Z1 (computer)

Z1
Replica of the Z1 in the German Museum of Technology in Berlin
Also known asV1 (Versuchsmodell 1)
DeveloperKonrad Zuse
TypeProgrammable, binary, electrically motor-driven mechanical computer
Release date1938; 86 years ago (1938)
Lifespan5 years
Media35-millimeter film
CPUCa. 30,000 metal sheets @ 1 Hz
MemoryOriginal: 16-word floating point memory
Replica: 64-word floating point memory
InputKeyboard, punched tape reader
PowerElectric motor of a vacuum cleaner
Mass1 tonne (2,200 lb)
SuccessorZ2

The Z1 was a motor-driven mechanical computer designed by German inventor Konrad Zuse from 1936 to 1937, which he built in his parents' home from 1936 to 1938.[1][2] It was a binary, electrically driven, mechanical calculator, with limited programmability, reading instructions from punched celluloid film.

The “Z1” was the first freely programmable computer in the world that used Boolean logic and binary floating-point numbers; however, it was unreliable in operation.[3][4] It was completed in 1938 and financed completely by private funds. This computer was destroyed in the bombardment of Berlin in December 1943, during World War II, together with all construction plans.

The Z1 was the first in a series of computers that Zuse designed. Its original name was "V1" for Versuchsmodell 1 (meaning Experimental Model 1). After WW2, it was renamed "Z1" to differentiate it from the flying bombs designed by Robert Lusser.[5] The Z2 and Z3 were follow-ups based on many of the same ideas as the Z1.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bauler_2009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Zuse_1976 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Priestley_2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rojas_2006 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Campbell-Kelly_1995 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).