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Gordon Bell

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:NA Estimated At:1,000.00 - 1,500.00 USD
Gordon Bell

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Auction Date:2019 Apr 10 @ 18:00 (UTC-5 : EST/CDT)
Location:15th Floor WeWork, Boston, Massachusetts, 02108, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
American electrical engineer (born 1934) employed by Digital Equipment Corporation, who designed several of their Programmed Data Processor (PDP) machines; his accolades include the IEEE John von Neumann Medal and the National Medal of Technology. Circuit board from a Digital Equipment Company PDP-6 computer, 11 x 9.5, signed at the top in red felt tip by the computer's architect, "Gordon Bell." One of 36 boards used in a PDP-6, it is marked "6205" on the back, "K" on the edge, and contains 1 bit of arithmetic register (AR), memory buffer (MB), and multiplier-quotient register (MQ). It has 88 transistors, a two-sided PC etch, two 18-pin connectors on the left edge, and two 22-pin connectors on the right edge. Because of these connectors, swapping a 6205 module was a major undertaking, and the mechanical coupling made it highly likely that fixing one fault would cause another. There was also a great fear of powering off a PDP-6, since it would generally result in at least one 6205 board failing. Also includes a smaller card from a PDP-6, marked "S602" on the red handle. In fine condition. The consignor notes that this was purchased from The Computer Museum in Boston in the 1980s; Bell was the museum's co-founder, and it was his habit to sign these boards and place them in the gift shop for sale to the public. Accompanied by an original brochure from The Computer Museum.