16 Jun
2009
16 Jun
'09
2:17 a.m.
From: Warren Wolfe <lists at databasics.us>
On 15 Jun 2009, at 22:58, cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote:
It's just a matter of degree. I suspect there
were very many more
valve
radios produced than classic computers, probably a couple orders of
magnitude.
Yes, there were only around 150 to 200 of my classic computer made.
Imagine the labour in manufacturing 4000+ PCBs with getting on for a
hundred hand soldered joints on each. Then wire them all together, add
a dozen heavy machines driven by 3/4 horsepower motors, a few hundred
power supplies, a few hundred light bulbs, a few hundred cold cathode
indicator displays, a dozen control panels, three phase fuse boxes and
power filters, a hundred thousand ferrite washers hand threaded with
six enamelled wires and the battleship grade frames holding it all and
then add on about 60 jacks to support it and over a hundred castors to
allow it to be installed or moved. No wonder they cost about a quarter
of a million new in 1962.
However, even those will be, for all practical
purposes,
gone in time. While it won't have any effect on you or me, run the
clock ahead a hundred years... and very little of either will remain.
My machine was killed off by the introduction of the 360, i.e. its
older.
The ICT1301 was announced 1959 and my one (the first to leave the
factory) was shipped in 1962.
The IBM 360 was I understand announced in 1965, probably shipped quite
soon after.
I guess if you want a particular model of classic
computer you are
going
to have problems finding it, but there seem to be plenty of
classics out
there at the momnet if you'll work on just about anything.
True... but, even WAY old classic computers are less than 50 years
old. I mean, is there even someone out there with an IBM 360?