Paul Bishop (paul.bishop.delete@this.bytemind.com) on July 27, 2022 2:48 pm wrote:
> Mark Roulo (nothanks.delete@this.xxx.com) on July 26, 2022 5:44 pm wrote:
> > Duane Sand (duanebsand.delete@this.gmail.com) on July 26, 2022 3:19 pm wrote:
> > > Matt Sayler (sayler.delete@this.thewalrus.org) on July 26, 2022 11:57 am wrote:
> > > > Duane Sand (duanebsand.delete@this.gmail.com) on July 24, 2022 11:50 am wrote:
> > > > > What was this amazing thing? How was it so fast? How was it used? Did it need water cooling,
> > > > > also? What were the reasons to not use similar techniques for the mainframes themselves? Could
> > > > > a similar design be used in our latest cmos chips, with similarly fast single-thread results?
> > > >
> > > > It seems like an odd thing to build, absent some specific requirement. It's a hard to tell from the
> > > > little public docs what the console would do that would prompt someone to use this approach.
> > > >
> > > > Any details? I see the 3036 described as a dual display console with some diagnostic
> > > > and control apparatus. I assume that the two displays have their own logic to control
> > > > and generate the view…? What else would the "console" have done?
> > >
> > > Yes, an odd thing to build.
> >
> > I wonder if IBM wanted to test out some techniques in a "real" chip but one that didn't need them (so
> > that if they didn't work out it didn't matter). The 3090 used ECL (at least some models). Maybe the
> > idea was to test out some circuit designs here where if they missed on frequency it didn't matter?
> >
> > IBM did have previous experience with ECL, but maybe it wasn't current?
>
> IBM's ECL is referred to as MST (I, II, and IV) running 1.25V Vcc and -3.0V Vee so the signal swings
> ~ 200mv around ground. Yes 3036 was 5-bit machine with 16-bit instruction counter. The I/O to the 3033
> (put/take) buses were 5-bit so... The 3036 processors (2x) ran at 9.5419MHz and used regular 'ol IBM
> COB (card-on-board) technology. Mostly MST but some VTL (Vendor-transistor logic - the IBM way to say
> TTL) for disk interface. I don't have the ALDs (schematics) any more, threw them out 25 years ago, like
> a dumb-a$$, but I do have the data-flow diagrams and functional packaging diagrams. I'll put them on
> my site and share the link. Also some 3033 pics here, including the 3036: Mainframe Musings

Here's some selected 3036 Docs