A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

After the old man left, the remaining people continued their discussion, since the Gallic Rooster was still waiting for our reply.

"Now that we've decided to use a space division switch, let's break down the task..."

After receiving the old man's praise, Jiang Xia's mind became extremely sharp.

"The telephone lines don't need to be touched, since the principles of air-division switches and manual switches are pretty much the same. But the telephones still need to be replaced."

"Uncle Wang, can we now replicate the switchboard with the keypad? The kind with a maximum pulse frequency of 20Hz?"

Minister Wang looked at a researcher.

"No problem! We understand the principle of the circular dial pulse generator. We can definitely ensure the success of this 'call project'!"

“A round dial…” Jiang Xia thought of the computer keyboard project that Professor Pei Shu was developing. Hey, should we combine it?

Yes, when we went to Dr. Lan Ying's electronics factory earlier, we saw how hard Teacher Pei was working typing on the teletype machine, so Jiang Xia drew a picture of what a keyboard would look like in the future and sent it to Teacher Pei.

After all, the symbols and special characters on typewriters are not keeping up with the pace of computer development, so it is imperative to switch to a new input method!

These two things happen to work on similar principles, both using pulse signals for signal output.

However, the pulse signals on a telephone are far fewer than those on a keypad. So, applying the same method directly should still be fine.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Dai Mao picked up the phone and called Teacher Pei Shu.

"Hey? Are you stupid? You forgot the BIOS scan code pulse sequence you made yourself?" Teacher Peishu found Jiang Xia's idea quite strange.

This kid clearly said that the keyboard uses a matrix circuit design, with multiple keys connected in a matrix. By scanning rows and columns, it sequentially detects whether a pulse signal is generated at each key position.

How could you forget the scanning principle all of a sudden?

"Uh, is there a difference? I think it's simpler, since it only has ten buttons..."

"Pah! You want to install a barcode scanner on this phone? A phone should have a big yellow main unit, right?" Teacher Peishu retorted to Jiang Xia without any politeness.

Hmm, it seems I've really oversimplified this matter.

Jiang Xia, who only had a superficial understanding of communications engineering, failed miserably in his attempt to show off his skills in front of others!

"You little brat, getting cocky, huh? How did you even study the mathematical theory of communication? Didn't you see dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signals? According to that principle, you need to use two frequency signals to represent numbers!"

"Let's wait until Lan Ying's integrated circuit comes out! They're making great progress! Okay, that's all. In the current situation, you should just stick to using the pulse generator with the round dial! I'm busy! I can't go on..." Teacher Pei Shu hung up the phone in a hurry.

"Haha, it's alright, it's alright. Take your time..." While Xiao Dai Mao was on the phone, Minister Wang called his researchers aside.

By the time he started talking about BIOS, the researchers had already stepped out of the small office.

The legend of that brat wiping out the entire Second Ministry of Machine Building a while ago has already spread among various departments. Minister Wang was mentally prepared for this and decided to prioritize prevention.

"Xiao Jiang, next time you make a call like this, go to that little phone booth inside! It's a dedicated line. Your Uncle Wang doesn't have many researchers working for you..."

"Okay, let's use the round dial phone first..."

Jiang Xia blushed and took out the air division switch manual distributed by the system to take a quick look at it.

"Next, the issue is the relays. There are several types. To speed things up, shall we make do with the flat relay from the Type 47 prototype?"

"However, I do have a reed relay here. Compared to the one in the Type 47, it has a shorter operating time and is more energy-efficient..."

"It's a bit difficult to manufacture, as the reed has to be sealed inside a glass tube. The advantage is that although it's an electric shock type, it has relatively high reliability and a long service life..."

As he spoke, Jiang Xia took out a piece of white paper and began to sketch the object on it.

"Saves electricity?"

"What's its core component?" The researcher at the door looked at Jiang Xia as if he were dodging a hand grenade with a drawn string. But listening to Jiang Xia talk about the new type of relay, he couldn't help but peek inside.

“A pair of iron-nickel alloy reeds, filled with inert gas. Then, a coil is placed around the reed loop…”

Listening to Jiang Xia's story, the researchers finally couldn't resist their strong curiosity and gathered around Jiang Xia.

"Oh, I see! I understand, Engineer Jiang!"

"Is it that when the coil is energized, the magnetic field generated magnetizes the reed inside the reed tube, and the two reeds attract each other because of their opposite polarities, thus closing the circuit and making it conductive; when the coil is de-energized, the magnetic field disappears, and the reed returns to its initial state under the action of its own elasticity, that is, it is open, and the circuit is also broken?"

"Great! This way, its size should be only one-fifth of our flat relays!"

Jiang Xia shook his ahoge (cowlick), "Yes, that's not all. You see, it only needs a small amount of excitation power to make the relay operate, so the power consumption is low. It's perfect for us with limited energy supply!"

"Not only that! Look at its preset response time! Only a few milliseconds! If used in a mobile radar station, I can save the space of a flat relay and..."

An elderly researcher suddenly had an idea and exclaimed happily.

Although he immediately shut up, Jiang Xia still managed to hear the gist of it.

"Oh, this uncle must be a radar enthusiast, right? A mobile radar station? Is it a SAM-2 imported from Russia?" But that's not the focus of our current discussion. As for the reed relay, once it's made, we can use it however we want.

This thing sounds fancy, with its glass dome and inert gas filling, but if you compare it to a similar product, you'll understand... a cheap light bulb.

The instruction manual provided by the system also introduces a type of reed relay, which is described as a self-holding reed relay composed of a reed tube or a reed about one or more residual magnetized parts. It is said to be more energy-efficient than a reed relay because it can use residual magnetism to maintain its operating state.

But Jiang Xia couldn't find a blueprint for this kind of relay in his memory. Oh well, since his miracle attempt had already failed, he might as well go all the way with the reed relay.

I wonder if other countries have figured out how to use this relay. If it's the first time it's appeared, it should give Lao Wang some more confidence.

"That's all for today, Uncle Wang. I need to go back and draw up a basic architecture diagram of the space division switch, as well as some ideas for the development of the switch. I'll show it to you all after I've written it down, and I'd appreciate any guidance you can give me."

Oh dear, look at this little brat, he's so "modest," "he even needs guidance..." Tsk tsk, no wonder no one who's dealt with him has spoken ill of him behind his back.

Yes, that's true. If they have any complaints, they'll just yell at them to their face.

For example, Professor Pei Shu, Dr. Lan Ying, and several other contributors who were busy in the Northwest...