Ferranti

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Ferranti or Ferranti International plc was a major UK electrical engineering and equipment firm known primarily for defence electronics and power grid systems. The Company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but ceased trading in 1993.

Ferranti is also famous in the computer industry for building the first commercially available computer, the Ferranti Mark 1, which was first delivered in 1951 and started their computer business, which lasted into the 1970s. They had influential collaborations with the university computing departments at Manchester and Cambridge, which resulted in the development of the Mercury and Atlas machines (Manchester), and the Atlas 2 or Titan (Cambridge).

Timeline for Ferranti :

Date	Event
12 Feb 1951	Ferranti Mark 1 delivered to Manchester University
23 Mar 1956	The first Ferranti Pegasus goes into service
Aug 1957	Ferranti Mercury is introduced
7 Dec 1962	The Manchester Atlas is inaugurated
18 Dec 1969	Plessey buys out Ferranti's Numerical Control Interests
7 Jan 1971	Post Office orders Ferranti Argus 500 system
29 Jun 1972	Ferranti Argus 500
24 May 1973	Ferranti - Plessey
14 Jun 1973	Ferranti launches IS7 system with new Argus 700s
14 Jun 1973	Argus 700 series launched by Ferranti
9 Aug 1973	ICL and Ferranti
9 Aug 1973	British Airways Board place contracts worth nearly £2m with ICL and Ferranti
22 Nov 1973	Nimrod contract won by Ferranti
20 Dec 1973	NMW orders Ferranti terminal network
9 May 1974	Ferranti helps to set up Brazilian industry
20 Jun 1974	Microprocessor bid by Ferranti

Hardware Products

Ferranti 1600B Semiconductor Memory Module
Unknown
This D1115M memory module was designed for use in the Ferranti FM1600B computer system.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Peripheral

Ferranti Memory Array 703897-D
Unknown
Ferranti Memory Array, part number 703897-D.

Manufacturer : Ferranti Ltd
Type : Peripheral

Ferranti Facit Rewinder, Tape Punch
Unknown
MOD 4070 Product No 9280 16 01 Serial No.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Peripheral

Ferranti Pegasus Boards
1956
Two plug-in electronic packages from a Ferranti Pegasus computer.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Peripheral

Clock from Ferranti Pegasus
1958
A time-of-day clock from the Ferranti Pegasus computer.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Peripheral

Ferranti Paper Tape Manual Punch
1960
Ferranti paper tape editing unit.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Peripheral

Ferranti Atlas Computer
1961
Firstly, we must stress that we do not have a complete Ferranti Atlas computer!

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Computer

Ferranti Atlas Cardreader Control Panel
1963
Part of the Ferranti Atlas Cardreader control panel from the Manchester University Atlas computer.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Peripheral

Ferranti Argus 100
1963
The original Argus was developed in 1958 as a ground-based control computer for the Bristol Bloodhound Mark 2 missile.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Computer

Titan Computer Boards
1964
Assorted boards removed from the Ferranti/Cambridge University Titan computer.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Peripheral

Ferranti FM1600 B
1965
The FERRANTI FM1600 CPU was designed for use in large centralised computer installations in major warships and was at the time when the brochure came out the most powerful in the Ferranti range.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Computer

Ferranti PC860
1973
The Ferranti 860 is a desk top computer from 1986, there were a couple of variations of the machine, if it had twin floppy drives, then it was a PC860, if it had one floppy drive and a Winchester HDD, then it was a 860-XT.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Computer

Ferranti Argus 700
1973
The British company Ferranti Ltd was an electrical engineering company with a long history of working on government and military contracts.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Computer

Ferranti 1600E
1973
The 1600E was an updated and redesigned version of the 1600B - see entry for the Ferranti 1600B.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Computer

Ferranti Argus PPC-20
November 1983
Our Ferranti PPC-20 has 128k RAM, two 640k floppy discs and cost £3250.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Computer

Ferranti Advance 86
December 1983
The Ferranti Advance 86 was an early IBM PC compatible system conceived by Advance Technology (UK) and built by Ferranti (well known for its military products, and the ZX-81custom chip).

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Computer

Data Dynamics 390 Teletype
1986
This unit was mounted on the Ferranti Argus 700 Desk Unit.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Peripheral

Ferranti Facit Paper Tape Drive Unit
1986
Facit model 4010Production number 92801601 This exhibit was purchased from the MOD with the generous support of followers and friends on Twitter and FaceBook.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Peripheral

Ferranti Facit 4015 Rewinder, Telegraph Tape Machine
1986
Ferranti Facit 4015 Rewinder, Telegraph Tape Machine Ref: 7440-99-522-4870 S.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Peripheral

Ferranti Model No PC31
1986
The Ferranti PC31 is an IBM-compatible personal computer developed by Ferranti in the mid eighties.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Computer

Promotional Items

Ferranti - The Argus 100 Series of Computers
Unknown
Original specifications for the Ferranti Argus 100 computer system.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Promotional Item

Ferranti Transformer Division
1964
Manufacturing Facilities and Techniques: Computer UtilisationRef: List AHC 21/1...

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Promotional Item

Ferranti Argus 400 system
February 1968
Ferranti's Argus computers were a line of industrial control computers offered from the 1960s into the 1980s.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Promotional Item

Ferranti Argus 500 system
February 1968
Ferranti's Argus computers were a line of industrial control computers offered from the 1960s into the 1980s.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Promotional Item

Ferranti Remote Terminal Display Equipment
February 1969
Four-page illustrated leaflet which covers TDM 2000 and TDM 1000.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Promotional Item

Ferranti Display Terminals
August 1969
Eight-page illustrated leaflet which covers System 100, 120 and 140 display terminals.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Promotional Item

Ferranti Display Terminals System 100
August 1969
Double-sided illustrated leaflet for the Ferranti System 100 Local CRT Terminal.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Promotional Item

Ferranti Display Terminals System 120
August 1969
Double-sided illustrated leaflet for the Ferranti System 120 Stand Alone CRT Terminal.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Promotional Item

Ferranti Argus 600 system
January 1970
Colour-printed, illustrated brochure for the Ferranti Argus 600 which includes system specifications.

Manufacturer : Ferranti
Type : Promotional Item