Proper breakthroughs/inventions.

[ChrisGibboGibson]

I was thinking about electronic inventions. Ones that *really* made a
difference or represented a *huge* leap in either technology or thinking.

Obviously the transistor and IC, but when you look into those they weren't
really flash inventions, more a development. History shows similar properties
in the case of the transistor had been demonstrated for years beforehand. The
IC was really just bunging more than one of them together. Not really a
breakthrough.

The two that spring to my mind initially are the HP wein oscillator using the
bulb and the Wadley triple loop, drift cancelling superhet, which I still think
is amazing.

What would others propose for sheer inventiveness?

Gibbo

 

[Tim Wescott]

I was thinking about electronic inventions. Ones that *really* made a
difference or represented a *huge* leap in either technology or thinking.

Obviously the transistor and IC, but when you look into those they weren't
really flash inventions, more a development. History shows similar properties
in the case of the transistor had been demonstrated for years beforehand. The
IC was really just bunging more than one of them together. Not really a
breakthrough.

The two that spring to my mind initially are the HP wein oscillator using the
bulb and the Wadley triple loop, drift cancelling superhet, which I still think
is amazing.

What would others propose for sheer inventiveness?

Gibbo

For sheer cleverness it would have to be Armstrong's understanding and
optimizing the regenerative receiver -- but that was taking a discovered
thing and wrapping his brain around it, not coming up with something new.

 

[john jardine]

I was thinking about electronic inventions. Ones that *really* made a
difference or represented a *huge* leap in either technology or thinking.

Obviously the transistor and IC, but when you look into those they weren't
really flash inventions, more a development. History shows similar properties
in the case of the transistor had been demonstrated for years beforehand. The
IC was really just bunging more than one of them together. Not really a
breakthrough.

The two that spring to my mind initially are the HP wein oscillator using the
bulb and the Wadley triple loop, drift cancelling superhet, which I still think
is amazing.

What would others propose for sheer inventiveness?

Gibbo

Lord Kelvins, 'Line loading coils' for telephone wires. Totally inobvious
beforehand and totally inobvious afterhand.
He enabled long distance communications to blossom for nearly a century.
regards
john

 

[Stefan Heinzmann]

I was thinking about electronic inventions. Ones that *really* made a
difference or represented a *huge* leap in either technology or thinking.

Obviously the transistor and IC, but when you look into those they weren't
really flash inventions, more a development. History shows similar properties
in the case of the transistor had been demonstrated for years beforehand. The
IC was really just bunging more than one of them together. Not really a
breakthrough.

The two that spring to my mind initially are the HP wein oscillator using the
bulb and the Wadley triple loop, drift cancelling superhet, which I still think
is amazing.

What would others propose for sheer inventiveness?

Strange that you single out the inventiveness of the Wien bridge
oscillator with the bulb over the development of the transistor. Both
were developments that relied on previous work. That's not to belittle
their achievement, but Hewlett's thesis for example contains a reference
to a paper by Meacham that described the usage of a lamp in a crystal
oscillator. (I got this from Jim William's book).

But if you are content with innovations of that scale, you could cite
some of Widlar's work, for example the bandgap reference.

Things I also find outstanding is the planar process, the DRAM, and on a
higher scale the invention of virtual memory.

 

[Andrew Holme]

I was thinking about electronic inventions. Ones that *really* made a
difference or represented a *huge* leap in either technology or
thinking.

Obviously the transistor and IC, but when you look into those they
weren't really flash inventions, more a development. History shows
similar properties in the case of the transistor had been
demonstrated for years beforehand. The IC was really just bunging
more than one of them together. Not really a breakthrough.

The two that spring to my mind initially are the HP wein oscillator
using the bulb and the Wadley triple loop, drift cancelling superhet,
which I still think is amazing.

What would others propose for sheer inventiveness?

Gibbo

Fractional-N frequency synthesizers would get my vote -
1. Early analogue compensation schemes e.g. Marconi 2022 sig-gen
2. Partial digital compensation e.g. RACAL RA1792 receiver by Nigel King
3. Fully digital sigma-delta noise shaping invented by John Wells of Maroni
instruments 1984

 

[Paul Burridge]

I was thinking about electronic inventions. Ones that *really* made a
difference or represented a *huge* leap in either technology or thinking.

Obviously the transistor and IC, but when you look into those they weren't
really flash inventions, more a development. History shows similar properties
in the case of the transistor had been demonstrated for years beforehand. The
IC was really just bunging more than one of them together. Not really a
breakthrough.

The two that spring to my mind initially are the HP wein oscillator using the
bulb and the Wadley triple loop, drift cancelling superhet, which I still think
is amazing.

What would others propose for sheer inventiveness?

The Mediterranean-style pizza - but with jalapenos. That single flash
of genius has revolutionised this classic dish. I now eat nothing
else.

 

[John Larkin]

Things I also find outstanding is the planar process, the DRAM, and on a
higher scale the invention of virtual memory.

Virtual memory is *the* enabling technology of slow, buggy, bloated
code.

John

 

[ChrisGibboGibson]

Paul Burridge wrote:

[snip]

The Mediterranean-style pizza - but with jalapenos. That single flash
of genius has revolutionised this classic dish. I now eat nothing
else.

Then what about red sorse ? Sorry I'm a northerner, I meant to type Tomato
Ketchup.

Gibbo

 

[ChrisGibboGibson]

Stefan Heinzmann wrote:

[snip]

Strange that you single out the inventiveness of the Wien bridge
oscillator with the bulb over the development of the transistor. Both
were developments that relied on previous work. That's not to belittle
their achievement, but Hewlett's thesis for example contains a reference
to a paper by Meacham that described the usage of a lamp in a crystal
oscillator. (I got this from Jim William's book).

