What is this "d-mac" device?
score:10
That is the D-Mac Cartographic Digitiser, seen here in the 1968 Design journal (Issue 234):
It seems the D-Mac Cartographic Digitiser was developed from an earlier device called the D-Mac Pencil Follower, shown here in the 1968 Design journal:
Both devices appear to be early types of graphics tablet.
Upvote:6
I was a design engineer with Dobbie McInnes ending up as Chief Engineer for Digitising Systems at Ferranti Infographics, so I can comment on these pictures. The centre picture is of a mid 1960s CF digitiser, using the Pencil Follower table developed by Dr Boyle under contract to the Canadian Geographical Information System project. The control cabinet on the right has a patch panel on the front to fix the format of the data output - the unit on the top is an incremental magnetic tape recorder - a hard disc output was never used directly. There were apparently many varieties made but this was because each one was a "special".
The top and bottom pictures are late 1960s System 1 digitisers, manufactured with discrete transistors etc. These digitisers were more standardised so their appearance is similar, although many individual customisations were made. The item on the top of both of these is a BRPE high-speed paper tape punch (110 chars/sec) which despite being in a soundproofing case made an appalling noise when running. The box under the table in the upper picture is the Servo Power supply, not usually placed on the floor but inside the cabinet. This is also an interesting picture as there's a projector on the wall and a large mirror above the table to allow slides to be digitised.
The middle and bottom pictures were taken in the foyer of D-Mac's factory in Hillington Glasgow. I remember it well! If you want further information on these and later systems or the companies involved, please ask.
More post
- 📝 Is there a Soviet equivalent to foundational Cold War documents such as the Long Telegram and NSC-68?
- 📝 Is there evidence to suggest that vampire fiction was invented to satirize Lord Byron?
- 📝 What did the battle order of a deployed Roman legion look like?
- 📝 Where did Southern Fried Chicken come from?
- 📝 How did the maximum strengths of alcoholic beverages in Western Europe increase from wine which Romans watered to 80 proof to absinthe?
- 📝 Before the Great War, was the word "Poland" typically used to refer only to the Russian partition of Poland?
- 📝 Pre-1950s views of West European Socialist parties on the welfare state
- 📝 Where was the AT&T radio station in 1942 in New York?
- 📝 Has a government ever been elected with the full 100% of the votes?
- 📝 Is there any myth in Thucydides?
- 📝 What relief efforts did the Japanese attempt after the atomic bombings?
- 📝 Why did not Spain manage to keep any colonial possessions in the new world?
- 📝 Penalty for patricide in Ancient Rome
- 📝 Are there any secular accounts of the Sadduccees?
- 📝 Was payment on Louisiana Bonds suspended during the War of 1812?
- 📝 What is the longest effective range artillery weapon ever built?
- 📝 Why wasn't the Free City of Lübeck ever restored?
- 📝 What was President Jimmy Carter's role in the Iranian Revolution?
- 📝 Did Joseph Stalin kill anyone personally?
- 📝 Considering what was known about Hitler in 1933, why would German bishops declare that Catholics could cooperate with the new State?
- 📝 Conscientious objectors in Germany during WWI
- 📝 How were peasant houses constructed in medieval England?
- 📝 What is a WW1 water detail?
- 📝 What would the Wikipedia page for Spain have said in 1490?
- 📝 During the Peninsula War, what British material aid was given to Spain/Portugal?
- 📝 Did the poor performance of the Red Army in the Winter War significantly contribute to German underestimation of the USSR's military capacity?
- 📝 Why did Sun Tzu believe you shouldn't wait beside a river when eager to fight?
- 📝 Why have eunuchs been so influential in Chinese history?
- 📝 Why did silver gain prominence in trade over gold in Early Medieval Europe?
- 📝 How did Hitler view Fr. Denis Fahey, Fr. Leonard Feeney, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What is the spiral-looking device shown in this wall painting?
- 📝 What kind of device is pictured on this Roman mosaic from Villa Tellaro, Sicily?
- 📝 What mysterious Flemish peasant activity is depicted in this painting?
- 📝 What is the logic for the map maker classifying the map this way, specifically in Canada?
- 📝 What do the numbers on this 1960s anti-integration sign mean?
- 📝 Did Rothschild say this famous quote? If yes, what did he mean by it?
- 📝 What is this symbol in a financial record from Wisconsin, USA, in 1860?
- 📝 What is the date and original source of this medieval picture?
- 📝 What coin is this and where is it from? Thai script, Thai arms. Rev: left facing portrait
- 📝 What are the text and subtext of this 1949 Soviet cartoon?
- 📝 What is the object moving across the ceiling in this stock footage?
- 📝 What is this household object from early 1900s rural Russia?
- 📝 Anyone know what this stone building is?
- 📝 In this cartoon from Puck, what indicates the identities of France and Britain?
- 📝 What is this strange symbol painted on bas*m*nt floor?
- 📝 What is this military patch with the silhouette of a pegasus on it?
- 📝 What is the primary source for this quote by Julius Caesar's on Celts and Germans?
- 📝 Who are the three men standing and what are they holding at this University of Paris Doctors' Meeting?
- 📝 What era is this German 10 DM banknote from?
- 📝 What type of plane is this wreck?
- 📝 What is the large blue object on the right in this picture showing Greek fire?
- 📝 What is this old farm "combine"?
- 📝 What was this small state in the south of France in 1789?
- 📝 Is this a Sherman, and if so what model?
- 📝 What are the hay effigies in this Japanese movie?
- 📝 What is the truth behind this speech by (Lord Macaulay)?
- 📝 What ship is this and which military campaign?
- 📝 What is the date of this photograph of a woman riding a horse sidesaddle?
- 📝 What was the device that general Birdwood was using in the "Gallipoli" TV series?
- 📝 What does the eighth samurai crest / symbol in this picture signify?