Amazing! I'm an electronics engineer and I know all of the theory but this was a revelation. Engineering is taking the theory and making use of it in innovative ways and this is certainly innovative. Your explanation was *very* clear. Nice to see someone who really knows what they are talking about.
I keep coming back to some of your "older" videos, Jeri. And every single time there's something else I'm taking away. Thank you. This stuff may be old but it keeps fascinating me. We take our transistors and MOSfets for granted but those guys did amazing stuff without them anyway. Keep it up!
I'm so glad. Sometimes I posted videos that took me weeks or months and nobody cared about the content at the time, but as the years go by folks find them, which makes it all worthwhile.
@@jeriellsworth People do care, it's just that many don't acknowledge that they do - your content is awesome and I only discovered it because of your more recent interviews and the work on AR you have been doing.
You kept telling us it was complicated... but you explained it really well. I never really "got" hysteresis curves until watching this video... Keep up the great work.
An interesting "history" lesson. For any viewers that are thinking/commenting that this might be some new fangled, better way to create computer memory, this is 1950s technology. The reasons for putting this on the top shelf was speed, bulk, and heat. oz for oz a transformer coil will generate far more heat than a semiconductor. The physics of changing magnetic fields imposes a limit to the speed that a coil can "latch" on to a state. The reduction in size of this system produced "Bubble Memory" which is another form of magnetic memory but still not as efficient or quick as turning off and on the flow of electrons through a semiconductor. Great video!
I'm a 53 year old auto tech/mechanic. I love your scopes. I have a 4 channel in my scanner however very limited on what you have. Great explanation. I was able to understand everything. Ide love for you to come to my shop and give electronics classes to my younger techs.
I really wish there were more Jeri Ellsworths in the tech world... Im sure there are, but I just haven't met too many of them. Keep it up Jeri! Love your work, you're a genius :-)
Nice video, also like your scopes. We "the US Military" used iron core memories in some of our gun control computers back in the 70's. the memory container was shaped like a hat. I was trained on them & more at 29 Palms in a class called "FDLC" Fundamentals of digital Logical Computers. Thanks for bringing back some nice memories! & a bit more knowledge.
Your a great educator! I searched on and off for most of my teenage years for a proper explanation and never once until today did I find the answer. Even most computer and electrical engineers I talked to had no idea how this shit worked. It's genuinely great. 6 years at least. And this was made 7 years ago. I just wanted to know how the space rockets worked. And today I searched again because I figured that it would be very helpful in creating neuron networks for my robot's limbs. And it's perfect! I can't really use too many soldered connections and even wire is at risk breaking. This however just needs ceramic rust rings and a coil which I plan on using conductive coated fibers or specialized plastics for. All kinds of excited for the options and possibilities this gives!
P.S. These was also another winding on the cores called a "kill winding" for reset like in a flip flop. The tool used to remove them from the board was called a "crab grabber". It was hard to unsolder all those wires at the same time with hot stones from the campfire in the cave. That particular machine used vacuum tube drivers, which meant I got to work in air conditioning. Yes, we had that then! ;>}
I happen to do my research study for LED lights of any type that work with switch mode constant current supply. Now you got me interested with you because I clearly understand reading Closed Captions while you explaining of the Magnetic-Logic works. I also few years ago saw you doing videos and didn't subscribed it earlier? I'm deaf since after birth and not only deaf but also hear both devices Cochlear implanted (CI). I do know my CI have coil to coil how amazing my sound changed my life. I still learning new ways of electronics in my small shop. You have great experienced and all the equipments of oscilloscopes I admired of your performance and education. I will continue watching your UA-cam video with CC. Thank you and keep it simple as you keep it going.
Oh yes! Those tiny, tiny little toroids were hand-sewn by humans. My father has quite a few of these in his collection. The magnet wire is so fine, I just can't imagine how these people sewed them! A 1Kbit memory is as big as a box of strike-anywhere matches. It is genius to use magnetic hysteresis as a means of storing information. Our forefathers were extremely gifted to do this with nuts and bolts technology.
Thanks, Jeri. I had a look at an Elliott 803 at The National Museum of Computing a few months ago and had an interesting discussion there about magnetic logic. Like you, I couldn't find much information online. Your video made it much clearer. The Elliott machine used germanium transistor gain stages between gates to maintain the amplitude. It also had (relatively) beefy clock buffers for each set of gates so the cores could be "set" each cycle. What is more impressive is that this machine still works!
You did a great job explaining the basics. It was much easier the swallow the second time around. (40 years ago was the first). I remember seeing the DEC10 in action. Nothing like the feeling when you drop a sorted box of punch cards :(
Good job. Enjoyed the trip down memory lane. My first co-op job was at Lincoln Labs where I had to measure hysterises on manufactured cores used on the Polaris Subs. Actually got an A on my EE lab paper because I had access to a system that would measure and print the H-loop out. Later on when I worked as a test engineer we were very proud of our 16K core memmory in a computer used to calculate projectile trajectories. Later it was upgraded to a 32K core memory. Limitation of course was the space required since the cores could only get so small to be useful. We had a hell of a time keeping the systems working. Field reliability was compensated by the fact that the computer did away with hours of calculations done with slide rules by a an artillery fire unit. The computer had to be housed in a half empty ton truck. Eventually all this got replaced with laptop that could do the calculations for the whole artillery battalion
I feel lie a groupie - but I am a huge admirer of your work. Neil Styner did a lot of work on magamps wich relates directly to this. I think flat planar transformers are a way forward for printed electronics particularly for 'on paper' amplifiers - not sure about printed logic this way but why not.
