The first/only water cooled ICT 1301?
It wasn't designed that way.
I was working as a computer operator during my sixth form hols at a well known engineering company in the Black Country. They were a go-ahead organistion housing the kit and a resident ICT engineer in a state-of-the-art glass fronted office block facing south. Is the penny starting to drop?
Anyway it being the swinging 60s the company had purchased a spanking new ICT 1904. It magically had <drum roll> magnetic tapes. And magnetic tapes needed air conditioning whereas the 1301 drum just rolled along unpeturbed in any conditions.
So - the false ceiling was torn down to install the AC revealing an extensive network of water pipes. Cold water pipes as it turned out. On a blistering August summer's day the un-airconditioned air produced an absolute deluge as it condensed on the pipes right on to the top of the 1301.
The ICT engineers horror - not to mention the DPM as meltdown looked inevitable. But equally magically a dozen or so fire buckets were rapidly emptied and arranged along the top of the 1301. But buckets are round so complete coverage was impossible and the waterfalls were fickily moving along the exposed pipes necessitating constant re-configuration of the the computer's new bucket collection. But it worked the 1301 never missed a beat. But then it wasn't running GEORGE.
Perhaps that was the hardest day's work I have ever done - except, possibly the night before payroll day when one of the punch card machines supplying the data went unaligned and the 1301 reader rejected and halted after every fifth card. This had to be re-punched by one hand while holding up the errant card to spot the holes with the other before the payroll program would continue. The prospect of the Friday pay packet being empty was not an option for a company that didn't want its management lynched.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
