r rIfII fl IT IT I Ik A nFr W In r OFFICEOF NAVAL RUESRMN Vol 13 No 3 • MATM I L 1 ATIALA SLIENCES Gordon D Goldstein Editor V July 1961 CONTENTS No EDITORIAL NOTICES 1 New Circulation Policy Digital Computer Newsletter 2 Editorial Policy Digital Computer Newsletter 3 Contributions for Digital Computer Newsletter ii i ii COMPUTERS AND DATA PROCESSORS1 NORTH AMERICA 1 2 3 4 5 6 Control Data Corporation 160-A Computer Minneapolis Minnesota International Business Machines Corp IBM Stretch White Plains New York National Cash Regioter Company NCR 315 304 390 and 310 Dayton Ohio Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oracle Oak Ridge Tennessee Philco Corporation Philco 2400 Willow Grove Pennsylvania Remington Rand Univac Univac 1107 Thin-Film Memory Computer New York New York 1 1 4 9 9 11 COMPUTING CENTERS 1 2 3 Carnegie Institute of Technology Bendix 0-20 Installation Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Pacific Missile Range High-Speed Analog-to-Digital Converter System Point Mugu California U S Naval Weapons Laboratory Computation Center Dahlgren Virginia 12 13 14 COMPUTERS AND CENTERS OVERSEAS 1 Z 3 4 S 6 7 8 9 Ferranti Ltd Argus London England Ferranti Ltd Sirius London England Gutenberg University Siemens 2002 Installation Mainz Germany University of Naples Istituto Di Fisica Teorica Naples Italy C Olivetti C S p A Laboratorio Di Ricerche Elettroniche Elea 6001 Milan Italy Redifon Ltd Digital Storage for Analog Computer Crawley England Remington Rand- Chartres Pty Ltd Weather Forecasting Research Sidney Australia Technische Hochschule Maillifterl Vienna Austria Weapons Research Establishment Department of Supply Salisbury South Australia MISCELLANEOUS 1 Bell Telephone Laboratories Computer Speech Simulation New York 14 New York 2 U S Patent Office Information Retrieval Washington 25 D C 14 16 18 18 18 21 24 24 24 25 26 Roproduced by the C L E A R I N G H 0 U SE D°or FodorJa Sciontific Technical Inflormilijon Springfield Va 22151 Approved by The Under of the Navy 20 Secretary August 1957 AVV XM B Fda P-A h b EDITORIAL NOTICES NEW CIRCULATION POLICY - DIGITAL COMPUTER NEWSLETTER Tho NEWSLETTER it circulated without charge to Interested military pnd government agencies and to the contractors of the Federal Government Also for the many years it had been reprinted by the Association for Computing Machinery within their Journal and more recently in their Communications The Association decided that the Communications could better serve its members by concentrating on ACM editorial material Accordingly effective with the January-April 1961 issue the NEWSLETTER is available only by distribution from the Office of Naval Research V Requests to receive the NEWSLETTER regularly should be submitted to Gordon D Goldstein Editor Digital Computer Newsletter Information Systems Branch Office of Naval Research Washington 25 D C Contractors of the Federal Government should reference applicable contracts in their request EDITORIAL POLICY - DIGITAL COMPUTER N iSLETTER The NEWSLETTER although a U S Navy Department publication welcomes contributions from any source Page limitations do however prevent publication of some of the received material Items which are not printed are kept on file and are made available to interested personnel within the Navy Department and other government agencies Publication of information on commercial products does not-in any way-imply Navy approval of said products nor does it mean that the Navy vouches for the accuracy of the statements made by the various contributors Since we do not have space to print all of the worthwhile and newsworthy items what does appear in each issue should be considered only as being representative of the state-of-the-art and not as the soleproductor technique available CONTRIBUTIONS FOR DIGITAL COMPUTER NEWSLETTER The Office of Naval Research welcomes contributions to the NEWSLETTER Your contributions will assist in improving the contents of this newsletter and in making it an even better medium of exchange of information between government laboratories academic institutions and industry It is hoped that the readers will participate to an even greater extent than in the past in transmitting technical material and suggestions to this Office for future issues Because of limited time and personnel it is often impossible for the editor to acknowledge individually all material which has been sent to this Office for publication The NEWSLETTER is published quarterly January April July and October and material should be in the hands of the editor at least one month before the publication date in order to be included in that issue 'he NEWSLETTER is circulated without charge to interested military and government -agmwab 4 A eQ tractors of the Federal Government and contributors •c lmmInicglts f --- ulid be addressed to Gordon D Goldstein Editor b I SU I S t Office rC• I Digital Computer Newsletter Information Systems Branch of Naval Research Washington 25 D C al I COMFUTERS ANaD DAiA iikOCE5ORl L NORTH AMERICA 160-A COMPUTER - CONTROL DATA CORPORATION - MINNEAPOLIS MINNESOTA Control Data Corporation has announced a considerably expanded version of the 160 see DCN April 1960 called the 160-A This new computer is packaged in an office desk as is the 160 A number of orders already have been received and first deliveries will be made this June 19el The basic 160-A Is priced at $90 000 and is leased at $2250 per month The basic 160-A computer is equipped with a magnetic core memory of 8192 12-bit computer words double the memory of the 160 buffered input and output program interrupt and an unusually large and powerful list of 91 instructions The 160-A basic magnetic core memory can be expanded in modules up to 32 768 words Such capabilities ordinarily are associated only with large-scale computers such as the Control Data 1604 A variety of peripheral equipment can be added to the 160-A according to the user's requirement For example to the 160-A can be added a magnetic tape system high-speed line printer card reader punch and electric typewriter The Control Data 350 Paper Tape Reader and the Teletype Paper Tape Punch are standard equipment An almost unlimited number of applications will be served with the 180-A including some that previously demanded much bulkier and more costly computer equipment A few examples are commercial data processing engineering problem solving off-line data conversion scientific data processing and real time data acquisition data reduction and complex industrial control applications With the 160-A Computer Control Data provides an extensive package of programming aids for many different applications These include Systems Service Programs Interpretive Systems Compilers assemblers commercial programs and General Scientific Programs The 160-A computer will also be used in Control Data's Satelli'e Computer System IBM STRETCH - INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP - W-1 TE PLAINS N Y The IBM STRETCH computer is one of the most po' erful and versatile data-processing systems ever built It was designed and constructed over a five-year period at IBM's laboratories in Poughkeepsie N Y for the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory under contract to the U S Atomic Energy Commission The Los Alamos laboratory is operated for the commission by the University of California The computer features speed memory capacity input-output flexibility checking and multiprogramming capability This solid-state system is vxtremely fast and efficient in solving large technical problems Its general purpose design also provides facilities for high speed flexible handling of variable field length data and decimal arithmetic Speed Working with fourteen-digit numbers the system can make an addition in 1 5 microseconds a multiplication in 2 7 microseconds a division in about 10 microseconds The speed makes possible solutions to problems for which equations are known but which previously were too large or complex for solution at a reasonable cost or in a reasonable length of time Simultaneous Operation STRETCH technology attains its high speeds through the use of ultra-fast circuits transistors and circuit components But it is the principle of simultaneous operation that provides the really large increase in performance over previous systems The computer is organized like an assembly line As each part complete's a task it passes the work on to another machine element and immediately starts its next task while the other parts continue with theirs As a result the main arithmetic unit is free for almost continuous top-speed calculation Facilities within also provide new concepts in multiprogramming-having a number of problems available to the computer so that 'ts various -1- elements can work on diiierent probiems at the same time As many as nine programs nave been run simultaneously in this fashion during test periods Memory Operation of internal core storage is overlapped to vastly increase the effective -ta--iifw The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory system has six magnetic core storage units of 16 384 words each-a total core storage of 98 304 words This is equivalent to more than 1 500 000 decimal digits with data retrieval from any unit in 2 1 millionths of a second Instruction addresses allow a capacity of up to 262 144 words for future expansion Since the system is organized to operate several of these storage units at the same time a continuous flow of more than a million words a second can take place with a peak flow rate capability of about three million words a second A feature of core storage is the large word size-seventy-two bits per word Of these sixty-four are information bits and eight are for error checking and correcting The use of words of this size the largest available in any computer today provides greater precision in solving complex mathematical problems Multiple precision procedures often may be avoided in working with numbers of this size simplifying programming operations A further simplification can be achieved because of the unique addressing features of STRETCH's variable field length operations These operations allow a single instruction to address any sequence of up to sixty-four bits regardless of their position-even if it crosses a word boundary On the major data paths the eight error checking and correcting bits in each word provide automatic correction of single bit errors Disk Stora File Since the Los Alamos computer will use information at a high rate even its large Internal storage may not be sufficient for many of the problems to be encountered Accordingly the system has been equipped with a new large-capacity magnetic disk storage file to supplement internal core storage This unit will store 2 097 152 words each comprising sixty-four information bits The equivalent of 1 200 000 digits of information can be transferred from the file to the core storage units or back in one aLrond It would take less than half-a-minute to read the entire disk file's capacity to or fr -m core storage The file includes a stack of fifty magnetic disks which rotate continuously at 1750 rpm Information is stored on seventy-eight of the 100 disk faces The information disks are arranged in two modules or sets with a comb-like arrangement of forty arms extending over each module to write information on or read information from the disks The arms move in andoutoverthe disk faces but no vertical motion is required Even numbered tracks of information are located on one disk module odd numbered tracks on the other Information is stored on the disks in such a manner that they are read out in half words in parallel The file reads thirty-two information