From: Raymond W Jensen Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp8 Subject: pdp8e Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2000 16:52:54 -0400 Organization: University of Pittsburgh Lines: 63 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: unixs1.cis.pitt.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-Sender: rwjst4@unixs1.cis.pitt.edu Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!news.tesion.net!news.belwue.de!fu-berlin.de!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.gtei.net!portc01.blue.aol.com!pitt.edu!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.sys.pdp8:59 Hello, this is my first posting to the newsgroup. Not too long ago, I wandered into an old computer room on campus. The room had lots of old equipment that used to run some sophisticated scientific apparati. Although it looks like the room has not been in use for at least 10 years, the air conditioner still blows cold air through the room, and through these enormous old Harris mainframe devices. Nothing in the room is turned on except fo this vax cluster that sits in the back of the room. All of the units are on, but only two appear to have a working B/W monitor. Again, these things look like they have been running for a long time without any human interaction. O.k., let me get to the point of why I posted here- In one corner of the room, stashed behind some old desks and boxes, I found something that I've read about and seen pictures of, but never met face-to-face- a pdp8e. There were 3 racks, one held the central processing unit (I believe that's what you would call it), and one held a tape unit. Don't ask me what the 3rd rack held, it was behind the other two, so I could not see what was inside. Anyway, the reason that I found this room was that down the hall (this is in the sub-basement of a building on campus), I was scavenging some stuff in a room that was to be cleaned out in a few days. In there, I found a pdp11 programmers reference card (oct. 1974) and a "flip-chip" that has a blue plastic handle and the number "B213" written on it. On the bottom of the circuit card, there is written "B213C(?)" in solder. The last letter is hard to make out, it may be an "O". Is this part of the pdp8 or is the remnant of a long-gone pdp11 whose ref. card I found? What is its purpose? Incidentally, I was very lucky to find the reference card, it in between stacks and stacks of old catalogs and what-not. Going back to the flip-chip, it looks like it is missing a transistor. I'm pretty sure it's a transistor that is supposed to go there- there are 3 leads that are broken off at one corner of the chip, and it appears that what should go there is one of these black, round transistors that look like tiny lunar landers. Anyway, I want to salvage the pdp8, but I live on the 4th floor of a small apartment, and I don't think that I have very much room for it, I don't think that I would be able to get it in here in the first place. I wrote an email to the emeritus who was in charge of the lab, asking him about it, but he hasn't responded yet. At the very least, I'll pull out the central processing unit (the unit with the face plate with all the plastic switches). Is the tape unit worth salvaging? I guess that the biggest problem is the racks- you cannot dissassemble them- they are soldered together. I'll think of something- perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself- first I have to figure out whether or not it is o.k. for me to haul the thing out of the building. Can anyone recommend a good book to read up more about the pdp8 in the meantime? I figure that if I can get a pdp8 to play around with, I'll learn a thing or two about how computers work. Ray Jensen ###### Message-ID: <399EEAEA.3B7C2937@jetnet.ab.ca> Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2000 20:15:38 +0000 From: Ben Franchuk X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.73 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.2.15 i586) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp8 Subject: Re: pdp8e References: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit NNTP-Posting-Host: 207.153.6.48 X-Trace: 19 Aug 2000 16:03:15 -0700, 207.153.6.48 Organization: OA Internet Lines: 47 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!News.Amsterdam.UnisourceCS!newshunter!cosy.sbg.ac.at!newsfeed.Austria.EU.net!nmaster.kpnqwest.net!blackbush.xlink.net!newsfeed01.sul.t-online.de!newsfeed00.sul.t-online.de!t-online.de!