Museum of Computing Machinery

The Elea 6001 model was completed in 1961, the same year as the Pisa Electronic Calculator(CEP). The human-sized cabinets open like a fan around the central unit. Their relatively compact size was made possible by the use of transistors instead of thermionic valves. Unlike the University of Pisa, Olivetti did not face the same financial constraints and was therefore able to adopt the most modern technologies available at the time. The colorful control panel, equipped with indicator lights, provided a user-friendly interface. It allowed operators to observe the contents of memory registers and detect possible errors. Several peripherals were connected to the central unit, including paper-tape readers and punches, as well as the distinctive blue magnetic-tape drives. Above them you can see the magnetic tapes that stored programs and data. These tapes were inserted into the drives to load their contents into the computer’s main memory. Computers of this type were typically rented to companies and research laboratories, together with a team of specialized technicians responsible for maintenance and programming.