What is inside the AZ-5 SWITCH and other Chornobyl controls?

[@KanalFrump]

that optical beam gauge is fantastic! love the intuitive zone band color masks and the unexpected regulation feature.

[@ChernobylFamily]

that was a big discovery for me to see those films...)

[@Wtfinc]

Me too, that was so exciting! It makes it a 100x more useful, i love it.

[@Wtfinc]

@@ChernobylFamilyso glad u did! That was just great fun

[@emilracovita8421]

To be honest that gauge is mind blowing

[@markevans2294]

Clever how it can give a yellow via mixing the green and red light sources.

[@djohnsto2]

That's pretty cool, it's super low tech but probably reliable - No overflowing integer variables to blow up your reactor.

[@ChernobylFamily]

As far as I can see, everywhere at power plants there are notably many mechanical controls along with modern digital stuff. ChNPP is a standalone thing in this aspect - it was planned to be shut down in 1994, actually worked up to 2000 as generating facility, so it received modernization in safety systems, but controls remained mostly as they were.

[@heinzk023]

Yes, blowup had to be done manually...

[@MadScientist267]

Reliability is key with this. Not "fancy". The tech world could take notes 🤣

[@oliviamoore3426]

They’re waiting for you Gordon, in the tessssst chamber. Last time I heard integer overflow was in half life 1. I had to nerd out a little 😄

[@ChernobylFamily]

)))))))))

[@MicraHakkinen]

The design of the meter is pretty brilliant really. It gives a very clear indication by design, even from a distance. And the feedback from the adjustable green and red film allows not just for a response to an out-of-bounds indication, but also allows a connected system to detect a discrepancy (ie a faulty meter) if it's sending out a known good value but is receiving an alarm from the meter. Clever, compact, and still with multiple functions. I love it!

[@ChernobylFamily]

The only trouble, they need MUCH space - we'd like to use them for something, but the space needed.... and these are not the biggest used at the NPP!

[@MicraHakkinen]

@@ChernobylFamilyYeah they are quite deep. Small frontal area, but there's a lot going on behind it. I can imagine that limits where you can use them.

[@Melanie16040]

@@ChernobylFamily What were the largest?

[@ChernobylFamily]

@@Melanie16040 they looked the same just double as wide, and taller for around 1 cm. It is possible to notice them on wall-mounted panels of the control room.

[@tekvax01]

The meter is called a Mirror Galvanometer first made in the 1800s by Lord Calvin.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you for the hint (still much to learn... and refresh in the memory - because NOW I remember I read something like that in the far past...)

[@jameskirk9996]

Here in the US I worked in the the fiels of mechanical testing of composites and metals. I have never seen such a meter as this before. The meters we used were either D'arsonvall or mechanical driven by a servomotor. Such systems had a feedback loop. I found this meter type facinating and well thought out.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you for sharing!

[@peteroc7395]

I just so love the old analog stuff from the 80s, so simple and very accurate and stable thank you so much 😊

[@ChernobylFamily]

I think i'll find some more meters/loggers to show in the future!

[@eightbitguru]

It's 80s tech in the USSR. For the West, it's 50s.

[@SBBurzmali]

As a heads up, the stiffness of the switches is usually the result of that spring being designed to force the contacts together at the end of the throw. The more force holding the contacts together, the higher the current the circuit can handle, AC mixes that up some which is why they can handle slightly hire AC voltages. The term used for a switch that returns to the initial position is typically "momentary" and generally switches are classified by the number of contact sets and positions it can take, a switch with two positions is "single throw" a switch with two sets of contacts is "dual pole" switch, with three positions, these would be "dual throw, sextuple pole, rotary switches" in English terminology, though I never dealt with anything with 6 sets of contacts during my time in the switch industry.

[@ChernobylFamily]

I am sincerely thankful for this explanation, which is very valuable given that English is not my native language.

[@gregoryclemen1870]

allen- bradley controls are made to add more contacts( n.o/ n.c.) to the rotary switch as needed, and the throw is also stiff.

[@jurajlutter]

Also it ensures that the spring loaded mechanism will close the contacts "momentarily" in a very short time when triggered.

[@movax20h]

Pretty cool. Looks all well built. The green / red zones using tape and sensors in the meter itself, is indeed fascinating, and a bit ridiculous and complicated, but it has some charm and straightforwardness to it.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you!

[@KeritechElectronics]

Ah, the things of beauty! The mirror galvanometer is just so damn lovely. Using photoresistors for limit indication is just brilliant - the only thing is that the alarm condition will never go off if a lightbulb blows, haha! But then checklists and other operating procedures were probably in place to make sure everything was in a good working order.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Likely yes, though I can't recall seeng those color film used in the actual power plant conditions. I also know there are modifications which do not have those films at all.