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!east1.newsfeed.sprint-canada.net!west2.newsfeed.sprint-canada.net!news.oanet.com!207.153.6.48 Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.sys.pdp8:57 Raymond W Jensen wrote: > O.k., let me get to the point of why I posted here- In one > corner of the room, stashed behind some old desks and boxes, I > found something that I've read about and seen pictures of, but > never met face-to-face- a pdp8e. There were 3 racks, one held > the central processing unit (I believe that's what you would > call it), and one held a tape unit. Don't ask me what the 3rd > rack held, it was behind the other two, so I could not see what > was inside. The PDP-8 is a small computer - about the size of a large PC. Most of the other stuff is Input/output devices that are use full too. I would guess most of the stuff could all fit on one rack and moving the stuff needs a good day of time to move. Here are some useful web sites. http://www.pdp8.net/ - run a pdp-8 from the web http://world.std.com/~mbg/moi_pdp8_pdp11.html - moving old iron > Anyway, I want to salvage the pdp8, but I live on the 4th floor > of a small apartment, and I don't think that I have very much > room for it, I don't think that I would be able to get it in > here in the first place. I wrote an email to the emeritus who > was in charge of the lab, asking him about it, but he hasn't > responded yet. At the very least, I'll pull out the central > processing unit (the unit with the face plate with all the > plastic switches). Is the tape unit worth salvaging? I guess > that the biggest problem is the racks- you cannot dissassemble > them- they are soldered together. I'll think of something- > perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself- first I have to figure out > whether or not it is o.k. for me to haul the thing out of the > building. > > Can anyone recommend a good book to read up more about the pdp8 > in the meantime? I figure that if I can get a pdp8 to play > around with, I'll learn a thing or two about how computers > work. > http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/ a good source of info and FAQ's http://www.pdp8.com/ more hardware info Ben. -- "We do not inherit our time on this planet from our parents... We borrow it from our children." "Octal Computers:Where a step backward is two steps forward!" http://www.jetnet.ab.ca/users/bfranchuk/index.html ###### From: aek@spies.com (Al Kossow) Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp8 Subject: Re: pdp8e Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2000 14:16:07 -0700 Organization: Apple Computer, Inc. Lines: 15 Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: haxrus.apple.com X-Trace: news.apple.com 966719748 19879 17.205.21.66 (19 Aug 2000 21:15:48 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@news.apple.com NNTP-Posting-Date: 19 Aug 2000 21:15:48 GMT Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!news.tesion.net!news.belwue.de!news-stu1.dfn.de!news-koe1.dfn.de!RRZ.Uni-Koeln.DE!news.netcologne.de!newsfeed01.sul.t-online.de!newsfeed00.sul.t-online.de!t-online.de!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.stanford.edu!paloalto-snf1.gtei.net!news.gtei.net!forum.apple.com!news.apple.com!haxrus.apple.com!user Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.sys.pdp8:66 In article , Raymond W Jensen wrote: > At the very least, I'll pull out the central > processing unit (the unit with the face plate with all the > plastic switches). Is the tape unit worth salvaging? Before you distroy what may me a working system, find out if someone else in the area can help you move and store the whole system (assuming you can actually get it). -- The eBay Curse: "May you find everything you're looking for.." ###### From: Raymond W Jensen Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp8 Subject: Re: pdp8e Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2000 19:22:39 -0400 Organization: University of Pittsburgh Lines: 11 Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: unixs1.cis.pitt.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-Sender: rwjst4@unixs1.cis.pitt.edu In-Reply-To: Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.skycache.com!Cidera!portc01.blue.aol.com!pitt.edu!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.sys.pdp8:60 On Sat, 19 Aug 2000, Al Kossow wrote: {snip} > Before you distroy what may me a working system, find out {snip} Oh, don't worry about that! Ray Jensen ###### From: Raymond W Jensen Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp8 Subject: Re: pdp8e Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2000 19:32:01 -0400 Organization: University of Pittsburgh Lines: 63 Message-ID: References: <399EEAEA.3B7C2937@jetnet.ab.ca> NNTP-Posting-Host: unixs1.cis.pitt.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-Sender: rwjst4@unixs1.cis.pitt.edu To: Ben Franchuk In-Reply-To: <399EEAEA.3B7C2937@jetnet.ab.ca> Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!enews.sgi.com!newsfeed.mathworks.com!portc01.blue.aol.com!pitt.edu!