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THE PDP-1 AND OTHER 18-BIT COMPUTERS 125

Figure 1. M.I.T. Whirlwind computer (courtesy of M.I.T. Lincoln Laboratory).

Figure 2. M.I.T. Memory Test Computer (MTC) used to test first core memory (courtesy of M.I.T. Lincoln Laboratory).

was done by William Papian and Dick Best [Best, 1957] and proceeded independently of work on the computer.

The original TX-0 (Figure 3) had a number of I/0 devices. After it was moved to M.I.T., the largest device was a 12-inch point-plotting cathode ray tube (designed by Ben Gurley) and light pen console, giving the TX-0 some physical resemblance to Whirlwind. In addition to the cathode ray tube, there was a high speed (300 characters per second) Ferranti paper tape reader and a Friden Flexowriter that was used as both a typewriter and paper tape punch. There was also a large bank of toggle switches, some of which formed the two program accessible registers and some of which formed the

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