[@SeanBZA]

@@ChernobylFamily I would say there is a lamp monitor in there, either sensing lamp current, or even simpler another phototransistor that detected part of the lamp beam, and if it went out would be part of SKALA that this input is failed, and needs service. Probably one of the printed messages that the operators got the most, x channel indicator inoperative.

[@Damien.D]

Fantastic looking equipment. I love the meter, it's called a mirror galvanometer by the way, earliest ones were used to find faults in the very first transatlantic cable. The light beam was reflected on a much longer distance for that, as the distance between the mirror and the screen acts as a multiplier to measure minuscule variations of signals. I'm not surprised that there was a way to detect the beam of the meter, safety critical display devices have a way to self-check for faults. I'm sure these displays were used in nuclear submarines too.... It's very clever and elegant to use a camera-type film holes and sprockets to do the moving green and red flat-flex PCB. Isn't it a very early example of flat flex PCB, by the way? I'm also surprised that the illuminated switches didn't have a way to self check if the bulb actually works... It's also safety critical to have readouts of your control rods status. I think. Lol :P (9:32 , beautiful sight with all the display working.. should have been a very special workplace to be)

[@ChernobylFamily]

Yes, it can be considered an early flex PCB. Later they learned how to make them better, but all of them still were very fragile. As for buttons, the button is general-purpose, it is not NPP specific; I believe there was an external schematics to check that and also control panels had a test light-it-all-up sequence

[@Q1745]

Of your videos, for some reason this one resonated with me. That meter is really the definition of following the KISS principle. Great stuff, thanks for sharing!

[@ChernobylFamily]

...) thank you!

[@enoladeveu3653]

Of course we want more. For a computer person like me it's super duper interesting to see this old school kind of widgets. Thank you for the interesting content.

[@ChernobylFamily]

All right, we will go for some shopping I think...)

[@jounneejr8073]

Totally agree. More please!

[@marioserafimov6714]

Lived it. While the switches looked pretty much as a package switch, the meter looks like something that would spark my child imagination into wild believes some 25 years ago. Also, by watching this I can't help but feel gratitude for my position in time where I can look back on analogue devices through videos like this and make straight comparsion to their digital equivalent devices.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you for sharing!

[@alexh.5579]

Awesome video! I'm interested in learning more about the mnemonic luminescent displays, selsyns and loggers as you've shown in the Exploring SKALA video!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Stay tuned! Gradually we will go through many things like that!

[@codaalive5076]

These are rotary switches with several positions and even more poles, they allow for switching several connections with one position. Some poles might be in parallel for redundancy in case one contact fails, i would expect this in critical applications like NPP control.

[@MarkMcCluney]

The 'swinging mirror ' guage reminds me of the galvanometers which I used to repair when I worked for a school. Those delicate but regularly abused meters were much more simple than but frighteningly expensive for what they were. I shudder to think how much these units cost brand new. Thanks for sharing Alex.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thanks for sharing! This one I got as a gift, but a quick googling says around 10-50$ per one depending on a type and size.

[@MarkMcCluney]

@@ChernobylFamily That's a terrific bargain! The school laboratory galvos that I repaired were a thousand pounds sterling each! (That's why I repaired them rather than buying new ones.)

[@ChernobylFamily]

Yes, BUT, it is the price for them as old obsolete stuff. I am afraid to imagine their price back in the times when those were modern.

[@theelmonk]

The thing about spot galvanometers was not their compact size (the ones I knew were large and heavy) but the distance from mirror to screen. This is effectively a very long but weightless pointer, giving a clear pointer indication of very small current changes in the coil. Here is a typical school galvanometer : www.preproom.org/equipment/eq.aspx?eqID=5037

[@Underestimated37]

KZbin is finally sending me notifications for your videos again, (they haven’t for ages even though you’re on all) jumped on this as soon as I saw you posted, even though it is 1am here. I’m very excited for the next video, can’t wait to hear what you have. I find the switch interesting, it’s a great solution for a mechanical fail safe, no relying on other circuitry to change multiple systems. It’s really interesting to see designs that are designed to be multi purpose, versus the other parts of the world where everything manufactured usually has a single specific use and can’t be adapted. Even if the tech is simple, it’s fairly ingenious really.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Welcome back! And you certainly have a point.

[@filip.zivkovic]

Man I need to get that optical meter. A marvel of engineering!

[@ChernobylFamily]

We can get you one. Use the About Channel tab (on desktop) -> there is a contact button

[@filip.zivkovic]

@@ChernobylFamily I'll look into it thanks

[@XH1927]

I tripped over your channel before, but this video got you a sub. This is the kind of in-depth technical content the internet NEEDS. Very interesting and awesome. Where did you even source new-old-stock Soviet era switches and buttons like that? Very cool.

