James A. Weidenhammer
James A. Weidenhammer (born March 1, 1918 in Allentown , Pennsylvania , † January 26, 2013 in Poughkeepsie ) was an American computer engineer.
Weidenhammer studied mechanical engineering at Lehigh University with a bachelor's degree and from 1938 worked as an engineer at IBM in their development laboratory in Endicott. From 1949 he worked at the IBM development center in Poughkeepsie , where he was responsible for developing the electromechanics of the magnetic tape system for the IBM 701 , the IBM 726 . Together with Walter Buslik , he developed the Vacuum Column , which made the use of magnetic tape as computer memory possible in the first place, since rapid acceleration of the tape was necessary when starting and stopping. The magnetic tape - which was previously mainly used in sound engineering - was not allowed to be damaged. Weidenhammer and Buslik achieved this by sucking in with a vacuum similar to that of a vacuum cleaner.
In 1988 he received the Computer Pioneer Award with others . In 1964 he became an IBM Fellow .
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Weidenhammer, James A. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American computer engineer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 1, 1918 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Allentown , Pennsylvania |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 26, 2013 |
| Place of death | Poughkeepsie |