IBM 2260 acoustic delay line

Chuck Guzis cclist at sydex.com
Sun Dec 13 02:28:27 CST 2015


On 12/12/2015 07:41 PM, dwight wrote:

> I would assume it makes no sense to have it in the cable. It is
> acoustic not electronic. Typically it would be a loop. Data and
> possibly clock goes in one end.

As a practical example, consider the Packard-Bell 250 computer.   No, 
not the Packard-Bell PC of the Israeli tank driver and his buddies, but 
the real Packard Bell, maker of consumer radio and TV gear and aerospace 
electronics.

Since the thing could run from an ordinary wall outlet (something around 
1200W) and used only about 300 transistors (and lots of diodes), it's 
pretty amazing for a 1961 22-bit minicomputer.

It used magnetostrictive delay line memory, which is what I'd have 
thought that the 2260 would have used.  Oh well, I guess IBM did things 
their way...

--Chuck






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