Throbac: THrifty Roman numeral BAckwards-looking Computer

 (mitmuseum.mit.edu)

17 points | by rfarley0415 小时前

2 comments

  • schlauerfox14 小时前
    How can they only have one low resolution picture and only pictures of the outside?? What display tech does it use? I can't imagine there are Roman Numeral Nixie tubes. https://www.kuenzigbooks.com/pages/books/28672/claude-e-shan... I see Clear Lower, Clear KBD, Clear Upper. 7 'digits' display, but wow if anything needed a manual...
    • roywiggins13 小时前
      The document is available on IEEExplore: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5311583

      I've reproduced here: https://pdfupload.io/docs/13f78f9d

      • schlauerfox13 小时前
        Amazing, thank you for the link! There's an entire 'collected papers' on the IEEE website. I'm going to miss my college library accounts now i'm graduated!
    • wolfgang4212 小时前
      After staring at the linked PDF for a while, I think the display was a collection of lightbulbs (presumably behind a mask plate), probably arranged something like this:

           Upper dial   V XV
     (Quotient)    III
  
     Lower dial LLLVV
  (Accumulator) XXX X
                   IIII
      • schlauerfox11 小时前
        Yeah, it's a relay counter like a score motor in a pinball machine, but each rotor is different since the I is mod 5, the V is mod2 and the LX is mod 80, directly connected to the lights. The principles discussion is well done. Wow I love old tech documentation! I still don't have a good visualization of what the display 'dial' looks like
  • mmastrac15 小时前
    Claude Shannon was the Fabrice Bellard of his time (or is it the other way around?). If he were around today, his projects would constantly be on HN.

    I am curious to know if there's a gene for these incredibly driven, very intelligent people that also _finish projects_.

    • Sesse__14 小时前
      One of my lecturers at university (in information theory) once talked about the conference where he had met Shannon. Shannon was already a legend, and didn't show himself much, so there was a lot of whispering, and someone figured out it would be nice to have him deliver a speech at the dinner. The room was buzzing with anticipation when Shannon got up from his chair; what wisdom would he impart upon the crowd?

      “I haven't prepared anything to say. But I could always juggle a bit.” So he took out five balls and showed off his juggling. And that was that :-)

      (Interestingly, said lecturer also mentioned this Roman numeral computer; this is the only time I've seen an actual picture of it!)

    • 15 小时前
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