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IBM 1440

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The IBM 1440, a member of the IBM 1400 series, was an IBM computer designed as a low-cost system for smaller businesses. It was announced on October 11, 1962 and withdrawn on February 8, 1971.

With a variety of models and special features available for the IBM 1440, a system could be tailored to meet immediate data processing requirements of the business and expanded to absorb increased demands as needed. Programs for the 1440 could be easily adapted to run on the IBM 1401.

The basic system consisted of:

  • IBM 1441 Processing Unit contained core memory, arithmetic and logic circuits
    • Up to 16,000 alphanumeric storage positions were available
  • IBM 1447 Operator's Console
    • Model 1 provided basic processing control for the system
    • Model 2 added an electric typewriter

Peripherals

The following peripherals were available:

  • IBM 1442 Card Reader/Punch
    • Model 1 read up to 300 cards a minute and punched up to 80 columns a second
    • Model 2 read up to 400 cards a minute and punched up to 160 columns a second
  • IBM 1443 Flying Typebar Printer
    • Basic rate of 150 lines a minute and up to 430 lines a minute, depending on typebar
    • Interchangeable typebars having character sets of 13, 39, 52, and 63 characters
  • IBM 1311 Disk drive
    • Capacity for 2 million characters in each removable pack
      • With optional "Move Track Record" feature, capacity is increased to 2,980,000 characters in each pack
    • Each pack weighed less than 10 lb (5 kg).
    • Up to five 1311 drives

Pricing

The cost and rental rate were:

  • Purchase price: $90,000 and up, depending on system configuration.
  • Rental rate: $1,500 and up, monthly rental, depending on system configuration.

Installations

Notable installations included a high end 1440 at the Chicago Police Department installed by reformist superintendent Orlando Winfield Wilson in the early 1960s.

In 2012 the TechWorks! Prototype Workshop of the Center for Technology & Innovation (CT&I) in Binghamton, New York successfully resurrected a 1440 system including a CPU and console, a 1311 Disk Drive, and a 1442 Card Reader/Punch.[1]

References

  1. ^ Rhodes, Ryan (Sep–Oct 2012). "A 1440 Data Processing System Finds New Life After 50 Years". IBM Systems Magazine.
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