Technology through Time Collection - Computing

Computer Valves

Valves are electronic switches, first invented in the early 1900s. They were used in radios, and later radar and television, up until the 1960s when transistors took over.  Colossus was built in 1943 under such secret conditions that very few people knew about and it did not become public knowledge until the 1970s. It was designed to help decode secret messages sent by the Germans from their headquarters in Berlin during World War II. There is now a working replica at the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park.
 
There is an obvious similarity in appearance to the old fashioned incandescent light bulb and they do indeed glow and get warm. But this heat then allows a stream of electrons to pass from a cathode to an anode. Other electrodes control the flow of electrons similar to the way turning a tap controls the flow of water.
 
 There were about 2,400 valves in Colossus,compared to the 15 billion transistors in an iPhone. There are still a few uses for valves today however: the magnetron in your microwave oven is a valve, and they are loved by hifi enthusiasts and guitarists for their amplifiers.

 

1980s ZX Spectrum

The ZX Spectrum was released in the United Kingdom in 1982.

The machine was designed to be affordable and compact. Video output was transmitted to a television instead of a monitor, and software was loaded and saved onto cassettes.

It played a very important role in the early history of personal computing and gaming. Until the Raspberry Pi, the Spectrum kept the title of Britain's best-selling computer across three decades.

It stopped being produced in 1992.

"Bondi Blue" iMac G3 Computer

We have a "Bondi Blue" iMac G3 Computer in our Technology through Time Collection.

The iMac G3 was a series of personal computers which Apple marketed between 1998 and 2003. It was designed to be an affordable desktop computer.

It had an "all-in-one" design, which was based around a cathode ray tube display, and a striking "teardrop-shaped", blue translucent plastic case. It did not include "older" technology such as floppy disc drives, but instead focused on newer technology such as USB ports.

Although the design attracted some criticism, with people citing that the mouse was uncomfortable to use and the lack of older technology was unhelpful, the computer series was extremely successful, and became Apple's fastest-selling computer with more than five million in sales. 

 

BBC Micro Computer and Monitor

We have a 1980s BBC Micro Computer and Monitor in our Technology through Time Collection.

BBC Micro Computers were a range of computers which were designed and built by Acorn during the 1980s and 90s. They were designed to support the BBC's "Computer Literacy Project", and as a result, were used in British primary and secondary schools.

They were a very popular domestic computer, giving children and adults alike the opportunity to learn to program at home, as well as of course enjoying a range of games!