List of vacuum-tube computers

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EDSAC EDSAC (19).jpg
EDSAC

Vacuum-tube computers, now called first-generation computers, [1] are programmable digital computers using vacuum-tube logic circuitry. They were preceded by systems using electromechanical relays and followed by systems built from discrete transistors. Some later computers on the list had both vacuum tubes and transistors.

This list of vacuum-tube computers is sorted by date put into service:

ComputerDateUnitsNotes
Arthur Halsey Dickinson (IBM)June 19391Not programmable, executed addition and subtraction, the first electronic output (display) [2] [3] [4]
Joseph Desch, NCR3566 (NCR)Aug. 19391Not programmable, executed addition and subtraction, thyratron decades [5] [6]
Atanasoff–Berry Computer 19421Not programmable, could solve a system of linear equations
Colossus 194310The Mark II version was the first programmable (by switches and plug panels) special-purpose (cryptanalysis) electronic digital computer. It was used in breaking the German Lorenz cipher; and superseded the Heath Robinson (codebreaking machine). A working replica is demonstrated at The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park.
ENIAC 19451First large-scale general-purpose programmable electronic digital computer. Built by the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School of Electrical Engineering for the U.S. Army's Ballistic Research Laboratory. Originally programmed by wiring together components, by April 1948 it had been converted to a form of stored-program operation. It was decimal in nature, not binary.
Manchester Baby 19481First electronic stored-program computer, worked June 1948; prototype for the Mark 1. Working replica demonstrated daily in Manchester Museum of Science and Industry
Manchester Mark 1 19491Provided a computing service from April 1949. First index registers. Re-engineered 1951 as Ferranti Mark 1.
EDSAC 19491First ran on 6 May 1949, and provided a computing service for Cambridge University until 1958. Working replica being built at The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park.
BINAC 19491First stored-program computer to be sold, but did not work for customer.
CSIRAC 19491Oldest surviving complete first-generation electronic computer — unrestored and non-functional.
SEAC 19501First U.S. stored-program computer to become operational. Built by and for the U.S. National Bureau of Standards. Used solid-state diode circuits for its logic. Several computers were based on the SEAC design.
SWAC 19501Built for the U.S.'s National Bureau of Standards, it had 2,300 vacuum tubes. It had 256 words (each 37 bits) of memory, using Williams tubes
ERA Atlas 1950(Military version of Univac 1101) Used 2,700 vacuum tubes for its logic circuits
MADDIDA 19506Special-purpose digital computer for solving a system of differential equations. Forty-four integrators were implemented using a magnetic drum with six storage tracks. The interconnections of the integrators were specified by writing an appropriate pattern of bits onto one of the tracks.
Pilot ACE 19501Based on a full-scale design by Alan Turing
Elliott 152 19501Naval fire control computer, real-time control system, fixed program
Elliott 153 19501GCHQ radio signal directional finding computer, based on the Elliott 152 with programs stored on a magnetic disk
Harvard Mark III 19511It used 5,000 vacuum tubes and 1,500 crystal diodes
Ferranti Mark 1 19519First commercially available computer, based on Manchester Mark 1.
EDVAC 19511The successor to ENIAC, and also built by the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School of Electrical Engineering for the U.S. Army's Ballistic Research Laboratory. One of the first stored-program computers to be designed, but its entry into service was delayed. EDVAC's design influenced a number of other computers.
Harwell Dekatron Computer (The "WITCH") 19511Now officially the oldest original working computer in the world. Is frequently demonstrated at The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park.
Whirlwind 19511Parallel logic, approx 5,000 vacuum tubes. First use of magnetic-core memory.
UNIVAC I 195146Mass-produced. 46 were made.
LEO I 19511First computer for commercial applications. Built by J. Lyons and Co. restaurant and bakery chain. Based on EDSAC design.
UNIVAC 1101 1951Designed by ERA, Used 2,700 vacuum tubes for its logic circuits
