Notes on 1401 restoration/display meeting 1:30 PM October 3, 2007 with Alex Bochannek alex@p9.com Frank King kingcc@direcway.com Stan Paddock STPaddock@sbcglobal.net Ed Thelen ed@ed-thelen.org This is a working document - about a working project subject to corrections, additions and updates - this version dated October 4, 2007 Proposed distribution a) all above and Kirsten Tashev, Robert Garner, Grant Saviers, Jim Somers b) senior docents, Randy Neff, Bill Worthington, Dan McInnis, who have I forgotten? Most of this information from Alex (I didn't bring tape recorder, so take your chances.) Planning of new museum phases not final - proposed - Two Display targets a) TimeLine - diorama - 14,000 sq ft - 1st floor, due for completion Fall 2009 in area currently of stored documents and small artifacts TimeLine to include: PDP-1 - running during special tours IBM "Unit Record" card equipment, - running during special tours - many other displays - b) 1401 system - in area of current store and probably storage room behind? - running during special tours Notes: a) "Visible Storage" as we know it will not exist, major changed to CHM internal walls/rooms likely to adapt to new plan. Archetict getting active - b) undisplayed artifacts being moved to newly purchased warehouse in Milpitas - including all material from buildings 128, 45, ... in NASA c) our Iceland 1401 music contact has great pictures of a real tab room in action - we should get some of the pictures and the rights to display them. Action Items for next meeting Wednesday October 19, 2007 (CHM Fellows event is week of Oct 8 !!) a) Alex will bring CHM inventory of sorters, ?and IBM accounting machines? to aid (Frank King and others) in selecting material for restoration and presentation in the TimeLine and 1401 areas b) 1401 Group, Stan volunteering, will provide proposed "Data Flow" diagrams of b.1) the "Unit Record" equipment in the "TimeLine" including which equipment types? numbers of keypunches 2? 026 key punches, 083 sorter, 077 collator/merger, 403 accounting machine b.2) the 1401 system area - 1401 computer, 1402 card reader/punch, 1403 printer, 1406 extended memory including which equipment types? numbers of keypunches an interesting point is that: - a 1401 system without tapes is basicly an accounting machine, a very fast, highly programmable IBM 403, and the system needs a sorter and a collator/merger - a 1401 system with tapes can sort and merge, eliminating need for a sorter and collator. The Data Flow could be a: - pay roll data flow - electric/gas/telephone billing data flow - make a phone list data flow - master card update - ... other typical, meaningful, useful, easy to understand, ??? interestingly, these "different" data flows are very similar, maybe as related as bears, dogs, horses 4 legs, head, tail, heart, lungs, ... interestingly, these are remarkably similar to top down functional diagrams of these functions on today's equipment. along the Data Flow could be the name/picture/... of equipment to perform each function - help "others" get involved There are several goals of these "Data Flow" diagrams b.3) help "others" understand the presentation philosophical goal - b.4) help "others" understand the strange IBM numerics, 513, 403, ... which must sound like medical terms or NASA acronyms. b.5) help plan/identify equipment requests and floor area requests. b.6) help plan which color of cards are "master records", "detail cards", ... b.7) help visitors understand what is happening there is a method to this expensive madness b.n) ... c) Alex to study a space/artifact request for "equipment mules", "hanger queens", spare parts candidates, what ever - as requested by Frank King Also to be considered/planned would be a list of "white glove" "unit record" artifacts to be held in as pristine condition as possible. Not subject to "swaps", "spares", etc.