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Commodore PC Still Controls Heat and A/C At 19 Michigan Public Schools

Posted by Soulskill on from the if-it-ain't-broke dept.

jmulvey writes: Think your SCADA systems are outdated? Environmental monitoring at 19 Grand Rapids Public Schools are still controlled by a Commodore Amiga. Programmed by a High School student in the 1980s, the system has been running 24/7 for decades. A replacement has been budgeted by the school system, estimated cost: Between $1.5 and 2 million. How much is your old Commodore Amiga worth?

3 of 456 comments (clear)

  1. What is being missed... is the $2 million part... by FlyHelicopters · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So less than 2 dozen schools need to spend upwards of $2 million dollars to... control the HVAC?

    Really?

    That is the bigger issue, IMHO...

  2. Re:What is being missed... is the $2 million part. by Dr_Barnowl · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yeah. You could probably replace the thing with a raspberry pi .... at each location ... with a custom controller card.. and another one to control them all... for about $5,000

    $2M ? Someone's pork barrel overfloweth.

  3. Re:What is being missed... is the $2 million part. by swv3752 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And what do you do if a part dies? Where are you going to get parts for something that has not been manufactured for 20+ years?

    Obviously it needs to be replaced just so you can have something that can be repaired. The $2mil probably includes upgrading a large part of the HVAC system. If you have a 20+ year old computer controlling the HVAC, then you probably have a 20+ old HVAC.

    --
    Just a Tuna in the Sea of Life