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.sys.pdp8:61 Ben, thanks for the advice. If I can gain possession of it, I plan to take out a full day to move it. The thing is, I can probably move it to my apartment, but I don't plan to live here for more than a year more, and I don't feel like having to move it again, a year from now. Ray On Sat, 19 Aug 2000, Ben Franchuk wrote: > Raymond W Jensen wrote: > > > O.k., let me get to the point of why I posted here- In one > > corner of the room, stashed behind some old desks and boxes, I > > found something that I've read about and seen pictures of, but > > never met face-to-face- a pdp8e. There were 3 racks, one held > > the central processing unit (I believe that's what you would > > call it), and one held a tape unit. Don't ask me what the 3rd > > rack held, it was behind the other two, so I could not see what > > was inside. > > The PDP-8 is a small computer - about the size of a large PC. > Most of the other stuff is Input/output devices that are use > full too. I would guess most of the stuff could all fit on one > rack and moving the stuff needs a good day of time to move. > Here are some useful web sites. > http://www.pdp8.net/ - run a pdp-8 from the web > http://world.std.com/~mbg/moi_pdp8_pdp11.html - moving old iron > > > Anyway, I want to salvage the pdp8, but I live on the 4th floor > > of a small apartment, and I don't think that I have very much > > room for it, I don't think that I would be able to get it in > > here in the first place. I wrote an email to the emeritus who > > was in charge of the lab, asking him about it, but he hasn't > > responded yet. At the very least, I'll pull out the central > > processing unit (the unit with the face plate with all the > > plastic switches). Is the tape unit worth salvaging? I guess > > that the biggest problem is the racks- you cannot dissassemble > > them- they are soldered together. I'll think of something- > > perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself- first I have to figure out > > whether or not it is o.k. for me to haul the thing out of the > > building. > > > > Can anyone recommend a good book to read up more about the pdp8 > > in the meantime? I figure that if I can get a pdp8 to play > > around with, I'll learn a thing or two about how computers > > work. > > > http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/ a good source of info and FAQ's > http://www.pdp8.com/ more hardware info > > Ben. > -- > "We do not inherit our time on this planet from our parents... > We borrow it from our children." > "Octal Computers:Where a step backward is two steps forward!" > http://www.jetnet.ab.ca/users/bfranchuk/index.html > > ###### Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp8 Subject: Re: pdp8e References: <399EEAEA.3B7C2937@jetnet.ab.ca> Organization: D Bit, Troy, NY From: wilson@dbit.com (John Wilson) NNTP-Posting-Host: dbit.dbit.com X-Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: dbit.dbit.com Message-ID: <399f1c3e$1_1@news.wizvax.net> Date: 19 Aug 2000 19:46:06 -0400 X-Trace: 19 Aug 2000 19:46:06 -0400, dbit.dbit.com Lines: 27 XPident: wilson X-Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: 199.181.141.3 XPident: news Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!news.datacomm.ch!newsmaster-01.atnet.at!atnet.at!newsrouter.chello.at!newsfeed01.sul.t-online.de!newsfeed00.sul.t-online.de!t-online.de!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newspeer.phoen-x.net!news.wizvax.net!dbit.com!wilson Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.sys.pdp8:64 In article , Raymond W Jensen wrote: >Ben, thanks for the advice. If I can gain possession of it, I plan >to take out a full day to move it. The thing is, I can probably >move it to my apartment, but I don't plan to live here for more >than a year more, and I don't feel like having to move it again, a >year from now. You might want to consider renting a storage locker. Small ones don't cost that much money, and they're easy to move in and out of. So you get a lot more flexibility about living wherever's cheap/convenient w/o having to always have a minicomputer-compatible apartment, but the stuff's still waiting for you whenever you get a more permanent home. Otherwise, if your interest in the PDP-8 lasts, you'll KILL yourself when you realize what rare peripheral(s) you walked away from! Anyway, FWIW I had my 8/E's CPU box (the rest was also three racks, and that stayed in my parents' basement) in my freshman dorm room, and had a lot of fun with it even with no peripherals. I made an RS232 cable for it (the M8655 serial boards can go both ways but normally come with 20 mA current loop cables), wrote a little cross-assembler, and downloaded programs into the 8 from a micro, it was a blast. So whatever happens you should certainly grab the CPU box; if you give up on saving the rest, I'm sure there will be plenty of volunteers here who'll want to give it a good home. John Wilson D Bit ###### From: djg@djg-esg.com (David Gesswein) Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp8 Subject: Re: pdp8e Date: 19 Aug 2000 23:24:28 -0400 Organization: DRS Electronic Systems Group Lines: 49 Message-ID: <8nnj1c$q0k$1@moe.tas.drs.com> References: NNTP-Posting-Host: moe.tas.drs.com X-Trace: moe.tas.drs.com 966741868 26645 204.142.17.24 (20 Aug 2000 03:24:28 GMT) X-Complaints-To: news@djg-esg.com NNTP-Posting-Date: 20 Aug 2000 03:24:28 GMT Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!enews.sgi.com!paloalto-snf1.gtei.net!paloalto-snh1.gtei.net!crtntx1-snh1.gtei.net!news.gtei.net!dfw-peer.news.verio.net!iad-feed.news.verio.net!news.verio.net!drs-esg.com!