During the first week of September we will start the installation of
occupancy sensors for hardwall offices, conference rooms, restrooms,
and some labs in both buildings.

The contractor has stated that his people will work with us as much
as possible to avoid disruption of our work.

The workers will have to shut the power to the lites when they make
the final tie-in, and this should be 5 to 10 minutes.

Some info on the sensors:

The sensors are activated by motion, similar to the ones we have
in our restrooms.

The lite switches are to remain in the "on" position. ( Our dual
level light switching system will remain in-tack
.... in-tack should read "the same" ).

Approximately 3 to 10 minutes after leaving your area, the lites
will automatically go off.  Once the area is reoccupied, the
lighting is immediately turned on.


Should you have any questions regarding the sensors, contact
your department director or myself.

                                Thanks, Bob

	I'm not sure I understand the need to have these sensors in our
labs and offices to turn our lights out for us.  It seems like this is
something we could do ourselves with very little effort.  If we could learn
to perform this simple task at the end of the day, we wouldn't have to have
our ears bombarded with unnaturally high levels of ultrasonic audio
(I don't know the details on the system we're using, but I believe loud
ultrasonics have been associated with hearing loss, nervous tension, and
ear cancer.  I'd be curious as to the amplitude and frequency of our
system.) 

	Also, with the money we'd save, we could afford that frozen yogurt
machine for the cafeteria.

		Earl

	I also would like more information on these sensors and 
the mode that they operate.  Are they ultrasonic or infrared?  I've 
already had a few bad experiences with ultrasonic sensors used in 
commercial establishments.  There's already too much noise pollution
in our modern environment and I don't care to subject my senses to 
over nine hours a day of an unwanted ultrasonic transmission.
	I have no trouble flipping a light switch.

				Erwin

1)	In ten years at Atari, I don't recall ever having a
	problem remembering to turn off my light when I went 
	home. Nor do I recall any spate of memos (or even
	one) indicating that many others had any such problem.

2)	When the "debate" over the bathroom sensors was raging,
	the question of increased cost of tube/ballast/starter
	replacement versus decreased cost of electricity was
	raised but never answered.

3)	The concern raised by Earl is valid and deserves an answer.
	We all have "notches" at 15,750 Hz already from all the
	monitors. Will we get new ones and is this a reasonable
	tradeoff versus the "effort" of turning our own lights off?

4)	Will the proposed sensors be installed by the same folks
	who wired the emergency lights wrong and wore out the
	batteries?

5)	In conjunction with the recent "cafeteria upgrade" proposal,
	this seems to be another case of spending money because we
	happen to have some at the moment, rather than in response
	to any pressing	need. Are corporate memories that short?