I read the article on the SRI website about three years ago, and have been curious about how it worked ever since. Thanks for the explanation, I never would have found out otherwise!
Thank you for this Video! My Cousin who has had a military Career in electronics,has tried to explain to me at several different times, how the old core memory worked, But to No avail. Of course he was just describing its Function Verbally. No Visuals. But the way you explained it here, With your Very Informative Video, I think I finally get it Now! Thanks So Much :)
Exellent explanation, thanks! Did a high school report on these once. Dad helped me find scrap magnetic bead boards. Got an A and learned about this older technology. It was thousands of little magnetic beads, so much manual labor.. Thanks
Hehe love these vids. Here's me with a little arduino and some sparkly lights, whilst Jeri reconstructs the work of geniuses :) Ah well gotta start somewhere
Every time I watch your videos, I learn that what I thought I knew, is not near enough to say I know enough about anything electronics. There is always more to learn.
+Amineo I had a shop teacher that called cheap chinese transformers with fake name brands on them, decepticons. The way he said it 'matter of fact'ly in a way that people wouldn't question that were not paying attention was hilarious.
+Amineo Please note: you should not search for "transformerS" but transformeR. The plural makes the whole difference. You will still get a lot of crap, but you'll see some real transformers.
This was fantastically organized and easy to follow for being such a complicated topic. You’re an excellent speaker... I wish you taught some of my EE courses in college. Keep being awesome.
Interesting stuff! Always great to get an insight into technologies which are now considered "dead" but were vital components of the path leading from the dawn of technology to where we are now. CDC was a groundbreaking company that produced some of the fastest computers in its day. It was also a key player in the early development of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems for electric utilities. I work for a major utility and a lot of our stations still use CDC's communication protocol, though of course the CYBER mainframes disappeared years ago. One documentary about the NASA Apollo missions (a Science Channel series called "Moon Machines") tells the story of how ferrite "ROM" was created for the onboard computer. 1s and 0s were woven into the ferrite core network by Little Old Ladies, leading to the term "LOL memory."
Jeri, you are a nature force indeed. You don't have to make elaborate videos as they are very elaborate, but I greatly appreciate them for their historical value. There is a lot of power in simple things with simple principles, that most people don't realize.
Very nice video - thank you. I began work in Jan 1979 with NASA at MSFC in Huntsville, AL moving to WSMR in New Mexico in 1976 and spending another 20 years there working on Univac mainframes. We were taught these theories and I still remember core memories. The 1108 CPU has about 1600 PC boards in it and there were four huge logic books - once caught up in a logic problem and lost in the books, I called it "electron smashing". Wish I could do it all over again.
You are bringing back memories when I was at Arizona Institute of Electronics Tech school in Phoenix when the teacher brought in a duplicate core memory stack. All of us had no idea what it was until he went over it's use and technical details. That was in the early 70s and some of the hardest parts of the training for us was with tube theory. This is a real good review to watch and it's amazing how much has been forgotten. Thanks for the review! :)
Very awesome explanation. I had all the background necessary from basic physics classes but never bothered to learn anything about electronic logic... it's not even that hard. You explained it really intuitively.
It's called "Toroid Memory" Seeburg jukeboxes introduced this technology in the late 50's to replace the old pin banks. What's also cool is that it is non-volatile. When power is removed from the equipment in which it is installed the toroid remain in their last set state. Don't think they are immune to an EMP.
Magnetic logic was used for the control system of the Sizewell B nuclear power plant in the UK, which was commissioned in 1995. The health and safety executive (which was responsible for nuclear safety) required that the reactor have dual redundant control systems, operating in different modes, so as to prevent a simultaneous failure of both systems. Magnetic core logic was used, with an automatic switch over to a PLC in the event that the self-diagnostic circuits in the magnetic logic detected an internal fault.
A current flowing produces the magnetic field. Not a pulse or a voltage level. If the current is modulated, and the level of the current is greater than the hysteresis of the material properties then coupling will occurs. Core memory is fantastic. Writing is easy, Reading is destructive and has to be written back. Thus the Read-Modified-Write instruction of early computers. Good overall ideas however some math would be nice.
