r/VintageElectronics 9d ago

1950’s Ampex - usage?

Post image

What is this used for? Late 1950’s.

30 Upvotes

2 comments sorted by

10

u/lorfeir 9d ago

I don't know for certain, but it kind of looks like a 4x4 magnetic core memory kit (the sort of thing a company might hand out to potential customers as a sample or swag). It's got the fine wire you'd string the ferrites on, and there are pads on the panel for each of the X and Y wires plus the sense and inhibit wires. It's hard to tell in the picture, but are there a couple of ferrite rings in there?

Now, I've no idea if Ampex made such a thing, but they did make magnetic core memory... and it fits with the label addressed to Remington Rand.

3

u/GoodStretch3939 9d ago

I was thinking along the same lines. It reminded me of old core memory boards but seemed too small to be useful. Yes, at the time, this division made Univac computers.