				Curious,
				Mike

RE: ULTRASONIC LIGHT SENSORS

OBSERVATIONS:
	1) THESE ARE INTENDED TO TURN OFF LIGHTS IN OFFICES THAT ARE 
	   UNOCCUPIED DURING THE DAY - STUDIES SHOW THIS SAVES ENERGY
	   OVERALL. 
	2) PEOPLE DO TURN OFF THE LIGHTS IN THEIR OFFICES WHEN THEY LEAVE
	   FOR THE EVENING. THIS IT NOT THE MAIN INTENT OF THE SENSORS 
	   ALTHOUGH THEY WILL ACT AS A BACKUP IN THE EVENT OF HUMAN
	   FORGETFULNESS.
	3) I RETURNED TO 675 AT 8:30 PM FRIDAY  8/29 AND OBSERVED:
		A) TWO CARS IN PARKING LOT: HOFF AND THEURER.
		B) ALL HARDWALL OFFICE LIGHTS OFF EXCEPT 
		   HOFF AND THEURER AND STEMPLER (DOOR OPEN SO IT LOOKED
		   LIKE STEMPLER WAS COMING BACK). 
		C) ALPHA LABS - ALL INDIVIDUAL LAB LIGHTS OFF EXCEPT
		   THEURERS LAB AND HORNS LAB (OOPS). ALL LIGHTS IN
		   LAB COMMON AREA ON ( UGH - SENSORS WOULD SHUT THESE OFF)
		D) OMEGA LABS - ALL LIGHTS ON (SENSORS WOULD SHUT THESE OFF)
		E) PRINTER ROOM - LIGHTS OFF, DOOR CLOSED (HARRAH!)
		F) LSI LAB - LIGHT OFF
		G) PROTO-ASSY - LIGHTS OFF, DOORS LOCKED (HARRAH!)
		H) ALL ENGINEERING COMMON AREA LIGHTS ON (SENSORS WOULD NOT
		    TURN THESE OFF - UGH)
		I) GAMES ON IN COMMON AREA (UGH)
		J) TASK LIGHTS ON IN PPS ROOMS (UGH)
OPINION:
	I HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE SENSORS TOO, BUT THERE DOES SEEM TO BE
	SOME WASTE OF ENERGY. I WOULD RATHER CONSERVE ELECTRICAL ENERGY
	THAN BUILD NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS TO SUPPORT QUESTIONABLE POWER NEEDS.
	THERE IS ONLY A LIMITED AMOUNT OF FOSSIL FUEL; CALIFORNIA ONLY GETS
	10% OF ITS POWER FROM HYDROELECTRIC GERERATION AND THAT COST THE
	LOSS OF SOME BEAUTIFUL WILDERNESS. ULTIMATELY, MORE POWER REQUIREMENTS
	WILL MEAN MORE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS...take your ultra-sonics today
	or give your children gamma rays tomorrow... 

I was on vacation last week and am only now responding to Chris' message on
the sensors. 

Whether or not we install sensors:

	1. There will not be any more nuclear (fission) power stations built
because, for a variety of reasons, the power companies have found them to
be uneconomical.

	2. I doubt there will be any more hydroelectric plants built in
California because all the rivers that could be dammed economically for hydro 
already have been.

If the company is serious about saving energy:

	1. Install a Solar Energy unit on our (large, flat) roof.

	2. Install a photovoltaic unit on our (large, flat) roof.

	3. Fix the ventilation system.

	4. Use only CMOS in our games.

Think how much energy could be saved if:

	1. The building had been designed to make use of natural sunlight.

	2. The building had been designed so that we could open the windows.

I was amused by Chris' mail message in that he found that most of the lights
that could be turned off were, in fact, turned off, and as a result concluded 
that we needed the sensors after all.


	Jed

WHEN I ARRIVED AT WORK AT 3:30 THIS MORNING EVERY LIGHT THAT COULD POSSIBLY 
BE ON WAS IN FACT ON.....IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING. THE REST OF THE PEOPLE
IN THIS BUILDING SEEM TO BE ABLE TO TURN OFF THE LIGHTS WHEN THEY LEAVE, AS
A CHECK OF THE REST OF THE BUILDING REVEALED. I THINK IT'S REALLY FUNNY THAT
THE GROUP THAT HAS GENERATED THE MOST "ENLIGHTENMENT" ON THIS SUBJECT 
IS THE MOST CARELESS. 
	LEAVING THAT FOR A MOMENT:

	1) I THINK IT WOULD BE HORRIBLE WASTE OF COMPANY MONEY TO INSTALL THESE
SENSORS, AT LEAST FOR ANY GROUP BESIDES ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING! I WON'T BORE
YOU WITH MY OWN PERSONAL IDEA FOR USE OF THE MONEY, BUT ISN'T THERE SOME MORE
CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF THE MONEY?  SOMETHING????? 

	2) I DON'T WANT ANY MORE SONIC OR ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN MY
ENVIRONMENT. THOSE OF YOU WITH A NOTCH AT THE MONITOR FREQUENCY BE THANKFUL.
I CAN WALK DOWN A STREET AND TELL YOU WHICH HOUSES HAVE THE T.V.S ON BY THE
SQUEALING SOUND. I CAN HEAR NEARLY EVERY MONITOR IN THIS BUILDING AS I WALK BY.
THE POINT IS THAT I DON'T WANT MORE NOISE IN MY ENVIRONMENT, EVEN ULTRASONICS.