Ahh, memories from high school. Zanovat La'toh - Yes, humans had to thread/weave those little microdonuts by hand into lattices of wires in those grids. We watched a couple movies of the process back in high school. Those were being built by hundreds of Japanese young girls, who had the good up-close vision AND the fine-motor skills to do the job. Unfortunately, we learned much later that most of those young ladies acquired severe vision problems later in life. The movies of those things being built are still out there. Also, it was a few of those core grids like the one Jeri held up at the start that served as the programmable memory that landed with the LEM on the first Apollo moon landing. Because transistors were still too fragile or susceptible to shock and vibration, these heavy duty core things were the only thing currently extant at the time able to withstand all the shocks and shaking of the rocket trip to the moon. And, as I recall, that moon landing was accomplished with only 64K of memory, 'cause the stuff was so big, they couldn't fit much more aboard. So, you can imagine it took some pretty compact coding to make it all work!
W.J.R. Halyn 😂 WTF!? 😂 Are you playing with your curvature? I heard they used a Commodore 64 with a flux capacitor wearing bras on their heads at a skull and bones sleepover. Please stand between two rodin coils, put down the bottle, get a bowl of MR.T cereal, and stop glOBEYing!
I read the book Digital Apollo and the programs for the Apollo Digitial Computer (ADC) were wired onto magnetic cores by little old ladies. The book said code revisions had to be finished many, many, months before liftoff. The ADC never really failed for any Apollo mission despite what the astronauts would say about "taking control" of the system. This is a great video, thanks!!
In general the word "complicated" should not be used in any explanation. Those who agree that something is complicated will find it harder to understand the topic.
Jürgen Lochner is that because they are less capable of understanding the complicated subject matter either because of a lack of knowledge or want, or because of the psychological priming of the word 'complicated'?
i agree the word "complicated" should never be used while teaching or in a explanation ... there are very few exceptions ... i thought i was the only one who reacted to that in this video ...
I'm one of the old-school guys who has held core memory. And I don't hear the term hysteresis very often, people scratch their heads when I use it. :-)
This is a vague and written by a dyslexic. Thank you for your videos. I used to go down into the dump with my Dad and pull old electronics and mechanical devices from the piles. Some of my favorite memories come from those trips. I am so inspired and glad to hear you talk and to know that you are doing so well, Oi
Thank you Jeri for your investigation and explanation about ferrites and Magnetic field. Today I understand more what I made with an old ferrite from an old TV to transform 450 Ohms to 50 Ohms, with three parallel wires with 9 turns.
Magnetic core storage was still being used in the '70s when I started. But, I never heard of magnetic logic. Interesting concept. Excellent explanation. It is easy to see why this was a non-starter in the market. Even vacuum tubes are better. Heck, I think relay logic beats this.
Good stuff, thank you! Mag core memory brought us to the moon & back. It's also nearly immune to stellar radiation. Great foundational knowledge your providing.
The Germans invented this before the great depression. saturable reactors yeah It's not really complicated just old school technology, pre antedeluvian IMO tyvm for sharing, brings back the old memories, no pun intended Just try to wrap your mind around magnetic amplifiers, no electronics, they are all magnetic core, wires, and a power supply. I had fun researching magnetic amplifiers.
Nice demonstration. I just recently retired a large PLC system built in the 70s that utilized 16k core memory boards. The company finally came up with the capital to upgrade to modern systems. The system was originally commissioned in 1978. 39 years of reliable service. It was a little bit sad to throw those boards on the scrap heap.
Thanks for prodding my memory. I was working for Sperry Univac in St Paul during the early 1980s and this reminded me of some discussions then by the old-timers about an all-magnetic logic machine built during the 1950s when the company was called ERA. The system was called MAGSTECH, built at a time when the St Paul operation was virtually owned by the US Navy. It was a proof of concept which worked quite well, though I don't think the technology ever went into a production system. A little later after transistors became practicable the exact same architecture was reproduced in transistors and called TRANSTECH and was a clear winner in the competition over how to go forward with computer design.
You desperately need a whiteboard/flipboard. I love the "this is me at my lab bench" style of presentation, the cozy and familiar image of a geek in their natural habitat. But when dealing with figures and schematics I think whiteboards or flipboards definitely have an added value over sheets of paper held up in front of the camera. ;)
Wow, I just love vintage technology. I've got several old radios and computers. Nice to see others with an appreciation of our technological beginnings.
Just watched a video class from the Army, I think from the 60s on magnetic core memory as well. I find it a fascinating bit of history. Having started with TTL logic gates, Eproms etc, I can truly appreciate this stuff. Thanks for your demo. I was able to follow with no difficulties, well done.
Jeri, I congratulate you, it's the first time in years that someone has explained to me how magnetic ring memories work. Excellent explanation. I'm going to watch the video several times because it's a very difficult subject for me. That's how the space shuttle's memories worked. Thank you so much.
This is brilliant even when probably a good 30 to 40% of what you are explaining I have no clue what it means 🤩but I'm just starting to get into electronics (after being in IT for years maintaining, developing systems and installing hardware and building PCs but not really knowing what happens on a deeper level much more than the basics of what resistors, capacitors and diodes do) - You're super smart Jeri!
Ok- My grandfather was a telegraphist since 1940 basically. I studied electronics in depth, and worked with it. (didn't graduate though, it was way too much money.) Jeri, you are now officially in my top 3 bingewatch channels. ^^"
***** Good point, I met once long time ago, she was married :/ newer mind :) I wondering what what type of beauty she has, she is probably American but looks like, I don't know, maybe some Russian, Italian and Asian mix of beauty? Anyway I don't think so if her propose is to find husband from youtube. Internet (youtube or TV) is making life more difficult, in real world people can met face to face so they can both decide is they like each other, If somebody is on Internet than thousand of people watch them and if them write offers like "merry me" or "be me wife" I don't thing so if they will get any answer.
My father was an electronics engineer and used to bring spare components home so I could build crystal and transistor radios, back in the late 50s and early 60s. I remember him bringing a ferrite memory grid home for me to look at.
I took Engineering courses with Capitol Radio Engineering Institute and I remember and entire semester of what you are showing a megnetic core logic circuit .NSA used these along time ago...Cheers
Amazing video i have been tinkering on and off over the last couple of years and last month repaired a shelled ferrite core with super thin wire. This video helped me understand magnetic power working with wires better than previously. Thanks
I know very little of what you are talking about in this video. However your enthusiasm and knowledge of the material you are covering makes me want to learn a lot more about these subjects.
As someone who is familiar with how digital circuits handle these operations, I really enjoyed learning about how to do it with analog magnetic fields.
Very very interesting! Your explanation is very clear in understanding why there is a destructive readout. Thinking about the people who have invented this back in the days. Just amazing. Thank you very much!
Your demonstrating how a transformer can maintain the state of a bit without making itself redundant by requiring a transistor to maintain the transformer rings my bell.
Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this and document the lost art of computer engineering. I tried to explain "core" memory to some kids that just graduated from CS from Ga Tech and they looked at me like I was crazy! Now I can show them this and let you blow their minds!
This is my first video of yours. You nailed it. I could never get an answer on how a magnetic logic circuit worked. It make lots of sense now. Thank You.
Videos like this take weeks and dozens of hours to prepare for. Sometimes I wonder why I do them, but comments like this that keep me going. Thanks!
Just miserable trolls Jeri.
First of your videos I've seen, but it wont be the last, wish my teachers in collage we as good as you.
@@brianmay8114 That's it !
If civilization ever collapses, Jeri can recreate it all from dirt and sunshine lol.
Dirt and sunshine are meta.
There is a problem with amplifying the output signal. You need vacuum tubes.
@@alonecoder600 Sure, you *can* use vacuum tubes for that, but there are many other ways of doing that. With little to no noise added at all!
What a monster O-Scope. Wow.
Destin 10 years ago🥹
Amazing! I'm an electronics engineer and I know all of the theory but this was a revelation. Engineering is taking the theory and making use of it in innovative ways and this is certainly innovative. Your explanation was *very* clear. Nice to see someone who really knows what they are talking about.
Andrew Le Couteur Bisson Q
I keep coming back to some of your "older" videos, Jeri. And every single time there's something else I'm taking away. Thank you. This stuff may be old but it keeps fascinating me. We take our transistors and MOSfets for granted but those guys did amazing stuff without them anyway. Keep it up!
I'm so glad. Sometimes I posted videos that took me weeks or months and nobody cared about the content at the time, but as the years go by folks find them, which makes it all worthwhile.
@@jeriellsworth Indeed. I do like the old videos - and I love to be able to still watch them.
@@jeriellsworth People do care, it's just that many don't acknowledge that they do - your content is awesome and I only discovered it because of your more recent interviews and the work on AR you have been doing.
You kept telling us it was complicated... but you explained it really well.
I never really "got" hysteresis curves until watching this video... Keep up the great work.
An interesting "history" lesson. For any viewers that are thinking/commenting that this might be some new fangled, better way to create computer memory, this is 1950s technology. The reasons for putting this on the top shelf was speed, bulk, and heat. oz for oz a transformer coil will generate far more heat than a semiconductor. The physics of changing magnetic fields imposes a limit to the speed that a coil can "latch" on to a state. The reduction in size of this system produced "Bubble Memory" which is another form of magnetic memory but still not as efficient or quick as turning off and on the flow of electrons through a semiconductor. Great video!
Efficient for WHAT .... ?? That's the question you need to ask.
I'm a 53 year old auto tech/mechanic. I love your scopes. I have a 4 channel in my scanner however very limited on what you have. Great explanation. I was able to understand everything. Ide love for you to come to my shop and give electronics classes to my younger techs.
Great explanation! Very interesting. I got most of it on the first pass and will get the rest on the second.
I gave all my memory core to my son's elementary school. Knowing how old tech works helps you know how to design new tech. Excellent presentation!
I really wish there were more Jeri Ellsworths in the tech world... Im sure there are, but I just haven't met too many of them.
Keep it up Jeri! Love your work, you're a genius :-)
Nice video, also like your scopes. We "the US Military" used iron core memories in some of our gun control computers back in the 70's. the memory container was shaped like a hat. I was trained on them & more at 29 Palms in a class called "FDLC" Fundamentals of digital Logical Computers. Thanks for bringing back some nice memories! & a bit more knowledge.
