Talk:Mechanical computer

UCLA Mechanical brain

Hello, I found this video in Youtube and consider this achievement (1948) to be worth mentioning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIinz4fKGpo Since I am no registered editor, I leave it to anyone entitled to do so to edit the article. Thanks--194.39.218.10 (talk) 14:42, 18 May 2020 (UTC)

It's UCLA's differential analyser and starred in a film. MarMi wiki (talk) 21:39, 23 June 2022 (UTC)

Computer vs calculator

Many of the given examples are NOT computers but are calculators. The definition of conputer on wikipedia defines there must be programmed instructions. A simple calculator doesnt do/have instructions, the humans operating it are executing instructions, the calculator is merly performing it. As such mechanical computers need to have the same requirements are electronic computers: calculator + memory + instructions. The article should be adapted to distinguish between calculators and mechanical computers. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.164.160.215 (talk) 10:50, 20 February 2021 (UTC)

A simple calculator has instructions (+, -, *, etc). If human operator were executing them, then he would be performing calculations instead of the calculator. MarMi wiki (talk) 21:51, 23 June 2022 (UTC)

I tend to agree with this. There are actually very few examples of true mechanical computers such as the Z1. Sometimes the use of instructions isn't enough, there also has to be some facility for loops. For example Raúl Rojas proved that the Z3 is Turing complete but only if the tape is taped together into a loop (unless the program is known to terminate and given the usual infinite memory assumption). KetchupSalt (talk) 07:49, 15 June 2023 (UTC)

The Ascota 170 apparently is fully programmable with jump instructions and conditional branching. It's programmed using metal stops hammered into a program board. Here's an example of it computing Fibonacci: https://youtube.com/watch?v=yaGGcsdyCAU.

Not much information about it is available online in English, but according to websites in German and Russian, it featured 56 12-digit decimal registers. That's very decent (~2240 bits). It's more storage space than some larger digital electronic machines of its time. And it was mass-produced at over 300 thousand units sold.

https://www.robotrontechnik.de/index.htm?/html/computer/ascota170.htm

https://habr.com/ru/articles/450538/

I also agree with that most of this article is adding machines. In that case, this is more of a list of mechanical calculating machines really, or perhaps mechanical computational devices if we want to be broader. Laifs (talk) 11:38, 10 May 2025 (UTC)

MONIAC system

can hydraulic systems be incorporated 60.254.0.83 (talk) 10:47, 17 April 2023 (UTC)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MONIAC 60.254.0.83 (talk) 10:49, 17 April 2023 (UTC)

Petrol based engine or electric motor to crank the lever. 115.98.234.165 (talk) 07:32, 15 June 2023 (UTC)

Punch card data processing

I added a short section on Punchcard data processing, which was the largest example of mechanical computing for the first half of the 20th century. I used text from the intro of the Unit record equipment article.--agr (talk) 17:39, 23 August 2023 (UTC)

There already exists a section on electro-mechanical computers, which early punchcard machines would fall under, no? On the other hand the length and complexity of "programs" on such machines was quite limited. On the third hand I don't think there ever were any purely mechanical tabulating machines - Hollerith's machines were electromechanical. KetchupSalt (talk) 07:33, 24 August 2023 (UTC)