Fifty Years Ago .... from the pages of Computer Weekly

16th May 1974 computing, compiled by TNMOC volunteer archivist, Brian Aldous.

A selection of stories from Computer Weekly from 16th May 1974. The full archive of Computer Weekly can be seen at TNMOC, where there are special rolling displays of front pages from 25 and 40 years ago.

PSI aids colour TV; Special software written for a Digital Equipment PDP-8 by Programming and Systems Implementation Ltd has produced improvements in inspection routines for high precision shadow masks used in the manufacture of colour TV tubes at Thorn Electric’s Skelmersdale plant. The machine used for inspecting the masks is a Ferranti Cordax unit which incorporates a specially designed probe to move very precisely in x, y and z axes under the control of the PDP-8. This measures the minute and critical distances between the 440,000 holes in the mask. The. location of each hole determines the exact position where the three electron beams, corresponding to the primary colours red, blue and green fall on the television screen to produce the colour picture. PSI says the software it has written for the PDP-8 has increased the number of holes for which co-ordinates can be recorded by the computer from 98 to 1,000 and sequential operation has reduced the computer time for testing each mask by 50 per cent. (CW 395 30/5/1974 p11)