Black box Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Black box - Essay Example Communities as well as families can be deeply affected by the death of a member. A black box is a device or theoretical constructs with proverbial or given characteristic input, output and data transfer methods that are unknown or such-and-such constituents and means of operation. It is a closed computer program and its implementation is "opaque", hence the term black box. Â  Today the boxes store data on memory chips and are painted bright orange in order to make them easier to find amid crash debris or on the bottom of the ocean. Needless to say, these devices are well protected with good safety meaures. For instance, they have been equipped with self-activated ultrasonic beams that broadcast the boxs position underwater for up to 30 days. Today, most black boxes, majority of which are being manufactured by L-3 Aviation Recorders, in Sarasota, Fla., are capable of recording more than 250 types of digital data, or parameters, per second, and store them all for 25 hours before writing over them. In addition, the latest models of black boxes can also store 180 minutes worth of conversation, as compared to the 30-minute recording capacity of its earlier counterparts. Both kinds of data are stored in stacked semiconductor dynamic RAM memory boards. The information recorded, the sampling rate, and the order in which the data are stored differ from each black box.The hardwares and softwares needed to read and analyze the data from a black box are provided by the manufacturers. At times, the manufacturers even send a representative from the company to facilitate the analysis and interpretation of data from a black box.They may have their work cut out for them if the box is dented, twisted under high heat, or has damaged cable interfaces. In such cases, they must rebuild the interfaces or find other ways to extract data from the wreckage. If the box is damaged, it can take weeks or months to