So why are we dedicating a blog to a boring topic like cabinets? Are they made of Valyrian steel?

Nope, aluminum. But we hope you’ll find the details interesting anyway.

Our repeater controller cabinets are made of 5052-H32 aluminum alloy sheet. It’s strong, light, formable, and commonly used for aircraft, marine, and commercial-grade parts.

Macro commands have been implemented in every S-COM controller since 1976. Why?

The term dates from mid-1950s computing. It was common for a programmer to enter a short macro instruction to generate a series of other instructions. It saved time, reduced errors, and helped standardize the code.

So where did it come from, anyway?

Not surprisingly, early repeater control systems weren’t very sophisticated by today’s standards. Oldsters will recall one-tube COR circuits, CW identifiers that used code wheels and tape decks, and controllers made from relays and pneumatic timers. Some repeaters could be shut down by dialing an unlisted telephone number.

The 7330’s internal power supply is compatible with both standard and alternative energy sources. Here’s how it works.

The 7330’s circuitry requires four voltages: +5 V, +3.3 V, +2.5 V, and +1.2 V. A type of DC/DC converter called a buck regulator reduces the external supply voltage to +5 V; linear regulators further reduce +5 V to the other voltages.

Years ago, the S-COM 7K and similar controllers used voice synthesizers to create speech for talking clocks, talking calendars, announcements, and so on. Users could not add their own words to the vocabulary due to the specialized hardware and software involved, so we contracted with a language lab to offer a word creation service. EPROMs were programmed with word files from the lab and shipped to customers for installation in their 7K SSMs (Speech Synthesizer Modules).