Subject: RE: Identification of an old machine

From: "Hills, Paul" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri Mar 28 13:03:45 2003

Yes it was in the UK. From what I remember it looked manufactured, but it
could have been built from a kit I suppose. If you could scan just the
picture from that magazine that'd be great.

Replying to other kind people who have responded, It wasn't either of the
two machines you have posted links to - MiniVac 601 or Heathkit EC-1, but it
looked a bit like the Heathkit one except the wiring grid was smaller and in
the top left (I think), and there was a telephone dial - exactly the same as
that found on old telephones - on the right hand side too (can't remember
what must have been on the left!).

Thanks for everyone's help anyway,
cheers,
paul

-----Original Message-----
From: Hans B Pufal [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: 27 March 2003 09:56
To: [email-masked]
Subject: Re: Identification of an old machine

Hills, Paul wrote:
> This is going to be rather difficult I think. In 1977 when I first went to
> high school, we had a visiting computer science teacher (the school didn't
> own it's own computer). He used to come in with a PET mostly, but one day
he
> couldn't bring the PET so came in with this old machine which was roughly
> cubic, each side about 2 foot. On the front it had a wiring panel where
you
> had to plug in patch leads, and a rotary dial like on old telephones which
> was used to dial the numbers in. I don't remember how it displayed its
> results.

Interesting, I presume from your email address that this was in the UK. 
The first thing that came to mind was the Wireless World computer, this 
was a construction project published in the Aug thru Dec 1967 issues of 
that magazine. (on my long list of things I to scan someday).

The 'computer' had an 8 bit word and a 3 word memory and an accumulator. 
It could perform various arithemetic operations. The actual published 
articles do not show a telephone dial but ISTR some mention of 
extensions based on telephone equipment : dials and strowger switches.

The size and propotions seem to fit, the published design had switches 
and lights on the front panel and no plug-board.

Do you recollect if the machine was homebrewed or manufactured?

   -- hbp

---

From: "Hills, Paul" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri Mar 28 13:05:07 2003

Now you come to mention it, there's no guarantee that it was a computer.
What you describe may well have been it. Do you have any model numbers or
manuafcturers for that thing you described?

cheers,
paul

-----Original Message-----
From: [email-masked] [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: 27 March 2003 21:04
To: [email-masked]
Subject: Re: Identification of an old machine

he
you
> Being a first year student and never faced with a computer before I had no
> idea what to do with it, and so don't remember much about it. However, now
> I'm intrigued - what was that beast? Does anyone have any ideas?

Are you sure it was a computer? And not a digital electronics 'trainer'?

There was a popular-ish school digital electronics trainer in the UK that 
fits most of your description. It wasn't cubical, it was flat -- about 2' 
long, 1' wide and a few inches high. There was a rotary telephone dial, 
light bulbs, and patch sockets on the front. Inside were 5 or 6 
flip-flops and a number of gates connected to the patch sockets. There 
may have been other circuits, like a clock oscillator, monostables, etc too.

You could patch them together to make counters, shift registers,
combinatorial circuits, etc. Some of the 'applications' were quite fun 
(there were certainly simple games for it, for example).

-tony