Experimental magnetic drum store

Made:
circa 1946 in London
Experimental model used in design of magnetic-drum store

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Experimental model used in design of magnetic-drum store
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Experimental model used in design of magnetic-drum store

Magnetic drum stores were used as memory devices for storing information in computers. This experimental drum store was first devised by Andrew Donald Booth in London as a memory device. Information is stored on a magnetisable strip on the drum which is rotated by a motor. Digital information is stored as a binary magnetic pattern. Information can be written to and read from the drum. Fully engineered drum stores were widely used in production computers during the 1950s and 1960s.

Details

Category:
Computing & Data Processing
Object Number:
1959-180
Materials:
metal (unknown), wood (unidentified), textile and plastic (unidentified)
type:
memory devices
credit:
Booth,A.D.