10 Mar
2023
10 Mar
'23
11:26 p.m.
On Fri, 10 Mar 2023, Kevin Anderson via cctalk wrote:
None that I am aware of - even the very power hungry 9021 'mainframes' I mentioned
earlier could be powered from a single phase, if you wanted to. The power company might
have expressed a view, but that's a different subject. 3 phase is relevant to circular
motion, not to the amount of power you need - although lots of electrical equipment tends
to come in 3 phase versions, especially if the amount of power goes up.
And yes, my memory has been refreshed - it was 9021, not 9020 I meant in the other post.
I always thought of the distinctions this way
(from my basis of exposure from late 1970s through the 1980s) and from a higher
educational setting primarily:
Mainframe = repairs required multiple technicians, some possibly there full-time; regular
operator(s) present, and a locked door located between you and the machine; entire
specialized room with raised flooring, extra-high amperage specialized power sources and
wiring, and significant air conditioning
Minicomputer = Vendor still provides a technician (just one) for repairs, who drives in
out in a station wagon; only a part-time operator only; an user can be located in the same
room; 240-volt wiring, but not particularly outlandish
Microcomputer = Computer can sit on a desk or in a "normal" room; broken
computer taken by user to someplace to be repaired or self-repaired; typically one user,
and only 120-volt household or office power needed.
Supercomputer = a really fast and specialized version (primarily focusing on high-speed
mathematical computations) of a mainframe.
extension cord / dedicated circuit / dedicated pole transformer
Which machines needed 3-phase?