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Computer module

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DEC's original products were individual modules, like these System Building Blocks 1103 hex-inverter cards (both sides).

A computer module is a selection of independent electronic circuits packaged onto a circuit board to provide a basic function within a computer.[1] An example might be an inverter or flip-flop, which would require two or more transistors and a small number of additional supporting devices. Modules would be inserted into a chassis and then wired together to produce a larger logic unit, like an adder.

History

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Modules were the basic building block of most early computer designs, until they started being replaced by integrated circuits in the 1960s, which were essentially an entire module packaged onto a single computer chip. Modules with discrete components continued to be used in specialist roles into the 1970s, notably high-speed modular designs like the CDC 8600, but advances in chip design led to the disappearance of the discrete-component module in the 1970s.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Fuller, S.; Siewiorek, D.; Swan, R. (1975). "Computer modules - an architecture for a modular multi-microprocessor". Proceedings of the 1975 annual conference on - ACM 75. Not Known: ACM Press. pp. 129–133. doi:10.1145/800181.810301. ISBN 9781450374811. S2CID 17439181.