SDS 930

The SDS 930 is a commercial 24-bit computer using bipolar junction transistors sold by Scientific Data Systems. It was announced in December 1963, with first installations in June 1964.

Description

An SDS 930 system consists of at least three standard (30 cu. ft.) cabinets, comprising the arithmetic and logic unit, at least 8,192 words (24-bit + simple parity bit) magnetic core memory, and the IO unit. Two's complement integer arithmetic is used. The machine has integer multiply and divide, but no floating point hardware. An optional correlation and filtering unit (CFE) can be added, which is capable of very fast floating point multiply-add operations (primarily intended for digital signal processing applications).

A free-standing console is also provided, which includes binary displays of the machine's registers and switches to boot and debug programs. User input is by a Teletype Model 35 ASR unit and a high-speed paper tape reader (300 cps). Most systems include at least two magnetic tape drives, operating at up to 75 inches/second at 800 bpi. The normal variety of peripherals is also available, including magnetic drum units, card readers and punches, and an extensive set of analog-digital/digital-analog conversion devices. A (vector mode) graphic display unit is also available, but it does not include a means of keyboard input.