bits and seven error checking and correcting bits then repeats the process for the other half of the word The information is sent to a synchronizer to generate a word with sixty-four information and eight error checking and correcting bits Because of the use of two modules approximately two-thirds of the track-to-track record seeking time is overlapped when the file is used in sequential operations Each comb of arms can position while the other is reading The disk file will be used at Los Alamos to store-for rapid accessibility-programs commonly used as sub-routines as well as for data storage Information may be entered through core storage onto the disks from magnetic tape punched cards or the operators console Input-Output The system utilizes a wide variety of input-output equipment Multiple units may be in operation simultaneously sending information to storage or receiving it from -2- tnge storage Included as on-line input-output units are TIBM '129 Mnde I V mv r LUUU card-a-minute card reader a 250 card-a-minute card punch and a 600 line-a-minute alphameric printer The operator's console described below also functions as an inputoutput unit Operator's Console A new approach is employed in this console which is logically separated from the main computer and functions a an input-output device The keyboard switches lights digital display and console printer all are subject to programmed interpretation and control The Interpretive program therefore may endow this console with ua much sophisticated control function as a programmer may wish to devise permitting a close man-machine relationship that would be quite uneconomical in previous systems On the console are ninety-six binary keys and switches each of which can be programmed to perform any specific function desired A flick of a switch for example could be used to initiate a transfer of storage from memory to disks cards or tape to initiate ILtrace of instructions within the system for display on the console printer to change programs to utilize different information in running a program than was used in previous runs The interpretive approach of the console offers exceptional flexibility and makes possible console facilities that will not be outmoded as new operating techniques are developed Program control of console functions also permits monitoring and logging functions which would be uneconomical as built-in equipment The console's digital display has a capacity of sixteen positions in which the operator can see numerals or special characters representing a number of factors Theme could include a display of the contents of any storage location a count of how many times a program loop has been run or the result of successive iterations to show the approach to a final answer of a problem The digital display eliminates the need for reading a complex of console lights The Exchange A new peak of efficiency in handling input-output devices is provided by a specialized computer within the system It is called the Exchange This acts as a switching center routing information between the internal core storage of the system and eight channels--each able to handle up to eight tape units a card reader a card punch console or printer The Exchange is capable of controlling the flow of 800 000 characters a second from the input-output equipment Processing may proceed without delay within the central processing unit simultaneously with the operation of the various input-output units Central Processing Unit Completely new concepts have been built into the central processing unit to provide a high degree of overlapped operation Thus maximum utilization of the various sections of the central processing unit Is assured at all times Specifically the arithmetic unit is provided with a pro-processed flow of instructions and data ready for execution This substantially increases its efficiency The central processing unit may be considered functionally as three sections each con lbuting to the high degree of overlapped operation and each able to function simultaneously Suring program executions The three are The Instruction Processor The instruction processor is a small computer within the central processing unit having its own storage and arithmetic unit Its function is to obtain inst-uctions from core storage pre-process them for execution in the arithmetic and logical unit and forward them to the Look-Ahead described below As they are transferred to Look-Ahead a request is made for their execution Some instructions actually may be executed entirely within the instruction processor This preliminary processing may be performed for as many as ten instructions in advance of the instruction currently being executed in the arithmetic unit The Look-Ahead A new concept in processor design is incorporated in this unit The Look-Ahead serves as a reservoir of pre-processed instructions together with their data for the use of the very high-speed arithmetic unit By providing a flow of information to the arithmetic unit Look-Ahead effectively increases the storage speed many times to fully utilize the tremendous speed of the arithmetic circuitry p B -3- I The Arithmetic and Logic Unit The arithmetic and logic unit includes two highspeed aritnmetic units Dots o0 Which may be operating during the execution of an instruction providing yet another degree of overlap in instruction execution One of these units utilizes ninety-six-bit parallel adder to perform high-speed floating point arithmetic The other unit operates In serial fashion in variable field-length processing and adjusts its mode of operation between decimal binary or logical operations as specified by the instructions All of the above functions of the central processing unit are carried on concurrently with the operation of this high-speed disk file and the various input-output units Automatic Interruotion The system has the ability to put aside what it is doing to turn to special conditlonj requiring immediate action These may be condittins completely outside the computer's sphere of operations The computer could interrupt its work upon a major problem to make priority calculations on another problem presented to it for rapid solution All other parallel functions in the system would continue without pause After the priority ptoblem is completed the interrupted elements of the system would continue their previous work This interrupt feature is vital in allowing many users quick access to the computer In addition automatic interrupts may be based on conditions within the computerconditions recognized by the computer itself as requiring special action As many as fortyseven separate interrupt conditions are possible This ability to selectively and automatically monitor so many machine or program conditions frees the programmer from tedious and time-consuming testing It provides a positive signal should some exceptional condition arise so that corrective or alternative action may be initiated at once Accuracy and Reliabili The use of solid-state components throughout makes system inherently more reliable than its vacuum tube predecessors In addition it incorporates more self-checking features than any other computer All data transfers and calculations are checked for accuracy and many errors are corrected automatically The reliability was indicated during pre-shipment tests at Poughkeepsie The tests covered five consecutive days of 12-hours-a-day operation and were conducted with a series of programs written by personnel from the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory The system's funtional capability as well as its reliability and serviceability were tested during these program runs During the five-day period the machine averaged 90% good time to total time well above the 80%which had been established as the test criterion NCR 315 304 390 AND 310 - NATIONAL CASH REGISTER COMPANY DAYTON OHIO The National Cash Register Company has a fuUy-developed line of electronic dataprocessing equipment including four separate solid-state systems each with its unique set of features Three of the systems are designed to solve general business and accounting problems each of these systems has distinct advantages under different conditions The fourth system the NCR 310 is designed specifically for use in conjunction with the National Post-Tronic and the Pitney-Bowes National magnetic character sorter in the banking industry NCR 315 The new Class 315 electronic data processing system is a solid-state lowcost computer expansible from a basic system of limited capacity to a powerful full-scale system The computer accepts and delivers large volumes of information in all common business-machine media at high speeds The main memory the random access file the magnetic tape file and the input andoutput systems are all variable in size or capabilities to fit closely the requirements of the user The processor Is available with live different memory sizes capable of storing 6000 to 120 000 decimal digits or 4000 to 80 000 alpha-numeric characters L _____________________________ ____________________ -_ _______________________- ___ _ Un ta slid4n Card 3tajtdm Anama s Uanwnw L • 'DAIUIA asalfa mew No 4% ww t 4 91t system Each unit contains an easily removable cartridge of 256 magnetic cards Each card can store up to 31 100 alpha-rmertc characters in the seven magnetic tracks running down we surface of th enodl ea trekt aa be p• m Ad epqrtely Any card or track In the system Is accossible within 170 miliseconds Access time may be shared There is no Srewinding With U this Ima file the $15 system can process any number of special tlMoations in randoen orderic-ca r t any time at e ystem may include IrLm one to uight magnetic tape file each containing 3600 feet S1 2-inch magnetic tape and capable of storing 21 million alpha-numeric characters or 31 millon decimal aigits of intomeAtlon The input system for the 315 may include up to four magnetic character sorter-readers a punched card reader a paper tape reader and the console typewriter as well as the magnetic tape handlers The output system may include up to four high-speed line printers and card punches in any combination a paper tape punch the console typewriter and the magnetic tape handlers Any input output or memory components not Incorporated in the original system may be added as required To per -it maximum efficiency in the use of input and output units time sharing the peripheral uaits can interrupt a program antomatically Sorter-Reader aorting speed Sorting pockets Document dimensions 750 documents per minute 12 pockets 2-1 2 to 4-1 2 inches wide 5-1 4 to 10 Inches long 003 to 007 inches thick E-13B American Bankers Association specifications Type font Paper Tape Reader Reading speed Tape width Acceptable code 1000 characters per second 5- 6- 7- or 8-channel tape Any code High-speed Printer Printing speed Line length Form width Skipping rate 680 lines per minute 120 characters per line 4 to 22 inches 5040 lines per minute Card Reader Reading speed Acceptable codes 400 or 2000 cards per minute Any code Paper Tape Punch Punching speed Tape width Acceptable code 120 characters per second 5- 6- 7- or 8-channel tape Any code Card Punch Punching speed Acceptable code 250 cards per minute Any code -5- Card Random-Access Memory CRAM 100 000 alpha-numeric characters per second 1 100 alpha-numeric characters per card 5 6 million alpha-numeric characters apercartridge 170 milliseconds 14 milliseconds to card already selected 32 milliseconds per track Transfer rate I Storage Acess time Re-access time Reading time Magnetic Tape File Transfer rate 40 000 or 60 000 alpha-numeric characters per second 500 alpha-numeric characters per inch 3600 feet