[@ChernobylFamily]

The thing is, many, many things like this were overproduced. It is possible to find them from electronics surplus sellers, metal scrappers, etc. here in Ukraine, but it takes a big effort to search for them. Also, sometimes items are not cheap, especially if they are narrow-specialized.

[@wtmayhew]

Thank you very interesting! The beam deflection is twice the angle of the mirror movement, so a galvanometer light deflection meter can be very sensitive. The use of the films with the photo resistors is very clever. I like it. I am in the US, and I have not yet seen anything exactly the same in industrial controls, but there may be, just I have not seen it. I built a light deflector using two plotter galvanometer motors to make an X-Y light raster on a wall. A brain researcher used it to map the positions and motions to which hamster visual cortex neurons respond.

[@ChernobylFamily]

WOW!

[@JeSuisUnePatate]

I guess there was a «Test» button somewhere on those console to verify that the lights were working on every buttons? Very interesting again! Thank you :)

[@ChernobylFamily]

I am not 100% sure for ALL buttons, but it should be. Absolutely surely there are buttons that initiate a test of individual panels. Actually, you can see green SKALA mnemonic displays glowing, that is exactly a test in action.

[@jpjude68]

i never expected to see film tape holding light sensors like that in the percentage meter.. it's so surprising

[@ChernobylFamily]

I must say, I was surprised too. Even more I was surprised to see something close to a modern LED stripe but made by Soviets.

[@АнтонОрехов-о1г]

Интересный канал, респект🇺🇦! Но по словам Алексея Фаттахова (бывший инженер управления реактором на Чернобыльской АЭС), на момент инцидента АЗ-5 запускалась кнопкой, а не переключателем. Так же в момент инцидента было зафиксировано 2 нажатия АЗ-5. Одно короткое, пауза пол секунды, и второе длинное. После инцидента 86 года первыми доработками были: -кнопка АЗ-5 заменена на переключатель -новый переключатель АЗ-5 был с принудительным запоминанием сигнала на 45 секунд. Это значит, если повернул переключатель в активный режим, а затем сразу вернул, то стержни все равно идут в зону.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Дякуємо! Фатахова знаємо особисто :) так, все вірно, що ви кажете.

[@Sparkington9]

Honestly that the coolest meter I've seen, the fact you can trigger event from the scale in a simple robust format is amazing. Why I love Soviet equipment :D

[@ChernobylFamily]

Well, as other commenters explained, there existed similar western devices as well:)

[@DB-47]

Actually those optical mechanical indicators used to be in some older Czech locomotives like classes 111, 163, 363 as speedomter and cruise control speed setting indicator

[@ChernobylFamily]

Oh, that is an interesting detail!

[@drneves1]

Excellent work. Greetings from Portugal.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you!

[@emilschw8924]

That is really cool old tech! Thanks for sharing!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Check our previous episodes!

[@marianaldenhoevel7240]

Thank you for well-researched and wonderfully presented content from a corner of the tech-world us westerners know way too little about.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Glad that you liked!

[@Gersberms]

I agree that it's weird for that gauge to send signals as well as receive them. It's beautifully made though, very impressive. Those switches are nicer than I thought they would be but I wonder how reliable those contacts are, they're just metal points that slide across each other. I suppose the spring makes sure it happens quickly.

[@ChernobylFamily]

They look pretty reliable and that spring seems to ensure a good contact.

[@SeanBZA]

Pretty reliable, once you remember the correct operating condition for the contacts. They run best with 24V across them when open, and 20 to 100mA of current when closed, which helps by keeping the contacts free from oxide, as they wipe across each other, and this make good metal to metal contact. You get a totally different switch, with thick gold contact faces, for low level signals, such as those from the hundreds of thermocouples and platinum resistance thermometers that were used to measure temperature, and the hundreds of bridge type pressure transducers as well. Those AZ-5 switches look like they break before make, so while you operate there is a brief period where all contacts are open, so as to prevent shorts. Others will be make before break, where you do not want interruption, while say changing the range on a meter. The mirror galvanometrs are very interesting, with them not only showing up as readout, but also being a simple interface to the SKALA system to be able to input state information without needing complex extra converters, and also associated programming on them as well to set limits. Just built into the existing display, annd an easy way to show if nominal, or which way the deviation is. Likely there is a further phototransistor there that also acts to inform that the lamp has failed, and print it out for a repair operation. 28VDC lamps, run on 24VDC, probably with a series resistor as well, so as to drop voltage to around 22VDC, so leading to greatly increased lamp life. The type of lamp is classed as prefocussed beam, as the optical path is fixed in the lamp construction, so that in use no further focussing is needed during changing the lamp, as all of them are adjusted in the factory to have the filament in exactly the same orientation and plane, so you simply swap the failed lamp out, and close the panel up.

