Z1 (computer)
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The Z1 was a mechanical computer created by Konrad Zuse in 1936. It was a binary electrically driven mechanical calculator with limited programmability, reading instructions from punched tape. A reproduction of this machine (pictured) is currently housed in the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin.
The machine was basically a 22-bit floating point value adder and subtracter, with some control logic making it capable of more complex operations such as multiplication (by repeated additions) and division (by repeated subtractions). Z1's ISA had nine instructions and its CPI ranged from 1 to 20.
The Z1 was the first in a series of computers designed by Konrad Zuse. The Z2 and Z3 were follow-ups based on much of the same ideas as the Z1.
The computer had a 64 word floating point memory, where each word of memory could be read from and written to by the program punch cards and the control unit. The mechanical memory units were unique in their design and were patented by Konrad Zuse in 1936. The machine was only capable of executing instructions read from the program punch cards, so the program itself was never loaded into the memory.
[edit] Hardware specifications
- Memory: 176 bytes (64 words of 22 bits)
- Clock speed: 1 Hz
- Registers: Two floating-point registers of 22 bit each
[edit] External links
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