UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > Specific Vintage Equipment > Vintage Computers

Notices

Vintage Computers Any vintage computer systems, calculators, video games etc., but with an emphasis on 1980s and earlier equipment.

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 20th Feb 2008, 6:25 am   #1
DanielJDog
Retired Dormant Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Melbourne Australia
Posts: 1
Default LEO

I am curious as to how many bits of this computer are still in the hands of collectors. I came across one item in Australia many years ago and have been unable to find a site that can tell me the significance of a piece of this history.
Thanks,
John
DanielJDog is offline  
Old 20th Feb 2008, 8:51 am   #2
evingar
Octode
 
evingar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Newbury, Berkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,770
Default Re: LEO

Hello John

On the basis of size and the fact there weren’t many of them built originally, I would have through that they would be pretty rare beasts. I mean, they are now pretty useless as an article, except, perhaps, as a space heater and won't exactly fit on your sideboard like a “cute” Bakelite wireless.
This site is pretty good on info, and shows you what the beast looked like: -

http://www.computermuseum.li/Testpage/LEO-Computers.htm

Wikipedia has an over view: -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Computers
__________________
Chris
evingar is offline  
Old 20th Feb 2008, 4:09 pm   #3
dave walsh
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex.
Posts: 5,814
Default Re: LEO

I met a chap quite recently who is in software. He told me that a close relative was involved in designing the original Leo and seemed surprised that I knew about Lyon's Tea Houses. I will see if he is still around. Dave
dave walsh is offline  
Old 20th Feb 2008, 4:27 pm   #4
Sean Williams
Dekatron
 
Sean Williams's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: St.Ippolyts, Hitchin, Hertfordshire QRA IO91UW
Posts: 3,517
Default Re: LEO

I do know where to find some memory modules that were used in LEO.....
__________________
Engineers make things work and have spare bits when finished
Sean Williams is offline  
Old 20th Feb 2008, 5:38 pm   #5
XTC
Retired Dormant Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bristol, UK.
Posts: 837
Default Re: LEO

Evingar's wiki link leads to a BBC link about a series on the early computer industry, which I remember being broadcast a few years back. There was an entire programme on the LEO computer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/...icbrains.shtml

I had a boss who worked for Lyons in their O&M department in the early 60s. He said that a lot of the stuff they were doing was very advanced. I'm sure he told me they had a form reader so that orders taken by their salesmen didn't have to be re-entered.

He also said that they had a page printer, which was based on a Xerox process with the format of the page, headings, table cells and so on, on a transparency. I don't know how they did the variable bits. Anyway, it was a prototype and had paper from a huge roll whizzing under a thing like the element of a 2KW electric fire to set the toner. It seemed to work pretty well, but one weekend, the operators were a bit dozy, there was a paper jam and it caught fire causing serious damage to the building it was in. They dropped the idea pretty soon after. This was 20 years before laser printers.

I think the LEO story is very sad.

Joe Lyon's Tea House's were a grim experience as I recall them.

Pete.
XTC is offline  
Old 20th Feb 2008, 8:05 pm   #6
Alan Stepney
Rest in Peace
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Dorset, UK.
Posts: 947
Default Re: LEO

I saw it during a college visit.
Very impressive. At the time they were changing / replacing one of the mercury delay lines. Massive objects.!
Alan Stepney is offline  
Old 24th Feb 2008, 10:14 pm   #7
dseymo1
Retired Dormant Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Shropshire, UK.
Posts: 3,051
Default Re: LEO

Some time ago I read a very interesting book detailing the development of LEO against the background of the Lyons business interests. Fairly comprehensive technical details were given.
Unfortunately, I can't remember the title and author, but I'm sure that someone here will know them.
dseymo1 is offline  
Old 24th Feb 2008, 11:54 pm   #8
evingar
Octode
 
evingar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Newbury, Berkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,770
Default Re: LEO

May have been this one :-

http://www.foyles.co.uk/display.asp?...k/d&m=5&dc=522


Whether it is or not, it's an interesting read - Bought it a year or so ago and lent it to someone after I read it - I can't remember who though
__________________
Chris
evingar is offline  
Old 6th Jun 2008, 7:35 pm   #9
computinghistor
Retired Dormant Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Haverhill, Suffolk, UK.
Posts: 3
Default Re: LEO

We have some LEO computer tape reels and centre lock cases as well as some other internal components at the Centre for Computing History in Haverhill, Suffolk. Their not catalogued on our website yet, but they will be fairly soon ... Click here to see our computer museum website.
computinghistor is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 10:10 am.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.