14 Nov
2012
14 Nov
'12
1:28 p.m.
On Wed, Nov 14, 2012 at 9:03 PM, Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
A book which it isn't, but which is till intersting is 'We built our own
computers'. IIRC, this describes switch and relay logic machins (no
er nonono
This thread reminds me of a computer we built at
school from discrete
transistors. Each transistor was a NOR gate with three resistors on
the base and a collector resistor. All soldered onto squares of tag
board. We put a bunch of them together to build a shift register with
small laps as output. That would be about 1969 or 1970. Does anyone
remember any more? It must have been a published design somewhere.
Richard, I think I read the book this project was based on - in the school
library, mid-to-late 70's. I've been looking for it, but my recollection
is so vague I haven't found it yet. I think it may have kicked off with
some physical computing based on wood and ball bearings, but anyhow it
worked up to a full serial CPU. My searches have been based on the
recollection that the author was Wilkinson (but maybe Wilkins, Watson,
Wilson, Watkins, Watkinson, ...) and, of course, it might not even have
starte with W. transistors, the odd diode, though) built by some
school students in
Exeter (England) in the 1960s. I remember the painted metal drum with
contacts as the control sequencer.
I must dig my copy out and re-read it..
You better then you will see transistors
starts page 368 August Wireless world
Dave Caroline