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Wegematic 1000 SystemThe first computer used by universities in Finland was the Wegematic 1000 System used in University of Turku. This system was donated to the Association by Wenner-Gren foundation in Sweden. Wegematic 1000 was the first generation computer that used electrical vacuum-tubes (Source: Book by Martti Teinari: Tietotekniikan Alkuvuodet Suomessa). The purchasing price for the system changed to nowadays value would be around 7 million euros. The system consists of following parts: Power Unit, Logical Unit, Memory Unit, Control Board, Printing Unit (electric typewriter) and the device for reading and perforating punched tapes. Power Unit and Logical Unit (Operating Unit). The system consists of 500 electrical vacuum-tubes and 10.000 diodes. Power consumption was 15 kW. Power Unit has a lot of voltage meters. Supply voltages for each unit of the system were re-adjusted during each start-up. The memory of the system was a Drum Memory Unit. Drum Memory contains 261 channels (tracks). Each channel could store information for 32 words. "Word" means in drum memory one 8 digit desimal value including the + or - sign. Working memory (fast memory) contains 4 channels. Main memory contains 256 channels. Reading time was 2 words per millisecond. Addition takes 1 millisecond, multiplication and division take 16 milliseconds and comparing takes 0,5 milliseconds. Control Board. From the left: device connecting unit, controlling unit (for punched tape unit and printer), handheld controller for controlling functions, printer and punched tape device. Punched Tape Unit. Reading speed 150 meters per second and perforation speed 50 meters per second. Printer: IBM electric typewriter.
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