[GreenKeys] Creed equipment for the Ferranti Mercury computers, 1960

[Jim Backus]

Hi

The Creed 25 is nowhere as big & heavy as a 7B. I'm not going to go and 
check now but think it is about 200 x 200 x 350 mm (8 x 8 x 14 inches) 
and probably weighs about 25 lb whereas a Creed 7 is closer to 100 lb. 
It is capable of punching at 25 cps or more. An 18 pin male Painton (or 
Jones) plug was the parallel input. I have one and know of two others in 
the UK. I also have a good photocopy of the manual.

Bank holiday this weekend so won't be able to provide more information 
for a few days but would be happy to post photos and could scan the manual.

Regards

Jim

On 02/05/2013 18:42, Dave wrote:
> On 02/05/2013 09:53, Sam Hallas wrote:
>> Javier Albinarrate wrote:
>>> At the local computer museum in Buenos Aires, we will be working this
>>> year in making a replica of the Ferranti Mercury computer....
>>> This early computer came with the following:
>>> - Creed 54 Teletypewriter
>>> - Creed 6S/5 Tape reader (2 of them)
>>> - Creed 25 Tape perforator
>>
> Hi Javier,
>
>  I am working on a similar project for the Pegasus at www.mosi.org.uk 
> which was the predecessor of the Mercury. However we do have the Creed 
> 54, Creed6S/5 and the Creed 25, but I too would like to get a set of 
> these so we can avoid using the originals. The Creed 54 is basically 
> an enhanced Creed 7B and you should be able to substitute a 7B  and 
> get almost exactly the same effect. The 7Bs were fairly common 
> throughout the old British Empire so you may be able to find one at 
> least on the same continent.
>
> Not sure why you want 2x Creed 6S/5 readers. As you an see from the 
> Mercury brochure here:-
>
> http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/Ferranti/Ferranti.Mercury.1956.102646224.pdf 
>
>
> The Mercury (and Pegasus before it) used a Ferranti high speed optical 
> tape reader as the main input device, not a 6S/5 which is a mechanical 
> reader. The 6S/5 was basically only used to slow the output down to 
> the speed of the Creed. Of course finding a Ferranti high speed reader 
> would probably be harder than finding a Creed 6S/5. I personally would 
> see if I could find an more modern reader and build it into a box that 
> represents the Ferranti reader, probably a TR4 or maybe a TR3 or TR5.
>
> The Creed 25 was also a special with a parallel input, so basically 
> manufactured for Computer Use so also rare, and I think it weights 
> nearly as much as the 54. I guess you know that the that the Computer 
> punched the output on the Creed 25 at high speed, and it was feed to 
> the Creed 6S/5 which read it in more slowly and fed the Creed 54 for 
> printing. . If the program punched faster than the reader the tape was 
> stored in a bin so providing buffering. The Creed 6S also had a tape 
> tension arrangement so it stopped if the tape got tight...
>
> There was also a column counter on the Creed 54 that generated a Line 
> Feed so if the computer program didn't you didn't keep banging the 
> printer against the end stop
>
>> Javier,
>> I wish them all the best in the reconstruction. What a project!
>>
>> Model 75s are pretty rare. I've never seen one in the flesh, only in 
>> catalogues. Probably because the British Post Office never adopted 
>> it. Never seen the Model 25 perforator either, though I did own a 
>> Model 7P re-perforator at one time. The later Creed model, the 444, 
>> had an integral punch makng the separate perforator redundant.
>>
>>> And here in Argentina, everything was Siemens, so for sure we will not
>>> find a Creed not even by chance.
>>
>
> If you do find them and need manuals, I have books for the 6S/6 (which 
> is only slightly different to the 6S/5), the Creed 25 and the 7B but 
> not the 54. I also have a Ferranti TR5 manual and there is a TR3 
> manual at MOSI..
>
>> That may be the way to go. A Siemens T100 would be a great interface 
>> for kids to get their hands on. And probably more reliable than the 
>> Creed anyway! The models I've seen had an integral tape punch and 
>> reader.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Sam
>> (in England)
>>
>> _________
>
> Cheers from me too,
> Dave
> G4UGM
> Manchester
> England...
>
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