Average Response Computer
From Computer History Wiki
The Average Response Computer (sometimes referred to as the ARC-1) was not actually a computer (as implied by the name), but a digital transistor data recording/analysis device. It took a number of data samples, provided by an analog-to-digital converter, and summed and averaged them (hence the 'computer', since 'computing' is being done), to remove the noise. It was built at Lincoln Laboratory in 1958. Its importance was as a predecessor to the LINC (see the tale in the Clark history, below).
Further reading
- W. A. Clark, R. M. Brown, M. H. Goldstein, C. E. Molnar, D. F. O'Brien, H.E. Zieman, "The Average Response Computer (ARC): A Digital Device for Computing Averages and Amplitude and Time Histograms of Electrophysiological Responses", IRE Trans. Biomed. Electronics, 1961
- W. A. Clark, Section B, "Average Response Computer (ARC-1)", in Communications Biophysics Quarterly Progress Report, No. 49, Research Laboratory of Electronics, April, 1958 - includes a description, block diagram and sample data
External links
- Wesley A. Clark, The LINC Was Early and Small, ACM, Proceedings of the ACM Conference on the History of Personal Workstations, 1986, pp. 133-155 - covers the ARC on pp. 136-137
- John C. Conley, Average Response Computer Program (ARC), 1960 - program to implement the functionality of the ARC on a PDP-1
