Patent GB-598565-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to accumulating apparatus
IPC: G06F7/498
Filed: 1945-05-15
Abstract: 598,565. Electric calculating-apparatus. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. May 15, 1945, No. 12239. Convention date, Dec. 27, 1943. [Class 106 (i)] [Also in Group XL] Electrical calculating apparatus of the general type described in Specification 595,555 is modified by the substitution for a continuouslyoperating electronic commutator and entry control means of an electronic commutator which performs a single cycle at the depression of the start key. Trigger circuits. The circuit is built up largely of trigger circuit units such as is shown inside the broken line in Fig. 8a. Two vacuum tubes 68L, 68R are so interconnected that when one is conductive the other is at cut-off. The unit is said to be on when the tube 68L is conductive so that point 66R is at higher potential than point 66L. The application of a positive pulse at 67L or a negative pulse at 67R triggers the unit from on to off while a positive pulse at 67R or a negative at 67L triggers the unit from off to on. The simultaneous application of either positive or negative pulses at both points 67L, 67R reverses the unit whatever its state. With switches 79a, 79b, 73a, 73b closed, the potentials of points, 67L, 67R are substantially the same as when switches 79a, 79b are open. Pulses applied to points 67L or 67R are now inadequate to trigger the circuit unless one or both of switches 73a, 73b are opened. A glow lamp 78 ignites when the unit is on. Oscillator for the production of timed control pulses. An oscillator of the multivibrator type comprises twin tubes 83a, 83b, Fig. 11a, producing square-topped waves in anti-phase on resistances 84a, 84b, which are converted to alternate positive and negative pulses fed to tubes 90a, 90aa, 90aaa, 90b, 90bb. Tubes 90a, 90aaa, 90b, 90bb produce positive pulses on their related anode resistors 91 at the cyclic times indicated in lines c and of Fig. 10. The negative pulses fed to the control grid of pentode 90aa have no effect and the positive pulses render this tube conductive to produce negative pulses on resistor 91aa only when the screen potential is high, when, as described later, unit T is in off status. Line d of Fig. 10 shows these pulses, the broken line indicating the missing pulses when unit T is on. Electronic commutator. The electronic commutator performs only one cycle for each machine operation. It comprises one control unit T and nine stepping units C9-C1, Figs. 11a, 11d. Initially all the units are off. With the switches in the positions shown in the drawings, depression of the start key 220 (Fig. 3, not shown), reverses a switch 95 to discharge a condenser 94 through a resistance 125, Fig. 11g, which renders a tube 126a conducting and via wire 22 sends a negative impulse to point 66L of the unit T, Fig. 11a, which is thus turned on. Unit T raises the potential of point 67R of the first stepping unit C9 so that the next positive pulse at a midindex point from resistor 91a applied to the points 67R of all the stepping units, trips C9 to on as shown in Fig. 10 and primes C8 for turning on at the next pulse from resistor 91a. The process repeats for each stepping unit until C1 is turned on. C1 then raises the potential of point 67L of unit T which turns off at time " 1 " at the receipt of a positive pulse from resistor 91b. Resistor 63L of unit T controls the screen voltage of the pentode 90aa, previously referred to. When T is on, the screen voltage of this tube is low and the succession of positive pulses from resistor 89aa to the control grid are ineffective, but at time " 1," when unit T turns off, the screen potential of pentode 90aa rises exponentially and the positive pulses on the grid at time " 0 " and later render the tube conducting to produce negative pulses on resistor 91aa (Fig. 10, line d). These pulses are applied to points 67n of all the stepping units C9-C1 which therefore turn off simultaneously so that the commutator cycle is completed at time " 0." During the commutator cycle, the stepping units are turned on sequentially at mid-index times and the increased potential of their points 67R is used for the production of negative pulses used in entry control. C9 produces a 9-pulse train and so on (Fig. 10 (9)-10 (1)). Two embodiments are described. Production of entry control pulses. In the first embodiment, for use when the number of digits in an order exceeds the number of orders, only such pulse trains as correspond to the chosen digits appear. The control grids of pentodes 100u, 100t,. 