@fhunter1test]

if you had transistors... I'd say few BIG rooms. And around 10-50 kilowatts of power. Not counting cooling system ;-)

[@capriracer351]

I don't think that this printed circuit nonsense will ever catch on. After all, why go through all this trouble when you can just solder the connections by hand. The most connections you will ever have is maybe 40 or 50 per assembly anyhow. I can't imagine ever needing any more than that.😆

[@robertweekley5926]

Nobody needs more than 640 KB! 🤨🥴

[@capriracer351]

@@robertweekley5926 That's right. If you need any more than that, you are just being wasteful!

[@ChristLink-Channel]

So true! And why all this fuss about computer? After all, the entire market is only maybe six or seven. No more than that. Whoever would need a computer? Silly idea...

[@quantumleap359]

Baby steps, to be sure, but assembly methods that would become commonplace. Some still in use today.

[@woodwaker1]

What progress we have made!

[@turboslag]

Absolutely fascinating.

[@benjaminbarrera214]

Now I know how printed circuit boards got their name, The conductors were kiterally printed on the board instead of etched as they are today.

[@RetroJack]

And thus the anti-right-to-repair movement was started.

[@fmphotooffice5513]

Film produced when practically every circuit you saw was point-to-point wiring. 11:52 ...because silver is, quoth Steely Dan, cheap but it's not free.

[@frogz]

in the future it may be expected that such weapons will be electronically controlled and travel at supersonic speeds..... ....if only they knew....

[@jamesslick4790]

They knew they SAID it.

[@mohinderkaur6671]

SMD resistors and capacitors in 1952

[@patpopov]

I wouldn't have done it like that.

[@activelow9297]

So glad they stopped potting electronics in the 70's.

[@themagus5906]

I worked as an engineer in the military printed circuit board until 1990, and we were still potting assemblies on multi-layer circuit boards then.

[@J_Calvin_Hobbes]

👍

[@MichaelKingsfordGray]

What a palaver!

[@600322]

Nowadays all the processes before the final assembly are done by machines.We can see young chinese girls put the parts of a smartphone and finally testing together with a test instrument before it is packed and shipped by.....

[@lptf5441]

Guys! Stop with the stupid clock and web link overlay in the middle of then screen! It blocks important information and ruins the experience!

[@PeriscopeFilm]

Here's the issue: Tens of thousands of films similar to this one have been lost forever -- destroyed -- and many others are at risk. Our company preserves these precious bits of history one film at a time. How do we afford to do that? By selling them as stock footage to documentary filmmakers and broadcasters. If we did not have a counter, we could not afford to post films like these online, and no films would be preserved. It's that simple. So we ask you to bear with the watermark and timecodes. In the past we tried many different systems including placing our timer at the bottom corner of our videos. What happened? Unscrupulous KZbin users downloaded our vids, blew them up so the timer was not visible, and re-posted them as their own content! We had to use content control to have the videos removed and shut down these channels. It's hard enough work preserving these films and posting them, without having to spend precious time dealing with policing thievery -- and not what we devoted ourselves to do. Love our channel and want to support what we do? You can help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Even a really tiny contribution can make a difference.

[@benjaminbarrera214]

@@PeriscopeFilm Thanks for the explanation. I thought this was obvious but apparently not.

[@joegoldman3065]

No narrator could be naturally this boring.This guy must have taken training classes into how to narrate in such an awful boring way

[@Billy_Bad_Ass]

Primeval.

[@RetroJack]

Ignorant.