charlieboy Posted May 20, 2005 Share Posted May 20, 2005 Be happy you dont have to keep this WWII ENIAC super computer tubed up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted May 21, 2005 Share Posted May 21, 2005 Awesome photo! Thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted May 21, 2005 Share Posted May 21, 2005 DICK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted May 21, 2005 Share Posted May 21, 2005 About 20 years ago a fellow walked into my second hand store carrying a rack mountable chassis containing an array of tubes. It was part of a first generation Univac ca. 1948. It was not for sale but as he knew that I was a computer freak and a collecter of odd bits and pieces he thought I would find it to be of interest.IIRC he told me that the unit was a single memory bit ( not a byte but a bit ).It would require 8 such units to function as one byte. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franczyk Posted May 21, 2005 Share Posted May 21, 2005 Could you imagine the fricken heat that that array of tubes must put out!?!?!?!!! Holy cow! That guy would be cooked if those were on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scriven Posted May 21, 2005 Share Posted May 21, 2005 Some of those machines had a MTBF of 8 minutes! And I get annoyed when Windows crashes a couple of times a day. Cooling was a VERY big issue with the early computers. Back in those days the air conditioners were as finicky as the computers. One failure occurred while running with the windows open. After several hours of tracking the problem it was found that a moth had flown in one of the open windows and been smashed in the contacts of a relay. The operator took the mutilated insect and taped it in the logbook. That was the first documented real computer bug! The term "bug" was in use prior to that to describe unknown problems. The operator thought it was notable that they had found a real bug causing a problem in the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clipped and Shorn Posted May 22, 2005 Share Posted May 22, 2005 Great photo, thanks for posting that. Let me mention, in case you wondered what happen to this thing, fini found this very item at a surplus sale recently for about $75 and it now is in his garage. He is planning to get his tube checker calibrated soon. c7b9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Poor bastard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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