Difference between revisions of "Plug-board"
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| + | [[Image:PlugboardFront.jpg|thumb|right|250px|IBM plug-board (wire side)]] | ||
| + | [[Image:PlugboardBack.jpg|thumb|right|250px|IBM plug-board (contact side)]] | ||
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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. | ||
Revision as of 13:06, 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 be swapped for another.
