Semiconductor & Computer Engineering
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==Overview== | ==Overview== | ||
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| + | Early [[relay computer]]s were rather slow - operating at just 1[[Hz]] ((or one switching operation each second). They were cheap and readily available due to their widespread use in telephone systems. Vacuum tubes prove to be a significant improvement over electromechanical relays - operating 1000 times faster. However the performance advantage came at the cost of decreased reliability and maintainance. Tube failure was frequent, running hot and burning out rapidly. | ||
== Vacuum Tube Systems== | == Vacuum Tube Systems== | ||
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{| class="wikitable sortable" | {| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
! System !! Developer !! Company/Institution !! Tube Count !! Year Complete !! class="unsortable" | Notes | ! System !! Developer !! Company/Institution !! Tube Count !! Year Complete !! class="unsortable" | Notes | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | [[atanasoff-berry computer|ABC]] || [[John Vincent Atanasoff]] || [[Iowa State University|Iowa State University]] || 300 || 1940 || | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | [[Colossus Mark 1]] || || [[Post Office Research Station]] || 1,600 || 1943 || | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | [[Colossus Mark 2]] || || [[Post Office Research Station]] || 2,400 || 1944 || | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | [[ENIAC]] || || [[University of Pennsylvania]] || 17,468 || 1946 || [[relay]]s/[[vacuum tube]]s hybrid | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | [[BINAC]] || || [[eckert-mauchly computer corporation|EMCC]] || 700 || 1949 || | ||
|} | |} | ||
Revision as of 05:55, 18 December 2015
A vacuum tube computer is a computer system built primarily using vacuum tubes and vacuum tube logic. Vacuum tube switching replaced the earlier relay computers from the 1940s. Vacuum tube computer gained traction during the 1950s through the early 1960s. By the mid 1960s discrete logic computers superseded vacuum tubes.
Overview
 |
This section requires expansion; you can help adding the missing info. |
Early relay computers were rather slow - operating at just 1Hz ((or one switching operation each second). They were cheap and readily available due to their widespread use in telephone systems. Vacuum tubes prove to be a significant improvement over electromechanical relays - operating 1000 times faster. However the performance advantage came at the cost of decreased reliability and maintainance. Tube failure was frequent, running hot and burning out rapidly.
Vacuum Tube Systems
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
| System | Developer | Company/Institution | Tube Count | Year Complete | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | John Vincent Atanasoff | Iowa State University | 300 | 1940 | |
| Colossus Mark 1 | Post Office Research Station | 1,600 | 1943 | ||
| Colossus Mark 2 | Post Office Research Station | 2,400 | 1944 | ||
| ENIAC | University of Pennsylvania | 17,468 | 1946 | relays/vacuum tubes hybrid | |
| BINAC | EMCC | 700 | 1949 |
See also
 |
This article is still a stub and needs your attention. You can help improve this article by editing this page and adding the missing information. |