Variable from two to 16 000 alphanumeric characters Storage density Tape length Record length NCR 304 The Class 304 Electronic Data Processing System is a solid-state mediumcost computer designed specifically for business and comparable large-volume applications Features of the system include provisions for simplified programming a large-capacity memory and high-speed input and output machines which together can handle all common types of business-machine media The magnetic core memory of the 304 may have either 24 000 or 48 000 memory posttions The computer also accommodates up to 64 magnetic tape units each containing 3600 feet of fully-utilized tape The magnetic tape records Information at a density of 250 characters per inch The system employs a basic three-address command structure for programming economy in large-volume applications However there is also available a single-address command list for scientific computation This single-address mode of operation which allows fixed or floating point arithmetic is called Micro-Flow The programmer can switch easily from one command list to the other to obtain maximum results in any application The 304 permits use of National's Electronic Autocoding Technique NEAT a method for simplifying the programming of instructions for such complex procedures as merging sorting summarizing and editing High-speed input machines take information fro i punched cards punched paper tape magnetic tape and media imprinted with magnetic characters Limited information may also be fed into the system through a typewriter at the console Other high-speed machines record input information by punching cards or tape or by printing on paper a line at a time To assure accuracy all data moving through the system is checked at every step from the initial input to the final report Semi-conductors and printed circuits are used throughout the system to keep space cooling and maintenance requirements at a minimum Magnetic Tape File 30 000 alpha-numeric characters per second 250 alpha-numeric characters per inch 3600 feet Variable from 100to 1000 alpha-numeric characters Tiansfer rate Storage density Tape length Record le igth -6- Card iteaaer 2000 cards per minute Any code Reading speed Acceptable code Tape Reader Reading speed Tape width Acceptable code 1800 characters per second 5- 6- 7- or 8-channel tape Any code Sorter Reader Sorting speed Sorting pockets Document dimensions 750 documents per minute 12 pockets 2-1 2 to 4-1 2 inches wide 5-1 4 to 10 inches long 003 to 007 inches thick E-13B American Bankers Association specifications Type font High-speed Printer Printing speed Line length Form width Skipping rate 680 lines per minute 120 characters per line 4 to 22 inches 5040 lines per minute Paper Tape Punch Punching speed 3 600 alpha-numeric characters per minute 5- 8- 7- or 8-channeltape 304 code and any other code Tape width Acceptable codes Card Punch Punching speed Acceptable code 250 cards per minute Any code NCR 390 The Class 390 electronic data-processing system see DCN July 1960 consists of a central processor a console units to read punched paper tapes or punched cards used as input media and auxiliary equipment to create punched paper tape or punched cards and to control other peripheral equipment The 390 is a solid-state magnetic core fully transistorized processor that may be integrated into all existing data-processing systems Two important features of the 390 provide a low-cost system for general business use the first is a unique magnetic ledger card which stores data in magnetic tape strips on the back of the form yet carries all necessary printed information for reference and auditing on the front of the form The second feature is a programmable printer capable of printing final results in any columnar arrangement on multiple forms and reports In general commercial data-processing systems have the same basic requirements the system must have the ability to perform arithmetic calculations the ability to classify summarize and distribute transactions and entries the ability to print and maintain accounting records and files for reference purposes the ability to create payroll oilling and other documents and the ability to organize all of this information into statistics and reports for management The 390 can perform all of these operations -7- - The system has two kinds of memory external and internal The external memory is data stored in machine language in magnetic ledgers punched paper tape or punched cards The external memory is used to store detailed accounting information and programs The internal memory in of magnetic core design and consists of 200 twelve-digit memory cells The internal memory is used to accumulate totals during processing and for storage of program instructions The internally stored program may be modified at will by the monitor The monitor may also extract information or insert new data or new instructions at an7 time without disturbing the computer program Paper Tape Reader Reading speed Acceptable code Tape width 400 characters per second 390 clde 5-channel tape Card Punch Punching spiod Acceptable code 250 cards per minute Any code Magnetic Ledger Card 200 digits or more Magnetic storage NCR 310 The Class 310 controller-computer designed primarily for the banking industry permits ful automationof all paper handling sorting listing and posting when used in conjunction with a Pitney-Bowes National sorter reader For banks using the automated POST-TRONIC the 310 automatically punches the account number transaction code and amount of each check and deposit into paper tape while these items are being processed by the sorter Simultaneously all items are tested for validity of account number transaction code ABA number and pre-ence of a dollar amount digit As items are being qualified and fine sorted the S10 directs the documents to specific pockets based on entire account number Identification High volume accounts can therefore be immediately sorted without modification of the account number Paper Tape Punch Punching speed Tape width Acceptable code 110 characters per second 8-channel tape NCR POST-TRONIC code Paper Tape Reader Reading speed Tape width Acceptable code 350 characters per second 5 6 or 7 Any code Sorter Reader Sorting speed Sorting pockets Document dimensions 750 documents per minute 12 pockets 2-1 2 to 4-1 2 inches wide 5-1 4 to 10 inches long 003 to 007 inches thick Type font U-13B American Bankers Association specifications 8- j ORACLE - OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY - OAK RIDGE TENNESSEE Oak Ridge Natinnal Laboratory's gencral purpose computer ORACLE see LCN October 1957 was shut down on May 22 1961 for the purpose of installing a new magnetic tape unit This unit is being integrated into the ORACLE utilizing existing unused order combinations in the input-output list There is a two-fold purpose in adding this tape unit first it will provide a needed additional auxiliary memory for internal use second it will provide a means of direct communication of IBM BCD format between ORACLE and IBM's 7090 or its peripheral equipment The tape itself is a modified Potter 906 Mod 11 with Potter's transistorized servo and transport control and Potter's dual read-write head for checking while writing The transistorized read and write amplifiers were designed and constructed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory The control logic was designed and constructed utilizing commercially available EECO transistor logic modules The order list is as follows Oracle Mode 83 - Write one record of n words 10 Hex characters per word 93 - Read one record IBM BCD Mode 8B - Write one record of n words 6 BCD characters per word 8F - Write end of file 9B - Read one record Common Mode 87 - Rewind to load point 97 - Hunt back one record 9F- Hunt forward one record It is expected that the ORACLE will be back in operation within one month of the shutdown date PHILCO 2400 - PH LCO CORP - WILLOW GROVE PENNA The new Philco 2400 is a low-cost high-capacity data-handling system Designed as an adjunct to the Philco 2000 Electronic Data-Processing System see DCN April 1957 and April 1959 the 2400 eliminates the need for buffer-controllers in a 2000 System as well as the need for individual controllers for each input-output unit Controls for input-output units are built right into the 2400 In addition the 2400 relieves the 2000 of all time-consuming inputoutput and data-preparation workloads This leaves the 2000 System free to perform computational work at peak efficiency A 2000 and a 2400 can be coordinated to operate in parallel on portions of a job best suited to each computer thereby reducing problem time and increasing system capacity The 2400 contains 8192 characters of random-access core storage simplified controls and stored-program processing which permits editing searching and selecting sorting and data translating The console has convenient monitoring mnd control features designed for the oporator who is servicing input-output devices These features include automatic load control and program control Inquiry typewriters are available as options fcr operator control and direct access to memory locations The basic 2400 system provides for additional input-output devices and future memory expansion Reduction of required floor space maintenance and power are Just a few of the economical features of the compactly designed 2400 9- Wiih iis asynchronous organization of memory processor program control and independent input-output channels the 2400 gives users the maximum amount of simultaneous inputoutput operations High-speed core storage of up to 32 768 directly addressable characters naiets individual user's needs Innut-Outout Functions In Its performance of all input-output functions for 2000 Systems the 2400 uses standard Philco input-output devices However controller units and programmed plugboards are replaced by the stored-program processing of the 2400 in combination with minimum control circuitry for each input-output device The 2400 accommodates a complete selection of Philco 2000 input-output devices on eight autonomous channels Since these channels are character oriented they are readily adaptable to high-speed data links mass storage files character reading device' and output displays Up to eight Magnetic Tape Units can be addressed by each input-outiut channel selected for magnetic tape use Two magnetic tape channels can be operated simultaneously for a read-write speed up to 180 000 characters per second The selection of input-output operations is controlled by a combination of operator inputs program and controls which are coded into the data itself The operations which can be selected include the control of information to be punched and or printed the determination of end of information the accumulation of control totals and the selection of mode or printing Processing Functions Valuable computer and data transfer time are saved by the performance of the transnating packing and editing phases of data preparation on a 2400 As a result the 2000 deals only with preprocessed and verified data Savings in excess of 15% of storage space and access time are realized as well as an average saving of 25% of available computer time In addition to input-output processing the 2400 can also function as a powerful auxiliary processor to the 2000 Typical operations which can be shared by the 2400 for over-all system economy include information retrieval and data select sorting and merging binary and decimal arithmetic and computations Search functions of the 2400 are designed for fast and efficient information retrieval Data-streams from high-speed devices are scanned at the