Comments on: Whatever Happened to Bubble Memory? http://www.dvorak.org/blog General interest observations and true web-log. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:43:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ed http://www.dvorak.org/blog/whatever-happened-to-bubble-memory/comment-page-1/#comment-433468 Ed Fri, 12 Jan 2007 13:32:19 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?page_id=8249#comment-433468 We all live in the yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine... We all live in the yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine…

]]> By: Ed http://www.dvorak.org/blog/whatever-happened-to-bubble-memory/comment-page-1/#comment-433466 Ed Fri, 12 Jan 2007 13:23:02 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?page_id=8249#comment-433466 Thank you John for very interesting article. In the 80’s I had luck to participate in development of one of the MBM systems for “special purposes” in Russia. We obtained first samples of MBM chips 256Kbit in 1985 and managed to build first well-behaved system with 64 MBM chips on board in 1991 or so. If I convert it right the price of our 16Mbit system was then about 1 million USD. As then reported MBM could tolerate for example gamma-radiation dose of 1 million roentgens. Meanwhile radiation dose of 100 roentgens is lethal dose for human beings. I was absolutely brain-washed then but I couldn't help asking our “customers” - why do you want us to build such super-liable and hence very expensive system? The answer was: “all the hardware has to stay operable after nuclear explosion in order to utilize it later by NEW personnel”. The laughing matter was that our system is intended for employment on SUBMARINE. Thank you John for very interesting article.
In the 80’s I had luck to participate in development of one of the MBM systems for “special purposes” in Russia. We obtained first samples of MBM chips 256Kbit in 1985 and managed to build first well-behaved system with 64 MBM chips on board in 1991 or so. If I convert it right the price of our 16Mbit system was then about 1 million USD.
As then reported MBM could tolerate for example gamma-radiation dose of 1 million roentgens. Meanwhile radiation dose of 100 roentgens is lethal dose for human beings.
I was absolutely brain-washed then but I couldn’t help asking our “customers” – why do you want us to build such super-liable and hence very expensive system? The answer was: “all the hardware has to stay operable after nuclear explosion in order to utilize it later by NEW personnel”.
The laughing matter was that our system is intended for employment on SUBMARINE.

]]> By: ECA http://www.dvorak.org/blog/whatever-happened-to-bubble-memory/comment-page-1/#comment-416782 ECA Wed, 27 Dec 2006 19:55:39 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?page_id=8249#comment-416782 STILL expencive. STILL expencive.

]]> By: Ron http://www.dvorak.org/blog/whatever-happened-to-bubble-memory/comment-page-1/#comment-416757 Ron Wed, 27 Dec 2006 18:54:19 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?page_id=8249#comment-416757 Hey, how bout that. I have a Memtech SBX251 board sitting in front of me. It contains a 128k bubble module with an intel D7220-1 bubble controller chip on it. FYI, Janis Schweickhardt and her husband, CEO Curt Schmidt, restarted Memtech with two employees and no investment money. Memtech was a nearly bankrupt spinoff of the chipmaking giant Intel Corp. Janis was the financial controller for the company, and as she tells it "I said, 'Let me take it over for free and you won't have to deal with the paperwork for closing it down,' and they said, 'Thank you'," Hey, how bout that. I have a Memtech SBX251 board sitting in front of me. It contains a 128k bubble module with an intel D7220-1 bubble controller chip on it.
FYI, Janis Schweickhardt and her husband, CEO Curt Schmidt, restarted Memtech with two employees and no investment money. Memtech was a nearly bankrupt spinoff of the chipmaking giant Intel Corp. Janis was the financial controller for the company, and as she tells it “I said, ‘Let me take it over for free and you won’t have to deal with the paperwork for closing it down,’ and they said, ‘Thank you’,”

]]> By: Les http://www.dvorak.org/blog/whatever-happened-to-bubble-memory/comment-page-1/#comment-403986 Les Fri, 15 Dec 2006 18:11:24 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?page_id=8249#comment-403986 I seem to remember an article in Microsystems ( S-100 Microsystems?) about building your own S100 bubbe memory board. I seem to remember an article in Microsystems ( S-100 Microsystems?) about building your own S100 bubbe memory board.

]]> By: ECA http://www.dvorak.org/blog/whatever-happened-to-bubble-memory/comment-page-1/#comment-403218 ECA Fri, 15 Dec 2006 03:57:05 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?page_id=8249#comment-403218 8, true.. If you take away magnetic interferance. Battery backup. You can do away with it. But, as mentioned.. This can be used as Permanant memory with NO power, and isnt bothered by magnetics. the PDA ,I had, has 16k in it.. and it still works and STILL has all the phone numbers in it after being LEFT DEAD for 5 years. You cant even do that with a computer, without a New battery for the CMOS. 8,
true..
If you take away magnetic interferance.
Battery backup.

You can do away with it.

But, as mentioned.. This can be used as Permanant memory with NO power, and isnt bothered by magnetics.
the PDA ,I had, has 16k in it.. and it still works and STILL has all the phone numbers in it after being LEFT DEAD for 5 years.
You cant even do that with a computer, without a New battery for the CMOS.

]]> By: Stu Mulne http://www.dvorak.org/blog/whatever-happened-to-bubble-memory/comment-page-1/#comment-402946 Stu Mulne Thu, 14 Dec 2006 23:06:14 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?page_id=8249#comment-402946 If you can tolerate a battery, and can either live with data-suicide if the battery is swapped out, or are prepared to "cover" with a BIG capacitor, the non-volatility is a non-issue. Meantime, memory density and power consumption for "pure" chip type devices sort of ate bubble's lunch. What you then have in bubble memory, is something like using a (cassette) tape drive or 8" floppy disk as a boot device for your PDA.... Many better ways.... Regards, Stu. If you can tolerate a battery, and can either live with data-suicide if the battery is swapped out, or are prepared to “cover” with a BIG capacitor, the non-volatility is a non-issue. Meantime, memory density and power consumption for “pure” chip type devices sort of ate bubble’s lunch.

