off-the-wall question (possibly OT) - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

2 Apr 1999

Not quite . . . those stepping relays had quite a bit more energy as they
had to move something more massive than the little relay contacts.  It's
more like what the room full of stepping relays sounded like from down the
hall.  You were only barely aware of it, but you were immediately aware of a
change in the pattern.

Dick
-----Original Message-----
From: Joe &lt;rigdonj(a)intellistar.net&gt;
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
&lt;classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu&gt;
Date: Friday, April 02, 1999 7:32 AM
Subject: Re: off-the-wall question (possibly OT)

...
 Bill,

  I've never heard a relay machine in operation but I've heard lots of
telephone co switch rooms with the old stepping relays in opertation. I
imagine the sound must be similar.

   Joe

At 02:27 AM 4/2/99 -0500, you wrote:
 Has anybody here ever heard a relay machine
running, like one
of the early Zuse machines or the Harvard Mark-1?  It occurred
to me (please don't ridicule me too much for this*) that the
sound of the robot in the old "Lost in Space" TV series may
have been intended to sound like a relay machine.  I've heard
descriptions of them sounding like a thousand women knitting,
which could sort-of describe that robot sound-effect as well...

 Cheers,
 Bill.

* I guess you should ridicule me just the right amount.  :-)