18-bit computing: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:55, 18 June 2015

Revision as of 23:03, 7 July 2015

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18 bits was a common word size for smaller computers in the 1960s, when large computers often used [[36-bit|36 bit words]] and [[BCD (6-bit)|6-bit character sets]] were the norm.

==Example 18-bit computer architectures==

* Possibly the most well-known 18-bit computer architectures are the [[PDP-1]], [[PDP-4]], [[PDP-7]], [[PDP-9]] and [[PDP-15]] [[minicomputer]]s produced by [[Digital Equipment Corporation]] from 1960 to 1975.

* [[UNIVAC]] produced a number of 18-bit computers, including the [[UNIVAC 418]] and several military systems.

* The [[IBM 7700 Data Acquisition System]] was an 18-bit computer.

* The [[BCL Molecular]]

* The NASA Standard Spacecraft Computer [[NSSC-1]]

*The [[UNIVAC]] produced a number ofseveral 18-bit computers, including the [[UNIVAC 418]] and several military systems.

== character encoding ==

* The [[IBM 7700 Data Acquisition System]] was anannounced by IBM on December 18-bit2, computer1963.

The [[BCL Molecular|BCL Molecular 18]] was a group of systems designed and manufactured in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s.

The NASA Standard Spacecraft Computer [[NSSC-1]] was developed as a standard component for the MultiMission Modular Spacecraft at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in 1974.

The [[flying-spot store]] digital memory in the first experimental [[electronic switching system]]s used nine plates of optical memory that were read and written two bits at a time, producing a word size of 18 bits.

== characterCharacter encoding ==

18-bit machines use a variety of character encodings, including: