Relocation

Figure 6. The Replica SSEM after delivery to the Museum of Science and Industry

Figure 6. The Replica SSEM after delivery to the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester in February 1998. Replacement of all the interconnections had not yet started.

Estimates as to how long it would take to get the machine working again after moving the few miles from the university to the museum ranged from two weeks to two months. February 1998 was chosen to allow enough time to be on target for June. The team had done such a good job of labeling and preparation, and the moving gang from ICL was so careful, that the replica was running programs again two days after arrival at the museum. This was a great tribute to the care and commitment of the team and the movers, and having a working machine so quickly gave us plenty of time to get used to using the machine in the new environment. During this period another chassis was added out of sight at the rear of the machine, containing a set of relays whose contacts are in parallel with the SSEM control switches and push buttons. The relays are controlled via an RS-232 interface from a PC, with the intention that one day it may be possible to connect the replica to the Internet to allow remote operation of the machine.


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