The Burroughs electrographic printer-plotter for ordnance computing

Abstract

Synopsis: This paper will be in four parts, the first section will cover a system concept involving an automatic digital datahandling system feeding a high-speed output directly rather than through a buffer such as a tape storage system. Some representative programming details are indicated for this type of system involving the Ordvac computer. The next part covers the design approach, and details of the particular mechanization which was chosen to satisfy the requirement based upon electrographic recording. The electrographic recording technique is reviewed and the various relevant parts of the plotter and its capability are discussed. The third part covers the details of the computer programming required to achieve the direct output described in the first section. Part four covers some of the results obtained on the feasibility model of the printer-plotter in actual use.