Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 790 TV-guided rocket development , Taishan Black Technology: Semiconductor logic module

The wind was light and the weather was clear at the test site, making it the perfect time for testing.

On the high launch pad, an 82mm TV-guided rocket is mounted, its transparent protective shield reflecting a faint light.

Everything is ready.

Fang Wen sat in front of the modified television fire control console, his gaze focused intently on the two CRT monitors in front of him.

One display is used for pre-launch azimuth control, while the other is dedicated to receiving images transmitted from the rocket warhead camera for wireless remote control operation.

Cables extend from one side of the control panel, connecting to the launch pad on the platform, to simulate the internal wiring connections of an aircraft to control the launch process.

Jiang Wenjin, Zhao Junping, and the R&D team members stood around the control panel, their eyes alternating between the display screen and the rocket on the platform. Their expressions showed both tension and barely concealed anticipation.

They all knew that this test launch was not only a test of the actual compatibility of the ram air turbine motor, but also a crucial battle to verify the "human-in-the-loop" television guidance technology, which was related to the direction of the entire project.

Fang Wen began the operation.

First, quickly check the launch parameters and confirm that the launcher angle, rocket attitude, and radio signal strength all meet the standards before gripping the control lever and adjusting the launcher's firing direction.

He kept his eyes fixed on the target coordinates on the display screen, making small adjustments to the control knobs to lock onto the target point on the artificial mound 4 kilometers away, and only stopped when the target point entered the center of the crosshair on the screen.

"Three seconds to go, prepare for launch!" Fang Wen said in a deep voice.

Everyone silently counted to three.

Fang Wen pressed the red launch button in the center of the control panel.

With a loud "whoosh—boom!", the rocket's tail instantly spewed out a blazing orange-red flame, and the powerful thrust propelled the rocket off the launch pad, flying towards the distant mound with a sharp whistling sound.

At the same time, the CRT display on the other side of the TV fire control console lit up instantly, initially showing a jumble of static, which was a normal phenomenon as the warhead camera was activated and the radio signal was initially transmitted.

Moments later, the snowflakes were replaced by a blurry but discernible black and white image.

This is the ground scene captured in real time by the rocket warhead camera, showing the outlines of yellow sand and earthen slopes, with the artificial mound 4 kilometers away and the target point on it also faintly visible.

Limited by the radio transmission technology of 1941, the picture inevitably flickered and occasionally stuttered. The color was also limited to a monotonous black and white, but it was enough for the operator to clearly identify the target and fully met the preset basic transmission requirements.

Fang Wen's eyes were fixed on the display screen, and he quickly discovered the problem: the crosshair in the center of the screen was not aimed at the target on the mound, but deviated to the left. If the rocket flew along this trajectory, it would eventually land on the edge of the mound and fail to hit the target.

"Fire trajectory deviation detected, begin remote adjustment," he shouted.

Then, grasp the wireless remote control joystick on the right and move it to the right.

The command generated by this action was immediately transmitted through the radio transmitter module of the control panel and accurately captured by the signal receiver inside the rocket in the form of a high-frequency signal.

The signal receiver converts wireless commands into electrical signals and transmits them to the rocket's logic control circuit. This is a simple control module designed by Fang Wen in conjunction with Taishan Semiconductor technology. Although the structure is simple, it can quickly parse commands and convert them into execution signals.

The logic circuit is activated instantly, converting the electrical signal into a precise current command, which is then transmitted to the mechanical device of the servo controller at the tail of the rocket.

Two small servo motors responded immediately, driving the control surfaces at the tail of the rocket to deflect slightly to the right, changing the rocket's flight attitude.

As the wireless remote control was adjusted, the rocket's trajectory changed, and its flight amplitude deviated slightly.

The image on the display screen also gradually shifted as the rocket's attitude was adjusted.

However, this does not allow the rocket to be fired into the center of the crosshair on the screen.

Fang Wen kept his eyes fixed on the target, constantly making minor adjustments to the control lever to correct the trajectory deviation bit by bit.

As he operated the equipment, he quietly read out the adjustment instructions so that the recorder behind him could record the entire process.

"Make a slight adjustment 10 degrees to the right to maintain stability."

Behind him, Jiang Wenjin was holding a notebook, quickly recording each adjustment of parameters, servo response time, and screen changes, her face full of focus.

The rockets flew at extremely high speeds, and within just a dozen seconds they had approached the target area.

