Librascope
Encyclopedia
Librascope was a Glendale, California
division of General Precision Inc. founded in 1937 by Lewis W. Imm to improve aircraft load balancing
, and acquired by General Precision in 1941.
Librascope was a manufacturer of early digital computers sold in both the business and defense markets. They hired Stan Frankel
, a Manhattan Project
veteran and early ENIAC
programmer, to design the LGP-30
desktop computer in 1956.
Librascope was eventually purchased by Singer Corporation
and moved into the manufacture of marine systems for the defense industry. The company specialized in Fire control systems for torpedoes - though they continued to work on a variety of other smaller military contracts through the 1970s.
After Singer was taken over by corporate raider Paul Bilzerian, the company was sold to Loral in 1992. The division was eventually sold to Lockheed Martin
and was eventually absorbed into the Lockheed Martin Federal Systems, but is now called Lockheed Martin NE&SS-Undersea Systems.
According to documents on history.nasa.gov, the Centaur second stage rocket used a "Librascope 3"
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
division of General Precision Inc. founded in 1937 by Lewis W. Imm to improve aircraft load balancing
Weight distribution
Weight distribution is the apportioning of weight within a vehicle, especially cars, airplanes, and trains.In a vehicle which relies on gravity in some way, weight distribution directly affects a variety of vehicle characteristics, including handling, acceleration, traction, and component life...
, and acquired by General Precision in 1941.
Librascope was a manufacturer of early digital computers sold in both the business and defense markets. They hired Stan Frankel
Stan Frankel
Stanley Phillips "Stan" Frankel was an American computer scientist. He was born in Los Angeles, attended graduate school at the University of Rochester, received his PhD in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, and began his career as a post-doc student under J. Robert Oppenheimer...
, a Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
veteran and early ENIAC
ENIAC
ENIAC was the first general-purpose electronic computer. It was a Turing-complete digital computer capable of being reprogrammed to solve a full range of computing problems....
programmer, to design the LGP-30
LGP-30
The LGP-30, standing for Librascope General Purpose and then Librascope General Precision, was an early off-the-shelf computer. It was manufactured by the Librascope company of Glendale, California , and sold and serviced by the Royal Precision Electronic Computer Company, a joint venture with the...
desktop computer in 1956.
Librascope was eventually purchased by Singer Corporation
Singer Corporation
Singer Corporation is a manufacturer of sewing machines, first established as I.M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac Merritt Singer with New York lawyer Edward Clark. Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Manufacturing Company in 1865, then The Singer Company in 1963. It is...
and moved into the manufacture of marine systems for the defense industry. The company specialized in Fire control systems for torpedoes - though they continued to work on a variety of other smaller military contracts through the 1970s.
After Singer was taken over by corporate raider Paul Bilzerian, the company was sold to Loral in 1992. The division was eventually sold to Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
and was eventually absorbed into the Lockheed Martin Federal Systems, but is now called Lockheed Martin NE&SS-Undersea Systems.
According to documents on history.nasa.gov, the Centaur second stage rocket used a "Librascope 3"
External links
- Librascope Memories 60+ years of history, including 293 Librazette newsletters, photos, product literature, and company videos.
- LGP-30 description
- LGP-21 description
- Story of Stan P. Frankel, designer of the LGP-30
- Librascope C141 airborne navigation computer
- Librascope L90-I general purpose aerospace computer
- Librascop L600 aircraft and missile guidance computer
- Librascope L2010 general purpose rugged computer
- Librascope L3055 data processor for 473L system
- Air Force 473L global communications system