Marconi Myriad
Encyclopedia
The Marconi Myriad was an early computer
designed by the Marconi Company
in the 1960s and assembled in the same factory as the English Electric System 4/30.
Myriad was a 24-bit machine largely built using integrated circuit
s from Ferranti
. These were packaged in small "TO8" type cans. The architecture was "conventional", and was developed largely by the in-house Marconi team that designed similar, but physically larger computers based on SB345 discrete surface-barrier transistor
s. These machines were used successfully by the Royal Radar Establishment
(RRE) in the UK, and by the Swedish Government in their "Fur Hat" defense system. They also provided flight data for UK military air traffic control for 15 years. In Australia, Myriads were used as part of the AF/TPS-802 "HUBCAP" air-defence system from 1967-97.
The Myriad 1 computer was mounted in a small desk format, and was far smaller than any comparable machine at the time. 8-bit paper tape was (somewhat) standard input (the software could handle data input in either the ASCII or the rather idiosyncratic KDF9 character codes) - but a high speed 1000-characters/second (electrostatic) reader (made by Facit
) was capable of projecting paper tape across a room in spectacular fashion. A high-speed printer was provided. The major machine cycle time
was around 800 nanoseconds, with inner cycles around 200 nanoseconds.
Most early programming was performed in very amenable and complete assembly code. Some use was also made of a subset of Coral 66 known as Mini-Coral. The 24-bit architecture provided a logical and flexible address/data environment but the 15-bit address limited the memory size to 32K 24-bit words. The operating system allowed multiple programs to run concurrently but most systems were coded "on the bare metal". Addressing allowed easy integration of external computing and display equipment.
In 1964, a Myriad was displayed at a major computer show in London. To catch the public's attention, it was decided to deploy a model HO railroad layout containing numbered (1 - 10) rolling stock. The public were invited to enter the order in which they wanted to see the train assembled. Immediately Myriad developed a strategy for shunting trucks around the tracks to assemble the train correctly.
Marconi's Myriad out-performed most if not all US machines at that time.
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
designed by the Marconi Company
Marconi Company
The Marconi Company Ltd. was founded by Guglielmo Marconi in 1897 as The Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company...
in the 1960s and assembled in the same factory as the English Electric System 4/30.
Myriad was a 24-bit machine largely built using integrated circuit
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
s from Ferranti
Ferranti
Ferranti or Ferranti International plc was a UK electrical engineering and equipment firm that operated for over a century from 1885 until it went bankrupt in 1993. Known primarily for defence electronics, the Company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but ceased trading in 1993.The...
. These were packaged in small "TO8" type cans. The architecture was "conventional", and was developed largely by the in-house Marconi team that designed similar, but physically larger computers based on SB345 discrete surface-barrier transistor
Surface-barrier transistor
The surface-barrier transistor is a type of transistor developed by Philco in 1953 as an improvement to the alloy-junction transistor and the earlier point-contact transistor...
s. These machines were used successfully by the Royal Radar Establishment
Royal Radar Establishment
The name Royal Radar Establishment was given to the existing Radar Research Establishment following a visit by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957. Both names were abbreviated to RRE. The establishment had been formed, under its first name, in 1953 by merging the Telecommunications Research Establishment ...
(RRE) in the UK, and by the Swedish Government in their "Fur Hat" defense system. They also provided flight data for UK military air traffic control for 15 years. In Australia, Myriads were used as part of the AF/TPS-802 "HUBCAP" air-defence system from 1967-97.
The Myriad 1 computer was mounted in a small desk format, and was far smaller than any comparable machine at the time. 8-bit paper tape was (somewhat) standard input (the software could handle data input in either the ASCII or the rather idiosyncratic KDF9 character codes) - but a high speed 1000-characters/second (electrostatic) reader (made by Facit
Facit
Facit was an industrial corporation and manufacturer of office products. It was based in Åtvidaberg, Sweden, and founded in 1922 as AB Åtvidabergs Industrier. Facit AB, a manufacturer of mechanical calculators, was incorporated into the corporation the same year...
) was capable of projecting paper tape across a room in spectacular fashion. A high-speed printer was provided. The major machine cycle time
Clock signal
In electronics and especially synchronous digital circuits, a clock signal is a particular type of signal that oscillates between a high and a low state and is utilized like a metronome to coordinate actions of circuits...
was around 800 nanoseconds, with inner cycles around 200 nanoseconds.
Most early programming was performed in very amenable and complete assembly code. Some use was also made of a subset of Coral 66 known as Mini-Coral. The 24-bit architecture provided a logical and flexible address/data environment but the 15-bit address limited the memory size to 32K 24-bit words. The operating system allowed multiple programs to run concurrently but most systems were coded "on the bare metal". Addressing allowed easy integration of external computing and display equipment.
In 1964, a Myriad was displayed at a major computer show in London. To catch the public's attention, it was decided to deploy a model HO railroad layout containing numbered (1 - 10) rolling stock. The public were invited to enter the order in which they wanted to see the train assembled. Immediately Myriad developed a strategy for shunting trucks around the tracks to assemble the train correctly.
Marconi's Myriad out-performed most if not all US machines at that time.