full speed of the devices As a result the continuous flow of input data Is not interrupted For economical preparation of reports the 2400 recognizes data codes then selects the program and format required The 2400 is therefore completely compatible with existing 2000 data select features Fast sorting is accomplished on the 2400 by expanded memory simultaneots tape operations extra tape stations and special sort instructions General data-processing Instructions include binary and decimal arithmetic logical decisions transfers and shifts Processinj ability maybe expanded by the addition of multiply and divide functions Expanded Processing Ability The basic 2400 system can be expanded In modular fashion and remain balanced Fior this reason a system can be designed to give a customer as much data-processing power as he now needs and can later be expanded to fill his future needs To extend this idea as many 2400 systems as necessary can connect and coordinate a number of on-site or remote locations with a 2000 System System Reliability Complete data accuracy for the entire 2000 - 2400 operation is assured by the built-in checking features of both systems Incoming data may be audited and the validity of each Item may be checked by program Step-by-step checking through the entire machine cycle Is performed as follows Input-output devices are field proven and have built-in parliy checking operation includes double- read-said-compare - Punched-card 10- 0 rA - Pirl - iy lis ui-rrsui iua-UUgh inierktu prvceisssu Additional program checking may be tailored to the user's needs Preventive maintenance and diagnostic routines assure complete machine reliability Philco 2000 and 2400 tape units provide Immediate readbeek for lateral and loaitudinal checking - Data characters found to be in error can in many cues be automatically corrected by program 4 UNIVAC 1107 THIN-FILM MEMORY COMPUTER - REMINGTON RAND UNIVAC NEW YORK N Y The Remington Rand Univac 1107 Thin-Film Memory Computer the first of the third generation of commercially available electronic computers and the first computer to employ thin magnetic film memory is an advanced solid-state data-processing system It was designed and developed to solve both complex problems off-line and real-time problems on-line The system employs a separate thin magnetic film control memory with several internal features which enable the user to gain additional speeds beyond those built in by electronic circuitry These features include 16 arithmetic registers 15 index registers with automatic incrementation and partial word transfer capabilities The new 1107 accesses its film memory more than 1 000 000 times per second in normal operation Its two large banks of core memory are accessed up to 500 000 times per second In addition to the film memory the system employs a ferrite-core memory of from 16 384 to 65 536 words depending on the requirements of the user The thin magnetic film memory a 7 year intensive research and development of Remington Rand Univac represents a breakthrough in the field of electronic data processing It enables the 1107 to attain internal referencing rates of speed measured In billionths of a second as compared to the millionths of a second for previous computer systems For example the cycle time from the thin-film memory is only 0 6 microseconds as compared with the cycle time of ferrite-core memories most advanced previous memory design of 1 5 microseconds The thin film is a ferro-magnetic film a few millionths of an Inch thick made by depositing vapors of iron nickel cobalt or other ferro-magneotc metals or their alloys on a suitable sub-strate such as thin glass plate The film has very unusual properties when deposition Is made wnder controlled conditions For example if a magnetic field is applied parallel to the surface of the sub-strate during deposition the thin film then becomes easier to magnetize in the direction of the field in which it was applied than it is at right angles to that direction This property permits the magnetic state of such a film to be switched in as little as 1 billionth of a second In a computer memory this means that information can be stored in and retrieved from the memory with a speed directly related to the speed required for switching the magnetic state of the memory All of the older types of memories such as electric relays or vacuum tubes mexcury delay lines magnetic drums and ferrite cores were capable only of much slower speeds Ferrite cores the fastest of the previous types could ht rated only as high as millionths of a second Thin magnetic film memories may ultimately permit a thousandfold increase in computer memory speed tTo fabricate arrays of ferro-magnetic film for computer use the metal must be deposvaced in the presence of a magnetic field onto the sub-strafe using an evaporative process in a Svau mn of the order of 10-5 or 10-6 mm of mercury Z A very delicate operation is employed to connect these deposits of film to the computer circuitry Since ordinary wihes cannot be used a multi-layer printed wiring on plastic - 11- materal Var-A Mameti i rantirad M ar 14 jist h jiruistm circuit -rho arrays made up of individual circular ferro-magnetlc film elements about 1 2 inm 1 50-inch in diameter are placed on the multi-layer circuit etched in a grid pattern When the copper matrix is covered with the arrays It is closed to connect the circuit and the memory li then completed In addition to the high-speed switching-time Thin-Film has other unique and valuable properties - 1 Thin-Film memory is of the catalogue type that is its store of information can be interrogated and read-out millions of times without destruction -2 - It-requires leas electric power for energization than do other memories Ferro-magnetic film elements can now be produced which are so small and have such fast switching speeds that they make possible computers of smaller size and much greater capability than have been svailable to date A Thin-Film memory built with non-destructive read-outpropertieswllU mak computers more reliable than they have been to date since the memory cannot be destroyed or affected by use In addition the production of thin magnetic film lends itself well to automation and therefore computers should be produced far more economically in the future When Thin Magnetic Film begins to be used for performing logic as well as for memory functions computers will have even greater capabilities and will be well on their way to selfadaptive functions I e organizing themselves to do a Job in the best possible way and even to program themselves The net result is to provide the 1107 with capabilities found only in much costlier largescale systems and to enable it to efficiently and economically process a wide range of commercial scientific and military applications Typical applications that can be processed on the 1107 are scientific computation data reduction ana analyses digital communication and switching systems tactical data and control systems simulation logistics and intelligence systems traffic control reservation systems and inventory and scheduling systems The 1107 has a highly versatile input-output section which can accommodate a wide range of peripheral equipment External units can be used to provide a hierachy of auxiliary storage such as drums discs and tapes Others such as card units printers and document-sensing devices serve as Input and output equipment The 1107 can also communicate with many other reel-time devices such as analog-todigital and digital-to-maalog converters key sets printing telegraph equipment digital communication radar and tracking systems diVsplay systems and other data-processing devices In spite of Its ability to perform so wide a range of applications the 1107 computer requires comparatively small floor space A typical configuration acutally occupies only 150 square feet exclusive of passageways work areas etc The system is appreciably lower In cost than less advanced equipment Rental charges range from $40 000 to $60 000 per month depending on configuration Delivery is 18 months to 2 years following acceptance of contract COMPUTING CENTERS BENDIX G-20 INSTALLATION - CARNEGIE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY PITTSBURGH PENNA A Bendix G-20 see DCN April 1980 and January-April 1961 which can be operated by remote consoles 1500 feet away is being installed in the Carnegie Institute of Technology Computation Center Installation of the basic units of the G-20 was begun following removal -12- of the old computer from the Graduate School of Industrial Administration Certain of the remioe consoies and storage uwits wiii oe instaLled this summer The new 0-20 was selected because of its high speed the capacity and information exchange rate of its storage units its time-sharing ability and itt low cost-about $850 000 The needs for and uses of a computer on the Carnegie Tech campus are wide and varied Some examples are 1 Teach the use of the computer 2 Implement research projects of graduate students and staff in the university's general research program 3 Discover new uses of the computer Two of the major research projects in this area are devising new means for the computer to serve as an aid in management decision making and developing methods to study human thought processes through simulation 4 Play the management game by the businessmen enrolled in the Program for Executives and by students in the Graduate School of Industrial Administration 5 Ease the teaching load by grading problems 6 Act as a teaching machine for students in mastering certain drill problems in the areas of mathematics engineering and physical sciences 7 Apply data-processing procedures to university administration functions The computer also will serve as the central element in a new doctoral program in systems and communications sciences which Carnegie Tech will offer this fall The availability of low price in-out stations for the G-20 computer is another great advantage of this system If people can request access to the computer from a distance-and the computation center plans to have several of these remote stations-this will increase the usefulness of computers The computer will become a natural part of the educational process and merge into the dynamics of research in progress in a much more direct way than it is at present The remote consoles will be used by students and faculty Through the consoles they will directly request execution of their programs kept permanently recordedby the central computer A unique quality of the computer is its control buffer system which by performing many functions formerly assigned to the machine's central processor serves to break an operational log jam that limits the performances of many computers The G-20 buffer once ordered into action by the central computer can under its own control proceed to read punched tape or punched cards look up data stored on magnetic tape and print or punch required output Meanwhile the central computer Is left free to handle additional computation work The new G-20 is a completely transistorized system that can do up to 83 000 additions or subtractions per second and reads and writes on magnetic tape at 240 000 decimal digits per second The G-20 magnetic tape system can read information equal to a 400 page book in less than 11 seconds andonehigh-speedG-20 printer could reprint the same book in just 12 minutes HIGH-SPEED ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL CONVERTER SYSTEM - PACIFIC MISSILE RANGE POINT MUGU CALIFORNIA A high-speed analog-to-digital converter system is now operational at the U S Naval Missile Center Pacific Missile Range Point Mugu The system will accept three