ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Electrical Nostalgia 1955 Computer

I have got back from seeing a working replica of the world’s first digital, programmable (partially) and electronic computer built in 1944 to break German naval codes during World War II.


The 1944 original


The rebuild

It’s located at Bletchley Park in the UK where the the original code-breaking was undertaken. A facinating place and a recommended visit for those that find themselves on this side of The Pond. The computer was called the Colossus and contained 1500 electronic valves. Its data drive was 40 foot (12 metres) of punched tape and its output, an old teleprinter – quite facinating to see and noisy too.


[This message has been edited by Hutch (edited 08-30-2006).]

It would be amazing to see that work. A real marvel. Just think, you could put a computer like that in a basement and heat a whole building.

I hadn't realized that Heath actually came up with tube-based analog computer kits. Those are interesting sites -- I've bookmarked for future browsing.


I find the aesthetics and practical design of most modern equipment sadly lacking. Look at the typical consumer TV, VCR, or similar device these days -- The cheapest plastic components possible, weird-shaped buttons which are often hard to press properly, awkward layout and positioning (no doubt due to the "expert opinion" of some design consultant who was paid a fortune to come up with a supposedly "modern" design).

I find the operational design of much of this stuff terribly awkward as well. I've just been playing around with a monitor for a computer I'm setting up for one of my contracts, and it took me five minutes just to figure out which buttons on the front panel selected and then stepped through the menus to adjust size, position, geometry, etc. In the old days with individual potentiometers for brightness, contrast, height, etc. it was so simple. Is this progress? I don't think so.

And for one design problem which I know Albert will have seen in the telecom forums before, look at the horrible keypads on many of the cheap throw-away modern phones. I saw one in a store the other day which had awkward funny shaped buttons, arranged (if one can call it that) in the most peculiar fashion so that there weren't any proper rows and columns.

Give me the 40+ year old design of the W.E. #2500 keypad any day.



[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 08-31-2006).]

Beautifull valve computers, they are certainly good fun for fault finding, very hot at the inner works all right.
1500 Valves, thats a good heater !

Regarding these useless buttons on phones and remotes.
They are too small, give me a motorola brick cellphone any time. at least they had proper buttons.

TV's (off topic) annoying i find is the channel id in the picture which dissapears after a few seconds. at least the older tv's like my 25 year old Philips still has the red LED 7 segment dial next to the screen, so you know which channel you are on without having to look for the remote or so ( when you have kids you will all know about that )

I too am not a fan of modernd industrial design. I just hate those "flying saucer" or "beachball" portable stereos the populated the shelbes of department store electronics departments these days.

Brin back the nice square 1970s or 1980s designs.

Its amazing how far we have come in the last 50 years, as far as computers.

Yeah, in another 50 yrs, everythings gonna be so dang small. Seems to be the trend with most things electronic, the smaller the better..sheesh!

Oh and by the way I would also like to say Welcome aboard Albert!

Here's the radio I'm listening to right this moment, mid-1970s vintage:

Yeah I just got my new phone.....