Shanghai Inertia

program-controlled switch — Frontier Technology exhibit for science museums

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Category	Frontier Technology
Standard size	Custom size
Supply	Single unit or batch · OEM to your drawing
Lead time	Standard 4–8 weeks after deposit (confirmed per contract)
Warranty	1 year, structure and control
Documents	Specification sheet · control diagram · spare-part list

A standard catalogue model: the dimensions, control package and finish are fixed, which is what keeps the price and the lead time predictable. Size, colour and interface language can be adapted without a new design cycle.

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01 / Overview

The program-controlled switchboard is a telephone exchange system developed in the mid to late 20th century, which adopts computer control and achieves automatic connection of telephone lines through digital signal processing. Program controlled switches have high efficiency, reliability, and versatility, and can support tens of thousands of telephone lines, as well as various value-added services such as caller ID and call forwarding. Program controlled switches are the mainstream technology in modern telephone communication, greatly improving communication efficiency.

02 / How visitors use it

The unit is designed for unsupervised public use: controls are recessed or shielded, moving parts are enclosed, and the interface is operable by a child of about six with no instruction. Where a screen is used, the language can be switched without changing the hardware, and the content can be replaced on site.

03 / The science behind it

After the 1940s, with the development of semiconductor electronic technology, telephone exchanges began to gradually transition from the electromechanical switching stage to the electronic control stage. In 1993, the C&C08A machine was the first generation digital program-controlled switch independently developed by Huawei in 1993. A program-controlled switchboard is a telephone exchange controlled by an electronic computer. It uses electronic computer technology and pre programmed programs to control the connection of telephones. According to the connection method, it can be divided into space division and time division switches. Space division switching refers to the process where the lines of both parties in a call remain physically connected until the call is completed. After the call is completed, the connection must be physically disconnected to restore the original state. The space division switch transmits and exchanges analog voice signals in the call path, hence it is also known as a program-controlled analog switch. Time division switching transmits and exchanges digital voice signals in the voice path, so switches that use time division switching are also.

04 / Built for a public floor

Every unit leaves the factory after a running test: mechanisms cycled, electronics burned in, edges dressed, fixings torqued and marked. Wear parts — bearings, sliders, lamps, belts, touch panels — are modular and listed on the spare-part sheet, so a venue technician can replace them without returning the exhibit. Crating is plywood with foam blocking; the loading plan and packing list travel with the shipment.