Programming Analog computers goes right up there with root canals and
understanding one-liner-programs in APL
This is a 1958 version (some of your grandparents might not have been born
yet).
><> ... Jack
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart... Colossians 3:23
"If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the precipitate" -
Henry J. Tillman
"Anyone who has never made a mistake, has never tried anything new." -
Albert Einstein
"You don't manage people; you manage things. You lead people." - Admiral
Grace Hopper, USN
Life is complex: it has a real part and an imaginary part. - Martin Terma
**
Mike Szczys posted: " What if we told you we had a computer you can take
with you? What if it only weighed 28 pounds? This is a pretty hard sell
when today you can get a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor packing computer to
carry in your pocket which weighs less than 5 ounces. B" Respond to this
post by replying above this line
New post on *Hack a Day*
<http://hackaday.com/author/mikehackaday/> Retrotechtacular: Donner 3500
portable analog
computer<http://hackaday.com/2013/03/04/retrotechtacular-donner-3500-portable-analog-computer/>
by
Mike Szczys <http://hackaday.com/author/mikehackaday/>
[image: retrotechtacular-donner3500]
What if we told you we had a computer you can take with you? What if it *
only *weighed 28 pounds? This is a pretty hard sell when today you can get
a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor packing computer to carry in your pocket
which weighs less than 5 ounces. But back in the day the Donner
3500<http://www.retrothing.com/2013/02/the-smallest-analog-computer-ever-made.html>was
something to raise an eyebrow at, especially for tinkerers like us.
The machine was unveiled in 1959 as an analog computer. Instead of
accepting programs via a terminal, or punch cards, it worked more like a
breadboard. The top of the case features a grid of connectors (they look
like banana plugs to us but we're not sure). The kit came with components
which the user could plug into the top to make the machine function (or
compute) in different ways.
We're skeptical as to how portable this actually was. It used vacuum tubes
which are not fans of being jostled. Still, coming during the days when
most computers were taking up entire buildings we guess the marketing claim
holds up. If you'd like to see a bit more about the machine's internals check
out this forum post <http://vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=247>.
*Mike Szczys <http://hackaday.com/author/mikehackaday/>* | March 4, 2013
at 6:01 am | Tags: analog <http://hackaday.com/?tag=analog>,
breadboard<http://hackaday.com/?tag=breadboard>,
donner 3500 <http://hackaday.com/?tag=donner-3500>,
retrotechtacular<http://hackaday.com/?tag=retrotechtacular>,
vacuum tube <http://hackaday.com/?tag=vacuum-tube> | Categories: computer
hacks <http://hackaday.com/?cat=568165> | URL: http://wp.me/pk3lN-oR3
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