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IBM-604
Manufacturer IBM Identification,ID IBM-604 Electronic Calculating Punch Date of first manufacture 1948 Number produced 5600 Estimated price or cost - location in museum - donor Robert Garner Contents of this page:
- Photo
- Placard
- Architecture
- Special Features
- Historical Notes
- This Artifact
- Interesting Web Sites
- Other information
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- Photo Photo by International Business Machines Corporation
- An advertisement for the IBM-604. Donated by Robert Garner.
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Link to IBM-604 - by Ron Mak
from Bernard Palicki, February 2006
Dear Sir, At age 75, am probably just one of a very few still alive who was employed by IBM as a 'Customer Engineer' (CE), in the IBM Data Processing Division, one who performed service on the IBM 604 Calculating Punch. Hired into IBM on 1/15/53, after an honorable discharge from the US Air Force(AF) in Dec 1952.
Previous experience in the US Air Force was accepted as qualification for that employment. Previously served in the US Air Force as a Technical Instructor of 'Electronics Fundamentals' [2nd Phase - from AC & DC Circuit Analysis, through motors, generators, power supplies and filter ckts, vacuum tubes, amplifiers, oscillators and transient ckts], Spent 12 days of training on the 604 in a Detroit, MI Branch Ofc. I worked out of the IBM Branch Ofc in Toledo, OH. Was sent for this training because I was being assigned to the accounting machine department of the 'Electric Auto-Lite Co. headquarters, in Toledo. OH, as 'resident' IBM CE for Auto-Lite.
Auto-Lite, at its peak, manufactured all the products required for all auto ignition systems for all Chrysler autos - Chrysler, Dodge, Desoto and Plymouth. That office, for my assignment at Auto-Lite, processesd all accounts payable and receivable, plus payroll for some 7000 plus factory employees on a weekly basis. Have a few vivid recollections you might want to have:
Would be pleased to hear from you with acknowledgement that you received this info and whether or not it any of it merits inclusion at your websight.
- The IBM 604 contained some 2,000 vacuum tubes.
- A total of 455 pentagrid converters (vacuum tubes) were required for the 'column shift register' , required for both multiplication and division. The 1st and 4th grids of these tubes were used to control the ON-OFF condition of these tubes.
- The Counter was 12 digit positions. The 13th position was used to designate polarity of the number in the counters as + or -.
- Five vacuum tubes were required for each of the 12 digit positions of the counter. Four tubes were required for each of the 'counter digit-position' numbers displayed, using 1, 2, 4 or 8 (the binary code - also known as the 'byte') for display of a number. The fifth tube was required to allow for binary code display of a number using four-tubes.
The 'cut-off condition' of counter tubes was the number contained and displayed in the counter. A neon bulb was connected in parallel with each of the binary code tubes. of the counter When a counter tube was in a cut-off condition, in the OFF position, the neon bulb was lit.
- Positive numbers were displayed as complements of 9; e.g., a positive 1 was displayed as 8, a positive 2 was displayed as 7, a positive 3 was displayed as 6, etc.
- All addition of positive numbers was done by additions of numbers as 'complements of nine'. All subtractions of numbers was done by addition of true numbers.
- Negative numbers were displayed as true figures.
- The 13th position of the counter indicated polarity (+ or -) of the number displayed by the counter.
- Other:
- The IBM 604 employed what is known as 'parallel processing'; that is, all 12 positions of the counter were were transferred simultaneously to a storage unit, and/or vice-versa. The IBM 604 was the first commercially available electronic computer on the market.
- The IBM 650 Magnetic Drum Calculator, successor to the IBM 604, was the first commercially available execution of 'serial processing' of number/numeric data, and was the forerunner of the personal computer. Also received training and service experience with the IBM 650 Magnetic Drum Calculator.
Very truly yours,
Bernard Palicki
IBM 604 Pluggable units, looking for help answering a question or two!
from Joshua West February 05, 2016
Paul Pierce (web site) responded
"Joshua, Nice find. The function of the plugin module is indicated by the label on the top: IN-36 is an inverter, it changes "0" to "1" and "1" to "0". It was used in machines like the IBM 604. DD-501 is simply a set of 4 diodes (2 per tube) for use as needed between logic circuits in a computer. It was used in the IBM 650. DS-521 is another arrangement of 4 diodes. It was used in later machines like the IBM 650. PS2 is probably a "power" circuit that increases a logic signal so it can be used in more places in the machine. It was used in machines like the IBM 604." Paulfrom Curious Marc, via https://hackaday.com/2018/01/12/debouncing-the-old-fashioned-way/ - Jan 2018
https://hackaday.com/2017/07/05/classic-ibm-tr-2-flip-flop-reproduction/ This Artifact
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- YouTube of IBM 604 running
- University of Amsterdam Museum, 604
- Ballistic Research Lab, 1961 Report
- IBM Archhives
- a user's viewpoint
- Dr. Dobb's Journal article
- IBM 604 Principles of Operation - all 72 pages
- IBM 604 Operation Manual - 1st 13 pages
If you have comments or suggestions, Send e-mail to Ed Thelen
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Updated Apr 2, 2017