Portsmouth College of Technology (later to become Portsmouth Polytechnic, and then the University of Portsmouth) took delivery of their Elliott 803 computer in 1964. It was originally housed in the Mathematics department, and served that department well for several years.
Near the close of the 1960's, computing demands had increased, and the 803 was no longer powerful enough. A replacement ICL computer was purchased, and the 803 was transferred to the Electrical Engineering department.
This was the department's first digital computer, and the first I had ever seen, and more importantly had access to. It was my first stepping stone into computing, and also became my first venture into digital electronics.
The 803 was very popular within the educational environment and its operation was easy to learn. Its main characteristics are neatly summed up in this 803 Facts booklet.
For input, we were initially restricted to paper tape, and output to tape or teleprinter. Over time, other facilities were added and details of these changes are on the 803 Mods page.
I took the photos below just days before the computer was finally taken out of service and disposed of in the late 1970's.
As far as I am aware, only two of these computers have survived. One fully operational machine being on display at The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC) at Bletchley Park, and a second under the care of the Science Museum, but currently not on display.
Years ago for my birthday, Claude bought me a private tour of TNMOC and this was the first time I had been near an 803 for over 30 years. It was an enjoyable, emotional experience.
