# Episode 181 - RAYDAC

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/advent-of-computing-497186/episode-181-raydac
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/advent-of-computing-497186/episode-181-raydac.md
Podcast: [Advent of Computing](https://stenobird.com/podcast/advent-of-computing-497186)
Published: 2026-05-03T23:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://adventofcomputing.libsyn.com/episode-181-raydac
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/adventofcomputing/ep181_raydac.mp3?dest-id=1206722
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Duration seconds: 4338

## Resource

In 1947 Raytheon signed a contract to make their first computer. It would be their last... at least for many many years. The fruits of this contract was RAYDAC. Early digital computers were odd, to say the least. And RAYDAC distinguishes itself. From zig-zag delay lines to hunting tapes to freon cooling, it truly is a unique machine. Selected Sources: https://ed-thelen.org/McGee_Book-4.2.2.pdf - McGee on his experience programming RAYDAC https://sci-hub.st/10.1109/JRPROC.1948.232626 - A Digital Computer for Scientific Applications https://www.jstor.org/stable/2002859 - The Logical Design of RAYDAC Like Advent of Computing? Then check out the after show! Adjunct of Computing is now LIVE: YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts

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## Transcript

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