You might have watched this
ua-cam.com/video/HPT7Wtp3yoo/v-deo.html
Your a great educator! I searched on and off for most of my teenage years for a proper explanation and never once until today did I find the answer. Even most computer and electrical engineers I talked to had no idea how this shit worked. It's genuinely great. 6 years at least. And this was made 7 years ago. I just wanted to know how the space rockets worked. And today I searched again because I figured that it would be very helpful in creating neuron networks for my robot's limbs.
And it's perfect! I can't really use too many soldered connections and even wire is at risk breaking. This however just needs ceramic rust rings and a coil which I plan on using conductive coated fibers or specialized plastics for.
All kinds of excited for the options and possibilities this gives!
Bless her! Bless her!! I'm in love with her and her equipment! X
P.S. These was also another winding on the cores called a "kill winding" for reset like in a flip flop. The tool used to remove them from the board was called a "crab grabber". It was hard to unsolder all those wires at the same time with hot stones from the campfire in the cave. That particular machine used vacuum tube drivers, which meant I got to work in air conditioning. Yes, we had that then! ;>}
I happen to do my research study for LED lights of any type that work with switch mode constant current supply. Now you got me interested with you because I clearly understand reading Closed Captions while you explaining of the Magnetic-Logic works. I also few years ago saw you doing videos and didn't subscribed it earlier? I'm deaf since after birth and not only deaf but also hear both devices Cochlear implanted (CI). I do know my CI have coil to coil how amazing my sound changed my life. I still learning new ways of electronics in my small shop. You have great experienced and all the equipments of oscilloscopes I admired of your performance and education. I will continue watching your UA-cam video with CC. Thank you and keep it simple as you keep it going.
Oh yes! Those tiny, tiny little toroids were hand-sewn by humans. My father has quite a few of these in his collection. The magnet wire is so fine, I just can't imagine how these people sewed them! A 1Kbit memory is as big as a box of strike-anywhere matches. It is genius to use magnetic hysteresis as a means of storing information. Our forefathers were extremely gifted to do this with nuts and bolts technology.
Thanks, Jeri. I had a look at an Elliott 803 at The National Museum of Computing a few months ago and had an interesting discussion there about magnetic logic. Like you, I couldn't find much information online. Your video made it much clearer. The Elliott machine used germanium transistor gain stages between gates to maintain the amplitude. It also had (relatively) beefy clock buffers for each set of gates so the cores could be "set" each cycle. What is more impressive is that this machine still works!
You did a great job explaining the basics. It was much easier the swallow the second time around. (40 years ago was the first). I remember seeing the DEC10 in action. Nothing like the feeling when you drop a sorted box of punch cards :(
Good job. Enjoyed the trip down memory lane. My first co-op job was at Lincoln Labs where I had to measure hysterises on manufactured cores used on the Polaris Subs. Actually got an A on my EE lab paper because I had access to a system that would measure and print the H-loop out.
Later on when I worked as a test engineer we were very proud of our 16K core memmory in a computer used to calculate projectile trajectories. Later it was upgraded to a 32K core memory. Limitation of course was the space required since the cores could only get so small to be useful. We had a hell of a time keeping the systems working. Field reliability was compensated by the fact that the computer did away with hours of calculations done with slide rules by a an artillery fire unit. The computer had to be housed in a half empty ton truck. Eventually all this got replaced with laptop that could do the calculations for the whole artillery battalion
I feel lie a groupie - but I am a huge admirer of your work. Neil Styner did a lot of work on magamps wich relates directly to this. I think flat planar transformers are a way forward for printed electronics particularly for 'on paper' amplifiers - not sure about printed logic this way but why not.
Robert Murray-Smith omg I'm a groupie of your work
I think had we gone another way we would be printing computers in the way you describe.
I read the article on the SRI website about three years ago, and have been curious about how it worked ever since.
Thanks for the explanation, I never would have found out otherwise!
Thank you for this Video! My Cousin who has had a military Career in electronics,has tried to explain to me at several different times, how the old core memory worked, But to No avail. Of course he was just describing its Function Verbally. No Visuals. But the way you explained it here, With your Very Informative Video, I think I finally get it Now!
Thanks So Much :)
Exellent explanation, thanks!
Did a high school report on these once. Dad helped me find scrap magnetic bead boards. Got an A and learned about this older technology. It was thousands of little magnetic beads, so much manual labor.. Thanks
Hehe love these vids. Here's me with a little arduino and some sparkly lights, whilst Jeri reconstructs the work of geniuses :) Ah well gotta start somewhere
How is the going so far? Have you advanced to something else? lol
I used to think I was pretty advanced with my arduino until I found EEVBlog.
Still learning from you. Thank you so much Jeri.
You're assuming that our desks will still be located inside the building?
Every time I watch your videos, I learn that what I thought I knew, is not near enough to say I know enough about anything electronics. There is always more to learn.
Types "Transformers" into google... Gets links and pictures of fictional robots -.- ....