Hollerith Electronic Computer (HEC)1951Initial design by Andrew Donald Booth, then engineered by British Tabulating Machine Company. HEC 1 can be seen at The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park.
IAS machine 19511Built at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), sometimes called the von Neumann machine, since design was described by John von Neumann (the Von Neumann architecture). 1,500 tubes. It was the basis of about 15 other computers.
MESM 19511First universally programmable computer in USSR, built near Kiev, used 6,000 vacuum tubes. Designed basically near to Von Neumann architecture but had two separate banks of memory - one for programs and another for data
Remington Rand 409 1952~1,000Built by Remington Rand, it was a punched card calculator programmed by a plugboard
Harvard Mark IV 19521Built by Harvard University under the supervision of Howard Aiken for the United States Air Force
G11952Built by the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Göttingen, esp. by Heinz Billing [7] [8] [9]
ORDVAC 19521Built by the University of Illinois for the Ballistic Research Laboratory and was a twin of the ILLIAC I
ILLIAC I 19521Built by the University of Illinois in Urbana
MANIAC I 19521Built at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and based on the IAS computer
IBM 701 195219Built by IBM, also known as the Defense Calculator, based on the IAS computer
BESM-1 19521Built in the Soviet Union
Bull Gamma 3 1952~1,200Made by Compagnie des Machines Bull, one of the first mass produced electronic digital computers [10] [11]
TREAC 19531Telecommunications Research Establishment Automatic Computer - Parallel computer developed at TRE Malvern, England
AVIDAC 19531Based on the IAS computer
FLAC 19533Design based on SEAC. Located at Patrick Air Force Base.
JOHNNIAC 19531Built by the RAND Corporation, based on the IAS computer
MIDAC 19531Built at the University of Michigan, the first at a university in the Midwest
IBM 702 195314Built by IBM for business computing
UNIVAC 1103 1953Designed by Engineering Research Associates (ERA)
RAYDAC 19531Built by Raytheon for Naval Air Missile Test Center
Strela computer 19537Built in the Soviet Union
Datatron 1954~120Scientific/commercial computer built by ElectroData Corporation
IBM 650 1954~2,000The world's first mass-produced computer
IBM 704 1954123The first mass-produced computer with floating-point arithmetic hardware for scientific use
IBM 705 1954Mostly compatible with the IBM 702, for business use. There is one that is not in operating condition at Computermuseum München.
BESK April 19541Sweden's first computer and was the fastest computer in the world for a brief time
IBM NORC 1954 Dec1Built by IBM for the US Navy Bureau of Ordnance, it was the first supercomputer and the most powerful computer in the world for at least 2 years. 9,800 tubes in logic.
UNIVAC 1102 19543A variation of the UNIVAC 1101 built for the US Air Force
DYSEAC 19541Built by the U.S. National Bureau of Standards as an improved version of SEAC. Mounted in a trailer van, making it the first computer to be transportable.
WISC 19541Built by the University of Wisconsin–Madison
REAC 400 (C-400) [12] 1955 [13] In 1961 REAC installed for $60,000 at University of Minnesota. [14] General-purpose electronic analog computer. [13]
CAB 2000 19554First computer series from the French Société d'Electronique et d'Automatisme produced in several units.
CALDIC 19551Designed to be inexpensive and simple to use; it used decimal arithmetic
MOSAIC19551Second implementation of ACE (Automatic Computing Engine) architecture after Pilot ACE.
English Electric DEUCE 195531Commercial version of Pilot ACE
Zuse Z22 195555An early commercial computer.
ERMETH [15] [16] 1955 [17] Built by Eduard Stiefel, Heinz Rutishauser, Ambros Speiser at the ETH Zurich
HEC 4 (ICT 1200 series)1955Built by Andrew Booth
WEIZAC 19551Built by the Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel) under the guidance of Prof. G. Estrin. First computer designed in the Middle East.
G21955Built by the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Göttingen, esp. by Heinz Billing [7] [8] [9]
Axel Wenner-Gren ALWAC III-E 1955Commercially constructed and installed (in 1957) at University of British Columbia and Oregon State University (then College) [18]
IBM 305 RAMAC 1956>1,000The first commercial computer to use a moving-head hard-disk drive for secondary storage
PERM 19561Built in Munich
D11956Built by Joachim Lehmann at the TU Dresden [19]
SMIL 19561Built in Sweden and based on the IAS computer
