peter@ficc.ferranti.com (peter da silva) (05/25/91)
In article <1991May24.231620.15367@digi.lonestar.org>, crichmon@digi.lonestar.org (Charles Richmond) writes: > Fifteen or so years ago I heard that in the '60's there were > computers constructed that ran from air pressure. Sure, fluidic computers had a lot of advantages over electronics. Apart from the EMI resistence, they're quite rugged in other ways. Plus, there's a major savings on transducers: you can often feed a signal in mechanically, from pressure and position sensors. I visited an old WWII-era sub once, the HMAS ocvens, and navigation was supported by fluidic hardware. > I would like to learn about the construction and technology > involved with these pneumatic machines. There was a Scientific American article on it 10 or so years ago. Check your local library. Pre-'80s Scientific Americans are fun to read anyway. BTW: Putting "followup-to: net" is a good way not to get answers. -- Peter da Silva; Ferranti International Controls Corporation; +1 713 274 5180; Sugar Land, TX 77487-5012; `-_-' "Have you hugged your wolf, today?"
zs@cs.mu.OZ.AU (Zoltan Somogyi) (05/26/91)
In article <1991May24.231620.15367@digi.lonestar.org>, crichmon@digi.lonestar.org (Charles Richmond) writes: > I would like to learn about the construction and technology > involved with these pneumatic machines. %A R.S. Gluskin %A M. Jacoby %A T.D. Reader %T FLODAC - a pure fluid digital computer %J Proceedings of the AFIPS Fall Joint Computer Conference %C San Francisco, California %D October 1964 %K fjcc fjcc64 %P 631-641 Zoltan Somogyi zs@cs.mu.OZ.AU
durr@fys.ruu.nl (Eugene Durr) (05/27/91)
In <_1KBHZB@xds13.ferranti.com> peter@ficc.ferranti.com (peter da silva) writes: >In article <1991May24.231620.15367@digi.lonestar.org>, crichmon@digi.lonestar.org (Charles Richmond) writes: >> Fifteen or so years ago I heard that in the '60's there were >> computers constructed that ran from air pressure. >Sure, fluidic computers had a lot of advantages over electronics. Apart from >the EMI resistence, they're quite rugged in other ways. Plus, there's a >major savings on transducers: you can often feed a signal in mechanically, >from pressure and position sensors. I visited an old WWII-era sub once, the >HMAS ocvens, and navigation was supported by fluidic hardware. >> I would like to learn about the construction and technology >> involved with these pneumatic machines. >There was a Scientific American article on it 10 or so years ago. Check your >local library. Pre-'80s Scientific Americans are fun to read anyway. In the late 70's a company named Atlas Copco from Sweden had an entire product range with pneumatic logic components especially for control applications. They did some simple calculations with them. Maybe they can help you on much more information. Their main office is in Stockholm, but they have representatives in many countries. I know, because my father was an employee there.
hamish@mate.sybase.com (Just Another Deckchair on the Titanic) (05/29/91)
In article <1991May24.231620.15367@digi.lonestar.org> crichmon@digi.lonestar.org (Charles Richmond) writes: >Fifteen or so years ago I heard that in the '60's there were >computers constructed that ran from air pressure. No electronics, >just air pressure. [...] > >Does anybody know about this? Are any such computers in >existence today? (Hey, even if you only HEARD about it, that >would indicate that I did not dream it . . .) Sure - pneumatic logic (including a whole array of "gates" and logical units) used to be (still is?) common in situations where *any* RF or current can cause problems - oil refineries, for example. The refinery I worked at (as a process control engineer) used a central pneumatic "computer", itself controlled by remote Numalogic PLCs and LSI-11s, to control remote valves with long runs of compressed air (Nitrogen? Probably something less encouraging to fire than air...). The remote valves were invariably in places were the slightest possibility of a spark had to be ruled out. The "computer" was a giant board with a lot of transparent tubing going into mechanical gates that looked like, well, water taps (faucets for Americans) with rather precise plumbing fixtures implementing the logic. The PLCs controlled an monitored these gates with position sensors, etc. A lot of fun.... Hamish ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hamish Reid Sybase Inc, 6475 Christie Ave, Emeryville CA 94608 USA +1 415 596-3917 hamish@sybase.com ...!{mtxinu,sun}!sybase!hamish
jeremy@sw.oz.au (Jeremy Fitzhardinge) (05/30/91)
peter@ficc.ferranti.com (peter da silva) writes: >In article <1991May24.231620.15367@digi.lonestar.org>, crichmon@digi.lonestar.org (Charles Richmond) writes: >> I would like to learn about the construction and technology >> involved with these pneumatic machines. > >There was a Scientific American article on it 10 or so years ago. Check your >local library. Pre-'80s Scientific Americans are fun to read anyway. More like 20 years I think - I think it was in one of my late-60's early-70's issues I saw it in. Other similarly dated SciAm's have articles on acoustic holography and the suchlike. -- jeremy@softway.sw.oz.au ph:+61 2 698 2322-x122 fax:+61 2 699 9174 "Hi Barbie, I'm your plastique surgeon, Roger. Are you ready for your Semtex augmentation?"... "John Thompson died for you" society meets now. I opine for the fjords, nothing else.
mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) (06/02/91)
For more information on fluidics, see the December 1964 Scientific American.
osan@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (andrew.vida-szucs) (06/08/91)
In article <_1KBHZB@xds13.ferranti.com> peter@ficc.ferranti.com (peter da silva) writes: >In article <1991May24.231620.15367@digi.lonestar.org>, crichmon@digi.lonestar.org (Charles Richmond) writes: >> Fifteen or so years ago I heard that in the '60's there were >> computers constructed that ran from air pressure. > > >> I would like to learn about the construction and technology >> involved with these pneumatic machines. Go to library and look under topic "Fluid Logic". If said library is worth anything for scientific/engineering topics, you should be able to find *lots* of information. Most if not all of it will relate specifically to hydraulics, but the principles are the same. Fluid logic is still in heavy use in industry, and probably will be for a long time to come. It is used to control things like heavy machinery. It has and/or 'gates' just as in silicon. Interesting stuff.
paj@mrcu (Paul Johnson) (06/11/91)
>In article <_1KBHZB@xds13.ferranti.com> peter@ficc.ferranti.com (peter da silva) writes: >>In article <1991May24.231620.15367@digi.lonestar.org>, crichmon@digi.lonestar.org (Charles Richmond) writes: >>> Fifteen or so years ago I heard that in the '60's there were >>> computers constructed that ran from air pressure. [....] > Go to library and look under topic "Fluid Logic". [....] If you are ever in Paris, visit the Musee' Cite' (or something like that). It is the Paris museum of science and technology. One of the exhibits is this truly amazing 4 bit adder constructed of tubes and siphons with water feeding through them under gravity. You punch in two 4 bit numbers on a control panel and hit the GO button. Valves open and close at the top, the whole thing bubbles and gurgles for about 30 seconds, and tubes shaped as 1's and 0's fill up at the bottom with the Answer (not 42). Paul. -- Paul Johnson | Isn't modern education wonderful: one size fits all! -------------^------------------v-------------------------v------------------- GEC-Marconi Research is not | Telex: 995016 GECRES G | Tel: +44 245 73331 responsible for my opinions. | Inet: paj@gec-mrc.co.uk | Fax: +44 245 75244
brent@uwovax.uwo.ca (Brent Sterner) (06/15/91)
In article <959@snap.mrcu>, paj@mrcu (Paul Johnson) writes: > If you are ever in Paris, visit the Musee' Cite' (or something like > that). It is the Paris museum of science and technology. One of the > exhibits is this truly amazing 4 bit adder constructed of tubes and > siphons with water feeding through them under gravity. You punch in > two 4 bit numbers on a control panel and hit the GO button. Valves > open and close at the top, the whole thing bubbles and gurgles for > about 30 seconds, and tubes shaped as 1's and 0's fill up at the > bottom with the Answer (not 42). That posting rang a bell! But I don't remember where. I've seen a similar demo using (as I recall) tennis balls. (Not quite pneumatic; perhaps a bit closer to quantum mechanics. ;-) b. -- Brent Sterner Manager, Academic Technical Support Fast: <BRENT@uwo.ca> <BRENT@UWOVAX.BITNET> <129.100.2.13> Telephone (519)661-2151 x6036 Slow: Computing & Communications Services, Natural Sciences Building The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7
rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner) (06/15/91)
In article <959@snap.mrcu>, paj@mrcu (Paul Johnson) writes: > If you are ever in Paris, visit the Musee' Cite' (or something like > that). It is the Paris museum of science and technology. The Cit\'e des Sciences. Terrific place, but brush up on your French before you go, because all the explanations are in French - or were, 18 months ago. Another wonderful technology museum, with an *incredible* computer section, is the Deutsches Museum in Munich. They have a Cray 1 in there, as well as numerous calculating machines that go waaaaay back. Plan on a couple of days, and don't go when you're so hung over that all you want to do is sleep :-). -- Ruth Milner Systems Manager NRAO/VLA Socorro NM Computing Division Head rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu