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The Colossus 2012 Gallery is a great showcase for a fascinating piece of electro-mechanical and valve equipment. |
Introduction
Between 2000 and 2002, Tony Sale built a replica "Heath Robinson" in his garage and it was discovered that the tape reader amplifiers performed better than those on the Colossus Rebuild. And so gradually, another refinement to the Rebuild took place.
On 20th May 2004, Tony Sale videoed the further developed Colossus Mk 2 setting all five K wheels on the BREAM cipher text.
During the 2010s, a new display gallery for Colossus was planned. Sadly, Tony Sale was not able to see its completion, but in February 2012, Phil Hayes, lead engineer on the rebuild, said:
"I worked with Tony Sale for more than a decade on Colossus, so to embark on this new gallery for this amazing computer is both humbling and exhilarating. Colossus plays a huge part in the history of electronics and computing and we aim to create a gallery to inspire future generations of computer scientists and engineers."
TNMOC News 6th March 2012 - New Gallery for Colossus
"In making the Gallery, the room that housed the original Colossus Number 9 in the 1940s and later the Colossus rebuild, has been extended and transformed. Colossus hasn't moved, but internal walls have been removed, the ceiling replaced and the floor resurfaced. The thousands of annual visitors will now have much more space and for the first time will be able to walk right around the computer with an astonishing heritage."
Colossus 2012
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Close up on the bedstead which holds the tape reader. |
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Relaysets, uniselectors, lamps and jacks. Note that the relayset cans (covers) have all been sprayed in authentic Battleship Grey paint. |
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One of the front panels of Colossus. |
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Miles of colour-coded wiring connects it all together. |
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The teleprinter output. |
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Colossus (side on) showing the end of the racking and some of the valves which are fitted to both sides of the rack. |
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Gas filled Thyratrons, used as high current switches, and Triode valves. |
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Thermionic Diodes used in Thyratron control circuits and Pentode Valves used in the counting circuits. |
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