[" THE TYRANNY OF LARGE NUMBERS " 1960s WESTERN ELECTRIC AUTOMATED MANUFACTURING DOCUMENTARY](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4qlcBWkSHjk) This Western Electric film "The Tyranny of Large Numbers" was directed by produced by Lewis W. Bushnell for Ted Lowry, Inc. The film is "a report on a new concept of automated manufacturing". It discusses the challenges and advancements in manufacturing highly reliable electronic components, specifically deposited carbon resistors. These were produced in a new and novel way, using a computer to not only control manufacture, but creating a feedback loop for quality control as well. The film highlights the complexity of modern electronic systems, the need for extremely low failure rates, and the limitations of manual manufacturing. To address these issues, engineers at Western Electric developed an automated production line controlled by a computer, which significantly improves the manufacturing process by ensuring higher reliability and faster error detection. Note: carbon resistors are one of the most common types of electronics used. They are made from a solid cylindrical resistor element with embedded wire leads or metal end caps. The computer showcased in the film is a Librascope LGP-30 Computer made by Librascope Company of Glendale, California in 1956. This small, vacuum tube based machine was very popular in its day. The LGP-30 was sold and serviced by the Royal Precision Electronic Computer Company, a joint venture with the Royal McBee division of the Royal Typewriter Company. The computer had a retail price of $47,000, equivalent to $530,000 in 2023. 0:37 - 1:29: The rapid development of electronic sciences has led to complex systems involving numerous components, causing frequent failures. This is particularly problematic in military systems where failures can be disastrous. Visuals: a rotary telephone is dialed, a Princess phone is picked up, and a Nike Zeus missile is launched. 1:30 - 2:18: Deposited carbon resistors, used in both civilian and military applications, need to be highly reliable, with failure rates as low as one per 200 million hours of operation. Visuals: carbon resistors being manufactured, Nike Zeus missile system in operation, 2:19 - 3:05: The manufacturing process of these resistors involves coating a ceramic core with carbon, adding conducting terminations, and cutting a helical groove to achieve the desired resistance. 3:06 - 4:01: Manual manufacturing has many disadvantages, including contamination risks and slow error detection, necessitating a new approach. 4:02 - 5:24: Engineers at Western Electric developed an automated production line controlled by a computer, which significantly improves the manufacturing process. Visuals: resistors placed in a bath of liquid nitrogen, engineers discuss ideas concerning manufacturing techniques. 5:25 - 6:59: The computer controls production scheduling, statistical quality analysis, and rapid feedback control to maintain manufacturing tolerances. Visuals: animation of an assembly line controlled by a single digital computer or "brain". 7:00 - 9:02: The automated process includes precise steps like carbon coating, gold termination, and encapsulation, with continuous quality checks. Visuals: ceramic cores placed in a pressure cooker to create cores. Animation of the process. 9:03 - 12:24: The resistors undergo various inspections and tests to ensure reliability, with defective units automatically rejected. Visual: visual inspection by quality control engineer of cores. Visuals: computer "compute" light flickering on and off during processing, shots of computer control module including typewriter type keyboard. 12:25 - 14:06: The automated line produces high-quality resistors at a fast rate, meeting the needs of the Bell system and defense purposes, marking a significant advancement in manufacturing technology.