On 4/12/24 14:27, Van Snyder via cctalk wrote: > On Fri, 2024-04-12 at 16:13 -0400, Paul Koning via cctalk wrote: >> Not all that fast, well, it depends on what you're comparing with. >> Given tube logic with cycle times measures in microseconds, quite >> possibly serial rather than parallel organization, those acoustic or >> drum memory systems weren't all that terrible. > > Speaking of drum machines....
One that comes to mind is the Datatron/Burroughs B-205, used as a prop in several Hollywood productions (or at least pieces of one).. The drum there was divided into two areas; the "main storage" area where each track stored 100 words of 11 digit BCD and the "quick access" tracks that stored only a tenth as much, 20 words. The deal was that writing a word to the quick access tracks would write it 10 times, so that access time to a word was cut by 90%. Clever. --Chuck
