Stantec Zebra (1958)Manufacturer: StanTec |
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from Dutch Pride page: "The ZEBRA (Zeer Eenvoudig Binair Reken Apparaat) was designed by Van der Poel for the Dutch PTT but not produced there. After lengthy negotiations Stantec in the UK built it, delivering the first in 1957. The ZEBRA can still be seen at the TechniekMuseum Delft, part of the Delft University" There are two ZEBRA simulators available (see links)
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Resources
- Jose F de Almeida's Stantec Zebra Page in Portugal
- Alan J. Flavell's Stantec Zebra Page at Glasgow
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Stantec Zebra Page in PortugalStantec Zebra at Uminho in Portugal
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Stantec Zebra Page at GlasgowUnkown installation
- De ZEBRA, de eerste computer van de RuG
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The Stantec ZEBRA page at Computer Conservation Society Designed by Willem L van der Poel of the Netherlands PTT in early 1950s. Manufactured by Standard Telephones and Cables Limited in South Wales. First deliveries in 1958; at least forty machines built, most of which were exported.
The machine worked serially at 128Kbs, with a 33-bit word. Main storage was an 8K word drum, with 256 tracks, rotating at 6000rpm. Internal storage was 12 single-word registers implemented as dedicated tracks on the drum, each with its own read/write pair of heads. Input was from a paper tape reader, and output to a paper tape punch and to a teleprinter. There was a control panel with a display tube, several control switches and a telephone dial for inputting small numbers. The machine consumed 7KW and had only 600 valves.
One reason for the small number of valves was the very ingenious but simple internal architecture. There was negligible function decoding and complex control circuits. Each bit in an instruction would operate a single serial gate directly, routing data amongst the registers, drum tracks and peripherals. An instruction had 15 of these function bits and 13 bits for store address and the remaining bits for registers and I/O. Another example of the design simplicity was that the teleprinter drive waveform was synthesised by software.
The assembler language for generating instructions was known as Normal Code, and the assembler occupied the top 1K of the drum. Casual users could use Simple Code which was similar to the EDSAC 1 instruction set, the "compiler" for which occupied another 2K on the drum. There were also a Matrix interpretive scheme and an Algol compiler.
The CCS bulletin, Resurrection, has a brief article by Don Hunter about the ZEBRA in issue 11. A report on a seminar on the machine held at the Science Museum, London in October 1995, is forthcoming in "Resurrection".
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Executable archive version of Willem van der Poel's simulator: link to archive -
Zip of Don Hunter's simulator: link to archive - Wikipaedia page on ZEBRA
- Page for Stantec Zebra at Kieth Smillie's site