R-276 Design Principles for a General Control Computer

A set of techniques is described which permits the design of computers particularly well suited for outer space and other airborne control applications. These techniques are unified by reference to a representative computer. Some of the properties of the computer are: variable speed, power consumption proportional to speed, relatively few transistors, relatively large storage for program and constants, and parallel transfer of words. Certain features of the input system permit automatic incrementing of counters and automatic interruption of normal computer processes upon receipt of inputs. The program and constants are stored in a wired-in form of memory which permits unusually high bit densities.