On Thu, 10 Dec 1998, Doug Yowza wrote:
> On Wed, 9 Dec 1998, Aaron Christopher Finney wrote:
>
> > And the 1/3 part is in the form of the "electronic" computer I'm building
> > from the January 1960 issue of Electronics Illustrated...(flip-flops,
> > light-bulbs, and a rotary phone dial - woo-hoo!) I'm about 1/3
> > completed...
>
> One of my favorite early personal computers! I regret that the designer
> didn't give it a name, though. Specs:
>
> Name: "Electronic Computer"
> Intro: Jan 1960
> Price: approx $35
> Technology: discrete transistors
> Memory: 6 bits
> Input: rotary telephone dial
> Clock speed: as fast as you can dial
> Output: 12 incandescent lights
> Programming language: patch cords
>
> The author describes how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide on this
> box, but it's really more of a calculator than a computer since it doesn't
> have control logic or a clock.
>
> I hope to do a web page some day that describes this machine and several
> other home computers from the 1950's and 1960's.
Did you actually build one of these? I was thinking of taking the author's
suggestion and upgrading the memory to 10 bits...
Do you have the magazine? If you don't, and get around to putting up a web
page, I'll gladly scan the article to put on it. Actually, if anyone else
is interested, I could scan it and make it available for anyone who want's
to hack around on it. Pretty cool, actually.
Off topic, but one of the more interesting little articles in the magazine
is about the harmful effects of microwaves and describes in gory detail
how animals were adversely affected by them in experiments. What a
different time...just for fun I typed it in and stuck it here, in case
anyone wants to take a peek back at 1960:
http://www.prinsol.com/~aaron/microwaves
Aaron
Received on Thu Dec 10 1998 - 03:57:55 GMT