30-year-old computer runs the heating for 19 public schools

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In a world where gadget updates and upgrades are a regular occurrence, a computer older than five years is an anomaly.

But in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a 30-year-old Commodore Amiga is still plugging away, controlling the heat and air conditioning for 19 different public schools.

“The system controls the start/stop of boilers, the start/stop of fans, pumps, [it] monitors space temperatures, and so on,” said Grand Rapids Public Schools Maintenance Supervisor Tim Hopkins to WOODTV.

Purchased with money from an energy bond, the computer was new in the 1980s, replacing one that Hopkins said was “about the size of a refrigerator.”

The computer is never turned off and runs on a 1200-bit modem. There have been a few updates in the past 30 years, despite the difficulty in sourcing parts.

“It’s a very unique product,” said Hopkins. “How it runs, the software that it’s running, is unique to Commodore.”

Long before the MacBook and handheld tablets, the Amiga led the pack of family computers in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The system sends commands over short-wave radio, the same frequencies used by the maintenance workers’ walkie-talkies. This causes problems according to Hopkins, as often the maintenance staff have to clear the radio to allow the Amiga to do its job.

Though the machine is still in working order, a breakdown or loss of radio signal would mean staff would have to turn each school’s climate control system on and off by hand.

There is talk of an upgrade: come November, Grand Rapids residents will vote on a $175 million bond proposal for area public schools. On the list is a complete overhaul of the computer and connected system.