Thanks internet!
+Amineo LOL
+Amineo I had a shop teacher that called cheap chinese transformers with fake name brands on them, decepticons. The way he said it 'matter of fact'ly in a way that people wouldn't question that were not paying attention was hilarious.
+Richard Smith Hahah, I'll start using that one too from now on. :)
***** Yeah... I got through about 20 comics before I realised I wasn't learning electronics xD (Joking).
+Amineo Please note: you should not search for "transformerS" but transformeR. The plural makes the whole difference. You will still get a lot of crap, but you'll see some real transformers.
This was fantastically organized and easy to follow for being such a complicated topic. You’re an excellent speaker... I wish you taught some of my EE courses in college.
Keep being awesome.
Interesting stuff! Always great to get an insight into technologies which are now considered "dead" but were vital components of the path leading from the dawn of technology to where we are now. CDC was a groundbreaking company that produced some of the fastest computers in its day. It was also a key player in the early development of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems for electric utilities. I work for a major utility and a lot of our stations still use CDC's communication protocol, though of course the CYBER mainframes disappeared years ago.
One documentary about the NASA Apollo missions (a Science Channel series called "Moon Machines") tells the story of how ferrite "ROM" was created for the onboard computer. 1s and 0s were woven into the ferrite core network by Little Old Ladies, leading to the term "LOL memory."
DesertTripper NASA National Academy of Scam Artists
Jeri, you are a nature force indeed. You don't have to make elaborate videos as they are very elaborate, but I greatly appreciate them for their historical value. There is a lot of power in simple things with simple principles, that most people don't realize.
Analog computing simply rocks.
Thanks so much for making this.
+Tim Miltz This is digital
A very intelligent lady who can also speak on the level and keep things easy to understand! THANK YOU! :)
A very good video of a complex subject.
Very nice video - thank you. I began work in Jan 1979 with NASA at MSFC in Huntsville, AL moving to WSMR in New Mexico in 1976 and spending another 20 years there working on Univac mainframes. We were taught these theories and I still remember core memories. The 1108 CPU has about 1600 PC boards in it and there were four huge logic books - once caught up in a logic problem and lost in the books, I called it "electron smashing". Wish I could do it all over again.
And I still remember how absolutely awesome it was when we got a 16 K byte ram card for our Data General!
You are bringing back memories when I was at Arizona Institute of Electronics Tech school in Phoenix when the teacher
brought in a duplicate core memory stack. All of us had no idea what it was until he went over it's use and technical details.
That was in the early 70s and some of the hardest parts of the training for us was with tube theory. This is a real good
review to watch and it's amazing how much has been forgotten. Thanks for the review! :)
Really great explanation and demonstration, thank you!
Dude...this is preserving and reviving this ancient technology. You are preserving technology for generations! That's amazing!
How haven't I found your channel earlier? Very interesting stuff!
Very awesome explanation. I had all the background necessary from basic physics classes but never bothered to learn anything about electronic logic... it's not even that hard. You explained it really intuitively.
It's called "Toroid Memory" Seeburg jukeboxes introduced this technology in the late 50's to replace the old pin banks. What's also cool is that it is non-volatile. When power is removed from the equipment in which it is installed the toroid remain in their last set state. Don't think they are immune to an EMP.
+Bruco Alidas Investigate Graphite shields. Be surprised what you can do for cheap.
I learn so much more from your videos than what I did out of 2 years of electromagnetic technology. Thank you for your help.
Magnetic logic was used for the control system of the Sizewell B nuclear power plant in the UK, which was commissioned in 1995.
The health and safety executive (which was responsible for nuclear safety) required that the reactor have dual redundant control systems, operating in different modes, so as to prevent a simultaneous failure of both systems.
Magnetic core logic was used, with an automatic switch over to a PLC in the event that the self-diagnostic circuits in the magnetic logic detected an internal fault.
ChumpusRex I bet that wasn't cheap!
I do a lot of experimenting with instructors. You have the ability to transfer info with great clarity. Will watch and listen. thanks.
this is awesome to learn about, thank you for sharing.
I came across this while trying to work out how to correctly set up DIY VR, I'm not disappointed at all, this is awesome.
A current flowing produces the magnetic field. Not a pulse or a voltage level. If the current is modulated, and the level of the current is greater than the hysteresis of the material properties then coupling will occurs. Core memory is fantastic. Writing is easy, Reading is destructive and has to be written back. Thus the Read-Modified-Write instruction of early computers. Good overall ideas however some math would be nice.
That was great.
Lots of flashing back to 1st year Microsystems classes at DIT 1992.
Ahh, memories from high school.
Zanovat La'toh - Yes, humans had to thread/weave those little microdonuts by hand into lattices of wires in those grids. We watched a couple movies of the process back in high school. Those were being built by hundreds of Japanese young girls, who had the good up-close vision AND the fine-motor skills to do the job. Unfortunately, we learned much later that most of those young ladies acquired severe vision problems later in life. The movies of those things being built are still out there.
