Robotron 300

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Control unit of the R 300, with punch card reader in the background on the right
Belt section of the R 300.
type label
Control unit of the R 300 in the Dresden Technical Collections .

The Robotron 300 (R 300) was a fully transistorized data processing system of medium size from Robotron and was widely used in the GDR . It was developed based on the IBM model 1401 in the VEB Electronic Calculators (ELREMA) Karl-Marx-Stadt from 1963 to 1968. The “300” in the name stood for the desired performance of the associated punch card reader (300 punch cards per minute).

Manufacturing

A development sample was presented to the public for the first time in 1966 at the Moscow “Interorgtechnika” trade fair. Series production began in 1967 with five systems in the VEB RAFENA plant in Radeberg , which was incorporated into the Robotron combine in 1969 as VEB Robotron-Elektronik Radeberg and ELREMA. Up to 1972, 350 of the R 300 were produced in Radeberg. The price of the computer was 3 million GDR marks . To amortize the high price, the computer was used around the clock in three-shift operation. Special type buildings were developed and built as data centers for the R 300. These buildings were later used for the subsequent computers in the ESER series.

technology

The R 300 was implemented in diode-transistor logic (DTL) and contained 18,500 bipolar transistors and 43,000 diodes . With a clock frequency of 100 kHz, it achieved a computing speed of around 3,000 to 5,000 operations per second. As main memory came a ferrite core is used, which had a capacity of 10,000 characters at first, later 40,000 characters. The access time of the main memory was 10 µs. Up to four magnetic drum memories and an additional ferrite core memory with 10,000 characters were used as additional random access memories . The magnetic drum memories each had a capacity of 10,000 words (10 characters each) and an access time of 20 ms. The ferrite core auxiliary memory could also be used as a buffer for magnetic tape operations. Magnetic tapes (cabinet-sized digital tape machines ), punched cards and perforated tape were used as external media . The R 300 required a floor space of 35 m² for its 45 cabinets and weighed 6,000 kg. Information on the connected load of the R 300 range from 15 kVA to 30… 35 kVA.

Output medium was u. a. a parallel printer ( line printer ) with 156 characters per line on fan-fold paper . This also made graphic representations (diagrams, but also humoristic) possible using signs. Programs ( e.g. in Fortran ) could e.g. B. be handed over to the staff as a perforated tape roll and were processed according to the order of receipt.

On the R 300 was in its own assembly language called MOPS ( M achines o rien oriented P rogrammier s programmed PRACHE).

350 locations and many areas of application and software applications

literature

  • Wolfgang Börnigen: Electronic data processing system Robotron 300 . Verlag Technik, Berlin 1968.

References and comments

  1. a b c J. Liegert: The history of the development of the EDVA R 300 from Robotron. P. 10, PDF file 106 kB
  2. a b R300 mainframe computer , robotrontechnik.de
  3. ^ Exhibition for the 3rd symposium on computer science in the GDR , panel 4: Electronic data processing system R300 , accessed on Jan. 26, 2019
  4. a b Operating history of ROBOTRON Radeberg Datentechnik - EDVA R300 , accessed on Jan. 26, 2019
  5. Computer science internship at the engineering college Mittweida in 1981
  6. Programming languages , robotrontechnik.de
  7. Individual projects (EDVA R 300 Dresden)
  8. Thomas Elschner: 1969–1988 the R300 computer of the TU Dresden
  9. 50 years of data center / computer and media service
  10. Proof: Thomas Brandenburg. - 800 years of Beierfeld / Rockstroh, Aue 2008.
  11. Evidence: History. IT Service Center, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg , accessed on March 17, 2020 .
  12. From transistor computers to multiprocessor server farms: 40 years of data processing at the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences in Zwickau ( Memento from December 14, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  13. The EDVA R300 (Robotron 300): Construction of a lightweight hall for the machine room of the data center ( Memento from March 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive )

Web links

Commons : Robotron 300  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files