Bi-Tran Six

[valeen1959]

Anyone ever hear of a Bi-Tran Six trainer computer. I have a working unit that has actual working core memory. I power it up and se to run and all sorts of lights blink. There are 8 panels in it that can be raised to access test points. Everything seems to be working and it looks like something you may have seen in old 60's scifi movies. I was hoping to get more information on it as to figure out what I can do with it.

[modem7]

Never heard of it. But, wow, I'd love to have a computer that uses core memory.

[Terry Yager]

I've never heard of it, but I'd like to see some pix. Gotta love the name tho.

--T

[atari2600a]

I saw nothing on google, just results for...well, it's best unsaid. Like Terry, I'd like to see some pics! :D

[Terry Yager]

I saw nothing on google, just results for...well, it's best unsaid. Like Terry, I'd like to see some pics! :D

Lemme guess...Bi-sexual Trans-gendered websites? (I didn't even bother to google it)...

--T

[atari2600a]

Yes, but Mbbrutman gets all pissed off at me because of the slightest stuff, like the ancronym WT_ (<<<F).

[Terry Yager]

I dunno, he might bit-slap me too, but when I first saw the header, that's exactly what I expected to find. Didn't know there was actually a vintage computer by that name.

--T

[atari2600a]

Well, anyways, I actually got a million results leading to the same forgein website & said "Gay-Bi-tran-les" or something very similar.

[Terry Yager]

Mebbe it's just my dirty mind...

--T

[valeen1959]

Got the same thing when I tried to google it. I am not trying to lead anyone astray, that is just what it is called. Attached a file with picture of the unit, after dropping the size to fit looks a little grainy.

[valeen1959]

Here is another picture of the bottom corner, note the name.

[atari2600a]

Wow, that looks nothing but extremely valueble, & fun to play with!

[Terry Yager]

<Drooling> Wow! Very kewl...

--T

[vr4man]

I know this thread is a little old for a reply, but I just came across it... I first saw the Bi-Tran Six in about 1971-72 -- I was in fifth grade at the time. Our local school district had two of them, and I was invited to view a demonstration of the machines as I was interested in computers. When I was in eleventh grade, I took a computer programming class, and the same two Bi-Trans were still in use, and were one of the machine types we were required to write programs for. It was my first exposure to Octal numbering, as the six bits were typically grouped as a word consisting of two, three-bit nibbles. If I remember correctly, the op-codes were also documented as Octal. The Bi-Tran couldn't do much, but the lights gave you a good view of what was happening in the registers. I still contend that understanding this machine gave you a good background for programming many types of simple embedded microprocessors -- I think this machine may have a Harvard architecture. The last I saw of the two Bi-Trans was in the mid 1980s, when they could have been mine for the asking -- unfortunately, I didn't ask -- I suspect they ended up as dumpster fodder along with a PDP-8...

[chuckcmagee]

Ooooooo, I just love lights on the front. Reason I loved the IBM 1130, it had tons o' lights.

[ribbets]

and the op.manual also.... www.iavalley.cc.ia.us/~thatcher

[DoctorPepper]

When I was in the Navy, going through electronics school (one of them, I can't remember which) in Millington, Tennessee, somewhere between September 1977 and September 1978, we were taught about computers using a computer trainer called the "ComTran-10", or something like that.

I don't remember much about it, except we programmed it in machine code. Has anyone heard of it?

[deanthatcher]

Hi..I have a Bi-tran-six..complete with printer and punch tape system..
yes it sill works..thanks dean t...641-782-5865

My web site
http://www.iavalley.cc.ia.us/~thatcher/

[acunn1]

I actually trained on one in the early 70's for the navy. Fun pulling out transistors and replacing them.

[cvroman]

I used the Bitran Six in Polaris Electronics "A" school for basic digital computer programming and troubleshooting training in 1972. It was a very basic computer, limited in function, but good for introduction to basic programming and troubleshooting. The last I saw of these computers, they were piled in an old classroom at the Submarine School in Groton, CT. Have fun with it!


Anyone ever hear of a Bi-Tran Six trainer computer. I have a working unit that has actual working core memory. I power it up and se to run and all sorts of lights blink. There are 8 panels in it that can be raised to access test points. Everything seems to be working and it looks like something you may have seen in old 60's scifi movies. I was hoping to get more information on it as to figure out what I can do with it.

[OhWhatA_Year1970]

Bi-tran Six, Used one in 1970-71 10th grade computer science class. I think it could do math with a result up to 31. I remember something about a bit being used to designate negative number. And some functions like greater-than and/or equal-to. My teacher used it to demontrate programing in machine language. I remember the pull out core memory boards and it was on a rolling platform. Pretty big for what it's capable of. Wow, that's a long time back.

[jlmartin34]

In high schoo,l circa 1970, we had one of these we used to learn programming. It had registers you loaded with binary data and program instructions, also in binary.
The switches on the bottom were to increment or decrement to the next instruction. You would enter the binary data by turning on the lights on the front panel
then click the switch to enter the instruction/data. Other panel lights would show the contents of the registers and program memory. At 16 it was fun to play with and was
my first introduction to programming.