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4 | <head><!--#set var="title" value="A second generation calculator: The BULL GAMMA 10" |
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5 | --><!--#set var="location" value="gamma10" |
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12 | --><title>Technikum29 - <!--#echo var="title" --></title> |
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16 | <meta name="t29.thistranslation" content="12.11.2009/21:40" /> |
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19 | <body> |
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20 | <!--#echo encoding="none" var="heading" --> |
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21 | <div id="content"> |
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22 | <h2><!--#echo var="title" --></h2> |
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23 | |
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24 | <div class="box center"> |
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25 | <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/bull-gamma-10.jpg" |
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26 | alt="BULL GAMMA 10" width="640" height="390" /> |
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27 | <p class="bildtext"> |
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28 | In 1963 BULL (General Electric) presented the BULL GAMMA 10 (G10) |
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29 | which was intended for commercial purpose and puchcard |
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30 | computing. It was the direct successor of the <a |
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31 | href="tabulating-machine.shtm">Tabulating Machine</a>. |
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32 | Compared to the really big mainframes, the G10 was intended to |
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33 | be set up in a 20 square meter room, without air conditioning. |
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34 | The maximum power input was 2.5 kW. |
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35 | <br/>The standard equipment contains a CPU with |
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36 | panel, a punchcard reader/puncher unit and a barrel printer. |
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37 | The RAM consists of a 1kb core memory which could be |
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38 | extended up to 4kb capacity. There are 59 different |
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39 | opcodes to program the CPU. |
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40 | <br/>The cycle time from the core memory is 7 micro |
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41 | seconds. The calculator is capable of reading and |
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42 | punching 300 cards per minute. Five punchcards per |
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43 | second, that is an amazing speed – |
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44 | therefore the punching unit is generously built. The |
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45 | printer can only print up to 300 lines per minute. Compared |
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46 | to our <a href="univac9400.shtm">Univac 9400</a> this |
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47 | is quite slow – the Univac 9400 is capable of |
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48 | printing more than 1000 lines per minute. |
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49 | </p> |
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50 | </div> |
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51 | |
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52 | <div class="box center"> |
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53 | <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/bull-gamma-10-offen.jpg" alt="BULL GAMMA 10 without panels" style="float:left;" width="367" height="360" /> |
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54 | <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/gamma-10-von-hinten.jpg" alt="BULL GAMMA 10 from the back" style="float:right;" width="268" height="360" /> |
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55 | <div class="clear"></div> |
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56 | <p class="bildtext"> |
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57 | The chassis is metallic bright and glossy. It is clearly arranged |
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58 | and therefore the machine is quite easy to maintain. |
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59 | <br/>We want to repair this computer, too (see our page |
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60 | <a href="/en/search.shtm">We are looking for...</a>). By now the |
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61 | complete mechanics works again. After tuning the temperature |
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62 | of the heated core memory and switching some defect |
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63 | transistors, we can already execte a program for duplicating |
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64 | punch cards, as well as the first mathematical programs. |
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65 | That's really sensational for such an old computer. |
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66 | </p> |
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67 | </div> |
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68 | |
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69 | <div class="box left"> |
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70 | <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/modul-gamma10.jpg" |
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71 | alt="Typical GAMMA 10 module" height="345" width="485"> |
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72 | <p class="bildtext"> |
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73 | This is one of 570 modules from the GAMMA 10 computer. |
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74 | On the base plate the conductor tracks are aligned |
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75 | horizontally while they are aligned vertically on the |
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76 | small boards (flip flops, amplifier, etc.). Almost all |
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77 | transistors are still Germanium transistors. |
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78 | </p> |
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79 | <div class="clear"></div> |
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80 | </div> |
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81 | |
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82 | <div class="box left"> |
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83 | <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/steuerpult.jpg" |
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84 | alt="A part from the control panel" width="485" height="379" /> |
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85 | <p class="bildtext"> |
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86 | The control panel could be used for monitoring running |
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87 | programs, as well as for early "test driven development" |
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88 | for programmers. <!-- hehe --> |
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89 | <br/>The picture shows details of the programmer's part of |
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90 | the control panel. These buttons and switches are intended |
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91 | for debugging a program step-by-step and for reading out |
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92 | the contents of registers, the ALU and RAM, and, finally, |
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93 | for assembling and executing new computer instructions. |
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94 | <br/>All output is driven by lime-green "DM 160" miniature |
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95 | tubes. |
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96 | </p> |
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97 | <div class="clear"></div> |
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98 | </div> |
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99 | |
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100 | <div class="box left"> |
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101 | <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/modul-gamma10.jpg" |
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102 | alt="Picture of a typical BULL GAMMA 10 module (board)" |
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103 | width="485" height="345" /> |
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104 | <p class="bildtext"> |
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105 | This is a picture of a typical GAMMA 10 board. On the mainboard, |
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106 | all conductor paths are aligned horizontally while on the small |
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107 | plug-in boards (flip-flops, amplifiers, etc.) they are mostly |
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108 | vertically oriented. Almost all transistors are made of germanium. |
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109 | <br/>The slow non-time-critical logic (like card controlling) |
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110 | is performed by 573 relais. Building up such an amount of |
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111 | wear parts is quiete brave. <!-- stupid mode... --> |
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112 | <br/>Summing up, there were about 570 boards like this one in |
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113 | the GAMMA 10 (without counting the printer interface). The |
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114 | GAMMA 10 was sold as a quite cheap electronic data processing |
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115 | system. We have got a original list of prices for this device |
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116 | from 1968/69, when this model was already out-of-date and |
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117 | hence very cheap: |
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118 | <br/>CPU with 4kB core memory: 267.000,- DM (about 133.000,- Euro or Dollar) |
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119 | <br/>Printer: 105.000,- DM (about 50.000,- Euro, Dollar) |
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120 | </p> |
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121 | <div class="clear"></div> |
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122 | </div> |
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123 | |
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124 | <p>While our GAMMA 10 is in a very good shape, we cannot use the |
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125 | printer any more, since all the electronics is missing. |
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126 | Therefore we have set up an ANALEX printer (series 5) from 1965. |
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127 | At that time, this printer was the fastes printer on earth, printing |
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128 | 1250 lines per minute. Of course he may slow down a bit for our GAMMA 10. |
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129 | Connecting this device to the BULL computer is supposed to be a |
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130 | quite complex problem. We will report about the progress on the |
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131 | page <a href="../development-projects.shtm">Development Projects</a>, |
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132 | soon.</p> |
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133 | |
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134 | <div class="box left"> |
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135 | <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/anelex-drucker.jpg" |
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136 | alt="ANELEX high speed printer" width="485" height="423" /> |
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137 | <p class="bildtext"> |
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138 | <b>ANELEX high speed printer, series 5</b>, |
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139 | with lifted cover. |
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140 | </p> |
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141 | </div> |
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142 | |
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143 | </div><!-- end of content --> |
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145 | </body> |
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146 | </html> |
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