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.sys.pdp8:65 In article , Raymond W Jensen wrote: > >and a "flip-chip" that has a blue plastic handle and >the number "B213" written on it. On the bottom of the circuit >card, there is written "B213C(?)" in solder. The last letter is >hard to make out, it may be an "O". Is this part of the pdp8 or >is the remnant of a long-gone pdp11 whose ref. card I found? > The earlier units used the R/S/W/B series logic cards. These were DTL logic make with discrete transistors and were replaced by the M series TTL modules (I have some W with DTL IC's). Their logic levels were 0 and -3V and they ran off of +10V and -15V. Since the 11's were all TTL I don't think it would have been likely to of been used with anything attatched to an 11. The R series were good to 2 mc (megacyle, now megahertz) and the B to 10 mc. My books don't have the B213 in them. In 1968 the B series cost $14 for 2 6 input nand/nor gate to $100 for a crystal clock. The B didn't seem to be used much, I have them in a Data Multiplexor used on the data-break bus of the 8 and 8/I. >Is the tape unit worth salvaging? I guess >that the biggest problem is the racks- you cannot disassemble >them- they are soldered together. I'll think of something- >perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself- first I have to figure out >whether or not it is o.k. for me to haul the thing out of the >building. > I try to save everything (CPU, peripherals, docs, software...). More CPU's seem to be around than peripherals. If you remove the contents the racks aren't too bad. I have moved them in my moms Suburban (from Temple university among other places). I also rented a lift gate truck when I moved to move them with less disassembly. Just take pictures/notes before removing stuff so you can get it back together. >Can anyone recommend a good book to read up more about the pdp8 >in the meantime? I figure that if I can get a pdp8 to play >around with, I'll learn a thing or two about how computers >work. > People have already listed a bunch of good sites. The PDP-8/E handbook is on my site under the archive of documentation. The 2 page per page version will save you paper if you want to print it out. David Gesswein http://www.pdp8.net/ -- Old computers with blinkenlights ###### Message-ID: <39A042A1.A150F6B2@jetnet.ab.ca> Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2000 20:42:09 +0000 From: Ben Franchuk X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.73 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.2.15 i586) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp8 Subject: Re: pdp8e References: <8nnj1c$q0k$1@moe.tas.drs.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit NNTP-Posting-Host: 207.153.6.59 X-Trace: 20 Aug 2000 16:36:58 -0700, 207.153.6.59 Organization: OA Internet Lines: 15 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.direct.ca!look.ca!west2.newsfeed.sprint-canada.net!news.oanet.com!207.153.6.59 Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.sys.pdp8:69 Raymond W Jensen wrote: > > David, thanks for the reply. I went into the "Computer room lost in > time" again today. This time I brought the camera with me. When I > get the pictures developed, I'll scan them in. Keep a sharp lookout for any VW buses and sounds beatles music least you take the wrong exit and land in the 60's. That is a great idea,the pictures. Ben. -- "We do not inherit our time on this planet from our parents... We borrow it from our children." "Octal Computers:Where a step backward is two steps forward!" http://www.jetnet.ab.ca/users/bfranchuk/index.html ###### From: Raymond W Jensen Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp8 Subject: Re: pdp8e Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2000 19:16:59 -0400 Organization: University of Pittsburgh Lines: 72 Message-ID: References: <8nnj1c$q0k$1@moe.tas.drs.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: unixs2.cis.pitt.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-Sender: rwjst4@unixs2.cis.pitt.edu In-Reply-To: <8nnj1c$q0k$1@moe.tas.drs.com> Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!isdnet!howland.erols.net!newsfeed.skycache.com!Cidera!portc01.blue.aol.com!pitt.edu!