The Analogue Alternative: The Electronic Analogue Computer in Britain and the USA, 1930-1975

636 Pages·2001·88.95 MB·English

by  James S. Small

The Analogue
Alternative
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Studies in the HistDlY of Science, Technology and Medicine
Edited by john Krige, CRHST, Paris, Frallce
Studies ill the History of Science, Techl1o/ogy al1d Medicine aims to stimulate research in
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The Analogue Alternative: The Electronic Analogue Computer in Britain and the USA,
1930-1975
james S. Small
Copyrighted Material
To my parents Catherine a nd James, and to Marjan
Copyrighted Material
The Analogue
Alternative
THE ELECTRONIC ANALOGUE COMPUTER IN BRITAIN AND THE USA, 1930-1975
James S. Small
formerly of
The Universities of Mancheste~ England, and Maastricht
The Netherlands
London and New York
Copyrighted Material
First published 2001 by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously publ ished in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Croup
©2001 Routledge
Typeset by Expo Holdings, Malaysia
Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books Ltd, Bodmin
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
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storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from
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British Library cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British
Library
ISBN 0-415-27119-3
Copyrighted Material
Content s
List o fF igure si x
List o f Table s x i
Acknowledgement s xii i
1 Introductio n 1
2 Analogu e computin g device s i n th e 19t h an d earl y 2 9
20th centurie s
3 Th e origins , for m an d functio n o f electroni c analogu e6 3
devices an d computer s 1937-195 0
4 Electroni c analogu e compute r development , 1945-1955 :8 5
Military programmes , aeronautic s an d electronic s
5 Commercialisation , hybridisatio n an d competition : th e 11 9
electronic an d hybri d compute r industr y i n th e USA ,
1945-197 5
6 Th e origins , commercialisatio n an d declin e o f electroni c 1 7 9
analogu e an d hybri d computin g i n Britain , 1945-197 5
7 Electroni c analogu e computer s an d engineerin g cultur e 22 5
8 Negotiatin g a plac e fo r electroni c analogu e computers : 24 5
the analogu e versus digita l debat e
9 Conclusio n 27 1
Bibliography 27 9
List o f Interview s 30 8
Index 30 9
THE ANALOGUEA LTERNATIVE vi i
Copyrighted Material
List of Figures
Figure 2.1 AC network analyzer 37
Figure 2.2 The electrical ana logue of a mechanical system 38
Figure 2.3 The MIT differential ana lyzer 44
Figure 2.4 The Rockefeller differential analyzer 45
Figure 2.5 Manchester Meccano differential ana lyzer 47
Figure 2.6 The Manchester differential ana lyzer 48
Figure 3.1 Example of the use of operational amplifiers
as analogue comput ing elements 74
Figure 3.2 Example of the use of ana logue comput ing 75
eleme nts to solve a second order differential
equat ion
Figure 3.3 Removable patchboard 76
Figure 3.4 CRT based function generator 77
Figure 4.1 The Typhoon computer installation 96
Figure 4.2 The Rand analogue computer 103
Figure 5.1 Reeves Instrument Co., REAC 132
Figure 5.2 Boeing Aircraft Co., BEAC 133
Figure 5.3 Goodyear Aircraft Co., GEDA 134
Figure 5.4 Electronic Associates Inc., EAI 16-31 R 135
Figure 5.5 Beckman InsL, Co., EASE 135
Figure 5.6 Donner Scientific Co., Donner 30 136
Figure 5.7 Electronic Associates Inc., EAI TR-20 159
Figure 5.8 Electronic Associates Inc., EAI TR-48 160
Figure 5.9 Electronic Associates Inc., HYDAC 2000 160
Figure5.10 Electronic Associates Inc., EAI 690 161
Figure5.11 Electronic Associates Inc., EAI 8945 161
Figure5 .12 Comcor Inc., Ci-175 162
Figure5.13 Comcor Inc., Ci-5000 162
Figure 5.14 Computer Systems Inc., SS-l 00 163
Figure 5.1 5 Applied Dynamics Inc., AD 4 164
Figure 6.1 English Electric Saturn 192
THE ANALOGUE ALTERNATIVE ix
Copyrighted Material
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 6.2 English Electric Mars 193
Figure 6.3 Short Brothe rs and Harland gene ral-purpose
ana logue comp uter 195
Figure 6.4 Saunders-Roe general-purpose analogue 196
comp uter
Figure 6.5 Fairey Aviation FACE 196
Figure 6.6 English Electric (GWs) LACE 197
Figure 6 .7 Ell iott Brothers G-PAC 198
Figure 6.8 Solartron SC 30 199
Figure 6.9 Red ifon RADIC 199
Figure 6.10 EAI 231-R at the UKAEA, Winfrith H eath, 1959 200
Figure 6.11 Solartron H7 Series 1 208
Figure 6.12 Solartron H7 Series 3 209
Figure 6.13 Solartron H 7 Series 7 210
Figure 7.1 Prepa ration of the patch panels for a large
analogue comp uter set-up 240
Figure 8 .1 Analogue versus digital technology 245
THE ANALOGUE AL TERNATIVE
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