100h, 100th., Fig. 11d, relating to the units, tens, &c. orders are connected via selected key contacts 108 of the respective orders to points 67R of the stepping units C9- Cl. The screen potentials are constant and the suppressor grids continually receive positive pulses from resistor 91bb. When a stepping unit so connected to a pentode 100 is turned on, it raises the grid potential so that the pulses on the suppressor grid fire the tube to produce a train of negative pulses on the related resistor 101 until the stepping units are turned off, the pulses corresponding to the keys 138 (Fig. 3, not shown) depressed. Depression of a 0 key connects the grid of the related pentode to the negative supply line so that the pentode remains at cut-off. Second embodiment. The arrangement of Fig. 11ad is preferred to that of Figs. 11a, 11d when the number of orders exceeds the number of digits in an order. The screen potentials of pentodes 100 (9)-100 (1) are constant and the suppressor grids receive a continual stream of positive pulses from resistor 91bb. When the grid potentials are raised under the control of points 67R of the stepping units C9-C1 (shown as boxes in Fig. Had), the tubes generate the negative entry control pulse trains on resistors 101 (9)-101 (1), the selected trains being fed through the closed key contacts to the related orders of the totalizer. Totalizer. The units and tens orders of the totalizer are shown in Figs. 11b, 11e, each order comprising five trigger units of the type shown in Fig. 8a. The entry control pulses produced on resistors 101, Fig. 11d or Fig. 11ad, are fed to the-grids of related pulse inverting pentodes 113u, 113t to produce positive entry pulses on resistors 117u, 117t which are fed by lines 96u, 96t through parallel condenserresistance paths to points 67L, 67R of all the register units in the related orders. Only that tube in an order which is primed by another trigger unit will be turned on at the reception of an entry pulse. When all the units in an order are off, they manifest O, the first pulse turns on unit A6-1, the second A7-2 and so on, the fifth A0-5. The sixth pulse turns off unit A6-1, -the seventh A7-2 and the tenth A0-5. Entry of a number is illustrated in Figs. 12, 13. Carry. A pentode 130, Fig. 11g, with constant screen voltage 'has its grid potential raised during an entry or totalling cycle by virtue of an indicating control unit I being off, as described later, and'so in this cycle a continuous stream of positive pulses from resistor 91aaa fires the tube to produce negative pulses on line 120 (Fig. 10, line h) at the mid-index point, applied to the points 67R of all the carry units Ku, Kt, and so on, Fig. 11e, so as normally to maintain these units off. When the unit A0-5 is tripped off at the passing of the order from 9 to 0, a negative pulse appears at its point 67R and is 'fed to point 67L of the carry unit K, tripping it on at the index point (Fig. 13u, line g). Half an index point later, a negative pulse on line 120 shifts the carry unit back to off to produce a negative pulse at its point 67R which is fed to the pulse inverting tube 113 of the next higher order to produce an entry in that order (Fig. 13t, line a) at midindex time so as not to interfere with the ordinary entry pulses. If the higher order is already at 9 (Fig. 14t, h, not shown), the related unit A0-5, in turning off, applies a negative pulse to point 67L of the related carry unit, this being at mid-index time and coinciding with a negative pulse applied from line 120 to point 67R of the same carry unit. As already described under the heading " Trigger circuit," under such conditions the trigger unit is reversed. One full index point later, a further negative pulse from line 120 turns the carry unit off, causing the carry through to be effected to the next higher order. Because of this delay, carry entries may occur after termination of the entry cycle. Subtraction is effected by the operation of a subtract key 225 (Fig. 4, not shown) which reverses contacts 107 (Figs. 11d, Had) so as to produce complementary addition when the start key 220 is operated. The subtract key is released for additive operations by a release key 230 (not shown). Fugitive one. During entry, line 120 continually transmits negative pulses to point 67R of a unit E, Fig. 11d, normally maintaining the unit off. For subtraction, when contacts 107e are closed and when unit T turns off at time " 1," its point 67R sends a negative pulse to point 67L of unit E which turns on. Half an index point later, a negative pulse on line 120 turns E off to feed a negative pulse to the pulse inverting tube 113u to add unity. Indicating means. The number standing in the register may be indicated by glow tubes 78 alight when the units are on, or by cathode-ray tubes 150 tracing the numeral outlines. In the latter case, a system is used broadly similar to that described in Specification 543,977, [Group XL], a disc 40 (Fig. 11g) carrying two opaque tracks being rotated by a motor 35 so as to cut off a varying amount of light passing from lamps 41 to photo-electric cells 46x, 46Y controlling the horizontal and vertical deflection plates XR, XL, YU, YL of the cathoderay tubes 150. The opaque tracks are divided into ten equal segments pertaining to the digits 0-9. Four contact discs 161-164 rotate with the emitter disc 40, each disc having a continuous conductive tra