[@Gersberms]

@@SeanBZA You're right about the operating conditions of switches being an important factor. Microswitches in computer mice are now operating on such low currents that there's no wetting current. Omron switches rated for a million cycles don't last more than a year, it's insane. That all has to do with the low currents of the new microcontrollers being used. I bet you my old MX518 from 2005 still works, but I can tell you that a mouse I bought 2 years ago is already getting flaky.

[@AmauryJacquot]

using what looks like cinema film was super smart !

[@ChernobylFamily]

I agree

[@ct92404]

Very cool! I really like that the switches were still in their original boxes! It's always fun to see vintage equipment still in new condition like that.

[@ChernobylFamily]

I totally agree!

[@mertozsoy]

gördüğüm en iyi kanal "chornobyl family"

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thanks!

[@RFC3514]

If you often need to power DC devices up to 30 volts, I'd recommend getting a Korad KA3005P power supply. It's one of the best you can get for a relatively affordable price (under 120 euros).

[@ChernobylFamily]

O! Thank you!

[@douro20]

They're standard aviation type lamps. They are available in 12V versions.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Did not come across 12V ones, but now I'll look for some! Thanks!

[@wisteela]

Fantastic. I wasn't expecting those rotary switches to be as long as that. That meter is fantastic, and it looked great seeing them all moving in the dark. Yes, more of these videos would be great.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! We surelynwill have when get enough verious devices (some we got)

[@danbrit9848]

you are amazing and i truly love your work ...i always wounder how this old stuff worked its so much cooler then modern stuff of o look a chip ok ...and you know what your talking about its not a tairdown as much as class ...and i love every min of every vid ...stay strong

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you for such words! Much valued!

[@rrb6544]

the optical meter is awesome and cute. Very interesting :)

[@ChernobylFamily]

I think I will find some more gear to show in action. There are even more interesting devices out there!

[@rrb6544]

@@ChernobylFamily That sounds great!. Wish I could help you with my lab gear for your channel content , but we are far apart :( Regards from Madrid, Spain

[@robinwells8879]

Beautiful, elegantly simple analog mechanical equipment. Hugely robust and very serviceable. Just what you want in a reactor location. They would still work in lethal ionising radiation or EMP fields. ❤

[@ChernobylFamily]

Well, during normal operation the radiation levels are far from elevated or lethal, but you certainly have a point...))))

[@robinwells8879]

@@ChernobylFamily absolutely. But in the event of a major incident I suspect that they would be very resilient. If fukashima had been able to maintain its control and monitoring capabilities it might have been a different story.

[@DieselKotov]

Світлова панель з дзеркальцем прям топова. Ніколи таких не бачив! Дякую за відео!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Чесно кажучи, поки мені не сказали, як воно працює, я б ніколи не здогадався би :)

[@DieselKotov]

@@ChernobylFamily я коли побачив, я думав там тіпа вузький канал поворотний в шось підбиваюче пофарбований. Але дзеркальце було несподіванкою))) Ну добре хоч не лучева трубка, бо совки могли)))

[@ChernobylFamily]

Це точно))

[@jw200]

Very cool. Thanks so much. Keep making the videos.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you!

[@BalautaMarius-Cosmin]

Well, as already said the meter is fantastic. And please trust my experience that is not big. We used in Romania, somehow a similar meter, but the scale limits were detected by a induction based sensors which were mounted on a circle shape cogwheel inside to detect only the mix and max and that meter is way thick and a bit deeper. What is extremally interesting is that that multiple values (I mean multiple minimums and maximums values ca be detected and reported by the network of photoresistors planted on the film surface), plus, the only moving part inside is the mirror, which as it`s obvious it`s well protected). Another aspect is the color....a very logic scale....green---->yellow---->red. Redundancy of the limit detectors....if a photoresistor fails, the next in row, will send the signal. Even more, the tiny photoresistors can be planted in parallel... on this type of equipment the redundancy is crucial. One point of failure is the bulb itself, but even with a defective bulb, this can be easily observed by the staff from the day/night shift. For sure as the bulb is for 27V~ which often was used by navy/mil, even sometimes @400Hz, (for sel-syns for example), powered at 24V, will last a very very long time. I repaired some industrial electronics (sdelano v sssr) and noted really clever and extremely interesting ways of applying the physics, with very complex features, not easy to obtain, acquired thru simple means). The level of engineering, ingenuity was just insane...the engineers were really top top top of the class. I own as collector items some soviet electronics, also with lacquer on top, awesome. Don`t get me wrong, we had plenty top top engineers in Romania back in the days, yet this example with this special meter, which can be created today even smaller than the original one, is and absolute work of art. Could say more, but makes text too long to be read, about some of my experiences with sovietic electronics since it was largely spread and used in my country too.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you for this and for sharing your experience. Indeed, that is a very interesting device, and in fact the technology was hosen as before all those designed for marine use.

