IBM

Hursley Museum

Hardware Item

hw0863


Image:hw0863
Item Reference:HW0863
Machine Type:SCAMP
Serial Number:
Description:

SCAMP read-only storage wheel

Information:

The Scientific Computer and Modular Processor (SCAMP) was developed during 1961 and 1962. It was Hursley Labs first processor project. One of the features of SCAMP was the read-only storage wheel, a permanent storage device used to store the microcode instructions used by the system. The SCAMP wheel had a capacity of 1023 words of 64 bits, and the access time was approximately half a microsecond. The components were arranged in a wheel with 64 ferrite-core transformers mounted on the periphery, each transformer acting as a one-bit storage device. A 32×32 diode decoding matrix was used to select the required words from the storage wheel.

Date of Origin:
Donor:
Location:06
Cupboard/Rack:HW14
Shelf:Top

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