An example of that exists in the museum. The DigiComp I there, it's a 3 bit mechanical computer. I have one as well, not sure how I could build an interface to modern digital electronics, but I'm sure it's not impossible. On Monday, December 26, 2016, Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
Ethan asks:
It might be possible to hook it to a computer and automate it!
...and how might you think that would be done? and *why*? ;)
Evan asks:
"which perform mechanical computations" - How do you figure?
The cams and levers of the sewing mechanism to move the needle. The sweep of the bobbin under the needle and through the "loop" of thread to lock the stitch. Feed dogs which advance the cloth. These are repetitive mechanical actions which are carefully timed in sequence. They better be, or it jams up. This is not poetry; this is technical design.
Evan, you asked for "tech gifts". It's even vintage. ;)
We aren't used to thinking of mechanical devices of this sort as "computational". But, they perform a fixed calculation, programmed by the designer of the mechanism. Size, length, angle, belts, gears - the programming parameters and sequencers. Some of these operations can be adjusted by the user; for cloth thickness, stitch length, slack in the thread. The user controls the speed and torque. Later sewing machines have more, or less, adjustments and options.
Car engines did more complicated things, responded to operating conditions. They also did them mechanically a few decades ago. Same sort of argument, maybe a more familiar one to some.
[deleted: three paragraphs on analog mechanical computers, analog electrical computers, mechanical digital computers....]
If that's hard to understand, well, most people don't understand their cell phones either. But those devices undoubtedly perform calculations. The notion of "computers" as programmable digital devices, is simply familiar to us late-20th century people, who grew up with "computers" as actual devices we programmed ourselves. There are other kinds of "computing" which are alien to many of us.
But people born in the 21st century, will be as ignorant of "computers" and "programming" as were the original operators of my wife's hand-crank sewing machine. Many others, already are. At least with a sewing machine, I can point at the gears, levers, needle - they do stuff you can see and hear and feel. Can you point inside a smartphone, show me how the "programming" works?
Happy holidays,
Herb
-- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net
-- Normal Person: Hey, it seems that you know a lot. Geek: To be honest, it's due to all the surfing I do. Normal Person: So you go surfing? Normal Person: But I don't think that has anything to do with knowing a lot... Geek: I think that's wrong on a fundamental level. Normal Person: Huh? Huh? What?