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.sys.pdp8:70 David, thanks for the reply. I went into the "Computer room lost in time" again today. This time I brought the camera with me. When I get the pictures developed, I'll scan them in. I took a better look at the pdp8e related stuff when I was in there again today. There are 3 racks, like I said last time, one holds the cpu, paper tape reader, and some thing with a gray front panel and lots of switches, I could not make it out. The other two racks hold tape units, both are the same model, and both are called "DEC Magtape TU-10 7-Channel". I've heard of the TU-77 and the 56, but these ones seems like they might be a little older. On top of one of the racks is a teletype-looking device, called a DEC-Writer IV". I could not find any docs, except for the last item mentioned. I'll check out pdp8.net when I get a chance. Ray Jensen On 19 Aug 2000, David Gesswein wrote: > In article , > Raymond W Jensen wrote: > > > >and a "flip-chip" that has a blue plastic handle and > >the number "B213" written on it. On the bottom of the circuit > >card, there is written "B213C(?)" in solder. The last letter is > >hard to make out, it may be an "O". Is this part of the pdp8 or > >is the remnant of a long-gone pdp11 whose ref. card I found? > > > The earlier units used the R/S/W/B series logic cards. These were > DTL logic make with discrete transistors and were replaced by the > M series TTL modules (I have some W with DTL IC's). Their logic levels > were 0 and -3V and they ran off of +10V and -15V. Since the 11's were > all TTL I don't think it would have been likely to of been used with anything > attatched to an 11. > > The R series were good to 2 mc (megacyle, now megahertz) and the B to 10 mc. > My books don't have the B213 in them. In 1968 the B series cost $14 for 2 6 > input nand/nor gate to $100 for a crystal clock. > > The B didn't seem to be used much, I have them in a Data Multiplexor used on > the data-break bus of the 8 and 8/I. > > >Is the tape unit worth salvaging? I guess > >that the biggest problem is the racks- you cannot disassemble > >them- they are soldered together. I'll think of something- > >perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself- first I have to figure out > >whether or not it is o.k. for me to haul the thing out of the > >building. > > > I try to save everything (CPU, peripherals, docs, software...). More CPU's > seem to be around than peripherals. If you remove the contents the racks > aren't too bad. I have moved them in my moms Suburban (from Temple > university among other places). I also rented a lift gate truck when I > moved to move them with less disassembly. Just take pictures/notes before > removing stuff so you can get it back together. > > >Can anyone recommend a good book to read up more about the pdp8 > >in the meantime? I figure that if I can get a pdp8 to play > >around with, I'll learn a thing or two about how computers > >work. > > > People have already listed a bunch of good sites. The PDP-8/E handbook > is on my site under the archive of documentation. The 2 page per page > version will save you paper if you want to print it out. > > David Gesswein > http://www.pdp8.net/ -- Old computers with blinkenlights > > > ###### From: jones@cs.uiowa.edu (Douglas W. Jones,201H MLH,3193350740,3193382879) Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp8 Subject: Re: pdp8e Date: 21 Aug 2000 15:30:41 GMT Organization: The University of Iowa Lines: 21 Message-ID: <8nrhv1$fuc$1@flood.weeg.uiowa.edu> References: NNTP-Posting-Host: pyrite.cs.uiowa.edu X-Trace: flood.weeg.uiowa.edu 966871841 16332 128.255.28.3 (21 Aug 2000 15:30:41 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@news.uiowa.edu NNTP-Posting-Date: 21 Aug 2000 15:30:41 GMT Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!newscore.univie.ac.at!newsfeed.Austria.EU.net!nmaster.kpnqwest.net!npeer.kpnqwest.net!news.maxwell.syr.edu!ptdnetP!newsgate.ptd.net!newsfeed.fast.net!uunet!ffx.uu.net!news.uiowa.edu!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.sys.pdp8:72 From article , by Raymond W Jensen : > > ... The other two racks hold > tape units, both are the same model, and both are called "DEC Magtape > TU-10 7-Channel". ... Working 7-track tape drives are rare. If these can be reconditioned, there is a significant backlog of old 7-track tapes in storage that should be read and converted to modern media. We're talking warehouses full of tapes at places like the Census bureau and NASA. These old tapes are fragile; usually, the driver software must be modified to run nonstop from one end of the reel to the other, copying all the data, parity errors included, to modern media with no attempt to reread blocks that include errors. Prior to each read of an ancient tape, the heads should be inspected and may need cleaning; old tapes tend to shed oxide in great gobs. This is one reason for the one-pass read protocol -- each start stop cycle is likely to strip more oxide off the tape. Doug Jones jones@cs.uiowa.edu ###### Message-ID: <39A29D02.8080090C@jetnet.ab.ca> Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2000 15:32:18 +0000 From: Ben Franchuk X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.73 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.2.15 i586) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp8 Subject: Re: pdp8e References: <8nrhv1$fuc$1@flood.weeg.uiowa.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit NNTP-Posting-Host: 207.153.6.34 X-Trace: 22 Aug 2000 16:33:36 -0700, 207.153.6.34 Organization: OA Internet Lines: 17 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!news.tesion.net!news.belwue.de!news-stu1.dfn.de!news-koe1.dfn.de!RRZ.Uni-Koeln.DE!news.netcologne.de!