ERNIE at the Science Museum - 26th June 2008
ERNIE Mark 1 at the Science Museum

The Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment-ERNIE on the opening day of the exhibition at the Science Museum, South Kensington, London.

Reflections in the perspex panels show that the preview was well attended and that much interest was generated by ERNIE.

The ERNIE equipment is mounted on standardised height racks, so together with the base, they tower above the visitors. 

Photo © Light Straw Archive.

With thanks to the Science Museum, NS & I and BT Archives.

| EXIT to ERNIE's History |  
In Perspective

The Science Museum in South Kensington, London is a great draw for children and adults of all ages. Within its cavernous galleries there is an inspiring mix of both static and interactive displays, which are guaranteed to hold your interest throughout the day. Temporary exhibitions often capture the technological theme of the moment, while also offering a retrospective glance into history.

In recent years the rapid advances in computing power have displaced older machines, making the topic a popular subject to explore more fully. Studies have revealed that developments such as Colossus* can be traced back to the Post Office research establishment of Dollis Hill. Thus it is not surprising to learn that the Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment (ERNIE), which generates Premium Bond numbers, was a product of the same team.

Today, the power behind Premium Bonds is ERNIE 4, a chipset, which was produced by LogicalCMC and first used for a live draw in April 2004. In August of the same year, the Museum staged a one-day exhibition with a line-up of ERNIEs 1 to 4, spanning more than 40 years of number generating equipment. For this event, a small section of the massive ERNIE mark 1 (circa 1956) was brought out of long term storage. This was the first time that all versions of ERNIE were displayed at a single location.

When NS & I (National Savings and Investments), celebrated 50 years of Premium Bonds in June 2007, they were already working in conjunction with the Science Museum to put ERNIE mark 1 on permanent display. As I had previously been in contact with Dr. Tilly Blyth, Curator of Computing and Information, I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the preview of the opening on Thursday 26th June 2008.

In Pictures
ERNIE is one of the few computers known widely to the British public.

Chris Rapley, Director of the Science Museum tells us about ERNIE.

"ERNIE is one of the few computers known widely to the British public."

Photo © Light Straw Archive

See ERNIE for yourself at the Science Museum, where he is on long term display.


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