Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site eosp1.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!princeton!eosp1!hakkinen From: hakkinen@eosp1.UUCP (Markku Hakkinen) Newsgroups: net.misc Subject: Re: Nearly Prehistoric Computers Message-ID: <569@eosp1.UUCP> Date: Mon, 6-Feb-84 18:02:01 EST Article-I.D.: eosp1.569 Posted: Mon Feb 6 18:02:01 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 9-Feb-84 09:04:11 EST References: <588@seismo.UUCP>, <803@elsie.UUCP> Organization: Exxon Office Systems, Princeton, NJ Lines: 25 "Snap lead" wired programs are still being used by many animal learning psychologists to run experiments with pigeons and other animals. These set ups often resemble electronic Rube Goldberg contraptions and are frequently quite unpredictable, as the many relays and timers are sensitive to humidity, dust, and true bugs (ie., cockroaches and spiders.... animal labs are often dirty). My wife did her dissertation using this equipment and interfaced some more modern TTL integrated circuits to handle some sophisticated timing intervals (which would have taken several additional racks of relays and timers to implement). Unfortunately, the opening and closing of the hundred or so relays involved caused considerable interference and resulted in her having to shield the more modern technology from the old. As for other prehistoric computing devices, I cast my vote for the first personal/mini computer... the LINC. This system had, in addition to the keyboard, a set of potentiometers for input. I know of one that was still in daily use as of about a year ago. --Mark Hakkinen eosp!hakkinen Ergonomics Department Exxon Office Systems - Princeton