22 lines
742 B
Markdown
22 lines
742 B
Markdown
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tags: [computer-history, memory]
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created: Tuesday, September 17, 2024
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---
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# Williams Tube memory
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- One of the early attempts to create RAM in computers based on the EDVAC
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stored-program architecture.
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- Worked by displaying a grid of dots on a cathode-ray tube ("screen")
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- Due to the way CRTs work, this creates a small charge of static electricity
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over each dot. The charge at the location of each of the dots is read by a
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thin metal sheet just in front of the display.
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- Each dot position could be written to and read from and the pattern was
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constantly refreshed as the dots would fade over time.
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