18 Oct
2025
18 Oct
'25
7:17 p.m.
On 2025-10-18 16:44, Van Snyder via cctalk wrote:
On Sat, 2025-10-18 at 02:18 -0700, Jim Davis via
cctalk wrote:
I saw those computers in action, while I was taking my electronic
technician training my class had the very good fortune to get a tour of
the facility, accompanied by an armed MP. When I started at IBM there
was a CE in my branch who had spent some time maintaining those
computers. One thing I recall him telling me was when they had an
intermittent, they would look for microphonic tubes by running a loop on
the computer and then running down the end of the tubes with a pencil.
Paul.
I believe the SAGE had oil cooled core. Oregon
state had old core
hooked to
the ancient nebula serial delay line / CAM machine.
The SAGE computers for the DEW
line radars were in 10,000 square foot
caverns 600 feet under the Canadian shield. In the 1980s they were
replaced by Hughes minicomputers the size of four-drawer file cabinets.