[@williamrekow7513]

The word you're looking for with the 'return' switches is 'momentary'.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Super thanks for the tip!

[@NeilVitale]

Two "non-standard" uses I can think of the dial gage would be to wire it up as a vu meter or possibly a CPU load meter for a single board computer or in a 5.25" drive bay.

[@ChernobylFamily]

This. Is. Genial.

[@absurdengineering]

And the scale is already suitable! Excellent idea.

[@techman2553]

An optical meter seems like a strange choice for critical monitoring because if the bulb burns out, you can't read the meter at all. A backlit needle will at least allow you to see the needle if the lightsource fails.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Perhaps they had a control for this, as there is a test sequence of all panels (check one of previous videos with the archive footage)

[@rexthewarhorse7110]

Very cool. Love old meters

[@ChernobylFamily]

I think I'l find some more, there are even more interesting.

[@rexthewarhorse7110]

@@ChernobylFamily looking forward to it 😊

[@tinyjr8618]

YOOOOOO NEW VID

[@ChernobylFamily]

YEEEEEAAAAHHHH

[@marcinkowalczyk647]

I'd love to see more of such tech

[@ChernobylFamily]

This year will be TONS of it. Stay tuned - we are looking for funding, as we need hell of expensive components.

[@GenaTrius]

I've seen a lot of meters, and I've never seen a meter quite like that one. That's a real electro-optico-mechanical contraption!

[@edgeeffect]

The optical metres are fantastic and that adjustable coloured gel to mark the rad and green zones on the dial is just so cool. I remember seeing something a bit similar in old audio equipment but there the gel is just placed over the meter... the adjusting mechanism is simply genius. And those rotary switches are the most amazingly robust electronic devices I think I've ever seen.... I'd love to have some of those but I don't think any of the enclosures I use could take the strain. ;) all 3 devices seem to be beautifully "over engineered". Fabulous!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Especially those square buttons are insane. Pause on the moment where I show the lightbulb inside - there is such a metal 'bucket' around, secured with a shaped nut around the lamp holder. So to install that button, one would need to remove the cap, then the nut, then take out that 'bucket' and insert it into the control panel opening, place the button from the another side and then assemble that back. And repeat that 223 times per quantity of buttons on that SUZ panel. PS.: if you will eventually wish to have some those meters, we can find, but they are ~40$ as I can see by surplus shops. Also, our is missing a special installation clip. Both clip and buttons you can see well in our old video about the walk through the power plant when we come to control room 4, there devices are missing.

[@myg931]

That's sounds like the 'korry switch', which is the same kinds of switchs used in the western world. BTW, what's the price of the meter in the surplus shops?@@ChernobylFamily

[@SovietLensReviews]

That control panel meter is a perfect example of Soviet design methodology: "Who needs things like buttons or extra knobs when a screwdriver will do the adjustments just as well!" Crude, but beautiful in its own way.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Pretty true. Now the fun, russians still produce them.

[@SovietLensReviews]

@@ChernobylFamily I would say I'm surprised, but they still produce Soviet lenses as well 😂

[@GothGuy885]

thank you! these were some very interesting components. 😀😍 my take on how I think the last item works: the Mirror is on a pivot which is connected to the movement of something like an Analog meter, and when the milliamp value changes, the meter's armature moves forward , thus causing the mirror to rotate X amount of degrees , and the light spot moves across the scale. we have similar industrial rotary switches here in America, but they differ in that the contact layers are modular, so they can be customized , by adding or removing contact modules.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Sounds pretty right!

[@ОлександрБариляк]

Дуже інформативне відео. Дуже хороший та цікавий контент. Авторам каналу успіхів та творчої наснаги.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Щиро дякуємо - подивіться ще попередні :)

[@kevb1816]

A pair of those optical meters would make a cool VU meter for a stereo Hifi system!

