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Bi-Tran Six

The Bi-Tran Six was the first computer system I ever trained on followed by the KIM-1 at the State Technical Insttitute at Memphis in 1977. It would be great if you would post a picture of it for old times sakes.
 
Yes; the Bi-Tran Six was my introduction to computers followed by the KIM-1 at the State Technical Institute at Memphis in 1977. It would be great if you would post a picture of it for ols times sakes.
 
Oh my! What a flashback.

We had one in the laboratory at Schoolcraft College in Livonia Michigan around 1972.

TomC
 
I recently became the owner of a FABRI-TEK COM-TRAN TEN. I am trying to get it working again. I downloaded the pdf manual with KDA3032 but would like to find circuit diagrams and I.C. layouts for more of the main circuit board. Probably the rest of KDA3034. Many of the I.C.s don't have their labels anymore. The one I have is I believe an early one. I.C.s have date codes of 1968 through 1971 and the serial number is CT-0002-C2. Probably from 1972. It uses the Model 422 Magnetic Core memory, Serial Number 68373. It was the property of Cincinnati Technical College back in that time frame. I have a lot of computers that I use for STEM education including a Relay Based Machine I designed and built. I think the COM-TRAN would add a lot to my demos.
 
stephen frey said:
I recently became the owner of a FABRI-TEK COM-TRAN TEN. I am trying to get it working again. I downloaded the pdf manual with KDA3032 but would like to find circuit diagrams and I.C. layouts for more of the main circuit board. Probably the rest of KDA3034. Many of the I.C.s don't have their labels anymore. The one I have is I believe an early one. I.C.s have date codes of 1968 through 1971 and the serial number is CT-0002-C2. Probably from 1972. It uses the Model 422 Magnetic Core memory, Serial Number 68373. It was the property of Cincinnati Technical College back in that time frame. I have a lot of computers that I use for STEM education including a Relay Based Machine I designed and built. I think the COM-TRAN would add a lot to my demos.
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Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it. A picture or six would be nice for old times sake. Core memory and all that stuff, if I remember correctly.
Here is a picture of our first lady from Slovenia promoting STEM education. Whooda thunkit?


170915164545-melania-trump-stem-exlarge-169.jpg
 
dlarue said:
valeen1959 thanks for the original post! The Bi-Tran Six was used by the USAF Air Training Command in the Instrumentation Mechanic (AFSC 317x0 [telemetry]) tech school at Lowry AFB Colorado, circa 1974. The training material and equipment were simple, but the instructors were top-notched. The computer lesson was brief, about 1 week of a 20-week course. At the time, most of the training was analog based. This short digital encounter with the Bi-Tran Six stood out and planted seeds for the future. A little while later a "personal training computer" was purchased, the $250 Kim-1. Off and running, a career was started based on the simple computer in your post. I sit here today, typing Python code with many powerful, graphical development tools, but there was nothing like learning the basics writing machine code, punching it in, and watching the lights flash! Please keep that baby running...
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To bad dlarue doesn't appear active I wonder if we might have met because I also trained as an Instrumentation Mechanic at Lowery in 1974 - in fact I still basically work the same job except as a contractor at Cape Canaveral for satellite telemetry systems. Some times I use to think the Bi-Tran 6 was something I made up since there appears to be very little data on it.
 
Here are some pictures of the COM-TRAN TEN

com-tran_ten.jpg
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The computer was stored in a barn for a long time and has needed a lot of cleaning. The third picture is of the core memory unit. The main display can be lifted on sliders for access to changing the light bulbs, raising the display for viewing and seeing the back side of the main circuit board. There are two views where you can see the main circuit board. Mostly TTL 7400 series I.C.s. I hope to get it working again. Give that about 50% chance at this point but that confidence is getting higher as I get into it more.
 
Thank you for posting your pics! I have never seen one of these computers "in the flesh".
How many bytes of memory is in the core module?

EDIT: I think I found the answer to my question on page 45 of the CT-TEN Manual. 1024 words.
(8 bit words - so 1KB)
 
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Yes, the core memory is 1K bytes. The machine has a 10 bit address bus. The core memory is actually the part I have the most concern about getting working. So far the only part I have powered up is the front switch panel. Most of the lights and switches work. I did that test with all the ribbon cables disconnected from the main circuit board. No power on the main circuit board yet. I now have a replacement for the original power supply to continue testing. So far the display lamps appear to be ok but I haven't tested them all yet. That is 82 #47 6 volt lamps. Most of the power used by the machine is used to light the lamps of the display. Will be pulling each I.C. and cleaning the pins and replacing them one at a time. Will be testing some of the I.C.s when they are pulled.
 