	NOW, BACK TO MY FELLOW ENGINEERS. IF YOU DON'T SHAPE UP WE WILL GET
THESE SENSORS AND I'M GOING TO BE PISSED.

	AND WHY DOESN'T MANAGEMENT HOLD OFF FOR A WHILE AND SEE IF THESE 
ARRESTED NERDS CAN SHAPE UP????!!!!!


		SINCERELY.

excellent suggestions!!!

	WHAT I HAVE TO SAY IS NOT BASED ON FACTS I KNOW, BUT IT IS MY
UNDERSTANDING OF THE SITUATION.
	WE ARE GOING TO GET MOTION SENSORS WHETHER WE WANT OR NEED THEM.
MY QUESS IS THAT THE WHOLE THING IS BASED ON REBATES AND BIG INCENTIVES
FROM THE IRS AND PG&E THAT GO ALONG WITH THESE "ENERGY SAVINGS DEVICES".


		THAT'S WHAT I THINK.......AND I DON'T THINK MUCH

I agree that my note was confusing, but my point was that the sensors are
intended to turn off lights during the day while no one is in there office.
...oops...in THEIR office. I had some lunch conversations where we tried
to calculate the savings: 
	(8) 40-watt tubes per office (320 watts)
	assume people are out of their office 50% of the time (optimisti
	assume 8-hour work day

	calculate: 320*8*50%=1280 watt-hours saved per day

	assume kilowatt-hour costs $.15

	calculate annual dollar savings: .15*1.28*250=$48.

Realistically, maybe only half that is saved annually or about $25.00.
		-Chris

	I spent several hours in the Stanford med library on Sunday, looking up
effects of ultrasonics.  There isn't a whole lot of research, except on medical
ultrasound (in the megahertz frequency range.)  Effects such as irritability
seem to occur only if you can hear (or feel) the waves (or subharmonics.) 
Effects such as head pain can result from inaudible sound only if the levels
are very high, apparently. 

	Our sensors operate at 25 khz.  The amplitude is 50 dB measured 6
feet from the source.  (I don't know what reference level is used.)

	I'm not sure if there are federal regulations on ultrasonics in this
range.  There is a proposal of limits at 80 dB for the 10-16 khz range,
increasing to 105 dB at 20 khz and 110 dB at 25 khz.  Assuming the same
reference level, the 110 dB limit is 1000 times higher than the amplitude of
our sensors (at 50 dB.) 

	My initial fear was that, since these frequencies are generally
inaudible, a manufacturer would feel free to use very high levels to increase
reliability.  One person mentioned experiencing head pain from exposure to
motion sensors in various businesses, but the frequency was in a semi-audible
range, and the amplitude was probably much higher.  Manufacturers have probably
lowered the levels in recent years.  No one has mentioned experiencing any
problems from the sensors we have installed in our game and rest rooms. 

	I would guess that the horizontal oscillator frequency of certain video
monitors is BY FAR the worse offender.  It would be interesting to measure
various monitors to see if they are under the proposed threshold limit.  (They
probably are, but who knows.)  High frequencies are very directional, so some
simple shielding (a monitor enclosure) should reduce the problem.  If you are
bothered by this (if that sound EARitates you), do something about it. 

	In conclusion, there seems to be 2 kinds of people - those who assume
that what you can't see or hear won't hurt you, and those paranoids like me who
assume that what you can't see or hear will hurt you much worse than what you
can see or hear, and will eventually kill you.  In the case of ultrasonics, the
currently available evidence seems to support the non-paranoids.  If your ears
object to these frequencies, they will probably let you know.

	The goal of energy conservation is an extremely desirable one.  I had
hoped there might be a simpler, less technological way of achieving this goal,
but old habits are slow to change.

