Event 2: Computer History Museum

     I visited the Computer History Museum located in Mountain View, CA. Everybody knows the Apple and Microsoft story but fewer know about where computers came from and their initial purpose, so this blog post will concentrate on the early years of computing. This museum houses units representing the different eras of computing ranging 2000 years. The goal of creating computing devices was to perform math operations with speed and accuracy. The first "computers" were mechanical calculators, the most famous of which is the Babbage difference engine shown below. It was used to tabulate polynomials. The design is mechanically very sound and aesthetically pleasing. However, it was Babbage's analytical engine that was dubbed the first Turing-complete computer since it consisted of an ALU, control flow, and integrated memory.

Babbage Difference Engine

     World War II did wonders for the field of computing in terms of attention and funding. Analyzers such as the ENIAC were developed by the Ballistic Research Laboratory to assist the military by calculating trajectories for missiles. Gradually, people realized that computers were functional in other areas and could enhance other fields. Such inspiration led Arnold Nordsieck to assemble a differential analyzer which was able to solve differential equations. The analyzer, built in 1950 and  shown below, is an electromechanical device that can solve differential physics equations (useful for military, engineering, and general science) with speed. 

The Nordsieck Differential Analyzer

     The analyzer's components are spaced out to allow for adequate cooling while still allowing the unit to be (relatively) portable. The paper and writing device shown below is how the machine outputted data to the user. The drawing mechanism was advanced for the time as it produced 2D output without the need for a separate device entirely. The analyzer itself used electrical connections rather than mechanical shafts to save on space but maintain affordability. The price tag was $700 at its time of release.

 Differential Analyzer I/O

 MADDIDA

    The magnetic drum digital differential analyzer was built by Northrop Aircraft Corporation in 1950 and housed a total of 44 integrators. It implemented a magnetic drum for memory. This drum consisted of a total of six storage tracks. The wooden contraption shown above is a prototype of this unit, complete with make-shift cooling in the form of a house-fan. The wiring is messy and not visually pleasing; this method of prototyping was eliminated when engineers began to favor clean schematic layout primarily for ease of readability and build but also for aesthetic purposes.

Cray-1 modules

     The Cray-1 was an 80 MHz supercomputer announced in 1975. NCAR was the first customer and paid $8.86 for a unit. Cray's company ended up selling over eighty Cray-1 supercomputers. This was the first computer built by Cray that used ICs. It stood apart from other high performance computers at the time because of its novel design, both electrical and mechanical. Cray realized that using registers was a faster method of accessing data. He also wanted to set a standard in both vector and scalar processing.
     The modules shown above are some of a total 1,662 that form the processing units of the Cray-1. These modules required two boards each and are connected on each side to a vertical heat spreader that houses a Freon-based liquid cooling system. The chassis is C-shaped in order to allow for higher-performance components to run at their maximum potential by minimizing interconnect and wire length. The Cray-1's power systems and liquid cooling systems are housed in the "bench" surrounding the unit.

Cray-1 "bench" showing LCS and power supplies

     This picture looks like a mugshot but it was cool to get a chance to see and feel Cray's first supercomputer. The C-shape, cooling system, and implementation of registers was new and unheard of at the time. It represented true innovation and the final product was (and still is) quite beautiful.

Mugshot

Works Cited

"Babbage." -. Science Museum, n.d. Web. 29 July 2014. <http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/onlinestuff/stories/babbage.aspx>.

"Cray History." Cray History. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 July 2014. <http://www.cray.com/About/History.aspx>.

"Magnetic Drum Digital Differential Analyzer (MADDIDA) prototype." MADDIDA (Magnetic Drum Digital Differential Analyzer) prototype -. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 July 2014. <http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/analog-computers/3/159/441>.

"Nordsieck's Differential Analyzer." Nordsieck's Differential Analyzer -. Computer History Museum, n.d. Web. 29 July 2014. <http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/analog-computers/3/138>.

Swade, Doron. "The Babbage Engine | Computer History Museum." The Babbage Engine | Computer History Museum. Computer History Museum, n.d. Web. 29 July 2014. <http://www.computerhistory.org/babbage/>.