Historical Document

EAI Announces STARLIGHT System

A single-page EAI internal company newsletter article announcing the STARLIGHT simulation system, EAI's newest and fastest analog/hybrid simulation computer. The article describes STARLIGHT as approximately seven times faster than the runner-up CRAY machine, occupying about 55 square feet of floor space, fitting in a two-drawer file cabinet form factor, and priced at approximately $150,000. The piece also notes an ongoing NASA study contract to prove the concept by building a hardware prototype and running benchmark applications.

Manufacturer: EAI
System: STARLIGHT
Type: Historical Document
Language: English
Learning track: introduction
Pages: 1

STARLIGHT
EAI
STARLIGHT announcement
analog simulation
product introduction
company newsletter

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IME i ius HEP tt { Ihe 1 ual ail | i - a. —=> _-_ — H , . 'hH we" th we * Se ed a! . H . a ee . . Fee nl. L . ‘ af! vo. tie te opie tate as! op te , ‘es ae § } riipmete vbiyipeypei be. tt Pr ae . ° . . : ar . var ee, ; I '. ot : eo: . i« ae ‘|. _— 1 - ‘ . : -l ; a allt! Meeting of Field Service employees frorn Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, 8/20. EAI Announces STARLIGHT System _ If you walked through Product Engineering last month, you may have noticed the walls covered with graffiti No, we haven't been invaded by vandals from the New York subway-- those scribblings were the result of a serious effort to come up with a name for EAl’s newest simulation computer. After all entries were in, Product Engineering’s vice president, Jack Budelman, chose the winner. "Naming a new product is harder than it looks,” said Vito Bagdonavicius, product manager for the STARLIGHT system. "Just when you think you have the right name, it turns out to mean something unpleasant in another language or some other company is already using it." Inthe end, “STARLIGHT” got the nod for several reasons, including the fact that it doesn’t conflict with the name of any other companies existing product. It also builds on the SIMSTAR name, an EAl-registered trademark. STARLIGHT runs _ many of the same applications as SIMSTAR, at a fraction of the cost. This month marks an end and a beginning. The Company is just finishing a study contract with NASA to “prove the concept" by building a hardware prototype andrunning several benchmark applications. When the prototype is shipped to NASA next week, it marks the end of a three-man team consisting of Warren Hendricks, Jonn Douceur and - George Hannauer. The next phase, developing the system into a commercial product, has already begun. The STARLIGHT is designed to simulate aerospace vehicles, automobiles, power plants, control systems and anything else that can be modeled mathematically. With a ~ fast simulator, you can find and fix design flaws that would otherwise require expensive and risky experiments. You can stress the design to its limits and beyond. You can "crash" a vehicle many times without damage to life or property. The main advantages of STARLIGHT over existing simulation systems are speed, low — cost and small size. STARLIGHT is about seven times faster than the runner-up CRAY machine. Furthermore, the second-place CRAY is seven feet high, occupies 98 square _ feet of floor space and cost about $15 - $20 million. The STARLIGHT is smaller than a two-drawer file cabinet and sells for about $150,000. | N Corporate News’. As you all know by now, former presidem.. Bob Finney resigned in July. The Board of Directors has begun an extensive search to find a successor to the presi- dency of the Company. Charles T. Parton, a member of the Board, was chosen as acting president until a successor Is named. Mr. Parton is a director of Calton, Inc., chairman of the board of Jersey Shore Medical Center and trustee of Monmouth Coilege. He is also president of The Parton Corporation, a financial consulting firm and a former senior vice president of Midiantic Bank. Most of you have had the opportunity to meet Mr. Parton via the employee meet- ings that were conducted both in the West Long Branch facility and in numerous field service locations. The meetings provided a forum for ques- tions and answers and a free exchange of ideas, issues and concerns. The range of topics discussed went from the wage freeze to the cafeteria to vacation carry- over to training. As promised, Mr. Parton has begun to investigate your questions and concerns and you will be hearing more fram him shortly. NEW HIRES JUNE Jonn Adams Warehouse Manager Michael Dombrowski Field Engineer snaron Eldridge Programmer/Analyst Ed Evans or. Field Engineer Alvin Mosher or. Field Engineer Adam Roberts or. Field Engineer Matthew Uttal Program Manager JULY William Murphey Programmer/Analyst AUGUST Michael Karasic Sr. Technician