[@stefanhuebner5358]

Actually, german (both of them) broadcast electronics used such galvanometers ("Lichtzeigerinstrument", light pointer instrument) for exactly that -> de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Lichtzeiger_Instrument_Siemens_%26_Halske.jpg

[@ChernobylFamily]

Wow! That sound cool! We don't know much about sound equipment but that sounds very cool as far as we can imagine :)

[@konserv]

The optical beam gauge is a masterpiece!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Yes, it is a cool piece of hardware

[@phildem414]

Super nice indicator display, the color indicator is a clever thing

[@ChernobylFamily]

A bit obsolete, though :)

[@kermitinmountain6371]

Thank you for the demonstration. I am at loss for the word, but I have a arduino power supply board like your along with white pcb board for my experience. Thank you for the another video.

[@ChernobylFamily]

We are slowly gathering more types of controls to make a continuation in January!

[@MrEdwinHubble]

Yes please! This is an awesome device! I have a similar mirror movement microohm meter. Very well done video!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! More, more to come, stay tuned!

[@a-z-n-b-a-i]

thanks for this epic haul the executive function in the end blew up my mind

[@ChernobylFamily]

Glad that you liked!

[@a-z-n-b-a-i]

@@ChernobylFamily we have waited for a channel like yours since years, while polusepars and vandals like kreosan were dishonoring the great and tragic heritage which you seek to preserve

[@YukariAkiyamaTanks]

Very fascinating video!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! A continuation is planned.

[@RRsalin]

For my whole life I have had an extremely intense obsesion with control panels (I'm autistic) and this video blew me away. Of course visiting the ChNpp was the best day of my life, but I was not interested in the disaster but in the technology and the control panels. I hope some day I will visit one of these simulators in Lithuania that you can actually touch. I hope they are preserved forever. I wish I will someday find controls like these for sale. I have to admit that I bought a lot of vintage analog meters in the fleamarkets of Ukraine

[@coffeecodecameras]

The pushbutton indicators are very reminiscent of the MIL-PRF-22885 push button/indicators produced by companies such as Eaton, Korry, Applied Avionics etc and still used extensively in modern avionic and military systems. The optical beam guage is very interesting - it reminds me of the vertical tape displays used in avionics (and some naval applications) in which a tape with a printed scale is positioned (often by a synchro/resolver). Such tape displays are still used although often implemented graphically such as in modern EFIS systems (LED versions also exist).

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you for sharing!

[@stefa168]

I really love this kind of simple but very effective devices! At home I have a couple of russian core memories and they're extremely fascinating :)

[@ChernobylFamily]

Sometimes you really need simple solutions.

[@csocsobence]

The resistors on the green and red film probably used to control another instruments like a more noticeable light or an alarm. In this way they can save the wireing and the computing power.

[@ChernobylFamily]

I also think so

[@JBF-GST-Tanda]

Probably for some fault protection and notification operations, as they're not precise enough for feedback control.

[@electriccomics]

So cool. Great presentation, you're a good and clear speaker.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! 😃

[@neil4306]

What a great video. Thank you😊

[@ChernobylFamily]

You are so welcome!

[@techn1kal1ty]

Hey guys, happy Monday! Can't wait to watch 😊

[@ChernobylFamily]

Hope you will like it :)

[@techn1kal1ty]

I loved it, the gauge was fantastic!

[@Tomek1985]

Amazing how complicated that technology was

[@ChernobylFamily]

This makes it especially fascinating to study

[@FixitFrank]

Oleksander, I have been looking for one of these for a few years! Thank you for the video! Now I have a chance to locate one. Дякую тобі!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Glad I could help! Well, if you need help - write us an email.

[@alexhajnal107]

Those are absolutely gorgeous! They look very well made and well engineered,

[@ChernobylFamily]

Happy that you liked it!

[@_hackwell]

this meter has a pretty clever design! In the first place I thought it was some kind of nixie display. An my guess it that was quite reliable. Neat !

[@ChernobylFamily]

I must say, I was pretty surprised to see all that optical system...)

[@Robin96]

I don't know but there's something i like about old soviet analog technology and old technology overall.

[@ChernobylFamily]

It is in fact very similar to western, just contains far more metal :)

[@Thunder0010]

very interesting yes i wouldn't mind see more videos like this please

[@ChernobylFamily]

Ok, so we'll go for some shopping then...)

[@puciohenzap891]

Loved it, thank you!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you!

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

I am sure someone has said it below somewhere but many of us have used EdSpot galvanometers which work in a very similar way with a light beam and moving mirror with the 'throw' acting to amplify the weak signal. Many very early galvanometers used a magnet/coil light and mirror system and could project onto a scale across a room. In your case they are very visible even in low light levels and the light beam replaces what would be a large needle.

