Update on ENIAC panels at the Smithsonian

There are 5 ENIAC panels that have been recently shown at the Smithsonian in the "treasures exhibit" at the aerospace museum. There are 7 other panels that have also been shown, in an earlier exhibit called "The Information Age" that was taken down a few years ago. So that's 12.
In addition, there are "a number of panels and data trays" that have never been shown. They are in storage at the Silver Hills Facility. Petrina said she would try to find out more exact information. These are the panels that need to be refurbished. It would seem that the Smithsonian will never, in the foreseeable future, have the space to do anything with these.

As we knew, the Smithsonian is not giving away or selling anything; loans are possible but hard to get. Long term loans are rare. The only real long-term loan is the Univ. of Penn. The 4 panels there also belong to the Smithsonian. That said, we are invited to apply for a loan once we get farther along and have money and a location settled on. They have strict policies about security, humidity, etc.

In addition, she said that they have a whole UNIVAC, including tape machines. She also said that someone approached them last year with a UNIVAC, but the Smithsonian said "we already got one!" Naturally I asked her to try to find that contact for us.

---Bill M