Strela computer
Strela computer (Russian: ЭВМ Стрела, lit. 'Arrow') was the first mainframe vacuum-tube computer manufactured serially in the Soviet Union, beginning in 1953.[1]
| Also known as | ЭВМ Стрела (arrow) |
|---|---|
| Developer | Yuri Bazilevsky (chief designer) and Bashir Rameyev (main inventor) at the Special Design Bureau 245 in Moscow |
| Manufacturer | Moscow Plant of Computing-Analytical Machines (счетно-аналитических машин) |
| Type | Mainframe computer |
| Release date | 1953 |
| Units sold | 7 |
| CPU | 6200 vacuum tubes and 60,000 semiconductor diodes @ 2000 operations per second |
| Memory | Williams tube memory (2048 words) |
Overview
This first-generation computer had 6200 vacuum tubes and 60,000 semiconductor diodes.
Strela's speed was 2000 operations per second. Its floating-point arithmetic was based on 43-bit floating point words, with a signed 35-bit mantissa and a signed 6-bit exponent.
Operative Williams tube memory (RAM) had 2048 words. It also used read-only semiconductor diode memory for programs. It used punched cards or magnetic tape for data input and magnetic tape, punched cards and/or wide printer for data.[2] The last version of Strela used a 4096-word magnetic drum, rotating at 6000 rpm.
While Yuri Bazilevsky was officially Strela's chief designer, Bashir Rameyev, who developed the project prior to Bazilevsky's appointment, could be considered its main inventor.[3][1] Strela was constructed at the Special Design Bureau 245 (Argon R&D Institute since 1986) in Moscow.
Strelas were manufactured by the Moscow Plant of Computing-Analytical Machines (счетно-аналитических машин) during 1953–1957; 7 copies were manufactured. They were installed in the Computing Centre of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics, Moscow State University, and in computing centres of some ministries related to defense and economic planning.
In 1954, the designers of Strela were awarded the Stalin Prize of 1st degree (Bashir Rameyev, Yu. Bazilevsky, V. Alexandrov, D. Zhuchkov, I. Lygin, G. Markov, B. Melnikov, G. Prokudayev, N. Trubnikov, A. Tsygankin, Yu. Shcherbakov, L. Larionova).
The impetus for the development of Strela was a BBC broadcast heard by Bashir Rameyev about the American development of ENIAC.[4]
References
- Targowski, Andrew (2016). The History, Present State, and Future of Information Technology. Informing Science. p. 85. ISBN 9781681100029.
- Georg Trogemann, Alexander Yuryevich Nitussov, Wolfgang Ernst (ed.) Computing in Russia: the history of computer devices and information technology revealed, Translated by Alexander Yuryevich Nitussov, Vieweg+Teubner Verlag, 2001. ISBN 3-528-05757-2, pg. 84
- Борис Николаевич Малиновский. (1995). История Вычислительной Техники в Лицах. Киев: Фирма “Кит”, ПТОО А.С.К., стр. 251
- Lotysz, Slawomir. "COMPUTER SECRETS LEAKED VIA THE... RADIO?". European Digital Muserum for Science & Technology. Retrieved Oct 17, 2019.
Further reading
- Savard, John J. G. (2018) [2006]. "Another Real Machine: The Strela". quadibloc. Archived from the original on 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
External links
- Strela Computer, Russian Virtual Computer Museum
- Architecture and computer code of Strela computer, Alexander Savvateev, Russian Virtual Computer Museum