1 | <?php |
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2 | $seiten_id = 'elektro-mechanik'; |
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3 | $version = '$Id: electro-mechanical.php 624 2014-08-02 19:31:19Z heribert $'; |
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4 | $title = '(Electro-) mechanical calculators'; |
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5 | |
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6 | require "../../lib/technikum29.php"; |
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7 | ?> |
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8 | <h2>Mechanical Adding Machines</h2> |
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9 | |
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10 | <div class="box left clear-after"> |
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11 | <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/efzet.jpg" width="447" height="433" alt="EFZET Slide Rod Calculator" /> |
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12 | <p class="bildtext"> |
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13 | For the sake of completeness, we mention the predecessors of the electro-mechanical calculators: pure |
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14 | mechanical "pocket calculators" of the early days. The picture on the left shows a small slide rod calculator |
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15 | from "Produx". This handy device <i>Efzet</i> was intended |
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16 | </p> |
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17 | <blockquote>for the buisenessman, industrial, craftsman, engineer, student and even the housewife</blockquote> |
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18 | <p> |
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19 | like the <a href="/en/devices/efzet.php" class="en">instruction sheet</a> (german only) tells. |
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20 | This device does not seem to be very useful. |
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21 | </p> |
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22 | </div> |
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23 | |
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24 | <h2>(Electro-) mechanical calculators</h2> |
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25 | |
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26 | |
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27 | <div class="box left clear-after"> |
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28 | <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/burroughs.jpg" width="447" height="606" alt="Borroughs Mod.2" /> |
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29 | <p class="bildtext"> |
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30 | |
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31 | <p> |
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32 | The first electronically calculating calculators were gigantic mainframes |
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33 | in the 1940/50s. Until then, calculators worked mechanically. |
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34 | When the handwheel was replaced by an electric engine, the era of mechanical |
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35 | calculators began. |
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36 | </p> |
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37 | <p> |
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38 | <!--The first printing mechanical calculator (1905) is an unicum with an huge exterior engine!--> |
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39 | |
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40 | From the first fully automatic machines (1927) until calculators with |
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41 | accumulating memory (1960s), mechanical calculators computed the result |
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42 | indepently after user input. |
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43 | Curta I, The world's first "pocket calculator", has 1/3 from the volume of a |
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44 | Coca Cola-pin and is consequently the smallest four-species machine ever built. |
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45 | Looking at mechanical calculators, one quickly recognize the enormous |
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46 | importance of the positional notation.</p> |
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47 | |
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48 | <p> |
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49 | <b>Burroughs Mod. 2.</b> |
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50 | The first printing calculating machine was invented in the USA (about 1905) |
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51 | and was selled worldwide. It features a complete keyboard for 17 digits, a |
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52 | printing unit and a long carriage for the sheet paper. The device could be |
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53 | used as a simple electronic accounting machine. At that time the engines |
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54 | could already be built just compact enough for such a device. Anyway, the |
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55 | huge engine (for today's circumstances) had to be placed below the device |
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56 | (on the right hand side in the picture). The sack below the engine is |
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57 | intended for collecting the leakage oil. |
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58 | </p> |
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59 | </div> |
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60 | |
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61 | <div class="box right clear-after"> |
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62 | <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/madas1.jpg" width="600" height="373" alt="Madas Rechenmaschiene" /> |
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63 | <p class="bildtext"><b>MADAS</b>, an electromechanical calculator from 1927 |
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64 | made by the calculating machine factury "Egli AG" in Zurich. |
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65 | Since multiplying and dividing needs some time, the inventors installed a small |
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66 | bell (at the upper left) that rings after the calculation has finished.</p> |
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67 | </div> |
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68 | |
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69 | <div class="box left clear-after"> |
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70 | <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/rheinmetall.jpg" width="600" height="499" alt="Rheinmetall Superautomat" /> |
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71 | <p class="bildtext">In 1932, <b>Rheinmetall</b> extended an adding machine with |
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72 | a surface mounting, thus creating a 4-species calculating machine. |
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73 | The comfortable usability seems to be the reason why they called it "Superautomat". |
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74 | Calculating is the only ability of this colossus. |
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75 | </p> |
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76 | </div> |
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77 | |
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78 | <div class="box right clear-after"> |
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79 | <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/curta.jpg" width="500" height="489" alt="Curta I and Curta II" /> |
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80 | <p class="bildtext"> |
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81 | <b>Curta I and Curta II</b> |
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82 | <br>These outstanding small pocket calculators were produced almost |
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83 | unmodified from 1948 to ca. 1971. This is unbelievable for today's |
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84 | technology products. The Curta could perform all basic arithmetic |
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85 | operations. |
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86 | Packing all the complex mechanics into such a small volume was an enormous |
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87 | challenge. For comparision of the sizes, we put a matchbox from the same |
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88 | era on the picture. |
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89 | <br>The Internet is full of literature about the Curta, e.g. the |
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90 | <a href="http://www.vcalc.net/cu-bckup.htm">story about inventor Curt |
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91 | Herzstark</a>. |
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92 | </p> |
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93 | </div> |
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94 | |
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95 | <div class="box right clear-after"> |
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96 | <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/diehl-vsr18.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="DIEHL VSR-18" /> |
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97 | <p class="bildtext"><b>DIEHL VSR-18</b>, one of many mechanical calculators |
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98 | built between 1955 and 1965. |
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99 | <br/>The engineers were hardly pressed to design better and better machines, until |
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100 | the limit of feasibility. So the operating instructions say: "This DIEHL-device VSR |
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101 | performs outstanding work". That is really true: For example, one were able to |
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102 | cache results and to transfer back them anytime you want to. With this feature |
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103 | daily calculations like 25 + 12 x 7 - 17 x 6 could be solved without notating |
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104 | anything. However, this luxury still had a drawback: Maloperation could damage the |
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105 | whole device.</p> |
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106 | </div> |
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