How many computers?

From: Megan <mbg_at_world.std.com>
Date: Wed Jul 15 06:59:01 1998

>That sounds like another one I don't have, but read through an
>interlibrary loan: "How to build a working Digital Computer", by E.
>Alcosser, Hayden, 1964. It used a bunch of ganged switches to make a 4
>bit adder. Can you look, anyway?

I will look for it... I also have an old book called 'Star Ship
Simulation' published by Dilithium Press...

>Sounds like you had fun!

Sure did...

>The picture in the Edmund catalog looked like it was made from various
>colored shapes of flat plastic. I know it wouldn't be quite the same, but
>if you have the documentation and once had your hands on one, could you
>recreate it from mat board and an exacto knife? Or some plastic as
>required.

Yes, it was made out of colored plastic shapes... with a few shaped
metal rods and a number of what amounted to 1/2" (If I remember) sections
of plastic straws which were used to do the actual programming.

The documentation shows the parts, but not to scale... if I had a
real one, I'd try to duplicate the parts...

I remember the follow-on unit, the DigicompII, was not so much a
computer as it was a game of Nim... I got that one as well, but
I preferred the DigicompI

                                        Megan Gentry
                                        Former RT-11 Developer

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Received on Wed Jul 15 1998 - 06:59:01 BST

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