[Info-vax] Dave Cutler, Prism, DEC, Microsoft, etc.

[Allen, Daniel P.]

-----Original Message-----
From: info-vax-bounces at rbnsn.com [mailto:info-vax-bounces at rbnsn.com] On Behalf Of Neil Rieck
Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2009 7:18 AM
To: info-vax at rbnsn.com
Subject: Re: [Info-vax] Dave Cutler, Prism, DEC, Microsoft, etc.

On Nov 14, 8:59 pm, JF Mezei <jfmezei.spam... at vaxination.ca> wrote:
> DaveG wrote:
> > We had a 9000.  It was air cooled.
>
> Knowing how Digital didn't do things "simple", it could have been a
> system made up of a internal water loop to cool the electronics,  a
> freon compressor with a water-freon heat exchange at one end, and a
> freon-air exchanger at the other , along with fans that drew cool
> outside air through the exchanger and exausted warm air out.
>
> So, to the end user, it looks, acts and feels like air cooled, but to
> the engineers, they still retained their water cooled electronics deep
> inside the machine.
>
> And if you're only going to build a handful of VAX 9000s, it would cost
> less to add that freon compressor than to redesign the water cooled
> electronics.
>
> There are precedents for freon compressors in Digital cabinets:
>
> http://toyvax.glendale.ca.us/~vance/vaxbar.html
>
> :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
>
> Seriously though, how many VAX9000s were sold ?

Didn't Seymour Cray have a prototype which ran in an aquarium filled
with cleaning fluid? Not sure if his production machine was built that
way.

NSR


Yes - I don't think it ever got into production. The Cray 1 was cooled with liquid Freon and doubled as a sofa with a circular cushioned seating area over the plumbing. We (US Navy) purchased a slightly later model - the X-MP - and I had the honor of meeting the legend himself while bench marking at their Chippewa Falls facility. Dressed in a plaid flannel shirt and jeans he may have just finished the morning milking ;-)

Dan