Description of Photograph

Photograph of two STC magnetic tape decks in use in the early stages of LEO I. Rather than being held on a reel, each loop of 1/4 inch tape spooled in a transparent, removeable chamber below the machine's tape heads.  The LEO team were unable to get the system to function reliably using tape so the Standard Telephones decks were removed later in the year.

Published in Bird, Peter  LEO - The First Business Computer  (Wokingham: Hasler, 1994), plate 24.

This image appears in the interactive plan for our Virtual LEO I installation , p47.

 

Research comments: in the version of this photo in Peter Bird's book, a date can be clearly seen chalked on the right hand unit: 9 July 1953. Interestingly, as the LEO and STC teams could not get these units to work, they were removed just a month after the photo was taken (in August 1953, according to Peter Bird, pp 85). Peter Bird attributes this photo to Leo Fantl, a key member of the LEO team and keen photographer. (LM)

 

Provenance
Collected by Peter Bird as part of his research for his book LEO - The First Business Computer (1994).

Date: mid-1953

Physical Description: 1 photographic print; black and white

Archives Hub References: CMLEO/PB/PH/1/60539
PJB/3/2/37A

Other References: DCMLEO20190510031
                  
                  
                  
                  


Comment on This Photograph

This exhibit has a reference ID of CH60539. Please quote this reference ID in any communication with the Centre for Computing History.