	I hasten to add that the audio group ALWAYS turns its lights out at
night, and frequently during lunch, etc. as well.  So if anyone wants two
sensors for their office, we may have some extras!

			Earl

Recently, there has been a series of comments regarding the lighting
sensors we are planning to install in both 675 and 735.  The Watt-Watcher
system was selected because of its ability to control lighting in a 
specific designated area while still giving the user full control of his
or her lighting.  The primary purpose of this system is to turn off the
lights when people are absent from their offices for extended periods
of time during the work day ie., at a meeting in a conference room,
in the lab, during lunch etc.  It has a secondary purpose for those
individuals who forget to turn off their lights at the end of the day.

This system meets the emission standards set by all state, federal
and international agencies, including:
                     Cal OSHA standards
                     California Energy Commission
                     California Department of Health Services
                     Environmental Protection Agency
                     World Health Council standards.

The output of this system is about 50 db at a distance of six feet from
the sensor.  A quiet office with air conditioning will have sound levels
in the 50 to 58 db range.  The sensors that we are installing have a 
frequency of 25Khz so as to prevent any possibility of being heard.
To date over 10,000 sensors have been installed in the silicon valley
area.

Electricity is our most costly utility, being three times the cost of 
all other utilities combined.  Our electrical bills average $17,200
per month.  Lighting accounts for 50% of this cost.  We have 
conservatively estimated that the sensors will reduce our lighting
costs by at least 5%.

Additionally, we also get a PG&E rebate for installation of the 
sensors and a federal energy tax credit.  With this the overall
cost becomes quite reasonable to Atari.

You may still have further concerns or questions.  If so, please 
contact Bob Frye or myself and we'll try to answer your questions.

I hope that based on the above information, you can give us your
full cooperation.

Regards

Dennis

GOOD ONE.
	JFS

THE CONTRACTOR IS ABOARD AND STARTING INSTALLATION OF THE SENSORS.
PRESENTLY, WORKING IN THE DESIGN SERVICES' AREA.

THE PLAN IS TO INSTALL THE SENSORS WITHOUT POWER UNTIL A NUMBER OF 
OFFICES HAVE BEEN COMPLETED, THEN CONNECT POWER.  THIS WILL HELP
MINIMIZE OUR DOWN TIME.

THANKS,  BOB

THIS SATURDAY, 9-20, ELECTRICIANS WILL BE HERE TO CONNECT THE LIGHTING
SENSORS TO POWER.  SINCE THESE SENSORS WILL BECONNECTED TO 277 VOLTS,
IT WILL NECESSITATE TURNING OFF THE POWER CONTROLING THE LIGHTS WITH-IN
THE AREA BEING WORKED. THE LIGHTS IN ANY GIVEN AREA SHOULD ONLY BE OFF
ABOUT 30 TO 45 MINUTES.  THANKING YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED COOPERATION.

                                                BOB

ALL THE SENSORS IN BUILDING 675 HAVE BEEN HOOKED UP AND ARE WORKING...
BUT... THEY NEED TO BE ADJUSTED FOR SENSITIVITY, WHICH CAN ONLY BE 
ACCOMPLISHED WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONING IS RUNNING.  MONDAY MORNING,
THE INSTALLER WILL BE HERE TO SET THE SENSITIVITY CONTROLS.

IF YOUR LIGHTS FAIL TO WORK PLEASE CONTACT SANDI BROWN ON X3751 AS 
I WILL BE GONE FOR TWO DAYS.

THANK YOU, BOB

IF YOUR LIGHT SENSOR IS NOT OPERATING PROPERLY, PLEASE CONTACT ME VIA
VAX MAIL TODAY SO I CAN HAVE THE CONTRACTOR IN TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM.

I HAVE RECEIVED INPUT FROM THE FOLLOWING;

FLANAGAN
ARVIDSON
DENCKER
RAINS
ENGR. CONF. & CENTRAL CONF.
OWENS
MEYETTE

THANKS,  BOB

I have heard a number of comments about improper function of the new
motion sensors.  If there are any problems, I have been assured that 
Bob Frye will do whatever is necessary to rectify the problems.

