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by JKCalhoun 212 days ago
Super cool. And thanks for links to the original manuals for those that want to take a deep dive.

Feature request: I was wanting for a bit more sound… I mean, when I see "relay computer", I'm heading there for lots of soft clicks.
1 comments
gregsadetsky 212 days ago
More…?! :)

I totally feel you - the one reservation is that I’m using (gasp) not the original Minivac Relay sound. I need to go to a Computer Museum that will let me record one to offer a more authentic simulated experience.

So tldr - let me get a clean real sound and then we can come back to this question :)

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mrandish 212 days ago
You may not need to get a museum's cooperation. After a quick search it seems these come up for sale from time to time. I saw one on the Vintage Computer Federation forums offered in 2021 for $500. You may be able to find a collector online who has one and will record the relays for you. A lot of folks have pretty high-quality USB mics for conferencing/podcasting these days.

An alternative might be going to a regional VCF show where one will be (possibly by pre-arrangement with a collector). There are five or six shows held around the country every year. Unlike a museum almost all the devices there are available for hands-on interaction.

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JKCalhoun 212 days ago
I heard some clicks. I thought they were just the sounds of the switches I was toggling. Are there other (relay) sounds I somehow missed?
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gregsadetsky 212 days ago
Just to make sure I'm not misunderstanding:

The relay click sound you're hearing should only happen when a relay turns on, and when it turns off. There is no sound when a button is pressed - you can check this by loading an empty simulator and pressing any of the buttons at the bottom (the simulator won't make any sound):

https://minivac.greg.technology/simulator/

((Once/if I get to see a Minivac in real life, I may learn that buttons do make sounds..))

When a relay turns on and off, a sound is played. In the following circuit, check this by pressing and releasing the button 1:

https://minivac.greg.technology/simulator/#wires=1%2B%2F1C%2...

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