Virtual Pilot ACE
A 3D simulation of the Pilot ACE computer
Find Out More Run Virtual Pilot ACE
A few of our other simulations .. more listed below
The Pilot ACE (Automatic Computing Engine) was one of the first computers to be built in the United Kingdom. Designed by Alan Turing, the Pilot ACE was a cut-down version of Turing's full ACE design and was built at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) at the beginning of the 1950s
It is one of the earliest general-purpose, stored-program computers, used around 800 valves (vacuum tubes) and ran at 1MHz speed
Pilot ACE Hardware Pilot ACE Software How do I use the simulation?A number of simulations are available of machines which ran at Bletchley Park and in Germany during WW2 plus a few other computers/machines that caught my attention!
Virtual Enigma, a full 3D simulation of the German Enigma machine!
Also available, try your hand at breaking Enigma using the Turing-Welchman Bombe!
The Pilot ACE was one of the first computers to be built in the UK. Designed by Alan Turing, it's one of the earliest general-purpose, stored-program computers
A simulation of the first electronic computer which broke the German Lorenz cipher during WW2 at Bletchley Park.
The Lorenz SZ40/42 was a formidable cipher attachment used by the German High Command. Use the machine that Colossus was built to break.
The Turing-Welchman Bombe was an electro-mechanical device used at Bletchley Park and its outstations during World War II to assist in breaking the Enigma cipher.
The Dragon was built by the Signal Security Agency (SSA) at Arlington Hall, Virginia and was used at Bletchley Park to help break Lorenz codes. It was used to search for a crib (a guess at the text) within the cipher message.
E.R.N.I.E stands for the Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment and is a hardware random number generator built in 1956 to find winners each month for the National Savings Premium Bond prize draw.
Typex was a British cipher machine which used a very similar method of enciphering to Enigma. It was also used at Bletchley Park to decipher Enigma messages once the Bombes had found the day key.
Enigma machines were a series of cipher machines developed in Germany between 1923 and 1945. The cipher was cracked initially by the Polish and then expanded on and broken daily at Bletchley Park. This is a fully usable 3D simulation of two models of Enigma.
A simulation of the ICT 1301 2nd generation computer, specifically serial number 6, named Flossie.
A number of people I need to say thanks and tip my hat to...
www.TNMOC.org .. The National Museum of Computing where my obsession was sparked! Make sure you find time to see their rebuilt and fully working Bombe and Enigma demonstrations at the museum but also so much more including Colossus and the galleries on the breaking of Lorenz, the WITCH & EDSAC, Elliott 308 and all manner of home computers you can use.
www.uraone.com .. David Green's Pilot ACE website where he's not only created his own Windows Pilot ACE emulator but gather lots of info on the computer. He's also been a great help in understanding the complex was of programming the Pilot ACE.
alanturing.net .. A huge amount of scanned documents relating to the Pilot ACE.
Virtual Pilot ACE by virtualcolossus.co.uk is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Please feel free to use Virtual Pilot ACE to learn about this computer. If you find it useful or if you have any feedback or ideas for making it easier to use or understand, please do let me know.
It takes a long time to research and build these simulations and I love to hear about them being used, whether for your own information or in a classroom for STEM. Do please drop me a line to let me know if you do!