Also, it was a few of those core grids like the one Jeri held up at the start that served as the programmable memory that landed with the LEM on the first Apollo moon landing. Because transistors were still too fragile or susceptible to shock and vibration, these heavy duty core things were the only thing currently extant at the time able to withstand all the shocks and shaking of the rocket trip to the moon. And, as I recall, that moon landing was accomplished with only 64K of memory, 'cause the stuff was so big, they couldn't fit much more aboard. So, you can imagine it took some pretty compact coding to make it all work!
W.J.R. Halyn 😂 WTF!? 😂 Are you playing with your curvature? I heard they used a Commodore 64 with a flux capacitor wearing bras on their heads at a skull and bones sleepover. Please stand between two rodin coils, put down the bottle, get a bowl of MR.T cereal, and stop glOBEYing!
I believe your probably 100% correct. Not sure what ty's problem is.
I read the book Digital Apollo and the programs for the Apollo Digitial Computer (ADC) were wired onto magnetic cores by little old ladies. The book said code revisions had to be finished many, many, months before liftoff. The ADC never really failed for any Apollo mission despite what the astronauts would say about "taking control" of the system. This is a great video, thanks!!
I didn't find that complicated at all. Made perfect sense...
In general the word "complicated" should not be used in any explanation. Those who agree that something is complicated will find it harder to understand the topic.
Jürgen Lochner is that because they are less capable of understanding the complicated subject matter either because of a lack of knowledge or want, or because of the psychological priming of the word 'complicated'?
Jürgen Lochner
What about complex numbers? :D
i agree the word "complicated" should never be used while teaching or in a explanation ... there are very few exceptions ... i thought i was the only one who reacted to that in this video ...
I'm one of the old-school guys who has held core memory. And I don't hear the term hysteresis very often, people scratch their heads when I use it. :-)
I'm in love with you and your equipment! Xxxxxxxxxxxx
This is a vague and written by a dyslexic. Thank you for your videos. I used to go down into the dump with my Dad and pull old electronics and mechanical devices from the piles. Some of my favorite memories come from those trips. I am so inspired and glad to hear you talk and to know that you are doing so well, Oi
Well done Jeri.
Thank you Jeri for your investigation and explanation about ferrites and Magnetic field. Today I understand more what I made with an old ferrite from an old TV to transform 450 Ohms to 50 Ohms, with three parallel wires with 9 turns.
I love this woman. So intelligent AND beautiful!!
Can she remake this with nudist version please?
Behave.....!
James Rothwell Love your Lada Niva :)
Juan Pablo I think only a virgin would ask that question, nobody changes when losing virginity.
Stabby666, you mean once you lost vriginity, appreciation of beauty goes away?
Magnetic core storage was still being used in the '70s when I started. But, I never heard of magnetic logic. Interesting concept. Excellent explanation. It is easy to see why this was a non-starter in the market. Even vacuum tubes are better. Heck, I think relay logic beats this.
My ferrite is ready.
Good stuff, thank you! Mag core memory brought us to the moon & back. It's also nearly immune to stellar radiation. Great foundational knowledge your providing.
The Germans invented this before the great depression. saturable reactors yeah
It's not really complicated just old school technology, pre antedeluvian IMO
tyvm for sharing, brings back the old memories, no pun intended
Just try to wrap your mind around magnetic amplifiers, no electronics, they are all magnetic core, wires, and a power supply. I had fun researching magnetic amplifiers.
just found out of her work via reddit. i have huge respect for this lady, extremely innovative and smart.
how does she not have a billion subscribers already?
+Sidharth Talia Because most people are gamers. We are a dying breed.
She has the relevant subscribers, sadly.
I have to tell you, most of people aren't nerd :)
Nice demonstration. I just recently retired a large PLC system built in the 70s that utilized 16k core memory boards. The company finally came up with the capital to upgrade to modern systems. The system was originally commissioned in 1978. 39 years of reliable service. It was a little bit sad to throw those boards on the scrap heap.
Ok, paused the video and watched all transformers movies. But i still dont understand this...
these are electrical transformers. not giant cgi robots
You should have watched the animated series.
You have to watch the transformers movies in reverse, while angrily shaking your fist at a cardboard cutout of Shia labeouf
Take another look at all the movies and then come back to us let us know if you understand now
The best is to wait until You finished primary School.
Thanks for prodding my memory. I was working for Sperry Univac in St Paul during the early 1980s and this reminded me of some discussions then by the old-timers about an all-magnetic logic machine built during the 1950s when the company was called ERA. The system was called MAGSTECH, built at a time when the St Paul operation was virtually owned by the US Navy. It was a proof of concept which worked quite well, though I don't think the technology ever went into a production system.
A little later after transistors became practicable the exact same architecture was reproduced in transistors and called TRANSTECH and was a clear winner in the competition over how to go forward with computer design.
You desperately need a whiteboard/flipboard. I love the "this is me at my lab bench" style of presentation, the cozy and familiar image of a geek in their natural habitat. But when dealing with figures and schematics I think whiteboards or flipboards definitely have an added value over sheets of paper held up in front of the camera. ;)
+Juan Rial Nah, I liked her paper :)
+Anonymous User personally I prefer Engineering Explained's whiteboard... Also opens up the possibility to draw new stuff as you're explaining.
