Computer Research Corporation

Overview

Computer Research Corporation (CRC) was an early American electronic computing firm founded in Southern California in 1950. Formed by engineers and mathematicians who had previously developed the MADDIDA (Magnetic Drum Digital Differential Analyzer) at Northrop Aircraft, CRC was among the earliest pioneers of compact digital computing systems and specialized digital differential analyzers (DDAs). The enterprise designed landmark early stored-program minicomputers—notably the CADAC (CRC 102 series)—before being acquired by the National Cash Register Company (NCR) in 1953, where it served as NCR’s foundational Electronics Division.

Technical Specifications

AttributeDetails
Manufacturer / Corporate OperatorComputer Research Corporation (CRC)
Associated Brands / TrademarksCRC, CADAC, CRC 101, CRC 102, NCR-CRC
Country of OriginUnited States
Years in Operation1950–1953 (Absorbed into NCR as its Electronics Division in 1953)
Core Product CategoriesDigital Differential Analyzers (DDAs), General-Purpose Digital Computers, Magnetic Drum Memory Units
Primary Hardware ArchitecturesCRC 101 (Airborne DDA), CADAC (CRC 102 / 102-A), CRC 105, CRC 107
Memory Subsystems12-inch Synchronous Magnetic Drum Memory (1,024 words capacity)
Historical Operating AddressesHawthorne, California; Torrance, California

Description

Computer Research Corporation focused on building compact, cost-effective digital machines designed to solve complex scientific and mathematical problems without the massive floor-space and power demands of contemporary first-generation mainframe computers. By combining serial binary logic, rotating magnetic drum memories, and germanium diode networks, the company minimized the total number of failure-prone vacuum tubes in its architectures.

The firm’s core engineering lines and hardware configurations included:

  • Specialized Digital Differential Analyzers (DDAs): Originating with the CRC 101, these specialized binary calculators replaced the mechanical wheel-and-disc integrators of traditional analog differential analyzers with high-speed digital binary adders and magnetic drum registers, providing high-precision trajectory and flight-simulation calculations for military and aerospace contractors.
  • General-Purpose Scientific Computers (CADAC / CRC 102): The CADAC (Cambridge Digital Automatic Computer, designated CRC 102) was an early compact binary stored-program computer. Featuring a 1,024-word magnetic drum memory rotating at high RPM, an electric typewriter input/output console, and an arithmetic-logic unit running on fewer than 200 vacuum tubes, it established an early commercial standard for small scientific data processing.
  • Production Stored-Program Computers (CRC 102-A / NCR 102-A): The expanded commercial production version utilized approximately 800 vacuum tubes alongside thousands of germanium crystal diodes, offering magnetic tape peripheral support and paper-tape readers for corporate, academic, and government installations.
  • Peripheral Memory & Component Hardware: CRC designed and sold modular magnetic drum storage systems, magnetic recording read/write heads, ferro-resonant flip-flops, and dynamic crystal diode testing instruments.

History

The company was founded on July 16, 1950, by Floyd Steele, Donald Eckdahl, Hrant (Harold) Sarkissian, Richard E. Sprague, and Irving S. Reed. While working together at Northrop Aircraft between 1946 and 1949, the team had created the MADDIDA, one of the earliest digital machines configured to compute differential equations using a magnetic drum track. Recognizing that general-purpose stored-program computers could be engineered more economically by utilizing problem-oriented logic and serial drum storage, the design group left Northrop to form Computer Research Corporation in Hawthorne, California.

CRC initially focused on defense and aerospace contracts, developing the CRC 101 airborne digital differential analyzer for North American Aviation. Concurrently, the team designed a general-purpose digital machine originally commissioned for the Air Force Cambridge Research Center. Named the CADAC (and later cataloged as the CRC 102), the machine gained widespread industry attention for its compact footprint and low tube count compared to contemporary giants like ENIAC and UNIVAC.

As major business machine corporations sought entry into the emerging electronic data processing sector, the National Cash Register Company (NCR) acquired Computer Research Corporation in 1953. NCR integrated CRC’s facility and engineering talent to create the NCR Electronics Division in Hawthorne, California. The acquired CRC 102 platform was refined into the NCR 102-A and 102-D scientific computers, establishing the digital electronics foundation that enabled NCR to launch subsequent transistorized business systems, such as the NCR 304, and compete in the commercial mainframe computing era.

Historical Timeline

YearEvent
1950Floyd Steele, Donald Eckdahl, and former Northrop engineers establish Computer Research Corporation in California.
1951CRC builds the CRC 101 digital differential analyzer and introduces the prototype CADAC (CRC 102) compact computer.
1952The company initiates delivery of production-line magnetic drum memory units and diode test equipment to research laboratories.
1953National Cash Register Company (NCR) purchases Computer Research Corporation to establish its digital computing footprint.
1954NCR reorganizes the Hawthorne operation as the NCR Electronics Division, commercializing the CRC 102-A across industrial and military installations.
1959The former CRC engineering division delivers the transistorized NCR 304, completing NCR’s transition into solid-state electronic data processing.

References

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