Differential Analysers and Scientific American

From: Lawrence Wilkinson <ljw-cctech_at_ljw.me.uk>
Date: Thu Dec 16 16:04:10 2004

>From the most recent 'Computer Collector' newsletter
(http://news.computercollector.com):
> Early Nov., 2004: At the recent VCF 7.0 event, Tim Robinson displayed
> Meccano versions of Charles Babbage's Difference Engine and Vannevar
> Bush's Differential Analyzer (http://www.meccano.us).

It's nice to see Evan has mentioned this lovely Differential Analyser,
and I am sorry I missed seeing it (thanks especially to Erik Klein for
his nice photos of it, http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcf7.shtml, which
first alerted me to its having been there).

Many years ago (1980) I made myself a simple two-integrator Differential
Analyser, which worked on exactly the same principle. I was inspired by
the Meccano machine which was on display at the Museum of Transport and
Technology in Auckland - this was one of a number of similar machines
made in the '30s - and found a construction article in the Amateur
Scientist column of Scientific American.

I was wondering whether anyone here with '70s issues of SciAm might be
able to make a copy, or at least give a definite date for it. It would
have been in the early-to-mid '70s, certainly before '78.

Thanks, and if anyone still hasn't seen Tim's machine, go to
www.meccano.us and prepare to be amazed.

(Sellam, give up on that TI thingy and go buy a Meccano set)
-- 
Lawrence Wilkinson                                 lawrence_at_ljw.me.uk
Ph +44(0)1869-811059                             http://www.ljw.me.uk
Received on Thu Dec 16 2004 - 16:04:10 GMT

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