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Groups > alt.folklore.computers > #159636

Re: Delay Line Memory

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On Wed, 17 Feb 2016, Joe Morris wrote:

> Charles Richmond wrote:
>
>> Yesterday I saw a video on YouTube about a delay line memory device.  It
>> did *not* use mercury or any liquid to hold and circulate the memory
>> contents. Instead it had a *wire*!!!  The wire was physically twisted at
>> one end ot input the bit.  The other end "decoded" the bit and also
>> re-circulated the bit.
>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9cUbYII5RY
>
>> I'd *never* heard of anything like this!  Is anyone here familiar with
>> this type of delay line memory???  What machines used this???
>
> The IBM 2260 CRT terminal, which was introduced in 1964, was a text-only
> device (with 240, 480, or 960 character display capacity) that *really* met
> the definition of a "dumb terminal"...its display was merely a pattern
> controlled by the 2848 Control Unit, essentially similar to the video
> circuitry in a traditional analog television set.
>
> This is on-topic because the 2848 used an acoustic delay line - twisted
> wire - to hold the text to be shown on each attached 2260 display head.
> There was one delay line for each attached head; my recollection is that
> each delay line was housed in a metal can about 10" square by 3/4" thick.
>
> An interesting oddity about the 2848 was that it used a magnetic core matrix
> to generate the light/dark pattern of dots that formed characters on the
> displays. You could look at the matrix and easily see many of the glyphs.
>
> Wikipedia has an article on the 2260, including links to some documents
> (including the 2848 FE manual) on Bitsavers.
>
And for some reason, when solid state memory came along, it wsa in the 
form of long shift registers, though I'm not sure if that was the only 
option or in parallel with "random access memory".  I know about 1974, Don 
Lancaster's first "TV Typewriter" was said to use it, and slow scan tv 
converters for amateur radio used them.

I don't know whether somebody hadn't made a leap to memory directly 
addressable or there was some reason to go with long shift registers.

But of course, like the delay lines, you had to keep the bits circulating, 
and you could only get to each of the bytes by stepping through all that 
came before.

   Michael

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Delay Line Memory "Charles Richmond" <numerist@aquaporin4.com> - 2016-02-16 15:21 -0600
  Re: Delay Line Memory Dave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com> - 2016-02-16 15:41 -0600
  Re: Delay Line Memory David Wade <dave.g4ugm@gmail.com> - 2016-02-16 22:18 +0000
  Re: Delay Line Memory Dan Espen <despen@verizon.net> - 2016-02-16 17:36 -0500
  Re: Delay Line Memory Lawrence Statton <lawrence@senguio.mx> - 2016-02-16 16:57 -0600
  Re: Delay Line Memory bert <bert.hutchings@btinternet.com> - 2016-02-16 15:08 -0800
    Re: Delay Line Memory Bob Eager <news0006@eager.cx> - 2016-02-17 01:31 +0000
    Re: Delay Line Memory Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2016-02-17 03:42 +0000
  Re: Delay Line Memory Morten Reistad <first@last.name.invalid> - 2016-02-17 00:25 +0100
    Re: Delay Line Memory Elliott Roper <nospam@yrl.co.uk> - 2016-02-17 14:03 +0000
  Re: Delay Line Memory Anonymous <no_email@invalid.invalid> - 2016-02-17 00:14 +0000
    Re: Delay Line Memory Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2016-02-17 11:46 -0800
      Re: Delay Line Memory jhhaynes@earthlink.net - 2016-02-17 18:18 -0800
      Re: Delay Line Memory David Wade <dave.g4ugm@gmail.com> - 2016-02-18 09:44 +0000
  Re: Delay Line Memory hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2016-02-16 16:43 -0800
    Re: Delay Line Memory Anonymous <no_email@invalid.invalid> - 2016-02-17 01:24 +0000
    Re: Delay Line Memory Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2016-02-16 18:52 -0700
      Re: Delay Line Memory Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2016-02-16 22:19 -0500
      Re: Delay Line Memory JimP <solosam90@gmail.com> - 2016-02-17 11:34 -0600
    Re: Delay Line Memory Dave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com> - 2016-02-16 20:06 -0600
    Re: Delay Line Memory Lawrence Statton <lawrence@senguio.mx> - 2016-02-16 20:23 -0600
    Re: Delay Line Memory "hgww" <hgww@gmail.com> - 2016-02-17 14:35 +1100
    Re: Delay Line Memory Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2016-02-17 04:17 +0000
      Re: Delay Line Memory "Charles Richmond" <numerist@aquaporin4.com> - 2016-02-18 17:14 -0600
        Re: Delay Line Memory Lawrence Statton <lawrence@senguio.mx> - 2016-02-18 19:27 -0600
          Re: Delay Line Memory Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2016-02-19 04:14 +0000
          Re: Delay Line Memory Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2016-02-19 19:07 -0500
  Re: Delay Line Memory Bob Eager <news0006@eager.cx> - 2016-02-17 01:30 +0000
    Re: Delay Line Memory "Joe Morris" <j.c.morris@verizon.net> - 2016-02-17 19:11 -0500
      Re: Delay Line Memory Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2016-02-17 23:13 -0500
        Re: Delay Line Memory Jon Elson <elson@pico-systems.com> - 2016-02-17 22:25 -0600
        Re: Delay Line Memory isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2016-02-17 23:16 -0800
          Re: Delay Line Memory Jon Elson <elson@pico-systems.com> - 2016-02-18 12:01 -0600
            Re: Delay Line Memory Jon Elson <elson@pico-systems.com> - 2016-02-18 12:10 -0600
            Re: Delay Line Memory Lawrence Statton <lawrence@senguio.mx> - 2016-02-18 13:46 -0600
            Re: Delay Line Memory Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2016-02-19 19:13 -0500
        Re: Delay Line Memory Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2016-02-18 04:49 -0800
          Re: Delay Line Memory Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2016-02-19 19:21 -0500
        Re: Delay Line Memory Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2016-02-18 04:51 -0800
          Re: Delay Line Memory Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2016-02-19 19:16 -0500
  Re: Delay Line Memory Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2016-02-16 18:52 -0700
    Re: Delay Line Memory "Charles Richmond" <numerist@aquaporin4.com> - 2016-02-19 20:50 -0600
      Re: Delay Line Memory Ahem A Rivet's Shot <steveo@eircom.net> - 2016-02-20 06:31 +0000
  Re: Delay Line Memory G. <gerry77@no.spam.mail.com> - 2016-02-17 04:08 +0100
  Re: Delay Line Memory Stan Barr <plan.b@bluesomatic.org> - 2016-02-17 08:19 +0000
    Re: Delay Line Memory Jon Elson <jmelson@wustl.edu> - 2016-02-17 14:57 -0600
    Re: Delay Line Memory "Charles Richmond" <numerist@aquaporin4.com> - 2016-02-19 20:43 -0600
      Re: Delay Line Memory isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2016-02-19 22:13 -0800
      Re: Delay Line Memory Stan Barr <plan.b@bluesomatic.org> - 2016-02-20 08:17 +0000
      Re: Delay Line Memory Lawrence Statton <lawrence@senguio.mx> - 2016-02-20 09:17 -0600
        Re: Delay Line Memory Lawrence Statton <lawrence@senguio.mx> - 2016-02-20 09:20 -0600
      Re: Delay Line Memory Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2016-02-20 18:49 -0800
        Re: Delay Line Memory isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2016-02-20 21:06 -0800
  Re: Delay Line Memory jhhaynes@earthlink.net - 2016-02-17 18:23 -0800
    Re: Delay Line Memory isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2016-02-17 23:06 -0800

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