What you then have in bubble memory, is something like using a (cassette) tape drive or 8″ floppy disk as a boot device for your PDA….

Many better ways….

Regards,

Stu.

]]> By: John C Dvorak http://www.dvorak.org/blog/whatever-happened-to-bubble-memory/comment-page-1/#comment-402876 John C Dvorak Thu, 14 Dec 2006 21:35:05 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?page_id=8249#comment-402876 Bryan..which ones are missing? Check your cache...I think they are all there including this one. Bryan..which ones are missing? Check your cache…I think they are all there including this one.

]]> By: Dennis http://www.dvorak.org/blog/whatever-happened-to-bubble-memory/comment-page-1/#comment-402856 Dennis Thu, 14 Dec 2006 21:12:06 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?page_id=8249#comment-402856 Back in the 80's I worked at Strippit (then a division of Houdaille industries) in Akron, NY. Strippit's main products were numerically controlled punch presses and laser cutting machines. Bubble memory was integrated into Strippit's controller -- the HECC-80. I cannot recall the capacity of the bubble memory chips, but it was not Gigabyte, or even Megabytes. Probably 64 or 128 Kilobytes. Remember that this was the 80's, memory was scarce, but programmers could squeeze quite a bit out of whatever they had. Bubble memory did hold up well in harsh factory environments. I still get a laugh when I think about the engineer who was responsible for the bubble memory project at Strippit. He was known as "Mr. Bubble" and always had a box of Mr. Bubble bubble bath in his cubicle. Back in the 80′s I worked at Strippit (then a division of Houdaille industries) in Akron, NY. Strippit’s main products were numerically controlled punch presses and laser cutting machines. Bubble memory was integrated into Strippit’s controller — the HECC-80. I cannot recall the capacity of the bubble memory chips, but it was not Gigabyte, or even Megabytes. Probably 64 or 128 Kilobytes. Remember that this was the 80′s, memory was scarce, but programmers could squeeze quite a bit out of whatever they had. Bubble memory did hold up well in harsh factory environments. I still get a laugh when I think about the engineer who was responsible for the bubble memory project at Strippit. He was known as “Mr. Bubble” and always had a box of Mr. Bubble bubble bath in his cubicle.

]]> By: Bryan http://www.dvorak.org/blog/whatever-happened-to-bubble-memory/comment-page-1/#comment-402537 Bryan Thu, 14 Dec 2006 16:31:50 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?page_id=8249#comment-402537 When are you going to update the "Whatever..." page? It is missing at least 2-3 of these articles. When are you going to update the “Whatever…” page? It is missing at least 2-3 of these articles.

]]> By: Aaron http://www.dvorak.org/blog/whatever-happened-to-bubble-memory/comment-page-1/#comment-402410 Aaron Thu, 14 Dec 2006 14:46:42 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?page_id=8249#comment-402410 How big did these things get (gigs)?...Is there a density limit? How big did these things get (gigs)?…Is there a density limit?

]]> By: Tom 2 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/whatever-happened-to-bubble-memory/comment-page-1/#comment-402300 Tom 2 Thu, 14 Dec 2006 13:06:42 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?page_id=8249#comment-402300 Intriguing, I can see how it wasn't plausible, I mean if it doesn't work at the moment of inception, then it should be scrapped, and that goes for all technology that isn't perfect right of the shipping line. :) Intriguing, I can see how it wasn’t plausible, I mean if it doesn’t work at the moment of inception, then it should be scrapped, and that goes for all technology that isn’t perfect right of the shipping line. :)

]]> By: ECA http://www.dvorak.org/blog/whatever-happened-to-bubble-memory/comment-page-1/#comment-402269 ECA Thu, 14 Dec 2006 12:31:47 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?page_id=8249#comment-402269 Ummmm, I had a small organizer with bubble memory… After years of use, I gave it to father… He used it, and put it aside for 5 years… Pilled it out, it needed batteries… He got new ones and it STILL WORKS.. Never lost a bit. LOVe that basterd,,, and will probably get it back, AFTER he dies.. Ditto...Love that thing...REALLY. wonder if BIOS would be a better solution for this product, or even as an EPROM.. Ummmm,
I had a small organizer with bubble memory…
After years of use, I gave it to father…
He used it, and put it aside for 5 years…
Pilled it out, it needed batteries… He got new ones and it STILL WORKS.. Never lost a bit. LOVe that basterd,,, and will probably get it back, AFTER he dies..

Ditto…Love that thing…REALLY.
wonder if BIOS would be a better solution for this product, or even as an EPROM..

]]> By: @$tr0Gho$t http://www.dvorak.org/blog/whatever-happened-to-bubble-memory/comment-page-1/#comment-402264 @$tr0Gho$t Thu, 14 Dec 2006 12:23:14 +0000 http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?page_id=8249#comment-402264 I remember the first time I ever read about bubble memory was in a Tom Clancy novel, where the author seemed to be quite enthusiastic about it. Maybe this is due to his militaristic bent. I have never seen bubble memory in action. I remember the first time I ever read about bubble memory was in a Tom Clancy novel, where the author seemed to be quite enthusiastic about it. Maybe this is due to his militaristic bent.
I have never seen bubble memory in action.

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