types of telemetry data pulse amplitude modulated data PAM pulse duration modulated data PDM and frequency division multiplex type data FM The FM data is processed at a sampling rate of 6686 samples per second All data is output in a binary format The systein consists of analog tape reproduce units FM discriminators a range-time tape search unit and a Microsadic digitizer system The microsadic system is made up of an electronic commutator for multiplexing up to 12 FM signals an 1800-bit core buffer and a digital tape recorder For time-data correlation the 1KC range-time carrier is counted t - 13- and accumulated from a known starting point by the time accumulator ter aiiows writing PiDi and PAM Uia in nLWiW-d MIM ape lurmaL The 1800-bit core but- PM data is written in a gapless tape format In this way FM data is not lost between records In the pipless format all data is contained in tape Channels 1 2 4 8 and A A 1-bit in Channel B is used exclusively to Indicate an end-of-record and at all other times the contents of Channel Bare zeros Upon sensing a B-bit transmission is terminated and the tape upon stopping backspaces past the B-bit and stops again To read the next record the tape is set in motion ind attains reading speed before the B-bit is read Transmission commences on the first tape character following the B-bit Recently a 36-bit buffer was placed between the Microsadic and the computer enabling the unpacking to be handled external to the computer and permitting direct entry of data to the computer Transistorized printed circult modular construction is used throughout the Microsadic system In summary this system provides the following capabilities 1 Analog-to-digital conversion of time and telemetry data with recording on magnetic tape in a form compatible with the computer format 2 Direct entry of time and digitized data via the buffer into the IBM 709 or 7090 c0mputer 3 Playback of digital telenmetry tapes through the buffer into the computer In addition the use of the buffer provides limited computer word format controls and the ability to Increase the rate of entry of data in the computer 4 Digital FM telemetry tapes prepared by the system can be placed on a standard type 729 magnetic tape unit and read directly into the 709 through a modified type 755 tape control unit at standard IBM tape speeds COMPUTATION CENTER - U S NAVAL WEAPONS LABORATORY DAHLGREN VIRGINIA The Automatic Digital Data Assembly System ADDAS a pa -t of the Naval Space Surveillance System has been constructed to the state where data transmitted by phone line from one of the remote sources is being assembled on magnetic tapes suitable f r input to the NORC or the IBM 7090 Automatic equipment for the other remote sources is under construction Installation of a computer to be devoted to space surveillance work in planned for late 1961 and the ADDAS will ultimately be connected as an on-line input to this computer A more detailed description of the ADDAS was given in the April 1960 Digital Computer Newsletter COMPUTERS AND CENTERS OVERSEAS ARGUS - FERRANTI LTD - LONDON ENGLI ND In recent years there have been fundamental changes in the characteristics of Industrial plants and in the functions of the human beings who run them Plants have become larger and processes enormously more complex so that very difficult control problems have arisen The work of the human operator has become little more than supervisory-the actual plant operation being regulated by automatic control systems under the operator's command Computers have been used for some time for logging industrial data to produce additional information for the plant operators Now the stage has been reached when the local automatic control devices themselves are being supervised by a central digital computer As a result the human operator becomes even more remote-though he still stays in full command Latest technique in computers for plant control is represented by the Ferranti Argus digital computer see DCN April 1959 a machine developed specifically for this type of work It possesses the flexibility normally associated with digital computers but also incorporates features which distinguish it from general-purpose machines and make it particularly well suited to process-control applications - 14 - The Argus is a fast and powerful digital computer uith a time-sharing facility which Makes ueverai programst once ari dealwf• witl several different UMsun Of U• £I 5 41U plants and processes concurrently A comprehensive range of input and output equipment is available for connecting the computer to a large variety of instrtsments and devices in Indostrial plants Both the computer and its associated equipments are of exceptinal relIablltty Information can be read into the computer from as many as several hundred instruments In a plant subjected to any necessary mathematical operations and then used to generate may required number of output signals These output signals may be for direct control of the plant for plant supervision or for operating logging devices Because of the time-sharing system the input and output signals need not all be concerned with the same process The electronic design of the Argus computer is based on circuits constructed entirely from solid-state components The machine uses binary serial parallel fixed-point arithmetic and has a word length which may be either 12 or 24 binary digits With 12-digit numbers addition operations are carried out in 20 microseconds multiplication in an average of 100 microseconds and division in 200 microseconds Programming the machine is done manually by inserting small pegs of magnetic material into holes drilled in printed circuits which are arranged in trays Reading-out of the stored information is done by energizing the printed conductors on the one face of a tray and the pegs cause currents to be induced in certain of the conductors on the other face depending on the pattern in which the pegs are inserted The high-speed working store is a magnetic core matrix type Backing-up storage of 50 000 words can be provided by a magnetic drum The time-shartng feature of the design mentioned earlier is achieved by a system which enables the main program to be Interrupted at regular intervals to allow a special routine of instructions to be carried out-as may be required for regularly examining some quantity in the controlled process and taking necessary corrective action Another useful facility allows for direct writing into or reading out of the magnetic core store by independent equipment such as magnetic tape units which cannot be synchronized withthe computer The individual computing elements from which the Argus is built up are versatile units constructed as printed-circuit packages with 36 packages in a box These boxes can in fact be assembled very quickly to form different types of digital control systems Recently a special control computer using them was designed and built in three months while a variety of data logging systems designed on this principle are currently being assembled o meet specific requirements Because of its flexibility and reliability the Argus computer system can be used in many industries at all levels of application between data logging and direct 'on-line' control Financial justification for installing a computer for control purposes can be found in increased efficiency and productivity of the plant in lower costs of labor or material in increased safety and in improved consistency of output-particularly in plants where satisfactory control is difficult to achieve by other means On the large plants of today even small Increases in efficiency can produce enormous savings Alternatively there is the consideration that a single computer can control by timesharing techniques several smill plants of completely different characteristics Thus In cases where it might be difficult to find financial justification for applying computer control to only one process the savings obtained on several small units could be as beneficial as for a single large plant For certain processes with the right kind of characteristics it In possible to replace all coaiventional control devices by an Argus system An example of this is the system which has been ordered from Ferranti by Imperial Chemical Industries for the direct control of one of their chemical plants at Fleetwood in Lancashire - 1 - When the installation of new instrumentation became necessary for this chemical plant it - CA - 4 u- 'A uup in a digiial computer rather than to Install a large number of individual analog controllers in a conventional system • The Installed price of the digital controel syiiiem Is slightly higher than that of the conventiona l analo system but the central availability of all process data In the digital computer offers manybenefits which could not otherwise be achieved For example the process variables will be logged on magnetic tape in such a way as to facilitate mathematical analysin of the plant characteristics on a Ferranti Mercury computer until recently one of the fastesi digital computers in Europe The knowledge gained in this way will gradually be incorporated into the Argus program so that ultimately the independent control loops which are built into it will be subject to over-all supervision by a master section of the program About 100 individual control loops in the I C I plant will be replaced by the Argus computer which will have a program capacity of 1024 instructions and core storage for 1024 words Over 300 analog signals of six different types are to be read in one group of 100 points being selected in a total time of 1 16-second Outputs for controlling the settings of nearly 100 pneumatically operated valves are also being provided The fact that the computer operates directly on the process is the most important feature of this application of Argue A more orthodox approach would have been for the computer to operate throughthe agency of conventional controllers or in parallel with them to guard against the possibility of equipment failure The reliability of the Argus equipment however coupled with the docile nature of the 1 C I process makes such precautions unnecessary Furthermore the Argus is one of the few process computers anywhere in the world which are sufficiently fast to carry out this form of direct control of a larg a number of loops In addition to the Argus system ordered for the control of a chemical plant another Argus system is being considered for control operations on a large boiler SIRIUS - FERRANTI LTD - LONDON ENGLAND The Sirius computer see DCN July 1959 is a small transistorized general-purpose digital machine which can be installed in a medium-sized room and plugged into the domestic mains supply CostingonlyZ18 450 basic price it has been designed for establishments which have a definite need for a versatile stored-program computer but cannot justify the purchase of a large installation Being a general-purpose machine it is suitable for a wide variety of uses in industry commerce science and technical education Commercial data processing industrial data logging and process control are as much within its ambit an scientific and technical calculations The machine is easy to use as numbers are represented in decimal form and can be displayed to the operator in this form at any time An automatic programming language or Autocode allows it to be used by people who are not trained as programmers Thus the Sirius does not need a staff of computer specialists permanently in attendance to oejorate it And being small and relatively inexpensive it does not have to be kept permanently occupied to justify itself economically I is an ideal machine for do-it-yourself