Parametron: 50s Japanese computer that uses neither transistors nor vacuum tubes

EAC-1101 In March 1958, NEC finished its first digital computer, the NEAC-1101. This machine used parametrons, invented by Eiichi Goto in 1954, and was perfected by using a single-turn transformer coupling system independently devised by NEC. This computer was designed for scientific and engineering calculations, and was Japan's first computer to use floating point operations. It was capable of decimal 7-digit floating point operations. It used 3,600 parametrons, 29 types of instructions, and had average performance of 3.5ms for addition/subtraction and 8.0ms for multiplication/division. The memory employed ferrite cores (magnetic core matrix system using the 2 ACs with different frequency), and memory capacity was 256 words (32-digit configuration). The NEAC-1101 was enhanced via improvements like expanding the memory capacity to 512 words, and was used for about 8 years for scientific and engineering calculations at NEC's research laboratory. The results from developing this computer contributed greatly to the development of subsequent parametron computers at NEC.

https://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/dawn/0017.html

Meanwhile, in the US, the Univac Solid State computer[1] used similar principles in its patented[3] "Solid State Logic"[2], and was also released in 1958.

My understanding is that the magnetic amplifiers used in the V2 rocket kicked off a lot of interesting uses of magnetic cores.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNIVAC_Solid_State

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_logic

[3] https://patents.google.com/patent/US2709798A/en

> In 1954, Eiichi Goto invented the parametron, a logic device leveraging nonlinear parametric oscillation with two ferrite cores. Unlike the vacuum tube and early transistor circuits prevalent at the time, the parametron offered remarkable stability, requiring minimal maintenance compared to vacuum tubes with short lifetime and costing significantly less than both vacuum tubes and nascent transistors. Its simplicity and reliability made it an ideal foundation for computer design. Early applications showcased its superior fault tolerance over competing technologies, such as vacuum tubes with relatively short-lifetime, slow electromechanical relays, and unstable point-contact transistors.

The Elliott 803 computer (a little later) also used magnetic core logic; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_803

Not sure if the principal is similar or not. (There was one down at the Bletchley computing museum many years ago when I went down)

The quantum flux parametron is a really fascinating design and I always wondered why no one talks about it. You can get to GHz range easily and computing will be adiabatic. Its based on Josephson-junctions so you need to provide very low temperatures. I always thought it was a more promising next gen compute technology than the current quantum computers. Especially when you get to write your own SQUIDs in a SEM. Its like two long rectangles with pads at the end+thin insulator on top+two wires for the contacts for a SQUID sandwich and suddenly you can do complex quantum circuits.

A link halfway down the page is causing the whole thing to have wide horizontal scroll.

    [that links selector] {
        text-overflow: ellipsis;
        overflow: hidden;
        white-space: nowrap;
        max-width: 100%;
        display: inline-block;
    }

Fixes it but seems overkill - why isn't white-space nowrap; ever enough?

Or break-word - feel like nobody uses that one even though it has the best name for what I want to do.

Anyway

As seen in Dr. Stone!

It’s stays fascinating to me how ubiquitous computation is! Seems like almost anything could “run Doom”

Adding my upvote to the pile

>Eiichi Goto

Is it nominative determinism if it's 2 years before the introduction of Goto (1956, Fortran apparently)

Or maybe it was named in his honour?