CIFA (computer)
CIFA is the acronym for „Calculatorul Institutului de Fizică Atomică” (en. "Atomic Physics Institute Computer"), the first Romanian computer, built in 1957 under the guidance of Victor Toma.[1]
The experimental first-generation model CIFA-1 was reproduced in small numbers both in the original variant with vacuum tubes as well as in two variants using transistors: CIFA-10X and CET 500.
History
The logic designs for CIFA-1, started in 1953, was presented at the International Symposium in Dresden in 1955, and the prototype, which used 1500 vacuum tubes, cylindrical magnet memory and machine code programming, was finished in 1957. Later CIFA computers were CIFA-2 (800 vacuum tubes) in 1959, CIFA-3 (for the Bucharest University's Computer Center) in 1961 and CIFA-4 in 1962.
VITOSHA was the first Bulgarian computer, built in 1962-1963 on the basis of a cultural agreement between the Romanian and Bulgarian Academies of Science, was based on CIFA-3.
Other Romanian computers of the era are MECIPT and CETA at the Timișoara Polytechnical Institute and DACICC at the Cluj Computing Institute.
CIFA Computer Characteristics
| Computer Model | CIFA-1 | CIFA-4 | CIFA-101 | CIFA-102 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1957 | 1962 | 1962 | 1964 |
| Number of computers produced | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Semiconductive diodes | 2500 | 3000 | ||
| Vacuum tubes | 800 | 350 | ||
| Computing speed | 50 op/s | 50 - 2000 op/s | ||
| Internal memory type | cylinder 50 rot/s | cylinder 50 rot/s | ||
| Internal memory capacity | 512 words × 4 bits | 4 k words × 4 bits | ||
| Peripherals | • punch card reader 15 characters/s • writer 8 hcaracters/s |
• punch card reader 15 characters/s • writer 8 characters/s |
• punch card reader 100 characters/s • writer 8 characters/s | |
| Number of instructions | 16 | 32 | ||
| Word length | 31 | 32 | ||
| Word processing mode | parallel | serial | ||
| Power utilization | 5 kW | 1 kW | ||
References
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