Delay Line Memory (Was: Australian ex-DEC Director has large museum in his home)

[Chuck Guzis]

On 3 Dec 2008 at 9:27, Rick Bensene wrote:

> The delay line wires are well-isolated via silicone pads that damp out
> external vibration, and isolate the coils of wire from touching each
> other.  Heavy-handed typing isn't going to cause any troubles, although
> a shock like lifting and dropping the machine (generally not a good
> thing for glass-based display elements like Nixie tubes or CRT's) could
> definitely induce errors.   Ambient vibration typically wouldn't cause
> problems, such as use aboard a ship or vehicle, except in extreme
> conditions.  For extreme environments, a calculator using magnetic core
> memory or flip-flops would have been a better choice.

Banging on the side of a PB250 was usually a way to create memory 
errors.  But all in all, it was a very reliable machine for the day.

Cheers,
Chuck