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4<head><!--#set var="title"        value="UNIVAC 9200, UNIVAC 9300"
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21       
22        <p>The Univac 9200 (Univac 9300) is a punch card computing data center from 1966. It is not
23           common that such old devices are completely preserverd, even all
24           manuals are available. This system was stored over four years in the museum
25           archives until we moved it with a freight company just into the museum, next
26           to the <a href="univac9400.shtm">UNIVAC 9400</a>.</p>
27           
28        <p>After moving the devices with a trucking company to the museum buidling,
29           the restauration started with cleaning all the devices, removing the typical
30           old rotten noise-absorbing mats at the very first. They have been replaced by
31           brand new cellular rubber.</p>
32
33    <p>We expect most of the problems with all the mechanical parts that take most
34           of the place in the cabins. We already removed transportation lockings
35           <!-- LOL - wirkt inhaltich echt behindert, sowas geht sonst ja schnell ;) -->
36           and replaced some bearings, drive rollers and belts. The card puncher features
37           15 timing belts, for instance.
38           The card reader (500 cards/minute) works again and the puncher mechanics is
39           now executable, too. The processor link of these auxillary devices is another
40           issue and will be checked in the near future.</p>
41
42                <div class="box center auto-bildbreite">
43                        <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/univac9300.jpg" alt="UNIVAC 9300" width="700" height="375" />
44                        <p class="bildtext">
45                                <b>UNIVAC 9300</b> electronic data processing system, with the entities (left
46                                to right): bar printer, cpu, "electronic cabinett" (power supply and plated wire
47                                memory), card reader, card puncher.
48                        </p>
49                </div>
50               
51        <p>For optical reasons, we also repainted the cases.</p>
52        <p>Afterwards, we will address the bar printer. In contrast to the already
53       mentioned devices, the printer cannot be controlled manually, so we will
54           start up the processor, too. This will be a buggy job, too.
55           But all the work is not for nothing, <!-- sic! gute uebersetzung -->
56           since the system is really unique, featuring punch card assembler programming.</p>
57
58        <p>We will continously update this page about the progress of the reparation
59           untill the device is fully functional again.</p>
60
61        <div class="box center auto-bildbreite">
62        <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/univac9200.jpg" alt="UNIVAC 9300" width="700" height="368" />
63                <p class="bildtext"><b>UNIVAC 9300</b> electronic data processing system, uncovered while being restored</p>
64        </div>
65
66
67        <h3 id="blog">Restoration Blog</h3>     
68        <p><b>17.01.2010:</b> There were some mice in the power supply and printer, they
69           bit thorught some small cables.
70        <p><b>16.02.2010:</b> After locating two defect resistances the power supply is
71           running again. Thus we can use punch card devices from the CPU by now. Actually
72           we cannot read nor punch data.
73        <br>Now there is another malfunctioning device: The <a href="storage-media.shtm#plated-wire-storage">
74           plated wire storage</a> does not work. We try to get it working at least a bit,
75           replacing it with a new selfmade solid state memory. As you can read on our
76           <a href="/en/devices/plated-wire-storage.shtm">detailed description of the
77           plated wire storage</a>, this type of memory has always been very error-prone.
78        <div class="desc-right">
79                <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/9300pannel.jpg" alt="UNIVAC 9300 Front palen" width="400" height="296" />
80                <p class="bildtext" style="width:400px;"><b>UNIVAC 9300 front panel:</b> 160
81                states of processor and periphery can be indicated with light bulbes and
82                selected via switches.</p>
83        </div>
84        <p><b>15.04.2010:</b> The boot process of the device is still crashing. There is
85            an error message from the printer without any reason. We are trying to
86                locate this error.
87        <p><b>02.05.2010:</b> A broken thyristor (hammer driver) raised the
88            "printer error" message. Data integrity was the most important part at those
89                time: If only one of the 140 printer columns is not working correctly, the whole
90                printer goes offline to avoid wrong output.
91        <p><b>10.05.2010:</b> We could get the plated wire storage online. We
92            can even start some small test programs via the input switches, but there are
93                bugs while running. This is perhaps the unique device that still uses the old
94                plated wire storage. Anyway we are planing a replacement.
95        <p><b>12.06.2010:</b> After callibrating the optical card reader, we could read in
96           and execute small programs in the data memory. We will report about the high
97           security level at the card reading process later. Surprisingly the plated wire
98           storage still works.</p>
99        <p><b>16.06.2010:</b> The card puncher doesn't work any more. 30 years inactivity
100           are a long time for computers, too.
101           <br>On the other side, we could execute a printer loop program. The huge printer
102           starts up, but doesn't print yet. After two minutes, a thermal fuse triggers.</p>
103        <p><b>25.06.2010:</b> The fuse is triggerd by a broken centrifugal switch from the
104           printer engine start-up windings. Therefore the winding was always on and
105           dissipated constantly current. Now the engine is running, but print commands
106           are not yet executed.
107           <br>We also could find a bug in the memory. Now all 8kB seem to run completely
108           error-free.</p>
109        <p><b>30.06.2010:</b> We could locate another bug in the printer logic (faulty
110           transistor). The first time after 30 years, the bar printer works and is capable of
111           printing files from various punch cards. The type face looks good.
112           <br>Now we turn towards the damaged printer.</p>
113        <p><b>05.08.2010:</b> After replacing a broken transistor and injecting some oil,
114           the puncher is up and running! Now we are able of duplicating punch cards.
115           Unfortunately we had to disable the error checking functions since the device
116           detected a non-existing error at punching. Locating this error is the next
117           problem.</p>
118        <p><b>26.08.2010:</b> Locating this bug in the device's internal error checking
119           of punched data was hard work. The computer compares the data which should be
120           punched with the position of the hammers in the punch station in a very
121           complex way. Only one of the 24 inductive sensing elements was broken,
122           furthermore a transistor which amplifies the particular induced voltage was
123           out of order and there was a cold solder joint. Finally the complete sensing
124           station had to be recallibrated to deliver all information simultaneously to
125           the comparing element. The adjustment has only a margin of 5 microseconds.
126           After this reparation, all duplicated punch cards are checked, too. If there
127           is a wrong punch hole, the computer stops immediately (an event that occurs
128           extremely rare as from now).</p>
129       
130        <i>This blog will be irregulary continued.</i>
131
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