A Dimond ring or Dimond ring translator was an early type of computer
read-only memory
Read-only memory (ROM) is a type of non-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be electronically modified after the manufacture of the memory device. Read-only memory is useful for storing sof ...
, created in the early 1940s by
T. L. Dimond at
Bell Laboratories
Nokia Bell Labs, commonly referred to as ''Bell Labs'', is an American industrial research and development company owned by Finnish technology company Nokia. With headquarters located in Murray Hill, New Jersey, the company operates several lab ...
for Bell's ''#5 Crossbar Switch'', a type of early telephone switch.
Structure
Large-diameter magnetic ferrite toroidal rings with solenoid windings, through which are threaded writing and reading wires.
Uses
It was used in the
#5 Crossbar Switch and
TXE (prior to version 4) telephone exchanges.
See also
*
Core rope memory
Core rope memory is a form of read-only memory (ROM) for computers. It was used in the UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer I) and the UNIVAC II, developed by the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation in the 1950s, as it was a popular technol ...
, a later development
References
{{Compu-storage-stub
Computer memory
Non-volatile memory