1 Introduction ; 2 Setting the stage ; 2.1 Computers until 1945 ; 2.2 Basics of vacuum tube circuits ; 2.3 Toward Whirlwind and beyond ; 3 Whirlwind ; 3.1 Basic architecture ; 3.1.1 Arithmetic element ; 3.1.2 Control ; 3.2 Storage., 3.2.1 The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Storage Tube 3.2.2 Magnetic core storage ; 3.3 Magnetic drums ; 3.4 Magnetic tapes ; 3.5 Paper tape readers, punches and typewriters ; 3.6 Data transmission ; 3.7 Oscilloscope displays and light guns ; 3.8 Time register., 3.9 Reliability, power supplies and marginal checking 3.10 Programming ; 3.11 The end of Whirlwind ; 4 SAGE ; 4.1 The Cape Cod system ; 4.2 SAGE and AN/FSQ-7 ; 4.3 Control and direction centers ; 4.4 AN/FSQ-7 overview ; 5 Basic circuitry ; 5.1 Introduction ; 5.2 Cathode follower., 5.3 Pulse amplifier 5.4 Register driver ; 5.5 Relay drivers ; 5.6 Level setter ; 5.7 Diode AND and OR circuits ; 5.8 Gate tube circuit ; 5.9 DC inverter ; 5.10 Flip-flops ; 5.11 Single-shots ; 5.12 Pulse generators ; 5.13 Delay lines and delay line drivers., and 5.14 Special circuits 5.15 Pluggable units ; 5.16 The FETRON ; 5.17 Troubleshooting ; 6 Central processor ; 6.1 Memory element ; 6.2 Instruction control element ; 6.3 Selection and IO control element ; 6.4 Program element ; 6.5 Arithmetic element ; 7 Drum system.
Summary
One of the most impressive computer systems ever was the vacuum tube based behemoth AN/FSQ-7, which was the heart of the "Semi Automatic Ground Environment". Machines of this type were children of the Cold War and had a tremendous effect not only on this episode in politics but also generated a vast amount of spin-offs which still shape our world
