Tuesday, June 21, 2011

What was the first tape drive?

The following information came from various sources, I was not there.
Magnetic tape was first used for data storage in 1951. The tape device was called UNISERVO and was the main I/O device on the UNIVAC I computer. The effective transfer rate for the UNISERVO was about 7,200 characters per second. The tapes were metal and 1200 feet long (365 meters) and therefore very heavy. (50 pounds)

The UNIVAC I delivered to the U.S. Census Bureau was the first commercial computer to attract widespread public attention. Although manufactured by Remington Rand, the machine often was mistakenly referred to as the "IBM UNIVAC." Remington Rand eventually sold 46 machines at more than $1 million each.F.O.B. factory $750,000 plus $185,000 for a high speed printer.
Speed:1,905 operations per second 
Input/output:magnetic tape, unityper, printer
Memory size:1,000 12-digit words in delay lines
Memory type:delay lines, magnetic tape
Technology:serial vacuum tubes, delay lines, magnetic tape
Floor space:943 cubic feet
Cost:F.O.B. factory $750,000 plus $185,000 for a high speed printer
Project leaders:J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly

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