I studied Avionics when I was in the Navy. One of the schools I went to used a ComTran 10. I was shocked to see something so primitive being used to teach computer logic and progamming.
 
Page 9 shows photos and a description of Fabri-Tek

https://ia800604.us.archive.org/14/...porated_Company_Overview_and_Product_Line.pdf

BI-TRAN SIX Computer Education System
Fabri-Tek has recently introduced to the educational market
the BI-TRAN SIX Computer Education System.
The central unit of this system is a modern,
inexpensive, general-purpose computer which is designed exclusively for teaching purposes.
The BI-TRAN SIX system is used to teach the fundamentals of computer science at any grade level
from secondary schools through college, and can be used in vocational and military schools as well.
Complete course material for every grade level is available.
Peripheral equipment, also designed specifically to teach, makes the BITRAN SIX system a complete instructional laboratory.
 
I used the bi tran six as part of a class in 1980. Then ran into it again in the air force. It was just for training on computer operation at a hardware level. You could trace signals for theory of operation. It was a base six machine. The lights on the front we're the actual registers if the cpu. All pre microprocessor.
 
James0555 said:
To bad dlarue doesn't appear active I wonder if we might have met because I also trained as an Instrumentation Mechanic at Lowery in 1974 - in fact I still basically work the same job except as a contractor at Cape Canaveral for satellite telemetry systems. Some times I use to think the Bi-Tran 6 was something I made up since there appears to be very little data on it.
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James0555, back online. Drop a note if you want to connect with and old Instrumentation Mechanic!
 
I stumbled across this forum today... My college (Iowa State University) had one of these trainers in the basement. It was an interesting machine - pull up boards, 64 6bit words of core memory, all transistor based. It used 2N404 germanium PNP transistors as I remember...

One of the students wrote a program that generated factorials (I think using the Taylor series) out to an insane number of digits.

For anybody interested, I still have a manual for it which includes all the schematics.
 
valeen1959 said:
Anyone ever hear of a Bi-Tran Six trainer computer. I have a working unit that has actual working core memory. I power it up and se to run and all sorts of lights blink. There are 8 panels in it that can be raised to access test points. Everything seems to be working and it looks like something you may have seen in old 60's scifi movies. I was hoping to get more information on it as to figure out what I can do with it.
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Yes, the U.S. Navy Guided Missile School in Dam Neck Va, used them to train Electronics Techs computer logic operations and binary math. I used one in 1975. I got this picture from the PDF manual posted by one of your users (Thanks!)...this is the correct BI TRAN SIX:
1723847464402.png
 
atari2600a said:
Well, anyways, I actually got a million results leading to the same forgein website & said "Gay-Bi-tran-les" or something very similar.
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hahahahaha That's a HOOT!!! It didn't occur to me that the name of that gadget is right out of today's headlines! LOL
 
vr4man said:
I've programmed two of them...

I've programmed two of them...

I know this thread is a little old for a reply, but I just came across it... I first saw the Bi-Tran Six in about 1971-72 -- I was in fifth grade at the time. Our local school district had two of them, and I was invited to view a demonstration of the machines as I was interested in computers. When I was in eleventh grade, I took a computer programming class, and the same two Bi-Trans were still in use, and were one of the machine types we were required to write programs for. It was my first exposure to Octal numbering, as the six bits were typically grouped as a word consisting of two, three-bit nibbles. If I remember correctly, the op-codes were also documented as Octal. The Bi-Tran couldn't do much, but the lights gave you a good view of what was happening in the registers. I still contend that understanding this machine gave you a good background for programming many types of simple embedded microprocessors -- I think this machine may have a Harvard architecture. The last I saw of the two Bi-Trans was in the mid 1980s, when they could have been mine for the asking -- unfortunately, I didn't ask -- I suspect they ended up as dumpster fodder along with a PDP-8...
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Yes, they were great for Octal math training too. The Navigation computers on the Navy's Submarines back then were all about Octal numbering. Then I got out 10 years later and Digital Equipment Corp. still had PDP-11's in the field that used Octal registers. I thought it was a bad dream.
 
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