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