The target on the display screen became clearer and clearer, and the crosshair, under Fang Wen's control, slowly aligned with the center of the target.

At this moment, the rocket's ram air turbine motor was still running stably, the radio signal transmission was smooth, and although the image was still flickering, there was no interruption. The servo motor was also very responsive, and every slight adjustment of the control stick was quickly reflected in the trajectory changes.

"Fire control system, keep the ballistic trajectory!"

Fang Wen gripped the control lever tightly, refusing to make any further adjustments, his eyes fixed on the display screen as he watched the rocket fly step by step toward the target.

On the distant test site, everyone held their breath, their eyes following the rapidly moving figure, silently praying for a successful test launch.

"Boom!" A muffled explosion rang out as the rocket hit the ground and exploded.

A mushroom cloud rose into the sky.

Fang Wen stood up, picked up his binoculars, and looked at the earthen hill 4 kilometers away.

"The shot missed."

As seen through the telescope, the hit area was 30 meters to the right of the target.

Jiang Wenjin analyzed, "The radiation assessment in the monitor is wrong and needs to be corrected."

Fang Wen put down the binoculars, his brows furrowed, but he showed no sign of frustration.

A deviation of 30 meters would be considered precise for an unguided rocket in 1941, but for their television guidance system, it was still an unacceptable error.

“30 meters, slightly to the right.” He reported the data in a deep voice, then turned to the observer, “Get the flight data, especially the servo feedback and signal delay curves in the last three seconds.”

Jiang Wenjin immediately closed her notebook, strode over to the instrument, and began compiling data with the project team's researchers.

Then, Jiang Wenjin picked up the walkie-talkie and communicated with the research institute's computing center.

He provided the data and the set of formulas that needed to be calculated, which were then handled by staff at the computing center.

The results were obtained through calculations performed by the first-generation large-scale computer on Mount Tai.

The project team's technical staff then discussed the calculation results. "The problem is neither with the servo motor nor the turbine motor," Jiang Wenjin said confidently, pointing to a set of calculation results. "The stamping motor has a stable power supply throughout the process, the servo motor's response delay is no more than 0.2 seconds, which is completely within the design threshold, and there has been no interruption or loss of signal."

He repeatedly reviewed the calculated data, then compared it with the actual impact points observed through the telescope. He took out a pen and quickly did the calculations in his notebook. After a moment, he looked up, his voice clear and certain:

"The visual delay of the CRT monitor, combined with the wide-angle distortion of the warhead camera, caused the aiming misjudgment. When the crosshair we saw on the screen was aligned with the center of the target, the actual attitude of the rocket was already off to the right. The visual coordinates on the screen did not match the actual spatial trajectory coordinates."

Fang Wen nodded, "Then let's change it."

He walked to the front of the control panel and adjusted the crosshair on the screen.

This thing wasn't actually in the picture; it was a fixture attached to the screen.

The crosshair can be adjusted simply by adjusting the latch.

This can be considered a physical solution to the lack of future computer technology.

Subsequently, Fang Wen also joined the analysis.

"The electron beam scanning of the CRT has a lag, and the warhead lens is a wide-angle lens, so the edge of the image will be stretched. When I manually corrected it in the loop, I thought I had only made a 10-degree adjustment, but the actual amount of correction executed by the servo was amplified by the image distortion. In addition, the rapid change of the field of view caused by the high speed of the rocket flight naturally makes the operator's visual judgment lag behind the actual trajectory."

“In other words, we cannot rely entirely on the crosshairs on the screen for intuitive aiming.” Jiang Wenjin immediately followed up on the line of thought. “We must add a set of correction coefficients to the operator, calculate the compensation angle in advance based on the range, flight time, and image distortion rate, and write it into the fire control preset parameters.”

One study raised the question: "But the effects of distortion and delay are different at different ranges and wind speeds. Do we have to calculate them manually one by one?"

“No manual intervention required.” Fang Wen opened the control panel and took out the palm-sized semiconductor logic module inside. This was a simplified digital calculation unit developed by Taishan Group, and it was also the core of this guidance system. “Write the delay error, wide-angle distortion coefficient, and flight speed parameters into the logic gates of the control circuit. Let the calculation module automatically compensate and correct the amount. The operator only needs to lock onto the target, and the remaining fine-tuning of the deviation will be calculated by the circuit itself.”

His meaning was clear: to use Taishan's unique logic circuit technology to achieve a technological leap.

This technology originated from his and Bai Zeshan's idea of ​​using vacuum tubes to perform simple addition and subtraction operations.

Only now has the transistor circuit module of "simple digital computing unit" been developed.

It doesn't need to be as complex as a modern computer; it only does three things:

Inputs: range, flight time, wind direction, servo response delay

Calculation: Angle compensation value (correction angle = image distortion coefficient * joystick input + delay compensation)

Output: Provides a precise electrical signal to the servo motor for operational compensation.

This type of operation involves simple arithmetic and logical judgment, and can be implemented using digital logic gates:

The AND gate, OR gate, NOT gate, flip-flop (for recording state), and simple counter involved are all accumulated electronic technologies that Taishan already possesses.

It can be built using crystal diodes.

His words instantly lit up the eyes of the research and development team members.

They originally thought they would have to conduct repeated test shots and manually summarize their experience.

However, Fang Wen's single sentence directly elevated the problem from "manual correction" to the level of "automatic equipment compensation," using semiconductor circuits to replace manual judgment and eliminate visual errors at their source.

Jiang Wenjin quickly jotted down this core idea in her notebook, her pen moving lightly: "In this way, the impact point deviation should be reduced to within ten meters in the next test firing. With further optimization of the lens field of view and signal synchronization timing, it's not impossible to achieve within five meters."

Fang Wen looked again at the target mound in the distance, where smoke was still rising. The wind had gradually dispersed the smoke and dust, revealing the shallow craters that had been blasted out.

He glanced at his watch, then looked back at the launch pad: "Clean up the site and rearrange the target. Replace with a spare round, and conduct the second test launch in half an hour. Try to do a few more tests to get more data."

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison, and the slight disappointment caused by the 30-meter deviation vanished, replaced by even greater fighting spirit.

Another TV-guided rocket is installed on the launch pad.

Fang Wen looked at the CRT screen again, his fingertips gently stroking the joystick.

This launch still missed the target, with a deviation of 40 meters.

However, calculations of the data after launch once again confirmed the previous judgment.

Although the test failed, the accumulated data steered the project in the right direction.

The first round of testing has ended.

The development of television-guided rockets has entered an upgrade phase.

Inside the missile, a logic circuit board, which is not quite a chip but simply composed of transistors, was installed.

After the transistor circuit module with the "simple digital computing unit" was installed, Fang Wen joined the project team's research and development process in order to enable it to operate normally.

With the help of his special ability, the transistor circuit module achieved its preset calculation effect and applied the electrical signal to the electrically started mechanical compensator, thus achieving the effect Fang Wen wanted.

Then, a new round of testing began.

This time, he was the one who took over the operation.

But unlike last time, he performed a firing compensation calculation before aiming.

After a quick calculation, he pressed a specific key on the compensatory keyboard before aiming and firing.

Subsequently, the rocket equipped with a targeting compensation device was launched, shooting out amidst a plume of flame.

A dozen seconds later, it accurately hit the target 4 kilometers away, and the target on the artificial mound was instantly blown up, sending up a cloud of yellow sand and flying rocks.

The R&D team members behind the control panel instantly erupted in cheers, and Jiang Wenjin couldn't help but clench her fists, a smile of excitement spreading across her face.

Their efforts paid off, and the TV-guided rocket was finally launched successfully.

Fang Wen slowly released the control lever, a relieved smile appearing on his face. He looked at the cheering crowd and raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet:

"Everyone, calm down. This successful test launch is just the first step. There are still many issues that need to be optimized. For example, screen flickering, occasional signal transmission stutters, and the response speed of the servo motor all need further improvement. But at least, we have proven that 'human-in-the-loop' television guidance technology is feasible."

The crowd immediately quieted down, nodding in agreement. Their excitement remained, but a newfound rationality had set in.

Jiang Wenjin stepped forward and handed over the data she had just recorded:

"General Manager, you're right. We'll record all the issues and focus on optimizing the radio transmission module and servo response speed. We'll also further fine-tune the camera's image clarity to achieve a stable hit rate in the next test launch."

Fang Wen took the data, quickly glanced through it, and nodded in approval: "Very good, keep up the good work. This test launch has given us hope. As long as we seize the time to optimize and improve it, I believe that it won't be long before this TV-guided rocket can be officially put into actual combat, providing frontline troops with more accurate and powerful strike capabilities."

After speaking, he handed over the remaining research to the project team. As the general manager of Taishan, he couldn't stay on the front lines of scientific research for long; there were many other things that needed his supervision. (End of Chapter)