Son of Colossus

I was asked by friends to "come around and see Michael's new computer when you are next passing"

Now, of course, one immediately had a vision of some wonderful technical gizmo that would be the fraction of the size of a matchbox with the computing power of a herd of charging elephants.

I was completely unprepared for this sight of a 1960 mechanical analogue computer built by Air Trainers Link Ltd. and which can solve differential equations of up to fourth order by purely mechanical means.

It would have spent its life doing:-

d2y + dy +by=c
dx2. dx

In fact, as a young trainee pilot with my school's combined cadet force I once had a go on a Link flying trainer myself.

Oh and this particular piece of equipment occupies the good part of the space in the garage...