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4<head><!--#set var="title"        value="UNIVAC 9200, UNIVAC 9300"
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21<div id="content">
22    <h2><!--#echo var="title" --></h2>
23       
24        <p>The Univac 9200 (Univac 9300) is a punch card computing data center from 1966. It is
25           uncommon that such old devices are completely preserved, even all the
26           manuals are available. This system was stored for over four years in the museum
27           archives until we moved it with a freight company into the museum, next
28           to the <a href="univac9400.shtm">UNIVAC 9400</a>.</p>
29           
30        <p>After moving the devices with a trucking company to the museum building,
31           the restoration started with cleaning all the devices, initially removing the typical
32           old, rotten noise-absorbing mats at the very first. They have been replaced by
33           brand new cellular rubber.</p>
34
35    <p>We expect most of the problems to be with the mechanical parts in the cabinets.
36       Already we have removed the transportation locks and replaced some bearings,
37           drive rollers and belts. The card puncher features 15 timing belts, for instance.
38           The card reader (500 cards/minute) works again and the puncher mechanics are
39           now executable, too. The processor link to these auxillary devices is another
40           issue and will be checked in the near future.</p>
41
42                <div class="box center auto-bildbreite">
43                        <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/univac9300.jpg" alt="UNIVAC 9300" width="700" height="375" />
44                        <p class="bildtext">
45                                <b>UNIVAC 9300</b> electronic data processing system, with its components (left
46                                to right): bar printer, cpu, "electronic cabinet" (power supply and plated wire
47                                memory), card reader, card puncher.
48                        </p>
49                </div>
50               
51        <p>For aesthetic reasons, we also repainted the cabinets.</p>
52        <p>We will address the bar printer at a later time. In contrast to the already
53       mentioned devices, the printer cannot be controlled manually, so we will
54           have to start up the processor, too. This will be a buggy job.
55           But all the work is not for nothing, <!-- sic! gute uebersetzung -->
56           since the system is really unique, featuring punch card assembler programming.</p>
57
58        <p>We will continously update this page about the progress of the reparation
59           until the device is fully functional again.</p>
60
61        <div class="box center auto-bildbreite">
62        <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/univac9200.jpg" alt="UNIVAC 9300" width="700" height="368" />
63                <p class="bildtext"><b>UNIVAC 9300</b> electronic data processing system, uncovered while being restored</p>
64        </div>
65
66
67        <h3 id="blog">Restoration Blog</h3>     
68        <p><b>17.01.2010:</b> There were some mice in the power supply and printer; they
69           bit thorugh some small cables.
70        <p><b>16.02.2010:</b> After locating two defective resistors the power supply is
71           running again. Now we can use punch card devices from the CPU. Actually
72           we cannot read nor punch data.
73        <br>Now there is another malfunctioning device: The <a href="storage-media.shtm#plated-wire-storage">
74           plated wire storage</a> does not work. We are trying to get it working at least partially,
75           replacing it with a new self-made solid state memory. As you can read on our
76           <a href="/en/devices/plated-wire-storage.shtm">detailed description of the
77           plated wire storage</a>, this type of memory has always been very error-prone.
78        <div class="desc-right">
79                <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/9300pannel.jpg" alt="UNIVAC 9300 Front palen" width="400" height="296" />
80                <p class="bildtext" style="width:400px;"><b>UNIVAC 9300 front panel:</b> 160
81                states of processor and periphery can be indicated with light bulbs and
82                selected via switches.</p>
83        </div>
84        <p><b>15.04.2010:</b> The boot process of the device is still crashing. There is
85            an error message from the printer without any reason. We are trying to
86                locate this error.
87        <p><b>02.05.2010:</b> A broken thyristor (hammer driver) raised the
88            "printer error" message. Data integrity was the most important consideration at the
89                time. If only one of the 140 printer columns is not working correctly, the whole
90                printer goes offline to avoid any wrong output.
91        <p><b>10.05.2010:</b> We managed to get the plated wire storage online. We
92            can even start some small test programs via the input switches, but there are
93                bugs while running. This is perhaps the only device that still uses the old
94                plated wire storage. Anyway, we are planing a replacement.
95        <p><b>12.06.2010:</b> After calibrating the optical card reader, we could read in
96           and execute small programs in the data memory. We will report about the high
97           security level of the card reading process later. Surprisingly the plated wire
98           storage still works.</p>
99        <p><b>16.06.2010:</b> The card puncher doesn't work any more. 30 years of inactivity
100           are a long time for computers, too.
101           <br>On the other side, we could execute a printer loop program. The huge printer
102           starts up, but doesn't print yet. After two minutes, a thermal fuse triggers.</p>
103        <p><b>25.06.2010:</b> The fuse is triggerd by a broken centrifugal switch from the
104           printer engine start-up windings. Therefore the winding was always on and
105           constantly dissipated current. Now the engine is running, but print commands
106           are not yet executed.
107           <br>We also found a bug in the memory. Now all 8kB seem to run completely
108           error-free.</p>
109        <p><b>30.06.2010:</b> We located another bug in the printer logic (faulty
110           transistor). For the first time in 30 years, the bar printer works and is capable of
111           printing files from various punch cards. The type face looks good.
112           <br>Now we turn to the damaged printer.</p>
113        <p><b>05.08.2010:</b> After replacing a broken transistor and injecting some oil,
114           the puncher is up and running! Now we are able to dublicate punch cards.
115           Unfortunately we had to disable the error checking functions since the device
116           detected a non-existing error when punching. Locating this error is the next
117           problem.</p>
118        <p><b>26.08.2010:</b> Locating the bug in the device's internal error checking
119           of punched data was hard work. The computer compares the data which should be
120           punched with the position of the hammers in the punch station in a very
121           complex way. One of the 24 inductive sensing elements was broken,
122           furthermore a transistor which amplifies the particular induced voltage was
123           out of order and there was a cold solder joint. Finally the complete sensing
124           station had to be recalibrated to deliver all information simultaneously to
125           the comparing element. The adjustment has only a margin of 5 microseconds.
126           After this repair, all duplicated punch cards are checked too. If there
127           is a wrong punch hole, the computer stops immediately (an event that occurs
128           extremely rarely now).</p>
129           
130           <div class="desc-right">
131                <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/univac/messen-am-memory.jpg"  width="400" height="313" />
132                <p class="bildtext" style="width: 400px;"><b>Backside of the UNIVAC 9300:</b> With a storage oscilloscope and a logic analyzer logic states are measured</p></div>
133
134        <p><b>19.10.2010:</b> After all test programs were run successfully, we can now declare
135the machine as being fully operational. The next step will be constructing a
136new memory system which is necessary since the original plated wire memory is
137fragile and it is doubtful that it would survive the years to come without
138errors.</p>
139
140
141<p><b>Feb. 2012:</b> Redesigning the memory using modern semiconductor circuits is more complicated
142than expected initially. Despite a lot of effort concerning the timing of
143all signals involved in the RAM's logic the new RAM card is still not working.
144Further tests and modifications will be necessary. Fortunately the original
145wire memory is still working perfectly.</p>
146
147        <p><i>This blog will be irregulary continued.</i></p>
148       
149<p class="small">We would like to thank Dr. Frank Berger and Dr. Juergen Steen (both from the
150"Historischen Museum Frankfurt) for their suuport and many spare parts they
151donated for this machine. Repairing such complex circuitry would be next to
152impossible without known good boards for swapping etc.</small>
153
154       
155
156</div><!-- end of content -->
157<!--#include virtual="/en/inc/menu.inc.shtm" -->
158</body>
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