[@michaljazlowiecki]

The switches that have to be held in order to turn someting on are monostable (i.e., have exacly one stable position), the others are bistable, triple stable, etc. You can use three 9 V 6F22 "radio" batteries by connecting them in series (i.e., connect - of first battery to + of the second, - from second to + of the third) to get 27 V. And yes, the flat 4.5 V battery 3R12 is very rare nowadays. If you are not forced to use exactly this size of the battery pack, you can use three 1.5 V batteries instead (guess what the name of the battery pack stands for - yes, three R12 batteries, connected in series, just like I have described above for 6F22 batteries). R14 (or C) type batteries are more common, but they are larger, R6 (or AA, or UM-3) are smaller. The greater number after R (which basically means "round" for their cyllindrical shape), the greater capacity (with R20 or D size being the greatest of the common ones) the battery has.

[@ChernobylFamily]

There is an interesting thing for 3R12 batteries. Soviets intentionally used individual R12 cells in military equipment, and R12s were not sold anywhere, so this way they prevented stealing any 'government-owned' gear by people. So I need to grab those time to time to power our old dosimeters. As for using 3x1.5V, yes, I know, in fact soviets even sold adapters, but as usual they reinvented a wheel, and soviet 1.5 cells were different in size comparable to AA. So it is always tricky...)

[@michaljazlowiecki]

@@ChernobylFamily The R12 batteries were never sold alone, AFAIK. In 1980s, 3R12 batteries pack was the most common one found in almost every shop or newspaper stand, with R20 (D size in current terms) and R14 (C size) following (I think this was the order of their popularity). R6 (AA or UM-3, as it was designated in Germany) was pretty uncommon, gaining popularity in 1990s. R3 (AAA or UM-1) was sold only in two places in my home town by mid-1990s! I was not familiar with the secret idea behind selection of R12 batteries to create the famous "flat" battery pack 3R12. As I haven't seen this battery pack for ages, I'm not entirely sure whether there is no accumulator (i.e., rechargeable one) with the (almost) the same size as R12 battery and the same voltage (still, many accumulators produce only 1.2 V, so this could be the case). I wonder whether my father could shed some light on it...

[@ChernobylFamily]

@@michaljazlowiecki in Ukraine 3R12 so far as I can see by quick googling are only "old stock"... I think at least will try to find a proper adapter.

[@saffr3218]

Pretty cool stuff indeed!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you!

[@UpLateGeek]

That meter has a very clever design. I imagine the photoresistors on the green and red films could be used to provide signals to the computer so it can record the levels that the meter is reading. Perhaps it could be used with some other circuitry for simple automations, like flashing a warning light on one of the the operator's panels, or actuating a coolant valve or something.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Yes, though I'd not risk attaching to it something important as all in fact will depend on a single light bulb.

[@lort_prodisz]

these optical milliammeters were also in nuclear bunkers... I have several working ones :)

[@ChernobylFamily]

Your profile picture says everything..) cheers!

[@Melanie16040]

Yes! Please share more devices with us!

[@ChernobylFamily]

...will go for some shopping then..)

[@Frisky0563]

I love the lightbeam meter! ❤

[@ChernobylFamily]

Yes, it is awesome :)

[@zaloopakonya3068]

Those beam gauges are still widely used in Russia, had worked with those myself, very reilable stuff compared to their more "modern" replacements from the 90s

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thanks for sharing!

[@rosco4659]

I have some old soviet nixie tube digits that I tell myself are spare parts from an RBMK control room. Great video thanks!

[@ChernobylFamily]

The truth is, there ARE devices in the control room which use nixie tubes.

[@rosco4659]

@@ChernobylFamily Good to know, they are brand new in the box. no writing on the box, just a plain cardboard box. I will dig them out of my workshop and look for part numbers, maybe there is a way to cross reference them.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Those used are IN-15 and IN-12, SKALA uses the IV series.

[@rosco4659]

@@ChernobylFamily I actually think they might be IN-12

[@derekchristenson5711]

That rotary switch was switching many more contacts that I was expecting. Interesting! I'm also sure that I've seen another KZbin channel demonstrate an antique current-measuring device that used the same principle as gauge you showed. Similar, but much, much older (perhaps over 100 years old, even), and without the film + photodiode parts. A very interesting piece of old tech.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Yes, there should be such a video as undoubtedly this meter is not a soviet creation.

[@derekchristenson5711]

@@ChernobylFamily I found it! This is the 19th-century lab instrument I was thinking of: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h33Pipuehc-metUsi=-BYN0XdbdMa7x4od

[@RailwaysRomania]

Thank you!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you too!

[@gregoryclemen1870]

thank you for the insight, the gage is very interesting, and simple. there is nothing wrong with simple technology as it is more reliable, and will operate for many hours without problems. even the lamp looks to be built to operate for many hours without burnout.

[@ChernobylFamily]

That lamp seemingly is for medical equipment. At least we relatively quickly could find those on sale.

[@chri-k]

The gauge seems to be over-engineered, but when you think about it, it provides a configurable visual indicator and limit switches using only one moving part and no digital components, which is quite impressive and seems more reliable than slider-based ones.

[@gregoryclemen1870]

@@chri-k I have worked on RUSSIAN radios, and the "BUILD QUALITY" is excellent, just like this gauge/ rotary switch!!!!.

[@KurisuYamato]

While those switches are quite nice in their own right, especially since such are the way humans interacted with the RBMK in the most direct way, I do have to say that meter is a thing of beauty! Absurd? Sure, but it's just awesome to me. I actually love the red and green zone setting method -- so straightforward, so crude, yet so perfectly Soviet. It would be cool if I had reasonable access to such here, as I have a few ideas... maybe one day. Point is, Chernobyl related or not this stuff is awesome to see -- even more awesome to know it's the type of stuff that was in the control rooms of so many RBMK reactors, including Unit 4. That the feel of that switch might well have been identical to the feel of the switch in that room on that night... makes one think.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Well, it became a switch only after modernization - before it was a pushbutton.

[@KurisuYamato]

@@ChernobylFamilyOh right, it was! I knew I was forgetting something -- Reactor 3 had the switch when it was shut down in 2000, that's what I was thinking of! I apologize, as they say it's been a "monday" for me. Haha!

[@ChernobylFamily]

@KurisuYamato )))

[@julientihema4851]

Excellent very content I've been looking for, I watched an interview about launch keys from the Soviet era they were made from titanium which is very difficult to work with, they were also used for space launch.

[@ChernobylFamily]

That's interesting, i did not know about those.

[@julientihema4851]

@@ChernobylFamily whoever made these launch keys was a master craftsman had to be a Soviet engineer, fact they're made from titanium is rare indeed they can't be replicated from normal metals.

[@TheNavalAviator]

10:32 The coloring feature may seem a bit ridiculous but if you have dozens of meters to monitor simultaneously, I can imagine it's quite handy that the indicator light also changes its color. The RBMK was definitely pushing the boundaries of operator workload, so it's probably worth it to implement.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Very true.

[@Silanael]

It's great to see the internal workings of these things, looking forward to more!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! I'll go for some shopping for this, if you wish to chip in - links are in the description - we'll be happy!

[@peregrineclarke]

That is beautiful retro tech, I would love to get my hands on a pair of those milliammeters you demonstrated at the end of your video, they would make superb retro VU meters for an audio amp I'm building.

[@ChernobylFamily]

It is very possible, they are not super cheap, but nothing really extreme. Write an e-mail via the button on About Channel page (desktop only)

[@fullraph]

I absolutely love this kind of videos!

[@ChernobylFamily]

I'm so glad!

[@DjResR]

The first switch can handle 220VDC or 380VAC. Quite a contact gap to disconnect DC that high. The square battery can be substitute with Li-Ion battery as the voltages are close to each other._

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Yes, of course it is pissible to substitute that battery, but I will need exactly that one for, let's call it this way, "authentic approach"

[@KnaufL]

You could connect 3x 9V batteries in series and get 27V to light up the bulbs fully

[@ChernobylFamily]

Sure. Just I rare use them so I had only one.

[@АлександрПономарев-и4я]

Hello! Another great video from you. Can you tell us something about alarm systems-relays in БЩУ-4-3? They sound very interesting, but I do not think they are that simple. Thanks in advance.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you! Right at the moment I do not have any details, but maybe in future.

[@Jappmannen]

I have actually been in a control room like the one in Chernobyl when I was visiting the Ignalina NPP in 2014. When I were there the reactors had not been operating for maybe 4 years or something like that. And because of that there were only one guy there. A sleeping guard who looked after the fire protection systems. 😅 And yes there are similar instruments in swedish npp too. 😊

[@ChernobylFamily]

That is a cool story!

[@spokehedz]

Oh! The 'film' on either side for the normal/max ranges looks a lot like regular film just with no coatings on it. Such a clever solution.

[@ChernobylFamily]

I had the same thought

[@FixitFrank]

More of these please!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Sure!

[@ZiomMarcin]

Can you show crane in reactor hall with details? I would like see electrical inside and mechanisms (winch, main ride etc.) :)

[@ChernobylFamily]

in the episode about RBMK that will be. We do not have much footage, because it is pretty dark there for our gear, and now we can't make any new; but we will try to explain as much as possible.

[@mrdan2898]

Very neat!

[@ChernobylFamily]

Thank you!

[@Berezkin_Sergey]

Молодец! Спасибо за видео. Конечно же интересно смотреть именно такие видео с разборкой устройств.

[@ChernobylFamily]

Дякую!