Josiah, On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 8:39 PM, Josiah Tullis <[email protected]>wrote:
> If you don't mind my asking, how much was it? The market for old analog computers has been hanging around $1K for several years, but just got soft, with several having recently gone unsold. I snagged this on eBay for just $312, which is like a third of what ANY analog computer has recently sold for. As usual, all of the action was in the last 13 seconds of the auction. I suspect that the supply of old analog computers may have finally exceeded the demand of people who remember how to use them. Steve =========== > 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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