computing Present users include small and medium-sized establishments as well as individual departments of much larger organizations The computer is constructed as an upright cabinet fronted by a flat steel desk at which The cabinet which contains the transistor electronic circuitry measthe operator siti ures 6 feet 9 inches wide by 4 feet 9 inches high by 10 inches deep The desk measures 6 feet 6 inches wide by 2 feet 10 inches deep Together they occupy a floor space of 25 square feet Notpart of the basic computer but requiring some additional floor space are the paper-tape editing desk and output punch -1a ofl i w4-uiwai can be inLsuaied comtortauly in a room of about 150 square feet Most establishments will have no difficulty in finding a place for the computer that is convenlently situated for the people who have to use it The total welght 1 13 cwt and as no special power supplies are Aiecessary the machine can be moved from one room to another without undue trouble Power consumption is actually 600 watts for the computer Itself or about 2 kilowatts for a fall installation With such a small dissipation of electrical power no special cooling or ventilating facilities are pecessary What 'then are the main operating characteristics of the Sirius As already mentioned numbers are represented In decimal form inside the machine actually binary-coded declmal5 the length of a computer word being 10 decimal dip its The same system Is used In the punched paper-lape Input and output equipment so the computer's task of reading-in data and w ting out results in greatly simplified Decimal numbers can also be enterod manually by pressing rows of ten keys on a keyboard unit while the contents of certain registers in the machine are presented on two monitor displays each consisting of a row of ten illuminated numerals level with the operator's eyes One of the displays always shows the Instruction which has just been obeyed The other shows the contents of a register selected by the operator Sirius operates in the serial mode and is therefore not as fast as parallel computers but nevertheless a word consisting of 10 decimal digits takes only 80 microseconds to pass through the arithmetic unit The time taken to perform instructions in a program varies with the nature of the instructions but ranges from 0 24 milliseconds for operations involving only the arithmetic unit to about 8 milliseconds for multiplication or division Average programs are performed at a speed of about 1000 instructions per second An important feature of the machine is that it has multiple accumulators for performing arithmetic operations-eight in all This makes it easier and quicker to write programs and also increases the speed with which the computer performs them The contents of any accumulator can be used to modify the address of an instruction for example so that repetitive procedures can be easily written in the programs A single level of storage is used in the machine In other words there is no distinction between a working store and a main store so that no time is wasted on transfers of numbers from one to the other The basic computer has a storage capacity of 1000 words provided by torsional delay lines of great reliability This can be readily extended In multiples of 100 words by adding extra storage units making possible a total storage capacity of 10 000 words The normal input and output medium for the Sirius is punched paper tape The tape readers operate at 25Q characters per second and the output tape punch at 60 characters per second Other input output equipment may however be fitted Fast tape punches 110 characters second or direct output printers 10 characters second may also be supplied while analog digital and digital analog converters can be fitted for data logging and processcontrol applications Error detecting facilities are provided in Sirius for guarding against errors introduced by the operator or by faults in the equipment or by mischances such as nuimbers gelting too big for their storage registers Automatic checking procedures are applied to the paper-tape input output equipment and to the storage system while the computer Is In operation and any such errors cause the machine to stop An overfThw register notes when any numbers get too large for the capacity of their storage registerb Considerable experience gained from the whole range of Ferranti computers has gone into the design of the programming system Over 60 different functions are made available by the instruction code Each instruction occupies one computer word of 10 decimal digits A typical example as displayed on the instruction monitor mentioned earlier might be 000372 11 53 The first six digits 000372 are a store address or a constant the next two digits 11 are a code number identifying the order to be perfor'med while the last two digits 523 are the identification numbers of two accumulators - 17 - In this case the instruction literally means add the contents of accumulator S to the conwill store the result Since one of the decimal monitors shows the instruction which has just been obeyed and the other is used to display the contents of any accumulator it is easy to demonstrate in readily understood decimal terms the effect of each instruction on the operation of the computer An automatic programming system is also provided for the Sirius This is normally used with the Sirius Autocode compiled for the machine but has the special feature that it will also accept programs written in the well-established Pegasus Autocode Since there are now a great many Pegasus Autocode programs in existence this facility gives the Sirius user the benefit of a large number of ready-made programs Autocode programs are actually performed twice as fast on Sirius as they are on Pegasus Arithmetic and other operations in the machine are performed by majority-decision logical elements consisting of circuits built up from semiconductor diodes transiýtors and transforms re The circuits are constructed in the form of plug-in packages of which there are some 700 of ten different types This form of construction allied with robust electronic components working under conservative conditions ensures great reliability in the operation of the machine Since the latest model of Sirius computer was introduced last year ten of these machines have been ordered SIEMENS 2002 INSTALLATION - GUTENBERG UNIVERSITY MAINZ GERMANY In August 1960 a medium-size digital computer Siemens 2002 was installed at the Institute of Applied Mathematics Gutenberg University Mainz The Computer has been in operation since October 1 1960 ITITUTO DI FISICA TEORICA - UNIVERSITY OF NAPLES NAPLES ITALY A new laboratory for the construction of self-organizing machines and other brain models is being organized in Naples under Prof E R Calaniello in the Scuola di Perfeslonamento in Fisica Teorica e Nucleare of the University of Naples Some of the ideas which will be leading intothe program are tobe found in E R Caianiello's Theory of thought processes and thinking machines in the 2nd issue of the Journal of Theoretical Biology Prof Norbert Wiener who spent 4 months in Naples during the present academic year intends to join the Scuola di Perfezionamento in Fisica Teorica e Nuclear again for one year beginning next February to work on brain waves and cyberneticail theory ELEA 6001 - C OLIVETTI C S p A LABORATORIO DI RICERCHE ELETTRONICHE MILAN ITALY The Olivetti Elea 6001 is a medium size fully transistorized digital computer designed for scientific applications Since generally in scientific computations internal speed and flexibility are more important than input-output capacity the Elea 6001 following a widely accepted practice has adopted punched paper tape as the main input-output medium while at the same time variable length words and instructions allow complete exploitation of the magnetic c ýre storage - 18- IL Di n lt ' t 3 ' hcý iiinti it vure memory twere is a magnetic tape unit which can handle reels with a capacity of four million characters This magnetic tape unit which is directly connected with the high-speed storage acts as an auxiliary memory and allows computation of large equations systems withou any limitation in the number of unknowns since the intermediate results can be easily stored on magnetic tape and thence transferred back to the main storage when required Machine Coding A four-bit decimal-binary code is used in the Elea 6001 2' or 04 different characters are therefore possible The numerals and six arithmetic and special symbols are thus represented by a single digit while the alphabetic characters together with other special symbols are expressed by a two-digit code The punched paper tape which is the usual medium for input and output uses a sixchannel code The translation for six-bit digits to four-bit digits and or to two-digit characters is completely automatic and does not require a conversion program No fixed length words are adopted The end of each word instructions or data can be sensed by the machine in two ways by a word-mark bit which is recorded on a sixth memory plane under the last digit of the word or by a key-character chosen by the programmer The Central Processing Unit - The Elea 6001 central processing unit contains in a compact cabinet the main storage the logic circuits and the control devices for the input and output equipments Memor The main storage of the Elea 6001 can store 10 000 decimal digits on a fourbit code It is made with magnetic ferrite cores assembled on five planes of 100 x 100 cores The fifth plane is used to record a parity bit for checking purposes A sixth plane stores the end-of-the-word bits The magnetic core memory can also perform the functions of the accumulators and of index registers in addition to storing data and instructions Any location of the memory can be selected for this purpose by a special instruction and reset to its previous storage when necessary Up to nine supplementary matrices of 100 x 100 cores can be added to the basic storage thus increasing the capacity to 100 000 digits Microprogramming Technique The arithmetical and logical functions in the Elea 6001 are performed through a magnetic core device called logical sequence matrix This matrix which is built as a small magnetic core memory permanently stores a number of elementary instructions which are selected according to the operation code of the machine instructions and executed one or several times until the actual machine instruction has been performed A basic Elea 6001 has one logical sequence matrix which provides for 121 actual machine instructions Three supplementary matrices can be added to the system The first supplementary matrix gives the Elea 6001 a set of direct machine instructions for floating point arithmetic and sin x cos x ex lognX etc computations The two other matrices can be built according to the customer's special requirements and so microprogrammed to give the system a set of direct machine instructions most frequently needed by its scientific users Control Devices A set of interconnection registers nineteen of which are small magnetic core buffers and six are flip-flops controls the interconnection between the main storage and the input-output units A console Is provided for the usual operator functions with a keyboard and a set of lamps which display the internal machine operations Input and Output The basic unit is a photoelectric punched paper tape reader which reads the tape at a rate of 800 characters per second The punched tape is read twice and information from the first reading is stored and checked against that of the second reading - 19 - In case of misreading-which is signaled by the console display