From: rfd@po.CWRU.Edu (Richard F. Drushel)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: 1960 Bernoulli Disk Drive Advertizement
Date: 18 Nov 1992 17:06:36 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: rfd@po.CWRU.Edu (Richard F. Drushel)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc5.ins.cwru.edu


	While going through a box of books from my father's college
days, I came across the August 1960 issue (vol. 33, no. 8) of a
journal called "Instruments and Control Systems".  This is chock-full
of interesting advertizements for (now) obsolete instrumentation,
test equipment, and computer hardware, including the following (p. 1312):
============= begin ad facsimile ===============

	simplest                     +-------------+
	rotating                     |             |
	storage                      |   picture   |
	device                       |   of disk   |
	ever                         |             |
	developed...                 |             |
                                     +-------------+
The Bernoulli Magnetic Disk Memory,
a proprietary development of The LFE       SPECIFICATIONS BD-100 SERIES
Applied Research Laboratory, is now      Storage Capacity (Max) Bits  100,000
available in prototype or production     Bits Per Track (Max)           3,000
quantities.                              Bit Rate -- kc                90-400
                                         Track Layout as Required (Typical)
The first models, designated as the        Total Tracks                    40
BD-100 Series, are ideally applicable      Data Storage Tracks             32
for use in general purpose EDP Systems.    Spare Tracks                     3
In addition, because of each unit's        Clock and Timing Tracks          3
small size and weight, and ability to      Register Tracks                  2
withstand sever environmental condi-       Number of Registers              4
tions, the BD-100 series is also appli-    Register Length -- Bits         32
cable to a variety of fixed station        Register Adjustment -- Bits   +/-3
and mobile digital computers.  For a     Disk Speed -- RPM        1,800-8,000
complete description write for Tech-       Induction or Synchronous Motors
nical Data Digest No. 607I.                Available
                                         Power Source -- cps           60-400
                                         Magnetic Heads (Compatible with
        LFE                                solid state circuits)
Data Storage Operations                    Typical: (For 200 kc Operation)
   COMPUTER PRODUCTS                       Inductance (Per Leg. -- C.T.
                                           Coil) -- uh                     55
     A DIVISION OF                         Write Current (P/P Manchester)
LABORATORY FOR ELECTRONICS, INC.           -- ma                          250
1079 Commonwealth Ave.                     Read Out (Min. P/P Full Coil)
Boston 15, Massachusetts                   -- mv                           20
                                         Size -- Inches (Less Electronics)
                                                                        9x9x5
                                         Wide variations from typical
                                         specifications can be made to
                                         meet customer's requirements.
============= end ad facsimile ================

	So is this the original "Bernoulli box"? :)  The picture
of the unit is a cutaway drawing showing the disk platter, R/W
heads, and spindle motor.  The housing with electronics appears
to be at least a 1-foot cube.  No price is given :)

	Many of the other ads in this journal are (to me, at any
rate) surprisingly sexist.  One from Eldorado Electronics says
"How Do You Measure and Sort?  This way --> [woman sitting in
front of giant 'scope] or this way --> [tiny box; line drawings
of woman and 'scope with Xs drawn through them]" (p. 1410).  Another
shows a Bob Dobbs type lounging against a Benson-Lehner computer,
leering at a pretty keypunch operator; a comic-strip word balloon
from the man has punchtape and punchcard holes, while the woman
says "I was beginning to think you'd never ask!" (p. 1264).
-- 
Rich Drushel ** rfd@po.CWRU.edu *** Biology Ph.D. Student ** Cleveland FreeNet
Co-Sysop, Coleco ADAM Forum ******* EOS-5 / EOS-7 / OS-7 / T-DOS / soon EOS-8!
"Solda pung apfashat ro des-marno, / Marn ladir o armag noth yeni arno. / Hell
miryat it, / Jambo iat it, / Os lasse wei ticip kati baldo." / Old Ennish poem