FACOM 230-25 system and peripherals

The FACOM 230-25 is one of the representative models of medium computers in the age when computers began to spread in Japan for commercial use. The preserved system in the photograph consists of the FACOM 230-25 computer system and the set of peripherals to perform some service.

The IBM System/360, announced in 1964, opened a new era of computer industry. Along with it, in the latter half of the 1960's, the introduction of computers for business applications began to spread in Japan. Fujitsu offered the computers named the FACOM 230 series to satisfy what the spreading period demanded. The FACOM 230-25, first shipped in June 1969, was a new medium model of the FACOM 230 series.

To improve the performance and reliability, the technology of integrated circuit(IC) and multilayer printed-circuit board ware adopted for the CPU of the new model, the FACOM 230-25. Additionally, to achieve not only the capability of meeting various applications but also a low-cost design, it was equipped with an integrated channel and a modularized CPU. The integrated channel was a channel including a basic input-output controller. The selectable modules of the modularized CPU were COBOL and FORTRAN/ALGOL modules.

The composition of the system shown in the photograph is as follows. The main cabinet of FACOM 230-25 that contained the central processing unit is on the right side of the center of the photograph. The F795A typewriter is on the left of the main body. On the upper side of the photograph, from left to right, the F7711A interface controller, the F794F automatic voltage regulator and the F986C remote control equipment are arranged. On the right side, from above to bellow, theF644K line printer, the F608K2 magnetic tape unit, the F628R magnetic drum unit, the F775B paper tape punch/reader and the DR-1200 data writer are arranged. Here the first character “F” of each device name is abbreviation of FACOM.