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Vintage Computers Any vintage computer systems, calculators, video games etc., but with an emphasis on 1980s and earlier equipment.

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Old 2nd Jan 2004, 12:20 am   #1
quantum
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Default Colossus rebuild at Bletchley Park

While there are a lot of web sites devoted to the Colossus rebuild, most of them are concerned with the history, background, enigma machines, Turing etc.. etc..

Has anybody seen any articles on the web or elsewhere devoted to the technology of the rebuild, descriptions of the circuitry or perhaps sample circuits? The last I saw of the rebuild there seemed to be banks of EF36s employed - I imagine also that because of the number of valves needed in close confinement and the relays to be driven, they would possibly use EL32s as drivers because of their low heater and HT current requirements (thus reducing the amount of heat generated).

Incidentally, when visiting the computer museum at Bletchley, does anyone (like me) succumb to the temptation to key in a few lines of code in BASIC on any of the machines?
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Old 2nd Jan 2004, 11:53 am   #2
Paul Stenning
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Default Re: Colossus rebuild at Bletchley Park

I have a copy of a 3-page article from New Electronics magazine Jan 2001 about Colossus on the valve data CD-ROM. It doesn't contain much technical info but is interesting none-the-less.

I have uploaded a copy to https://www.vintage-radio.net/attach...s/colossus.pdf File size 5.2MB
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Old 2nd Jan 2004, 6:01 pm   #3
jim_beacon
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Default Re: Colossus rebuild at Bletchley Park

you may also want to look at the Bombe rebuild project:

http://www.jharper.demon.co.uk/bombe1.htm

which has a wealth of technical detail.

Jim.
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Old 2nd Jan 2004, 6:22 pm   #4
BlowFish
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Default Re: Colossus rebuild at Bletchley Park

Try Tony Sale's site at http://www.codesandciphers.co.uk
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Old 2nd Jan 2004, 9:47 pm   #5
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Default Re: Colossus rebuild at Bletchley Park

Somewhere in the depths of my pc I do have some tech info and some circuit diagrams and some information about code breaking that Colossus was involved with
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Old 3rd Jan 2004, 1:33 pm   #6
quantum
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Default Re: Colossus rebuild at Bletchley Park

Many thanks for the links.

If there is ever at any time an unusual shortage of particular valves or components which are otherwise reasonably available I shall always be suspicious that they've been grabbed for the Colossus rebuild...!
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Old 4th Jan 2004, 5:29 pm   #7
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Default Re: Colossus rebuild at Bletchley Park

I seem to remember reading that these early valve computers had an MTBF measured in minutes
But what a debt we owe to them!
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Old 13th Mar 2004, 6:36 pm   #8
ppppenguin
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Default Re: Colossus rebuild at Bletchley Park

The BVWS now makes an annual award for "Excellence in Preservation" . This is done in memory of the late Duncan Neale whose own work was a shining example.

At the recent Harpenden in March 2004 the second Duncan Neale award was made to Tony Sale. Nobody could doubt the huge commitment he made to the rebuilding of Colossus.

Last edited by Dave Moll; 7th Jun 2007 at 8:44 pm. Reason: remove obsolete reference
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