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Vacuum Tube Computer Module

11/14/2016 2:49 PM

Any additional information you could provide about this 1950's era vacuum tube computer module would be appreciated.
The module is 17.75"(45.1cm) X 16.5"(41.9cm) X 2.25"(5.7cm).
It uses nine 6888 pentode, octal base, vacuum tubes. These tubes were originally designed as a core driver for the first vacuum tube computers.
The module is dated May 1957.
The handle has a green/white tag. The white section reads C 3087689 Z, the green section reads 000054 7007.
Stamped in black ink on the back and covered with conformal coat, it says:
K IBM 232, K IBM 128, 3087689 Z 000054.
What is this thing? What computer was it used in? What were the capabilities, specifications, and uses of these types of computers.

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#1

Re: Vacuum tube computer module.

11/14/2016 3:17 PM

That looks to be a vacuum tube logic module from a 700 series IBM computer...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_701

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#2
In reply to #1

Re: Vacuum tube computer module.

11/14/2016 4:33 PM

I don't suppose it could have been part of Eisenhower's "football"?

Don't they just throw those away and get new ones every four years?

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#3
In reply to #2

Re: Vacuum tube computer module.

11/14/2016 6:00 PM

Could be The Green Hornet 2.0....

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#4

Re: Vacuum Tube Computer Module

11/15/2016 1:17 AM

The computer history always amused me. Old people who made this happen were geniuses! I agree with my professor that computer is dumb thing, but they got the speed, multitasking and accuracy. That's what makes them so amazing.

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#5

Re: Vacuum Tube Computer Module

11/16/2016 4:12 AM

I'm not sure, but it looks a little like an "Analog to Digital converter" that may have been used for input sigals.

The 9 channels instead of 8, however could imply that it was associated to digital data that had some error detection/correction capability (Hamming codes).

Could have been a signal amplifier between a memory module and the central processor where the 9th tube was linked to the clock to switch the output from the other 8 simultaneously.

I don't know, just some guesses from an old EE.

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#6
In reply to #5

Re: Vacuum Tube Computer Module

11/16/2016 7:04 PM

Here is a better photo of the module. Might this control just one byte of memory?

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#7

Re: Vacuum Tube Computer Module

11/16/2016 8:32 PM

Anyone knows where to find / see (if still intact) the ENIAC ? I think it was assembled and used at the Universityof Chicago.

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