lamps-branch instructions contained in the program provide for error correction A purr tape punch with a punching rate of 50 characters per second is the main output unit of the basic system The basic Elea 6001 has also a teletypewriter connected which can be used both as a low speed input-oiW put unit and as an inquiry station The teletypewriter in addition to printing can at the same time be coupled to a punch thereby simultaneously preparing a tape suitable for future input The Elea 6001 being a modulat system can also use magnetic tape units for input and output and for file storage purposes Up to six magnetic tape units with a reading speed oi 22 500 characters per second can be connected to the system An on-line printer printing 300 lines of 102 characters per minute can also be connected to the system as an output unit when large volumes of data are handled Upon request of the user the Elea 0001 can also be connected to a card reading unit 500 cards per minute and to a card punching unit 150 cards per minute These punched cards units canbe used as input-output equipment instead of the punched paper tape units or as auxiliary Input-output devices All input and output units whether card paper tape or magnetic tape units are completely buffered so that overlapping of input and output operations with internal nrocessing is thoroughly possible Instruction Coding -The instruction repertoire made available by the first logical sequence matrix which is standard on all Elea eOO1 systems contains 121 instructions for arithmetic operations logical operations comparisons character transmission between high-speed storage zones single-bit operations handling of constants search of characters whose location in high-speed storage i unknown table look up branching on external as well as an Internal conditions input-output instructions and many others Because of the particular logic of the Elea 6001 and since all arithmetic operations can be performed in the main storage the instructions while containing only one explicit address are actually two or three-address instructions Relying on the interconnection registers for storing partial or even complete addresses it is possible not to write the addresr of the operand in many instructions Moreover there is no need of indicating the length of the information affected by the instructions since the machine will automatically sense the end-of-the-word bit stored on the sixth memory place Thus the full instruction is composed of three parts OP I AAAA address index register operation code if in a program we have to operate on address 1231 write the instruction OP I 1231 and immedtatW - after we want to operate on address 1235 we can write the second instruction thus OP I 5 - 20- since the first three digits of the address having remained unchanged had been previously stored in one of the Interconnection registers In case many consecutive Instructions in acting on the same address it is sufficient to write the address only the first time thus OP I 1231 it OlPf O P r The machine will automatically complete the instructions which follow the first one picking up the address which had been automatically stored by an Interconnection register It must be noted that many instructions have a single-digit operation cols thus even less memory space is required for the program Oe rations Time In the Elea 6001 the execution time for each instruction varies according to the program in which the instruction is contained an optimized program does the same Job of a non-optimized one but in a shorter time since all the coding and programming facilities have been used efficiently Thus only average execution times can be indicated In microsecon-fs memory accesses included they are for 10-digits operand the following Addition Multiplication Fixed Point Microprogrammed Floating Point Floating Point Subroutine 364 3804 2198 3426 9400 8900 The transmission of one digit requires 24 microseconde and the memory access time is 6 microseconds The basic time of the logical sequence matrix is 4 microseconds Programming Service A full programming service is available for the Elea 6001 user Pre-tested programs for standard mathematical computations like for instance matrix calculus solution of integral and differential equations etc and diagnostic and monitor programs are provided A P S Two automatic programming languages are available to users of the Elea 6001 thus enormously improving the performance of the system while easing programming effort The first one which is called APS Assemblatore Programmi Scientific-Scientific Programs Assembler is a simple symbolic language which provides for writing a program but avoids most of program coding troubles The APS is based on a translator program which compiles a program written in symbolic language into a machine language program through the assembling of standard subroutines PALGO A more advanced automatic programming language named PALGO Programmazione Algoritmlca-Algorithmic Programming is available which uses the main symbols and phases of the ALGOL 60 symbolic language PALGO is a slightly reduced version of ALGOL 60 This reduction has been suggested by the size of the machine and for allowing a speedier compiler However any compiler which can translate into machine language programs written in ALGOL 60 can also translate programs written in PALGO DIGITAL STORAGE FOR ANALOG COMPUTER - REDIFON LTD - CRAWLEY ENGLAND Combining a small analog computer with a digital storage unit is a new approach to computing equipment opening up fields of application which cannot be tackled economically by conventional computing machines Introduced by Redifon Ltd as an addition to their RADIC Redifon Analogue Digital Computing system this combined equipment offers large computing capacity and a high degree of flexibility at low cost The equipment demonstrated at the international exhibition of measurement control and automation techniques MESUCORA ii Paris on 9th - 17th May showed how a small analog computer with only ten operational amplifiers -21 - can become the equivalent of a much larger computing assembly when equippea witn a aigitai storage unit The two parts of the new equipment are being made available separately so that organizations already possessing analog computers need only obtain the digital storage unit In order to greatly extend the capabilities of their present machines The storage unit incorporates mnalolgdlgttal and digital analog converters to enable it to be linked with any existing analog computer The use of digital input and output facilities for analog computers is now well established on the larger machines and the advantages arising from the technique are mainly of a practical nature ease of setting-up automatic checldng of parameters and so on With the aid of digital storage facilities however the upabilittes of analog computcr can be extended far beyond the range of conventional machines A general-purpose analog computer when equipped with a digital memory unit can deal with stochastic function generation finite variable time delays partial differential equations correlation analysis The type of digital memory unit adopted by Redifon Ltd for thore applications is basically a magnetic tape transport device which moves the tape past the re% ording and reading heads in small separate steps instead of continuously The tape trara port mechanism uses 35-mm tape with sprocket holes like cinematograph film and this is moved past the recon-ding and reading heads by two driving sprocket wheels In conventional systems of magnitic data recording the tape is moved forward continuously at a uniform speed In thr difon system however the tape is moved forward in discrete intermittent steps during both recording and read-out operations This is done by stepping motors actuated by successive electrical impulses which drive the sprocket system and thus advance the tape in steps past the recording or read-out heads Ihis drive system operates in such a way that the tape is quickly started advanced at a unif• vm speed during most of the step and then quickly stopped The 35-mm tape is wide enough to accommodate 16 recording tracks side by sido The recording heads are fed with current pulses from an analog digital converter in some Appl '• tions and from a digital keyboard in others Coincidentally with the arrival of a digital data pulse at the input an operating p ' plied to the stepping motor to advance the tape one step At the conclusion of the mot ' ment a clear and reset pulse Is fed back to the digital analog converter Thus the orig•z analog data is converted into the equivalent binary data and recorded in parallel in the v rk recording tracks spaced across the tape width Read-out heads are spaced laterally across the tape in the same way as the recording heads and these feed into a digital-analog converter The analog output resulting from the sets of recorded binary data takes the form of a discrete voltage varying with time Each level of the varying voltage corresponds to one set of recorded binary data across the width of the tape and one forward step of tape movement To obtain the variation in tape transit time between the recording and reading heads the mechanism uses a differential system based on two sprocket drive wheels Stochastic Function Generation Considerable theoretical work has been done on the analysis of industrial plants under typical operational conditions In general these plants have nonlinear characteristics and in practice their inputs contain random variations To investigate such systems on an analog computer the following approach has been evolved - 22 - B • eaaN m Sq'q• wýe risl'nne ma v 1 - n Mmn •s Momhavem •ng #16 a ftahims r V•nA06 i digital memory unit using a digital keyboard input Two much memory units are used One determines the amplitude while S unit the other determines the frequency by pulsin the first unit The resulting outnt Is then a well ftned pro• Mitty dttrNb•en in frequency and aRmplitude This output may be added to an analytic analog signsal such as a mine ware or ramp func-' thereby givingJ a closely defined S tion sig nal-to-noise ratio The resulting composite signal may then be used an the forcing function to an analog simulation of the plant under investigaties S• • _• S puted i S from S analog A suitable function of the error-say integral of error squared--may be continuously comand parameters of the gnaiog variled in the conventional manner until minimum error function is obtained Simulating• Time UP•y For the accurate simulation of process plant one cannot go very far with the need to mintsolate finite time delays To achieve an accuracy comparable with conventional analog compr ter iomponents Redifon have made use of digital techniques This is easily achieved with th digital memory unit by utilising the known delay of data passing the recording heads to the reading heads Solving Partial Differential Equations By using a digital store with a general-purpose computer the solution of partial differential equations can be tackled in two ways The first method involves -a straightforward approximation to achieve accurate and stable Integration and differentiation with respect to variables other than time This to accomplished in a similar manner to that used in the digital differential analyser The second method involves the use of an Iterative process By this means a relatively small computer may be used to simulate only one section or finite difference l of a flow problem-as typified by the transfer of heat along a metal conductor Here it is only necessary to simulate one section of the flow process The final values of a section--call it nth--are stored on the digital %emory unit and used to reset the same integrators which then compute valucs on the n I Tm section for a small period of time If this system to operated on a fast time scale compared with the rest of the simulation the whole problem may be treated as a pure analog 23 S the - An an example of a practical application this finite difference method will allow a small analog computer to be used for the analysis of a large multi-plate distillation column since only one plate of the column need by simulated by the computer Correlation Analysis Another Important application of digital storage to an anaLc comin Fo smystem anatlysis by correlation techniques puter • Where the transfer function of an actual plant unit for example a beat exchanger Is unknown we may have access to records of typical operational values of the input and output data of the unit In such a case the Input and output data may be recorded on two memory units either directly if the information in available as de voltages from appropriate transducers or via the digital keyboard input if the Information to available in graphical or tabular form Having recorded the Input and output data on two tapes these are replayed and using both heads for read-out the outputs are multiplied together and averaged or integrated The delay between the two read-out heads can be simply altered that is decreased or increased by R timing mark on one of the spare channels on the endless loop This same timing mark can be arranged to print out the value from the Integrator once per cycle of the tape Thus a complete record of the auto-correlation function of Vie Input and the crosscorrelation function of input and output' can be easily obtained Using these two functions and an approximate simulation of the unknown unit it is possible to reach an accurate simulation from which the transfer function of the unit can be obtained With the auto-correlation function used as a forcing function the parameters of the approximate simulation are adjusted 1 until minimum reepr Is ntaitnod between the emtnut nf the annkw anti tho amnirs_ •_ -_w'a correlation function IWdifon are now investiating the application of the self-optnts 1ing techniques of linear programmtng to enable the analog parameters to be adjusted automatically If this can be achieved it will indeed provide a most powerful tool for the analysis of process plants in WEATHER FORECASTING RESEARCH - REMINGTON RAND-CHARTRES PTY LTD SIDNEY AUSTRALIA Remington Rand in cooperation with Melourne University Department of Meteorology -is training a research officer in Univac Solid State programming for a large project on numerical weather forecasting Barotropic forecasts This work was started on CSIRAC the computer developed at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization and later required the English Electric 'Deuce' machine at the University of New South Wales but now requires in the final development the Univac Solid State with Magnetic Tapes MAILUFTERL - TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE - VIENNA AUSTRIA A description of this computer was given in the Digital Computer Newsletter January 1958 A alight change in the arithmetic unit made it possible to use both binary 45 digits and decimal 11 digits arithmetic An input-output device for on-line logical control has been added It has been used for the analysis of external hardware switching circuits The output device comprises a 16-bit relay buffer store which can be operated at a repetition rate of 50 per second 16 input lines can be sampled at the same rate In the course of research work on logical data processing which was sponsored by the European Research Office a method for the minimization of Boolean functions has been developed which is an extension of the method given by Quine-McCluskey Boolean functions with up to 16 variables given in formulas can be translated to a normal form and then minimized automatically Results are printed In the form of Boolean expressions An ALGOL-translator corresponding to the standard of the European ALGOL group ALCOR has been designed and Is now in use Several learning structures have been programmed and simulated on the machine the plastic neuron Willis the conditional probability computer Uttley the learning matrix Steinbuch a model for the conditioned reflex Zemanek Kretz and Angyan A new conditional probability scheme for the automatic generation of classes Kudielka has been developed A result in music theory Hauer and Schdnberg have based their composing rules on series of tones in which either each tone within an octave or each interval within an octave occurs only once The so-called all tone series fulfill both these conditions A program generated all the 3856 existing series DEPARTMENT OF SUPPLY - WEAPONS RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT SALISBURY SOUTH AUSTRALIA On the 2nd February 1961 the Weapons Research Establishment Mathematical Services Group accopted an IBM 7090 electronic data-processing machine The machine configuration consists of a 32 768 word store two data channels eight 729-fl tape units card reader punch and printer At present the card reader printer punch and four tape units are connected to channel A whilst the remaining four tape units are connected to channel B This arrangement has been adopted in order to conform with the standard 32K FORTRAN Monitor system Lowever the cable layout has been left sufficiently flexible to allow for any configuration of tape units from 2 on channel A and 6 on channel B to 2 an channel B and 6 on channel A with room for expansion in either case -24- II • c The machine Is housed in a room anproxlmatal S fa• y 21 fat ni n of the totlarea A false floor for free running of cables wasprovided as weUl as talscelIng for ir-aulatton sealing and flush fitting of lighting Air conditioning has been achieved by the use of paclaged units of the refrigerated type Two of thesm with 6-hi eompreseors pro- vide air flow under the false floor and two with 5-hp compressors provide room cooling A common water cooling tower Is used for all four units S voltage SinAc Australia has a 50 cps 240 v standard for mains power it was also necessary to install a 50 80 cycle English Electric Co converter to provide the required 204-v 3-phase power for the machine The converter has automatic phase and voltage control with overprotection In order to provide flexible programming facilities the FORTRAN FAP Monitor system has been adopted as the basic compiler assembler for programming operations However it is also proposed to carry out some work with the 9PAC business data-processing compiler and the General Motors dynamic analyser program Dyana As a result of the FORTRAN system it was possible to arrange for a number of basic programs to be tested by Weapons Research Establishment programmers in the USA before the machine arrived at Weapons Research Establishment It has also been much simpler to convert programmers from WREDAC coding see DCN January 1960 than might otherwise be expected In order to adjust the remainder of the WRE Data-Processing System to the IBM 7090 it has been necessary to modify the Ampex FR400 tape units and associated equipment of the Automatic Data Converters and the WREDAC Output converter for off-line printing and plotting Complete success ha been attained in this project by replacing the 8-track heads with single-stack 7-track heads and in addition providing standard Ampex photo electric reflective spot sensing mechanisms and IBM type reel hold down assemblies Detailed modifications were also made to the converter units to provide for the correct parity checking as required in the operation of the IBM-729-II tape units At present writing and reading is carried out in the low-density mode of 200 bits in However tests have shown that highdensity operation It possible by using a 37-1 2 ins sec tape speed and a 20-Kc sec writing rate but further checks are required In order to establish the reliability of this operating rate Future developments envisage the modification of the Ampex FR400tape units onWREDAC and the input output circuits to provide magnetic tape compatibility between the two machines In addition a new set of Automatic Data Converters is being planned for more efficient preparation of magnetic tapes for input to the IBM 7090 MISCELLANEOUS COMPUTER SPEECH SIMULATION - BELL TELEPHONE LABORATORIES NEW YORK 14 N Y A simulation method of producing synthetic speech in response to the typing of phonetic symbols on a keyboard was disclosed by Bell Telephone Laboratories The actual speaking machine would be of the tandem resonant type in which novel principles are used Before actually building it however a high-speed general-purpose computer was used to simulate it The computer is programmed to accept in sequence on punched cards the names of the phonetic speed sounds which make up an English sentence The computer then processes this information the way an actual speaking machine would and produces an output like the output of the speaking machine The program has two parts One simulates the speaking machine the otherconststs of rules derived from previous research for combining the individual speech sounds into connected speech and producing control signals for driving the speaking machine - 25 - Nine control signals corresponding to voice pitch omnz intensiiy hiss ininsity pVus iU center frequencies and bandwidths of three speech formants are continuously generated The speech of the simulated taling machine comes out of the computLer on digital magnetic tape i is then converted to a variable magnetic sound track suitable for playing on an ordinary tape recorder A semblance of natural inflection and phrasing was obtained by specifying on each punched card the changes in pitch and timing By specifying the pitch of the sounds they were also able to make the computer sing The simulation samples obtained are early results of a research project to obtain a better understanding of the nature of speech Ultimately this knowledge may be useful in devising new ways of transmitting apeech efficiently over communications systems cause For example a person may in the future be able to sit at a keyboard and by typing that a talking machine thousands of miles away to speak for him There Is also the possibility who talking machines like the one simulated in the computer could be built for use by people talkin a direct could they keyboard a on symbols phonetic the typing By awe unable to speak a speaking machine to speak for them Also in the future a blind person may be able to have machine read to him from books which have previously been encoded on a punched tape D C INFORMATION RETRIEVAL - U S PATENT OFFICE - WASHINGTON 25 A system to store and search the information content of a collection of transistor circuit of the U 8 patents has been developed by a team In the Office of Research and Development functional and structural topological of searching rapid Patent Office The system permits features of a rapidly expanding group of documents now numbering some 1500 The patents logic circuits are largely in the field of pulse technology including gating circuits counters and other transistor circuits patent An inverted file coordinate-index system with 1000 terms is employed with each being assigned an average of 100 terms Over 400 patents have been analyzed and encoded speciallyand are being operationally searched by patent examiners The system employs designed tables of terms to represent systems and topological circuit configurations is A system of superimposed punched cards based on concidence of holes peek-a-boo patents the display to reader microfilm accompanying an and used in a search -26-