Another "oldest computer" story... - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

4 Sep 2009

...
  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.