If you don't mind my asking, how much was it? On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 7:26 PM, Steve Richfield <[email protected]>wrote:
> Mike, > > On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 6:41 PM, Mike Archbold <[email protected]> wrote: > >> It looks interesting, but how do you learn to program that thing? >> > > I learned analog computer programming nearly a half century ago, because I > needed SOMETHING like that to be able to bet through my diffy-Q class. > There was a TR-20 on campus, where I would stop in for a few minutes after > each class to patch in my homework problems and graph the solutions - to > later figure out what the formula was. Unfortunately, this did NOT help me > with the final exam. The basic functional units are integrators, so > patching differential equations comes most naturally. Like everything else, > just read the manual. > > The GP-6 was specifically designed as a laboratory computer - to interface > with other things for input and output, which fits in well with my planned > use for it. > > The GP-6 came out shortly after the transition from vacuum tubes to > transistors, so the computational part is transistorized, but the display > is still vacuum tube. This is serial #55. Later GP-6 computers incorporated > an LCD display. > > I am a sucker for still-useful antique machines. For example, I have a > 1919 vintage South Bend lathe with a 6 foot long bed that I restored. It > weighs about half a ton, so it is rock-solid when cutting. The only problem > is that the chucks weigh so damn much that they are hard to change. I once > turned some brake drums without separating them from the hubs, with one of > the chucks that was so big it could reach around the hubs to grab the drums. > > Perhaps you remember the early races between the abacus and the adding > machine? The abacus always won. Just because Intel has a new chip doesn't > mean that you can program a differential equation any faster on it. There > are MANY older machines that can still hold their own in a modern world. > > Perhaps the all time great antique computer is now in a large glass case > at the entrance to NOAA headquarters. It saw continuous service for more > than a century, computing and printing the world's tide tables. It factored > in everything of any significance, e.g. Jupiter's pull and the inertia of > the water in the bay. It is an absolutely gorgeous steel and brass > mechanical computer that is well worth the couple of hours needed to > carefully study and understand its operation. It was eventually replaced by > a program running on a CDC mainframe computer, that would now easily run on > a PC. > > Someday my GP-6 may find its way into a glass case - when there is nothing > left that it can do better than other computers. Until then, I plan to make > it work for its place on my workbench. > > Steve > ============= > >> On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 2:22 PM, Steve Richfield < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Hi all, >>> >>> I was about to start work on a signal processing project to transform >>> sounds that are above the range of hearing into like sounds that are within >>> the range of hearing. This would serve as a hearing aid, but MUCH better >>> because ordinary hearing aids CAUSE hearing damage by pelting you with >>> amplified sound. The final product would be something you wear or keep in >>> your shirt pocket, that adds to sounds that you hear directly with your >>> ears. >>> >>> So, where could I find a computer that is perfectly adapted to audio >>> frequency signal processing. OF COURSE, an antique analog computer, where >>> with a few wires I can change things MUCH faster than you could ever >>> re-engineer signal processing code. Further, there is no sampling or >>> quantization noise, or other artifacts of digital implementations. >>> >>> This computer is a gorgeous piece of antiquity, highlighted by its very >>> retro Nixie tube voltmeter display. >>> >>> Technology marches on - but backwards. >>> >>> Any thoughts? >>> >>> Steve >>> >>> *AGI* | Archives <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now> >>> <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/11943661-d9279dae> | >>> Modify <https://www.listbox.com/member/?&;> Your Subscription >>> <http://www.listbox.com> >>> >> >> *AGI* | Archives <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now> >> <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/10443978-6f4c28ac> | >> Modify <https://www.listbox.com/member/?&;> Your Subscription >> <http://www.listbox.com> >> > > > > -- > Full employment can be had with the stoke of a pen. Simply institute a six > hour workday. 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