But if you are content with innovations of that scale, you could cite
some of Widlar's work, for example the bandgap reference.

Things I also find outstanding is the planar process, the DRAM, and on a
higher scale the invention of virtual memory.

DRAM yes, I hadn't thought of that one. Pure genius.

Virtual memory? An invention that would have no use whatsoever if PC
programmers learnt how to write software properly.

Gibbo

 

[ChrisGibboGibson]

:

[snip]

Fractional-N frequency synthesizers would get my vote

Unless I misunderstand I don't see what that allowed to be done that couldn't
already be done just as well.

But perhaps I misunderstand exactly what you mean.

Gibbo

 

[john jardine]

:

[snip]

Lord Kelvins, 'Line loading coils' for telephone wires. Totally inobvious
beforehand and totally inobvious afterhand.
He enabled long distance communications to blossom for nearly a century.

Ah yes, I admit I had to do a quick google to refresh my old brain.

But wasn't that the same Lord Kelvin who said something along the lines of
"radio [or wireless as they probably called it then] has no future" ?

Or is it an urban ledgend?

Gibbo

Most probably. He was a mathematician. His comments on matters other than
maths should be regarded with less than normal weight .
(Read his Cambridge press biography. Most boring book I've ever read.)
regards
john

 

[ChrisGibboGibson]

:

[snip]

Lord Kelvins, 'Line loading coils' for telephone wires. Totally inobvious
beforehand and totally inobvious afterhand.
He enabled long distance communications to blossom for nearly a century.

Ah yes, I admit I had to do a quick google to refresh my old brain.

But wasn't that the same Lord Kelvin who said something along the lines of
"radio [or wireless as they probably called it then] has no future" ?

Or is it an urban ledgend?

Gibbo

 

[Andrew Holme]

Stefan Heinzmann wrote: [snip]

Things I also find outstanding is the planar process, the DRAM, and
on a higher scale the invention of virtual memory.

DRAM yes, I hadn't thought of that one. Pure genius.

The Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) built 1937-1942 is claimed to be the
first use of dynamic or regenerative memory. Storage was rows of capacitors
on a rotating drum.

See http://www.scl.ameslab.gov/ABC/

It only solved simultaneous equations so it wasn't a truly general purpose
computer.

Oh yes, that's another one - the computer.

 

[ChrisGibboGibson]

Stefan Heinzmann wrote: [snip]

Things I also find outstanding is the planar process, the DRAM, and
on a higher scale the invention of virtual memory.

DRAM yes, I hadn't thought of that one. Pure genius.

The Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) built 1937-1942 is claimed to be the
first use of dynamic or regenerative memory. Storage was rows of capacitors
on a rotating drum.

I remember my first encounter with the Z80. Was that the first processor to
incorporate automatic DRAM refresh whilst it was doing nothing else?

Then Mr Sinclair used that very feature for the display routine in the ZX81 (I
think it was a Timex 2000 in USA). Now that *was* pure genius in my opinion.

See http://www.scl.ameslab.gov/ABC/

It only solved simultaneous equations so it wasn't a truly general purpose
computer.

Oh yes, that's another one - the computer.

Where is the dividing line? You know like, that wasn't a compuer but this is?

Gibbo

 

[Andrew Holme]

Where is the dividing line? You know like, that wasn't a compuer but
this is?

Gibbo

Quite. Who was first? USA, UK or DE? Was it ENIAC, Colossus or Conrad
Zuse's Z1?

I would say it's down to -
1. electronic vs electro-mechanical
2. fixed / hard-wired programming vs stored program

but I digress.

 

[ChrisGibboGibson]

Quite. Who was first? USA, UK or DE? >

UK of course. As always.



Gibbo

 

[Terry Given]

:

:
[snip]

It only solved simultaneous equations so it wasn't a truly general
purpose computer.

Oh yes, that's another one - the computer.


Where is the dividing line? You know like, that wasn't a compuer but
this is?

Gibbo

Quite. Who was first? USA, UK or DE? >

UK of course. As always.



Gibbo

Ayup. Prior to electronic ones, "computer" was a job description.

Cheers
Terry

 

[Paul Burridge]

"Andrew Holme" wrote: [snip]
It only solved simultaneous equations so it wasn't a truly general
purpose computer.

Oh yes, that's another one - the computer.


Where is the dividing line? You know like, that wasn't a compuer but
this is?

Gibbo

Quite. Who was first? USA, UK or DE? >

UK of course. As always.

Yes, but not with Colossus. It was Charles Babbage's Difference
Engine.

 

[Andrew Holme]

:

ChrisGibboGibson wrote:

:

[snip]

It only solved simultaneous equations so it wasn't a truly general
purpose computer.

Oh yes, that's another one - the computer.


Where is the dividing line? You know like, that wasn't a compuer
but this is?

Gibbo

Quite. Who was first? USA, UK or DE? >

UK of course. As always.



Gibbo

Ayup. Prior to electronic ones, "computer" was a job description.

Cheers
Terry

Them were t' days. Doin' th'accounts on t' comptometer.

 

[Paul Burridge]

Paul Burridge wrote:

[snip]

The Mediterranean-style pizza - but with jalapenos. That single flash
of genius has revolutionised this classic dish. I now eat nothing
else.

Then what about red sorse ? Sorry I'm a northerner, I meant to type Tomato
Ketchup.

No, no, no! Every pizza comes as standard with a sub-topping of tomato
puree, rendering the addition of tomato katsup the culinary equivalent
of tautology.
A recent survey published by some European health advisory body (and
reported in the Financial Times of 6/7 November) has found that eating
more pizza helps prevent heart disease. The same study also showed
that eating fresh fruit and vegetables is a waste of time and doesn't
prevent bowel cancer.