<![CDATA[PC-1: Computer with No Tubes, Relays, or Transistors, c. 1954]]>However you make a digital computer, you need something to represent a binary digit. Usually this is some form of switch: a relay, a tube, or a transistor, although there have been other ways to represent state. In 1954, [Eiichi Goto] of Japan invented the parametron, a resonant circuit using a ferrite core and a capacitor that could be moved between two phases.

According to [Goto’s] 1959 paper, the device is effectively a parametric oscillator, similar to some used at UHF frequencies by hams. The idea is that a tuned circuit is set to some frequency and driven with twice that frequency.

Link Preview Image
PC-1: The 1954 Computer With No Tubes, Relays, Or Transistors

However you make a digital computer, you need something to represent a binary digit. Usually this is some form of switch: a relay, a tube, or a transistor, although there have been other ways to re…

favicon

Hackaday (hackaday.com)

Link Preview Image
]]>https://isurg.org/topic/64a0e710-b279-4093-8bcc-e2b199354b77/pc-1-computer-with-no-tubes-relays-or-transistors-c.-1954RSS for NodeThu, 22 Oct 2026 12:36:04 GMTMon, 24 Aug 2026 22:57:39 GMT60