Unitized Digital Electronic Computer
The Unitized Digital Electronic Computer (UDEC) was a digital computer system developed by the Burroughs Laboratory in the early 1950s. It was primarily located at and utilized by Wayne University in Detroit, Michigan. The machine was notable for its "unitized" construction, utilizing standardized electronic building blocks of packaged pulse circuits, which had been developed originally by Project Whirlwind, and also used for the Burroughs laboratory computer.[1][2]
Development and design
[edit]The UDEC was constructed at the Burroughs Research Center (Electronic Instruments Division) in Philadelphia.
The machine's design was based on "Unitized" Pulse-Control Equipment. These consisted of various types of packaged pulse circuits mounted on standard 19-inch relay racks. This modular approach allowed for a flexible means of logical design, where individual units acted as "building blocks" for the computer.[2][3]
- Memory Words: Magnetic Cores 100, Magnetic Drum 5,300
History and usage
[edit]The UDEC began regular operation around mid-1953. It was housed at the Wayne University Computation Laboratory, where it was used for machine computation courses and research.[6]
At the time of its operation, it was one of several major computer projects monitored by the Office of Naval Research.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Hoberg, G. G. (1951). "The Burroughs laboratory computer". Papers and discussions presented at the Dec. 10-12, 1951, joint AIEE-IRE computer conference: Review of electronic digital computers on - AIEE-IRE '51. pp. 22–29. doi:10.1145/1434770.1434774.
- 1 2 Kent, A.; Williams, J. G.; Holzman, A. G. (1987), "Burroughs Corporation—Burroughs History", Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology, vol. 17, CRC Press, p. 23, ISBN 978-0-8247-2267-8,
The first digital electronic computer built by the company was the Burroughs Laboratory Computer. …Two years later, Burroughs engineers delivered an enhanced version of this system, known as the Unitized Digital Electronic Computer (UDEC), to Wayne University in Detroit. Both were general purpose computers constructed of interconnecting series of "pulse-control units," similar to those used in the Whirlwind I Computer, developed at MIT in 1947.
- ↑ "UMedia". umedia.lib.umn.edu. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
- ↑ "UDEC I II III". ed-thelen.org. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
- ↑ Weik, Martin H. (June 1957). A Second Survey of Domestic Electronic Digital Computing Systems (PDF) (Report). Ballistic Research Laboratories. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ↑ Computing & Information Technology (October 25, 2018). "Wayne State C&IT supports 71 years of tech in the heart of Detroit". Wayne State University. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
1953 The first electronic computer at Wayne State is a joint effort with the Burroughs Research Laboratory.
- ↑ "Digital Computer Newsletter" (PDF). ONR Newsletter. 5 (4). Office of Naval Research, Mathematical Sciences Division. October 1953.