Mainframe Computer Component, SWAC Williams Tube Memory
date: label: Date made
content: 1950
name: label: maker
content: National Bureau of Standards
notes: label: Description
content: This Williams tube was part of the central memory for the SWAC (Standards Western Automatic Computer), which was built by the National Bureau of Standards at the Institute for Numerical Analysis in Los Angeles. The computer had 256 words of electrostatic (Williams tube) memory and an 8,192 word drum storage. The SWAC was used as a training tool and, especialiay after the INA closed, a prototype for computer study in courses of the UCLA curriculum.
label: Description
content: Compare 1983.0208.01 and 1983.0208.02. The SWACmemory unit initially consisted of thirty-seven Williams tubes like these.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: California, Los Angeles
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Computers
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: National Bureau of Standards
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1983.0208.01
label: catalog number
content: 1983.0208.01
label: accession number
content: 1983.0208
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Mainframe Component
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 9 1/8 in x 24 in x 8 1/4 in; 23.1775 cm x 60.96 cm x 20.955 cm