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2010-01-03 Aerospace Artifacts
Posted by Accutron

We've added a number of aircraft components to the Mechanical & Electromechanical Systems section, including a selection of A.W. Haydon elapsed time indicators, a Wakmann A-11-24 aircraft clock, and an extremely rare USAF flight data recorder cartridge from the 1960s. Additionally, a rare Westinghouse-branded BX-3000 has been added to the Beam Switching Tubes section. If you've had any problems connecting to our site in the past couple weeks, it's because our new project article about square gears got posted to the Make blog, and we've been getting pounded by hits.

2009-12-06 Plug & Play
Posted by Accutron

We are pleased to announce the release of the Yilane Systems YS-61 octal socket plugboard, a modular test socket designed for use with our YS-610 Universal Dekatron Computer. The YS-61 features a ceramic octal socket and a network of reconfigurable jumpers which allows the socket to be used with most octal-base dekatrons. The YS-61 is also electrically compatible with our older YS-601 dekatron computer, as well as lesser spinners from other manufacturers. The YS-61 is currently available for sale, as included in our YS-610 complete kit.

2009-11-27 Orange Friday
Posted by AnubisTTP

While the rest of the world partakes in the Black Friday consumer spending orgy, we figured the time was ripe for another site update. * Solid State Displays: Two devices, a HP 5082-7412 three-digit display and a Siemens DLR2416 intelligent LED display. * Incandescent Displays: A Dialco 710-0300-009 incandescent seven-segment display with discrete removable lamps. * Gas Discharge Displays: The iconic Burroughs B7971, a large segmented alphanumeric Nixie tube that has been the tube of choice in Nixie projects that require alphanumeric display.

2009-11-07 Unpossible
Posted by Accutron

We have obtained the elusive BD-203, the rarest and smallest of all characterized beam switching tubes, and the only unshielded compact model ever produced by Burroughs. The device is an extremely early example, possibly an engineering sample. The obvious features which indicate its earliness include a lack of protective end caps, an improvised part number label affixed atop a red label intended for another dissimilar part number, and the inclusion of a preliminary datasheet, reproduced on the Burroughs company mimeograph. Perhaps of interest to some of our readers, this month marks the 40th anniversary of the Hewlett-Packard 2114B, HP's only all-TTL minicomputer. This is of special importance to us, as the 2114B CPU in our museum is the nucleus around which this site was originally built. Only six examples of this machine are confirmed to still exist.

2009-10-26 The Value of Pie
Posted by AnubisTTP

We have jumped on the Halloween bandwagon and posted a pumpkin-carving project, dubbed the 'Pie of Sauron'. Is sticking a 400 volt dekatron counting tube into the front of a jack-o-lantern a concept fraught with peril? We'll leave that up to the arson investigator to decide. We have also made a few additions to the Electronics Museum, including the IV-22 in the Vacuum Florescent Displays section and the Dumont 3ABP2 multi-gun CRT, added to the Imaging Tubes section.

2009-10-04 Enter the Polyatron
Posted by AnubisTTP

With the recent announcement of the restoration of the Harwell WITCH, the world's most famous dekatron-using device, we felt that an upgrade to the Glow Transfer Counting Tubes page was well in order. A significant update has been made to the page, including historical data and information on the evolution of glow transfer tubes. We have also added two new devices to the section: the A-201 and A-107 counting tubes. The A-201 is a noteworthy device, as it is the world's only known production Polyatron tube. Also called an 'inverse dekatron', the Polyatron was intended to be the technological successor to the dekatron tube, and its relevance was prevented only by the sudden appearance of cheap, reliable transistor-based counters. The A-107 is a tiny Soviet counter tube, and one of only a few such devices which does not directly display its count position.

2009-09-23 Signs of Life
Posted by Accutron

We have just released a new product, the Yilane YS-210 Game of Life, an 8x8 implementation of John Conway's Game of Life cellular automaton. The YS-210 may also be reprogrammed as a general purpose 16F84-based LED matrix driver. The YS-210 is now available for purchase on eBay.

