Talk Of Building A Computer...

From: Philip.Belben_at_powertech.co.uk <(Philip.Belben_at_powertech.co.uk)>
Date: Mon Nov 24 10:49:48 1997

> > Another fun project would be that nowawadays with modern materials and
> > computer controlled machining, it is now possible to make parts to the
> > tolerances necessary to build a functional Analytical Engine. Anybody
> > know where I can get a good copy of Babbage's designs?

> It's been done. I read an article in the Scientific American a few
> years back, where some guys from the British Museum, I think, built
> the Analytical Engine according to Babbages design.
>
> They corrected a couple of minor design flaws (some speculate that
> Babbage put them there on purpose to discourage Industrial
> Espionage), and fabricated the whole thing from several tons of
> Iron, brass, and bronze parts.
>
> They didn't have funding to build the whole machine (the printer
> alone is an engineering marvel), but the machine worked! They
> succeeded where Babbage had failed.

What I saw demonstrated at the Science Museum (part of the British
Museum) 5 years ago was a working _difference_ engine. This had a
couple of design bugs fixed (one in the ripple carry mechanism IIRC) and
no printer.

I don't recall anything about an analytical engine being built at this
time. Has it been done since? Do tell!

Philip.
Received on Mon Nov 24 1997 - 10:49:48 GMT