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The Therac-25 Incident (2021)

(thedailywtf.com)
449 points lemper | 1 comments | 27 Aug 25 06:57 UTC | HN request time: 0.203s | source
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SirMaster ◴[27 Aug 25 15:23 UTC] No.45040977[source]▶
The question I have is why was the hardware capable of delivering a fatal dose like this. Is that actually ever even a usable output for some legitimate reason?

If not, why not hardware limit the power input to the machine, so even if the software completely failed, it would not be physically capable of delivering a fatal dose like this?

replies(1): >>45041393 #
1. PokestarFan ◴[27 Aug 25 15:56 UTC] No.45041393[source]▶
I believe that for X-ray mode, the radiation was indirect, so it needed a lot more power. Furthermore, older revisions had hardware locks, and the intent of the Therac-25 was to make it cheaper.