The electrical system of
Nissan Pulsar/GM Astra had several variants. Incidentally, the Pulsar label
belonged to Nissan, the Astra one to General Motors. The basic body shapes were
sedan and coupe. Each of them was with, or without, the air conditioning, each
with manual or automatic gearbox, each with two or four radio speakers, two or
four headlamps, etc.
As
soon as my work was finished (I was working from home, coming for meeting at
the Nissan headquarters but once every couple of weeks), I received
a telephone call from a company I never heard of before,
a company called Machine Dynamics (later also Automation Dynamics). A voice was enquiring whether I would be able to design electrical system for a series of robots. My
answer was „Of course I am able!“...
The
robots I knew till then were those I read about in the
science-fiction literature: metallic human-like machines with a disjointed kind
of movements.
A couple
of days after the telephone conversation I went to see the company, where
I was taken for a tour of the factory by their boss by the name of Wheeler (or Whelan, not sure any longer). What I saw
there was beyond my imagination at the time: the „robots“ were spider-like
contraptions, each a couple of metres tall, moving on rails several metres
above ground, each with pincer-like claws at the end of their arms. It was
beyond my imagination, indeed, but I behaved as if I was working with
similar machines every day.
„What
do you think?“, asked the boss. I told him that I would like to spend
a day or two in their engineering department before submitting my
proposal, and he agreed.
As
soon as I was free of Nissan, which was in only a few weeks,
I went to sit down with one of Machine Dynamics engineers and listened to the
general overview, and later next to their chief draftsman to observe his work and
see how far in the contract they were.
Their contract was to produce several dozens of robots for manipulation of
automotive components at Ford Motor Company.
During
that time I inspected the few robots they had at various stage of
assembly, and perused a few their drawings. These were all produced by the
traditional method of pencil, rulers, compasses; the graphic computers were
still unheard of. Some computers were, of course, in the programmer’s office,
the old IBM86 type; one of them had the first version of AutoCad installed, but
it was not being used for anything.
The
robots were being designed and made for Ford Motor Company that was preparing
two new vehicles for volume production. Thirty robots were destined for
a sport car called SA30 (marketed as Ford Capri), and sixty robots were
for assembly of Ford Falcon vehicle. Each robot was designed for
a specific task, i.e. to lift, manipulate and hold in place for welding
various parts of vehicles bodies.
Each
of the robots had between one and six moving arms (called axis in the trade).
I regret to this day that I failed to take a photograph of at
least one of them – picture is worth a thousand words...
Each
arm of these robots contained dozens of electrical components, such as motors,
sensors, solenoids, and, of course, the interconnecting cables, with their own multitude
of various components. Each robot had its own control panel the size of soft
drinks vending machine The robots were powered from two different sources
located within these controllers, 12VDC for general operation, and (about)
360AC (or DC, can’t remember) for some of the motors. And, finally, all the
control panels were interconnected by cables buried in concrete channels under
the factory floor. And that is the rough description of the electrical system
I was required to submit my quote on.
Their
chief draftsman, an old Englishman called Norm C., unrolled for me several
drawings, each containing one version of the entire electrical system. The
drawings were at least a metre high, and several metres long, full of
a multitude of closely-packed pencil lines. From the taped-on pieces of
paper I was able to see that the initial drawing started with the paper
size of about 1 x 1 metre, and additional paper sizes were being added in
various directions as the draftsman was wrestling with the ever-increasing
complexity of the job. Norm confided to me that it is all getting too much for
him, and that he would like to leave it all and go back to the UK.
I went
home, sketched from memory the most complicated robot on a piece
o paper, and decided on my „computerised“ strategy. And I also
decided to offer the Customer my services on the condition that I should
be allowed to bring my own computer and printer to do the work.
I presumed
(and later proved correct) that the electrical system of each of the control
panel is similar; likewise, I presumed that the bases of each of the
robots are electrically similar; and likewise with all their arms. Consequently
I sketched their electrical systems on several drawings, one for the
control panel, one for the base, one for the arm, with the electrical system as
I imagined it to be – not exceedingly correct, but sufficient for the
presentation. In the accompanying text I stressed that these drawing can
be easily multiplied on the computer, and the copies modified to suit each of
the panels/bases/arms.
On
presentation I was asked to demonstrate how such copying is made, and the
resounding success of this presentation was the main factor for my winning the
contract.
I spent
some six or eight months in their design department, until all drawings were
produced, inspected and approved by their chief engineer, an alert and
intelligent little Englishman by the name Mike C. And I went home...
For
a few months I was working as a draftsman for a company
called Flexdrive (or Collins, even Boeing, for they changed the name several times during my time there), designing and drafting a proposal for the Taiwanese
navy vessel electrical system. They had a battery of IBM computers, with
AutoCad software, and the job was relatively easy. However, the proposal was
completed and I was sent home to wait for the reply from Taiwan (which
never came in the end). I was not at home for more than a week when
my old Machine Dynamics rang: your electrical system, Charles, is ready to be
manufactured, and would I be interested in managing the manufacture,
installation, testing and shipment to the Customer? Would I be ever!!!
Apart
from the stack of my drawings, which, after months of further development
required substantial revisions, I was given an „aide“, young engineer straight
from university of Paris by the name of Catherine ?, occasional help from several
of the local software engineers, and a flock of electrical assemblers in
the adjacent factory. There were about eight of them, men and women, permanent
employees, but due to pressure from Ford we had to speed the production up, and
at times I had up to about 25 operators, mostly contractors, to train, supervise
and discipline (there were a couple of fistfights there during my time,
mostly on the basis „I can solder joints better than you“, etc.).
The
contract lasted for about a year. During that time I kept updating my
drawings in line with the changes requested by the Customer, supervised
assembly of all the components, their testing and installation in the various
parts of the robots, eventual disassembly, shipment and re-assembly of all the
robots in the Ford factory; and, finally, instructing Ford operators on how to
operate these strange new contraptions.
During
my time around these robots I was offered a new contract, this time
back on cars, to design electrical system for a sports car called TD2000.
Quote was not required, for the Customer, Marshall Car Company Pty Ltd, heard
about me from Nissan, where they were getting an engine from for their new car.
Just come, talk, and work from our office or from wherever, as long as you can
deliver – most flattering and convenient arrangement.
My
work for Machine Dynamics ended quite ingloriously. Towards the end of 1987, or
1988, finalising delivery to Ford, and working on a proposal for new
contract Machine Dynamics was hoping to win with another branch of Ford Motor
Company, I did not receive my regular payment. A payment for myself
and two electricians who were working through me as sub-contractors. The
payment was behind some four or five weeks. Speaking to the chief accountant
I discovered that the company had run out of money and is about to be
declared bankrupt! It was days before Christmas, I had to pay off my two
electricians from my own pocket, and spent a fairly miserable Christmas
break at home. Over the next few months, while working on the TD2000, I attended
a few creditor’s meeting, but did not get my Machine Dynamics money back –
there were none left...
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