The IBM 1710 was a

process control An industrial process control in continuous production processes is a discipline that uses industrial control systems to achieve a production level of consistency, economy and safety which could not be achieved purely by human manual control. I ...

system that IBM introduced in March 1961. It used either a 1620 I or a 1620 II Computer and specialized I/O devices (e.g.,

IBM 1711 The IBM 1711 Data Converter was part of the IBM 1710 process control computer. The 1711 contained an analog-to-digital converter that accepted signals from the IBM 1712 Multiplexer and Terminal Unit that were between -50 millivolts and +50 milli ...

analog-to-digital converter In electronics, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC, A/D, or A-to-D) is a system that converts an analog signal, such as a sound picked up by a microphone or light entering a digital camera, into a digital signal. An ADC may also provide ...

and

digital-to-analog converter In electronics, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC, D/A, D2A, or D-to-A) is a system that converts a digital signal into an analog signal. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) performs the reverse function. There are several DAC architec ...

IBM 1712 The IBM 1712 Multiplexer and Terminal Unit was part of the IBM 1710 process control computer. The Terminal Unit provided the physical connections between factory wiring and the computer. The 1712 could support up to 300 separate wire pairs. Signal ...

discrete I/O and analog

multiplexer In electronics, a multiplexer (or mux; spelled sometimes as multiplexor), also known as a data selector, is a device that selects between several analog or digital input signals and forwards the selected input to a single output line. The sel ...

, factory floor operator control panels). The

IBM 1620 The IBM 1620 was announced by IBM on October 21, 1959, and marketed as an inexpensive scientific computer. After a total production of about two thousand machines, it was withdrawn on November 19, 1970. Modified versions of the 1620 were used as ...

used in the 1710 system was modified in several ways, the most obvious was the addition of a very primitive hardware

interrupt In digital computers, an interrupt (sometimes referred to as a trap) is a request for the processor to ''interrupt'' currently executing code (when permitted), so that the event can be processed in a timely manner. If the request is accepted, ...

mechanism. The 1710 was used by

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...

oil refineries An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, liquefie ...

and electric companies.

References

{{Reflist

External links

"Evolution of Small Real-Time IBM Computer Systems"
(1.25 MB PDF file), from the IBM Journal of Research and Development.

1710 Computer-related introductions in 1961

See also

References

External links