"Personal" Computers (Was: Details about IBM's early 'scientific' computers)

[Jon Elson]

On 11/15/2017 09:13 PM, Paul Berger via cctalk wrote:
>
>
> On 2017-11-15 10:07 PM, Jon Elson via cctalk wrote:
>> On 11/15/2017 07:09 PM, Paul Koning via cctalk wrote:
>>>
>>> Earlier, there was the SAGE computer (the air defense 
>>> one, not the PC by the same name), which had built-in 
>>> ash trays at each operator station.
>> Ash trays??  HA, they had auto-style CIGARETTE LIGHTERS 
>> BUILT INTO the "radar screen" consoles!  Take a look at a 
>> photo!
>>
>> Jon
> The IBM 803 proof machine developed in the late 40s had an 
> ash tray built in, it was the only IBM machine I ever saw 
> that had one.    I stood right in front of the scopes at a 
> SAGE site but I don't recall the ash trays or lighters. 
> But I do remember the light guns, blue lighting and the 
> aful flash of the high persistance scope when they whrere 
> drawn.
>
> Paul.
>
Check out this photo :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-Automatic_Ground_Environment#/media/File:SAGE_console.jpeg
next to the ashtray, there's a little round hole with a 
chrome ring - that's where a standard car cigarette lighter 
plugged in.  A 6 V lighter would work fine off the massive 
filament transformers these things had.

Jon