Mechanical analog computer history...Heathkit

Hi all, In my continuing effort to keep the discussion from becoming too digital, I want to point out a wonderful article I just found. This article cover the history of mechanical analog computers in general and specifically the mechanical analog fire control computers developed by the Ford Instruments Company from it's founding in 1915 up to the dawn of electronic analog computing in the 1940s. Beware the PDF is 2.6 MB. "The Mechanical Analog Computers of Hannibal Ford and William Newell" by A.Ben Clymer, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, Vol 15, No. 2, 1993 http://web.mit.edu/STS.035/www/PDFs/Newell.pdf And my Ford Instruments page is at: http://www.best.com/~dcoward/analog/fordsperry.htm Regards, --Doug ========================================= Doug Coward @ home in Poulsbo, WA Analog Computer Online Museum and History Center http://www.best.com/~dcoward/analog =========================================