I know! My own "lab" is a shambles by any comparison.
That was the best explanation of magnetic hysteresis and logic gates I've ever seen. We should have teachers like you, in college.
What a beautiful mind.
Wow, I just love vintage technology. I've got several old radios and computers. Nice to see others with an appreciation of our technological beginnings.
Awesome Chick
From analog/digital circuitry to fpga programming to home-brew silicon... Jeri, you are as amazing as you are beautiful.
you are soo amazing :D i like it
Just watched a video class from the Army, I think from the 60s on magnetic core memory as well. I find it a fascinating bit of history. Having started with TTL logic gates, Eproms etc, I can truly appreciate this stuff. Thanks for your demo. I was able to follow with no difficulties, well done.
Super cute, and single too.
Jeri, I congratulate you, it's the first time in years that someone has explained to me how magnetic ring memories work. Excellent explanation. I'm going to watch the video several times because it's a very difficult subject for me. That's how the space shuttle's memories worked. Thank you so much.
Refreshing to see an intelligent woman who is not checking her cell phone every two minutes.
spayderninja So true :/
spayderninja agreed
You're not from around here.
This is brilliant even when probably a good 30 to 40% of what you are explaining I have no clue what it means 🤩but I'm just starting to get into electronics (after being in IT for years maintaining, developing systems and installing hardware and building PCs but not really knowing what happens on a deeper level much more than the basics of what resistors, capacitors and diodes do) - You're super smart Jeri!
this makes me wanna push my ferrites in there
+TheWieriekenshin LOL, that comment with that face....
HOW MANY ferrites DO YOU HAVE ??? Are you like that diphallic man??
You keep yo ferrets in yo pants mon :(
Ok-
My grandfather was a telegraphist since 1940 basically.
I studied electronics in depth, and worked with it. (didn't graduate though, it was way too much money.)
Jeri, you are now officially in my top 3 bingewatch channels. ^^"
Will you marry me?
*****
Good point, I met once long time ago, she was married :/ newer mind :) I wondering what what type of beauty she has, she is probably American but looks like, I don't know, maybe some Russian, Italian and Asian mix of beauty?
Anyway I don't think so if her propose is to find husband from youtube. Internet (youtube or TV) is making life more difficult, in real world people can met face to face so they can both decide is they like each other, If somebody is on Internet than thousand of people watch them and if them write offers like "merry me" or "be me wife" I don't thing so if they will get any answer.
My father was an electronics engineer and used to bring spare components home so I could build crystal and transistor radios, back in the late 50s and early 60s. I remember him bringing a ferrite memory grid home for me to look at.
so... um? can it run crysis? lol
lmao I actually luled
Crysis, 1970:
"You are in an advanced suit. There are aliens coming from the sky. What you do? (A) Run, (B) Fight"
Thanks Jeri! Very clear and easy to follow given the complexity of the subject.
Are you single?
^_^
I know she is like the prefect women, she likes electronics.
Owen Chase science channel luckiest husband 🙌🙌🙌
Humberto Martins Ferreira Junior o wow did not know she was married.
Owen Chase science channel Wooow
we have one chance 😻
I worked with this technology many years ago, nice to have a refresher. Thank you Jeri, well demonstrated.
I took Engineering courses with Capitol Radio Engineering Institute and I remember and entire semester of what you are showing a megnetic core logic circuit .NSA used these along time ago...Cheers
Amazing video i have been tinkering on and off over the last couple of years and last month repaired a shelled ferrite core with super thin wire. This video helped me understand magnetic power working with wires better than previously. Thanks
I know very little of what you are talking about in this video. However your enthusiasm and knowledge of the material you are covering makes me want to learn a lot more about these subjects.
You’re my role model Jeri! Always loved electronics but never had the formal training. Fortunately we can always learn online !
You are a very good self-taught electronics engineer so by definition you are my role model -thank you!
As someone who is familiar with how digital circuits handle these operations, I really enjoyed learning about how to do it with analog magnetic fields.
I loved the magnetic logic demonstration. Thanks!
wow. I hit this video because of a C64 bass mod. It was pretty interesting to follow this lesson. You really know what you're talking about.
Fantastic demonstration and very clear explanation. What wonderful, ingenious technology too. Thank you.
Very very interesting! Your explanation is very clear in understanding why there is a destructive readout. Thinking about the people who have invented this back in the days. Just amazing. Thank you very much!
Your demonstrating how a transformer can maintain the state of a bit without making itself redundant by requiring a transistor to maintain the transformer rings my bell.
Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this and document the lost art of computer engineering. I tried to explain "core" memory to some kids that just graduated from CS from Ga Tech and they looked at me like I was crazy! Now I can show them this and let you blow their minds!
This is my first video of yours. You nailed it. I could never get an answer on how a magnetic logic circuit worked. It make lots of sense now. Thank You.