4 Sep
2009
4 Sep
'09
8:09 a.m.
From: Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at
gmail.com>
Subject: Another "oldest computer" story...
[I've not been reading the list for a little while, so apologies if
this has
been mentioned already]
The Harwell Dekatron Computer - aka. WITCH - has just arrived at
TNMoC for
restoration. Once completed, it'll be (as far as we know) the oldest
functional, complete, stored-program electronic machine in the world
(some
careful qualifying there, because of course it's one of a handful of
'pioneering' machines, all of which have their place in history).
Lots of links to news items on the machine at:
http://www.tnmoc.org/inthenews.aspx
Plans for the machine date from 1949, with it first running in 1951.
Wikipedia
background info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WITCH_(computer)
The relays look similar to the ones my 1301 uses to switch the signals
to the front panel indicators and peripheral interlocks (so mine only
switch at human speed). Even the markings on the relays look very
familiar. I hope they are more reliable than mine though, as the
machine seems to be using them for actual computations. I suppose they
would be fine with routine maintenance, usually consisting of dragging
a bit of punched card between the closed points.
Roger Holmes.