Energizing a Vacuum Tube Flip-Flop Module of the IBM 604
This time around it’s one of the so-called trigger modules in the form of the TR-3, which uses a flip-flop circuit to implement the timing signals and pulses that made the 604 work. This differs from the thyratron module that we covered previously. A thyratron is a high current switch and rectifier, which is useful more for the periphery of the computer system.
- ▪This time around it’s one of the so-called trigger modules in the form of the TR-3, which uses a flip-flop circuit to implement the timing signals and pulses that made the 604 work.
- ▪This differs from the thyratron module that we covered previously.
- ▪A thyratron is a high current switch and rectifier, which is useful more for the periphery of the computer system.
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| Canonical URL | https://hackaday.com/2026/08/03/energizing-a-vacuum-tube-flip-flop-module-of-the-ibm-604/ |
| Publication time | Mon, 03 Aug 2026 23:00:50 +0000 |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Energizing A Vacuum Tube Flip-Flop Module Of The IBM 604 No comments by: Maya Posch August 3, 2026 Title: Copy Short Link: Copy Reverse-engineered schematic of the IBM 604’s TR-3 module. (Credit: Ken Shirriff) Taking a break from ogling microscopic features in Intel’s semiconductor processors, [Ken Shirriff] is back to instead poking at decidedly macroscopic pluggable modules from the 1948 IBM 604 Electronic Calculator. This time around it’s one of the so-called trigger modules in the form of the TR-3, which uses a flip-flop circuit to implement the timing signals and pulses that made the 604 work. This differs from the thyratron module that we covered previously. A thyratron is a high current switch and rectifier, which is useful more for the periphery of the computer system.
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