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"OARAC" COMPUTER
"OARAC" is an electronic computer
which has one of the largest "memories"
yet incorporated in any computing device.
A serial, decimal, single- address
machine with magnetic tape input and
output, it was built by the General Electric
Company at Syracuse, N. Y., for
use by the U. S. Air Force at its Flight
Research Laboratory, Wright Air Development
Center, Dayton, Ohio, in
solving complex problems involving air-
craft design, guided missiles and ballistics.
The brain of the computer is a metallic
drum (shown in photograph) which
can hold pulses representing 10,000 ten -
decimal numbers on its magnetized
surface until the numbers are called
into use. Operations can be performed
upon instructions as well as on numbers.
OARAC can make as many as
100 calculations per second.
IRE
TECHNICAL CONFERENCE
On April 18 the only national IRE
technical conference entirely devoted to
television will be held in Cincinnati,
Ohio. This is the Seventh Annual
Spring Technical Conference, sponsored
by the Cincinnati Section of the Institute
of Radio Engineers.
Subjects of the papers to be delivered
include: "Television and the Bell System,"
"A High Powered UHF -TV
Broadcast System," "The Design of TV
Receivers Utilizing Non -Synchronous
Power," "Approach to Mechanized Assembly
of Electronic Equipment Applicable
to TV Receivers," "The Selection
and Amplification of UHF Television
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pannuiti,
Signals," and the latest developments
in color television.
COMPONENTS SYMPOSIUM
The American Institute of Electrical
Engineers, the Institute of Radio Engineers,
the Radio -Television Manufacturers
Association, and the West Coast
Electronic Manufacturers Association
are cooperating in the presentation of
the 1953 Electronic Components Symposium
to be held at the Shakespeare
Club in Pasadena, Calif., on April 29,
30 and May 1.
This symposium is one of a series
of national meetings on electronic component
parts being held annually for
the purpose of bringing together all
those who share an interest in the development,
design, performance, and
future of electronic component parts.
MAGNETIC MEMORY UNIT
Employing both electronic and new
magnetic techniques, a fast -access memory
unit which stores and releases numbers
at the rate of 50,000 per second
has been designed and constructed for
the U. S. Army by the Research Division
of Burroughs Adding Machine
Company. Burroughs was commissioned
to build the apparatus by the U. S.
Army Ordnance Corps to speed the
work of its electronic digital computer,
ENIAC, in the Ballistics Research Lab-
oratory at Aberdeen Proving Grounds,
Maryland.
ENIAC previously could "remember"
a maximum of 20 numbers in its internal
vacuum tube memory. The Burroughs
unit, with a capacity of 100
numbers, is expected to increase EN-
IAC's memory power six -fold. The heart
of the new unit consists of 4100 individual
memory cells, which are small
doughnut- shaped cores of magnetic
metal encased in plastic.
TELEPHONE "RECOGNIZER"
An electronic telephone device which
can understand and intelligently react
to spoken numbers has been built at
Bell Telephone Laboratories. Named
"Audrey," a contraction of "automatic
digit recognizer," the special circuit
automatically determines which of ten
numbers, from "1" through "0," has
been spoken into an ordinary telephone,
and responds by flashing an appropriate
light.
When this device is adjusted for best
performance with a particular speaker,
it is said to operate with remarkable
accuracy. The "recognizer" was the
subject of a technical paper published
in the January issue of the Journal of
the Acoustical Society of America by
K. H. Davis (shown in photograph) ,
R. Biddulph and S. Balashek, members
of the Bell Laboratories technical staff
who worked out its intricate details.
ENGINEERS WANTED
According to Mr. T. A. Marshall, Jr.,
executive secretary of the Engineering
Manpower Commission of the Engineers'
Joint Council, 40,000 jobs are
waiting to be filled in the engineering
profession today. At a press meeting
held by The Advertising Council to introduce
its new public service advertising
drive for more engineering students,
Mr. Marshall warned that the current
engineering shortage was "critical" and
"a threat to our national security." He
explained that of the 23,000 new engineering
graduates expected in 1953, the
ROTC will take 6800, leaving 16,200
some
for industry -which will need
30,000 a year for many years to come.
The Advertising Council's campaign to
help alleviate the shortage has been
undertaken at the request of the Engineering
Manpower Commission. b 8 e
20
RADIO -ELECTRONIC ENGINEERIN
G APRIL, 1953