The Babbage Engine

Computer History Museum ^ | 2008

[Professional Engineer]

harles Babbage (1791-1871), computer pioneer, designed the first automatic computing engines. He invented computers but failed to build them. The first complete Babbage Engine was completed in London in 2002, 153 years after it was designed. Difference Engine No. 2, built faithfully to the original drawings, consists of 8,000 parts, weighs five tons, and measures 11 feet long.

[Professional Engineer]

Some geezer dude.

The video of the engine in operation is cool.

[OCC]

Yeah, but does it run Linux?

[Vigilantcitizen]

At first, I thought it was my old TRS-80.

[Professional Engineer]

LOL

It works, so it obviously can’t be running windows.

[MHGinTN]

Interesting video! Do dreams count in these ‘visions of computing?’ I had a dream of computing being accomplished by single atoms aligned in rows and planes ... have no idea what it’s all about, but the planes were not layed out all nice and flat and the ‘calculating’ atoms were arrayed above the planes of individually arranged atoms with ‘time’ separating the planes. Nope, I haven’t a clue what the dream meant, but there were four messenger atoms and two reader atoms.

[6SJ7]

Cool video. The machine even had a built in printer.

[valkyry1]

//Yeah, but does it run Linux?//

You’ll a 30,000 SHP turbine to run anything like that

[OCC]

It is a thing of beauty to watch it work, thanks for posting.

[djf]

Wow! Cool!

Wonder what happens if you try to divide by zero.

[edh]

This is all lies perpetrated by the West.

(Book of Obama 15:12) The Divine Government of the United Soviet Socialst States of America created the computer. So it was said during the Third Imperial Debate with war criminal McCain, so it is truth.

[Paladin2]

"Wonder what happens if you try to divide by zero."

Those old Friden calculators would certainly give it a good try.

http://www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/fridenstw.html

[Professional Engineer]

Wonder what happens if you try to divide by zero.

That's how you get babbit.

[Grizzled Bear]

Nope, I haven’t a clue what the dream meant, but there were four messenger atoms and two reader atoms.

Your dream is clearly sexual in nature.

Sincerely,

S. Freud

[MHGinTN]

Not at my age. But thanks for the vote of confidence. The messenger atoms were the storage and the two readers were picking up and depositing data.

[Paladin2]

http://www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/fridenstwvid.mpg

[Hegewisch Dupa]

please don’t explain the triple-bonding

[SunkenCiv]

Babbage Patch Kids ping.

[Clock King]

Wonder what happens if you try to divide by zero.

Perpetual Motion Machine!

[PUGACHEV]

The model Babbage Engine reminded me of the old mechanical telephone switching stations. I was inside one in the late ‘70s, a building about a quarter acre square packed with tens upon tens of thousands of contacts stacked about an inch apart on vertical rods reaching to the ceiling. Each contact opened and shut as some rotary phone dial clicked out each digit dialed. The sound was like a constant avalanche of leaves falling from a forest of trees in a string wind.