Bendix G-15 1956>400A small computer for scientific and industrial purposes by the Bendix Corporation. It had a total of about 450 tubes (mostly dual triodes) and 300 germanium diodes.
TIFR Pilot Machine 1956TIFRAC (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Automatic Calculator) was the first computer developed in India, at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai.
LGP-30 1956~500Data-processing system made by Librascope; bit-serial drum machine with only 113 tubes, along with 1450 diodes [20]
UNIVAC 1103A 1956First computer to have hardware interrupts
FUJIC 19561The first electronic computer in Japan, designed to perform calculations for lens design by Fuji
Ferranti Pegasus 195638Vacuum tube computer with magnetostrictive delay line memory intended for office usage. Second oldest surviving computer in the world. [21]
SILLIAC 19561Built at the University of Sydney, based on the ILLIAC and ORDVAC
RCA BIZMAC 19566RCA's first commercial computer, it contained 25,000 tubes
Ural series 1956–1964Ural-1 to Ural-4.
Elliott 405195632 Elliott's first commercial/business machine. Marketed as National-Elliott 405
BESM-21957>20Built in the Soviet Union. General purpose computer in the BESM series
CAB 3000 19574Successor to the CAB 2000 series from the French SEA company. Had a parallel ALU for faster speed.
CIFA-119574First computer built in Romania at Institutul de Fizică Atomică (Atomic Physics Institute)
DASK 19571The first computer in Denmark; had an early implementation of ALGOL
UNIVAC 1104 1957A 30-bit variation of the UNIVAC 1103
Ferranti Mercury 195719An early commercial vacuum tube computer by Ferranti, with core memory and hardware floating point capability
IBM 610 1957180A small computer designed to be used by one person with limited experience
FACIT EDB 219579
LEO II195711Commercial version of LEO I prototype.
MANIAC II 19571Built by the University of California and the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory
MISTIC 19571A Michigan State University based on the ILLIAC I
MUSASINO-1 19571A Japanese computer based on the ILLIAC I
MMIF1957MMIF or Machine mathématique IRSIA-FNRS, devised by a team funded by the Belgian public institutions IRSIA and FNRS, and build at the Bell Telephone Mfg Co in Antwerp, from 1952. In use 1957–1958 in Antwerp, 1958–1959 in Brussels. [22]
Sandia RAYPAC (Ray Path Analog Computer)c.1957Sandia's Blast Prediction Unit used for Operation Teapot [23]
EDSAC 2 19581First computer to have a microprogrammed control unit and a bit-slice hardware architecture.
IBM 709 1958An improved version of the IBM 704
UNIVAC II 1958An improved, fully compatible version of the UNIVAC I
UNIVAC 1105 19583A follow-up to the UNIVAC 1103 scientific computer
AN/FSQ-7 1958Largest vacuum tube computer ever built. 52 were built for Project SAGE.
ZEBRA 195855Designed in Holland and built by Britain's Standard Telephones and Cables [24]
Ferranti Perseus 19592 [25] [26] [27]
Rice Institute Computer 19591Operational 1959-1971, 54-bit tagged architecture
Burroughs 2201959~50Scientific/commercial computer, successor to ElectroData Datatron
Cyclone 19591IAS-type computer at Iowa State College
DERA 19591Built by Alwin Walther at the Technical University of Darmstadt; first operative in 1957, development completed in 1959
D21959Built by Joachim Lehmann at the TU Dresden [28]
TIFRAC 1960The first computer developed in India
CER-10 1960The first computer developed in Yugoslavia, it also used some transistors
Philips PASCAL / STEVIN1960Philips Automatic Sequence Calculator; 1,200 valves, 10,000 transistors, and 15,000 germanium diodes. PASCAL and STEVIN (Dutch : Snel Tel En Vermenigvuldig INstrument, lit. 'Fast Count and Multiply Instrument') are identical, except input-output equipment. Both were used internally. [29] [30] [31]
The Wegematic 10001960Improved version of the ALWAC III-E [32]
ZRA 11960Built by VEB Carl Zeiss, Jena, German Democratic Republic [33]
Minsk-1 1960Built in Minsk, Soviet Union
Odra 1001 1960First computer built by Elwro, Wroclaw, Poland
G31961Built by the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Göttingen, esp. by Heinz Billing [7]
Sumlock ANITA calculator 1961<10,000/yearDesktop calculator
UMC-1 1962Developed in Poland, it used the unusual negabinary number system internally
BRLESC 196211,727 tubes and 853 transistors
OSAGE19631Close copy of the Rice Institute Computer built at the University of Oklahoma

See also

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