Please send a VaxMail message to "KIM::FRYE,KIM::RAINS,KIM::WOOD" with
information about the location and nature of the problem, and you
will be heard.  I do not enjoy sitting in the dark either.

Crank messages are discouraged, but we really will try to address the
problems.  We can't fix what we don't know about.

-Lyle

All sensors for labs and offices in the engineering and design service
areas have been disconnected.

This action was taken based on db readings measured by our personnel
and needs to be confirmed by the manufacture.  Atari is working with
both the installation contractor and the manufacture to resolve this
issue.

All effected lighting is back to normal switching.

Thanks for your cooperation,  Bob

Jed, the following is a message from me in reply to Earl's question of
my symptoms.  I don't have a copy of his original message.   e.a.


From:	ERNIE::ARVIDSON      2-SEP-1986 13:25
To:	KIM::VICKERS
Subj:	RE: RE: SENSORS.

	The experiences (effects) were internal head pain while being
subjected to the sound and severe headaches for up to four hours afterward.
The 'sound' is more of a sensation in the head than the typical sense of
hearing.
Now, when I encounter these devices, I immediately leave the place of business.
It's been a couple of years since my last encounter, so maybe they have
developed
more sofisticated sensors that use much lower power (but I still do a quick
retreat
from the horizontal oscillators of many TV sets).

					erwin

After much deliberation, testing of the sensors and negotiating with
our contractor, an agreement has been made whereby all the ultrasonic
light sensors will be removed and replaced with passive infra-red
sensors.

The ultrasonic sensors installed in our buildings miserably failed to
meet the manufacuturer's spectifications and, consequently, were
disconnected.  The new sensors, a passive infra-red detector detects
infra-red heat waves generated by human beings with a filtered 9-10
micron/meter wave length sensor.

Our Applied Research Department was asked to put this new sensor
through any and all testing to ensure compliance with both the
manufacturer's and Atari's acceptance.  Two of these sensors were
installed in the administration area and found to be satisfactory
in operation as opposed to that of the ultrasonic sensors.  The
results of testing by Rick Moncrief's group revealed these sensors
to be 100% passive with no harmful effects.

Given the consternation caused by the previous sensors, anyone who
would like to inspect the sensor or sensor specifications, please
feel free to drop by my office and do the same.

We tentatively plan to install the new sensors on Tuesday, December
23, in the manufacturing building, and during the first part of
January in building 675.

I ask once again for your patience and cooperation.     Bob

TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY THE 31ST, LIGHTING SENSORS WILL BE INSTALLED IN THE
MAIN ENGINEERING AREA.  THANKS AGAIN, BOB

	I thought you'd be interested in the ongoing saga of ultrasonic 
sensors in my life.  A week ago I woke up with a bad 'hangover' in my head.
The puzzling thing was that I had only one beer the night before.  After 
mentally retracing my actions the previous day, the only thing suspicious was
my visit to Crown Books in Cupertino.  The store has suspicious little 3"
domes mounted to the ceiling in two or three places.  The head symptoms
gradually wore off after 36 hours and I forgot about it.  Two days ago (Tuesday) 
I was again in Cupertino and decided to buy a specific book from Crown Books.  
The previous incident didn't even occur to me at the time and after a longer 
visit (20 minutes) than anticipated, I left with my book.  The morning after 
found me with another severe 'hangover'; worse than the week before.  It's still 
with me now, nearly 48 hours later.  It took nearly eight months to recuperate
99% from the Atari light sensors.  The book store incidents show that it now
only takes a few minutes of exposure to dramatically display the sensitivity
that has been produced by that first heavy dose of Atari's ultrasonics.  
Together with the 'hangover' symptoms is the excessive ringing in the ears; 
something I've had for many years but not quite this bad.

	Anyway, that's another tidbit for your file.

				Erwin