Additron tube
File:Additron Tube schematic.png
The Additron was an electron tube designed by Dr. Josef Kates, circa 1950, to replace the several individual electron tubes and support components required to perform the function of a single bit digital full adder. Dr. Kates developed the Additron with the intention of increasing the likelihood of success and reliability while reducing the size, power consumption and complexity of the University of Toronto Electronic Computer, (UTEC){{Cite book |last=Vardalas |first=John N. |title=The computer revolution in Canada: building national technological competence |date=2001 |publisher=MIT press |isbn=978-0-262-22064-4 |series=History of computing |location=Cambridge (Mass.)}}
Production
The Additron neither went into production at the Canadian Rogers Vacuum Tube Company, where the prototypes were built, nor was it used in the UTEC machine. It did make a widely publicized appearance at the 1950 Canadian National Exhibition operating an electronic game of Tic-Tac-Toe, dubbed Bertie the Brain, to show the marvels of electronic computing.
The tube was registered with the Radio Television Manufacturing Association RTMA Engineering Department, Release #951, 20 March 1951 on 20 March 1951 as type 6047.{{cite web|url=https://frank.pocnet.net/sheets/201/6/6047.pdf |publisher=Rogers Majestic Corp.|title= 6047 data sheet, RTMA Engineering Dept. Release #954|date=March 20, 1951|accessdate=14 August 2016}} {{cite journal|last=Sibley|first=Ludwell|date= October 2007|title= Weird Tube of the Month: The 6047 |journal=Tube Collector|volume=9|issue=5|page=20|url=https://vacuumtubearchive.com/wp-content/plugins/pdfjs-viewer-shortcode/pdfjs/web/viewer.php?file=https://vacuumtubearchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/V9_5.pdf&attachment_id=2299&dButton=false&pButton=false&oButton=false&sButton=true#page=22&zoom=auto,-13,579}} {{cite journal|last=Osborne|first= Charles S.|date=August 2008|title=The Additron: A Binary Full Adder in a Tube |journal=Tube Collector|volume=10|issue=4|page=12|url=https://vacuumtubearchive.com/wp-content/plugins/pdfjs-viewer-shortcode/pdfjs/web/viewer.php?file=https://vacuumtubearchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/V10_4.pdf&attachment_id=7917&dButton=false&pButton=false&oButton=false&sButton=true#page=12&zoom=page-fit,-69,46}} {{cite web|url=http://www.ase-museoedelpro.org/Museo_Edelpro/Catalogo/Overview/Articles/Adder.pdf |publisher=National Union Electric |title=Binary Adder Tube for High-Speed Computers |date=September 1955 |accessdate=9 March 2021}}
Patents
- {{US patent|2784312}}