Ferranti Mark I: drum store

Magnetic drum for Ferranti Mark I. Picture of drum. (Catalogue 1)

• The magnetic drum store of a Ferranti Mark I computer.
  
• A cropped version of this image is shown in G.E. (Tommy) Thomas's recollections of the Manchester drum store and as Figure 7 "Magnetic drum installed" in (Williams, F.C. and Kilburn, T. (talk given by T. Kilburn)), "The University of Manchester Computing Machine", Review of Electronic Digital Computers - Joint AIEE-IRE Computer Conference, Philadelphia PA, p.57-61, Conference dates December 10-12 1951, publication date 10 December 1951].
  
• P2119A is a glass lantern slide that is a member of this set. It has a label on it "Slide No. DC 12 Photo No. DC ?" (photo number indecipherable). These are Ferranti reference numbers. The photo number corresponds to the print numbers of the Ferranti print collection in the ICL collection at Wroughton, presumably there was a separate index for slides with different numbering.
  
  
• Ferranti Mark I drum in its cabinet. The drum is shown in more detail in $set22
  
• The drum store for the Ferranti Mark I was an expanded version of the drum used in the Manchester Mark I (shown in $set205 and $set206), primarily the Ferranti Mark I drum was taller, enabling more tracks and their heads to provide higher capacity.

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This is the best of set setG829, which contains images IMG0023, P1823G-S310A, P2119A, page104b, page112b, page12a and plate S310. ID: P2119A. 3078x2752 (+TIFF) . Copyright: unknown. Collection: The original Departmental collection of 3.25" square glass lantern slides. Source artefact: P2119A, 3½" glass lantern slide, condition: good. Artefact notes: Slide label: Slide No. DC 12. Photo No. DC[6?]. 91.

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Set edited 13-Nov-2025 (Jim Miles)

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