Difference between revisions of "Plug-board"
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A '''plug-board''' was a mechanism which allowed users to easily configure early electro-mechanical [[digital]] [[computing device]]s (typically [[punched card]] equipment) to perform a given desired information-handling task; and, moreover, quickly and easily switch from one configuration to another. It generally consisted of a rectangular slab of non-conducting material such as Bakelite, with a regular array of holes; the holes contained [[pin]]s or [[socket]]s, with [[jumper]] wires connecting them. | A '''plug-board''' was a mechanism which allowed users to easily configure early electro-mechanical [[digital]] [[computing device]]s (typically [[punched card]] equipment) to perform a given desired information-handling task; and, moreover, quickly and easily switch from one configuration to another. It generally consisted of a rectangular slab of non-conducting material such as Bakelite, with a regular array of holes; the holes contained [[pin]]s or [[socket]]s, with [[jumper]] wires connecting them. | ||
| − | The jumpers allowed the connection of the various computational elements within the device ([[counter]]s, [[adder]]s, etc), as well as the [[input]] and [[output]] [[peripheral|devices]], in whatever way was needed to accomplish the desired information-handling goal. The computational elements within the device were all connected to fixed locations on the plug-board; this allowed one plug-board (configured for one particular information-handling task) to be rapidly and easily | + | The jumpers allowed the connection of the various computational elements within the device ([[counter]]s, [[adder]]s, etc), as well as the [[input]] and [[output]] [[peripheral|devices]], in whatever way was needed to accomplish the desired information-handling goal. The computational elements within the device were all connected to fixed locations on the plug-board; this allowed one plug-board (configured for one particular information-handling task) to be rapidly and easily swapped for another. (Plug-boards were not intended principally for experimentation, but for configuration and fast conversion.) |
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| + | * [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/punchedCard/Training/22-6275-0_Functional_Wiring_Principles.pdf Functional Wiring Principles: IBM punched card data processing equipment] (22-6275-0) | ||
| + | * [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/punchedCard/Training/A24-1007-1_IBM_Functional_Wiring_Principles_Feb66.pdf IBM Functional Wiring Principles] (A24-1007-1) | ||
* [http://www.columbia.edu/cu/computinghistory/plugboard.html IBM Control Panels] | * [http://www.columbia.edu/cu/computinghistory/plugboard.html IBM Control Panels] | ||
[[Category: Components]] | [[Category: Components]] | ||
Revision as of 13:54, 27 February 2025
A plug-board was a mechanism which allowed users to easily configure early electro-mechanical digital computing devices (typically punched card equipment) to perform a given desired information-handling task; and, moreover, quickly and easily switch from one configuration to another. It generally consisted of a rectangular slab of non-conducting material such as Bakelite, with a regular array of holes; the holes contained pins or sockets, with jumper wires connecting them.
The jumpers allowed the connection of the various computational elements within the device (counters, adders, etc), as well as the input and output devices, in whatever way was needed to accomplish the desired information-handling goal. The computational elements within the device were all connected to fixed locations on the plug-board; this allowed one plug-board (configured for one particular information-handling task) to be rapidly and easily swapped for another. (Plug-boards were not intended principally for experimentation, but for configuration and fast conversion.)