2009-09-06 Tubes & LEDs
Posted by AnubisTTP

Check out the latest additions to the site, we have added a number of new devices that could best be described as objects of rarity: * Glow Transfer Counting Tubes: A seldom seen first-source Raytheon part, the CK8262. * Beam Switching Tubes: The BX-1204, an internal magnet beam switching tube with a unique internal construction. * Solid State Displays: A bizzare three-digit glass-and-metal smart LED of unknown origin. * Solid State Indicators: A gold-plated straight pin LED of unknown manufacture. Be sure to also take a look at our Video page; we have added a number of new videos showing obscure and rare dekatron tubes in operation.

2009-08-29 My Knob Tastes Funny
Posted by Accutron

We have just released our newest spinner, the Yilane YS-610 Universal Dekatron Computer, direct successor to our flagship YS-601 spinner. The YS-610 includes the entire feature set of the YS-601, but adds a rotary encoder for speed control, as well as various code enhancements and future-proofing. Unlike the YS-601, the YS-610 is available in a user-assembled kit version. The first unit is now available for sale on eBay.

2009-08-09 Meat & Potatoes
Posted by AnubisTTP

Once again, we have added a number of new devices to various sections of the site: * Display & Counting Circuits: A very early single digit LED driver manufactured by Dialco. * Glow Transfer Counting Tubes: An extremely rare GCA10G direct drive dekatron. * Solid State Displays: The 5082-7107, a large glass and ceramic package display made by Hewlett-Packard. * Vacuum Fluorescent Displays: A blue-dipped variant of the General Electric Y1938 display and a Soviet IV-21 readout.

2009-07-29 China Syndrome
Posted by Accutron

Ever wonder what it's like for a Linksys router to liquefy itself from the intense heat of its own internally generated thermonuclear reactions? We don't anymore. The new router finally arrived via UPS less than an hour ago, and we're all very happy about it.

2009-07-20 Punching the Envelope
Posted by Accutron

Today is the 40th anniversary of the first moon walk, the single greatest ballistic achievement in human history. In celebration of this historic event, I heartily encourage everybody to watch the second greatest ballistic achievement in human history, this excellent video from 2002, of national hero Buzz Aldrin punching infamous conspiracy douchebag Bart Sibrel in the face. Speaking of evacuated vessels, we've added two new videos featuring various gas discharge tubes. The first video shows a selection of spectrum tubes with various fill gases. The second video features a rare Geissler 'Aurora' type linear gas discharge tube, under the influence of an external magnet.

2009-07-13 More Rarities
Posted by AnubisTTP

An assortment of new devices have been added to the site in the past few weeks: * Glow Transfer Counters: Two new dekatron tubes, the Z504 compact envelope and the extremely rare Japanese DK24 selector. * Imaging Tubes: Two tiny electrostatic CRT tubes, the National Union 122P11 and the RCA 913. * Solid State Displays: A truly minuscule Fairchild FND-10 single digit LED display. * Incandescent Displays: An Alco Mosaic readout, a telling example of how a Cold War engineer goes about making a seven-segment display. We have also added several items to our Video section that are worth a look.

2009-07-10 Moving Parts
Posted by Accutron

I recently turned up some shocking video evidence that possessing a fondness for old machines is hereditary: a video of my dad, expertly operating his 1929 Thew Lorain Model 75 revolving power shovel at the May 2009 National Pike Steam Show in Brownsville, PA. Well, strictly speaking it's not his shovel anymore. He sold it to another collector in 2008, but he still gets to operate it and keep it running. Controlling the Model 75 is a bit like the earthmoving equivalent of toggling your absolute binary loader in from the front panel. If crusty old guys aren't your thing, there is another video shot from a greater distance, which shows more of the Model 75 and less of my dad.

2009-07-02 Rarities
Posted by Accutron

Two new MBST part numbers have recently been obtained, the first new additions to the Beam Switching Tubes section in over two years. The parts in question are the rare-yet-boring BD-401 external magnet type, and the previously unknown BX-3001, an unshielded Beam-X Switch variant. Neither of these part numbers are listed in any known Burroughs documentation. Another recent 'addition' is the rediscovery of an older article, misplaced during a major site reorganization last year: the Hewlett-Packard First Generation Computer Census. This newly updated version lists every known extant specimen of first generation HP minicomputer, with accompanying details of various resolution and accuracy. If you have a computer eligible for this census, please submit your information via E-mail.

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