ECHO IV
ECHO IV, or ECHO 4 (Electronic Computing Home Operator, or Electronic Computer for Home Operation) is a prototype of a home computer developed by Westinghouse Electric engineer James (Jim) Sutherland in the mid-1960s (1965-1966).[1][2][3]
History
[edit]James Sutherland worked as an engineer for the American company Westinghouse Electric, designing fossil and nuclear power plant control systems. In 1959 the company built a computer called PRODAC IV (he was the designer of the arithmetic logic unit), using destructive-readout core memory and NOR logic.
When PRODAC IV was replaced by a UNIVAC design, some of the Westinghouse controller hardware was declared surplus in 1965.[3][2] Sutherland took up surplus boards and memory to build a home computer, ECHO IV (the "IV" in ECHO IV came from the PRODAC IV). It was made public for the first time in 1966.[4][2]
The computer was working in the Sutherland's house until 1976, and was donated to the Computer Museum in Boston in 1984.[2][5][6]
Technical specifications
[edit]- Processor
- Add time: 216 μs
- Frequency: 160 kHz[11][5][10]
- Main memory:
- Input/Output:
- paper tape reader and punch
- keyboard made from parts of IBM Selectric typewriter
- Kleinschmidt teleprinter
- Physical specifications:
Uses
[edit]- Accounting
- Household inventory
- Calendar
- Manage all digital clocks through the house
- Real-time clock with delay of 1 second
- Air conditioning management
- TV and television antenna management; on school nights children were required to answer questions if they wanted to watch television
- Meteorological program for reading and storing data from a meteorological station that was connected to ECHO IV and weather forecast[14]
References
[edit]- ^ For the Future, a Household Computer. Vol. 130. Condé Nast Publications. Jul 1966. p. 30.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)- "Basement computer". Electronic Industries. 26 (1): 36. 1967.
- ACS Newsletter
- The Computer Museum Report 1985
- ^ a b c d Tomayko 1994.
- ^ a b c Cortesi 2015, p. 2.
- ^ "The Family of The Future with their Computer". cortesi.smugmug.com.
- ^ a b c d The ECHO IV Home Computer: 50 Years Later.
- ^ "The End Bit: ECHO IV". The Computer Museum Report. 14 (Fall/Winter): last page. 1985.
- ^ a b Cortesi 2015, p. 3.
- ^ "ECHO 14 Plug-in Module". cortesi.smugmug.com. pp. 5–6.
- ^ Living with ECHO-IV, 21:46.
- ^ a b c "ECHO-4". Amateur Computer Society Newsletter (8): 4 (49). Jan 1968. 102654910.
- ^ Libes, Sol (July 1978). "Background: The First Ten Years of Amateur Computing". Byte Magazine. 3 (7): 64.
- ^ Tomayko 1994, p. 61.
- ^ a b Tomayko 1994, p. 60.
- ^ Infield 1968, p. 79, 209.
Bibliography
[edit]- Cortesi, Dave (Sep 2015). "The First Home Computer" (PDF). Volunteer Information Exchange. 5 (8): 2–3.
- Infield, Glenn (April 1968). "Science and inventions: A Computer in the Basement?". Popular Mechanics. 129 (4): 77–79, 209, 229.
- Tomayko, James E., ed. (1994). "Anecdotes: Electronic Computer for Home Operation (ECHO): The First Home Computer". IEEE Annals of the History of Computing. 16 (3): 59–61. doi:10.1109/mahc.1994.10011. ISSN 1058-6180.
External links
[edit]- ECHO IV photos with description: "ECHO IV article - David & Marian Cortesi". cortesi.smugmug.com.
- Spicer, Dag (31 May 2016). "The ECHO IV Home Computer: 50 Years Later | @CHM Blog | Computer History Museum". www.computerhistory.org.
- Computer History Museum (January 13, 2015), Living with ECHO-IV (video) (published 21 Feb 2018), Timecodes: 0:00 - What was "Advanced Technology" in 1965?, 13:55 - Was ECHO IV a Real Computer?, 23:46 - What Tasks did ECHO IV Perform?, 47:23 - Magazine and Newspaper Articles, 48:27 - Where is ECHO IV Now?, retrieved 2019-02-09
- "Amateur Construction of Computers: Building your own computer - Part 2: Completed Computers". Computers and Automation (1): 20–21. Jan 1972.