NORD-50¶
A 32-bit array processor that is a total slave to a NORD-10/S.
| Introduced | 1973 (completed 1975 [?]) |
| Type | Coprocessor |
| Word length | 32-bit |
| Needs a host? | Yes - needs a NORD-10/S |
| Replaced | NORD-5 |
| Replaced by | ND-500 (1981) |
| Survivors | None recorded |
The short version¶
A special-purpose number cruncher for convolution, vector sums, scaling and multiplexing - built for seismic surveying and scientific work. It has no input or output system and no interrupt system of its own. The NORD-10/S runs the operating system, compiles its programs, feeds it work in batches and does all its I/O. To the NORD-10 it simply looks like a device, driven by ordinary IOX instructions.
Several sources call it a general-purpose supermini of 1975. ND's own documents do not: it is an array processor, introduced 1973.
Specification¶
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Role | Attached compute unit. Runs application programs only - nothing else |
| Operations | Convolution and vector element sums, scaling, multiplexing, demultiplexing |
| Performance | Over one million floating multiplications plus over one million floating additions per second |
| I/O | None. All input and output goes through the NORD-10/S |
| Interrupts | None of its own. It interrupts the NORD-10/S when it finishes |
| Memory | Private memory including fast static memory, plus the shared multiport memory |
| Host link | IOX instructions. Registers are 32-bit, so each transfer takes two IOX instructions |
| Multi-unit | Several NORD-50s could run under one NORD-10/S |
| Sold in | ND 1100/S, ND 1200/S, ND 1300/S and ND 1400/S systems |
What was new¶
- The host-and-slave split stated explicitly by ND for the first time.
- A debugging feature called simulated memory: a program on the NORD-10 acts as the NORD-50's memory controller, so the CPU can be tested with no memory attached at all.
Sources¶
- Primary:
Reference-Manuals/10/ND-06.005.01 NORD-10 - NORD-50 Communication System.md(Aug 1975); ND-60.116.01 Operator's Guide (not yet read);NORD-10-Design-Goals.md - Secondary: ndwiki NORD-50
- Not held: five NORD-50 manuals sit in the mirror - see ../OCR-WANTED.md
Full context: MACHINE-TIMELINE.md.