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.direct.ca!look.ca!west2.newsfeed.sprint-canada.net!news.oanet.com!207.153.6.34 Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.sys.pdp8:100 Raymond W Jensen wrote: > > Hello, I put some pictures of the computer room that I found, > including the pdp8e. Enjoy! Somebody send this guy a remote web cam for the next vist. That is a gold mine down there for old equipment. From the look of the pdp-8 I would guess that it was used as data multiplexer from tape to larger machine. The box on top looks to be custom built.Just the 8 and the high speed paper tape reader looks standard.It all looks to i/o equipment. But anybody's guess is as good as mine. Ben. -- "We do not inherit our time on this planet from our parents... We borrow it from our children." ###### From: Raymond W Jensen Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp8 Subject: Re: pdp8e Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2000 19:10:09 -0400 Organization: University of Pittsburgh Lines: 12 Message-ID: References: <8nrhv1$fuc$1@flood.weeg.uiowa.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: unixs2.cis.pitt.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-Sender: rwjst4@unixs2.cis.pitt.edu In-Reply-To: <8nrhv1$fuc$1@flood.weeg.uiowa.edu> Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!News.Amsterdam.UnisourceCS!skynet.be!newsfeed.skycache.com!Cidera!portc01.blue.aol.com!pitt.edu!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.sys.pdp8:101 Hello, I put some pictures of the computer room that I found, including the pdp8e. Enjoy! Ray Jensen http://www.pitt.edu/~rwjst4/complost.htm (I'd put more pictures up than I had, but this is all I could fit in my lousy 5Mb account) ###### From: Dutch Owen Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp8 Subject: Re: pdp8e Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 14:52:49 GMT Lines: 87 Message-ID: References: X-Complaints-To: newsabuse@supernews.com User-Agent: tin/pre-1.4-19990517 ("Psychonaut") (UNIX) (Linux/2.2.12-20 (i586)) Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!news.tesion.net!news.belwue.de!news-stu1.dfn.de!news-koe1.dfn.de!RRZ.Uni-Koeln.DE!news.netcologne.de!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!sn-xit-03!supernews.com!sn-inject-01!news.supernews.com!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.sys.pdp8:110 Raymond, I looked at the pictures and you've stumbled on a fabulous trove there! It's a shame you personnally can't salvage all of it; and I fear that someday whatever's left will see the crusher. Hope you get the PDP8 at least. I noticed the card drawer with cards. Equally important as saving old hardware is rescuing software. If they'll let you haul things out, consider probing about for old tapes and card decks of system software of these beasts, especially the rarer ones (Harris, SDS, etc). If you can get any tapes/disks/card decks and don't want them yourself, let me know (via email if you want) and I'll pay shipping for you to send them to me. Man you're lucky. Why can't I find something like this! :) Best, Dutch Raymond W Jensen wrote: > Hello, this is my first posting to the newsgroup. Not too long > ago, I wandered into an old computer room on campus. The room > had lots of old equipment that used to run some sophisticated > scientific apparati. Although it looks like the room has not > been in use for at least 10 years, the air conditioner still > blows cold air through the room, and through these enormous > old Harris mainframe devices. Nothing in the room is turned on > except fo this vax cluster that sits in the back of the room. > All of the units are on, but only two appear to have a working > B/W monitor. Again, these things look like they have been > running for a long time without any human interaction. > O.k., let me get to the point of why I posted here- In one > corner of the room, stashed behind some old desks and boxes, I > found something that I've read about and seen pictures of, but > never met face-to-face- a pdp8e. There were 3 racks, one held > the central processing unit (I believe that's what you would > call it), and one held a tape unit. Don't ask me what the 3rd > rack held, it was behind the other two, so I could not see what > was inside. > Anyway, the reason that I found this room was that down the hall > (this is in the sub-basement of a building on campus), I was > scavenging some stuff in a room that was to be cleaned out in a > few days. In there, I found a pdp11 programmers reference card > (oct. 1974) and a "flip-chip" that has a blue plastic handle and > the number "B213" written on it. On the bottom of the circuit > card, there is written "B213C(?)" in solder. The last letter is > hard to make out, it may be an "O". Is this part of the pdp8 or > is the remnant of a long-gone pdp11 whose ref. card I found? > What is its purpose? Incidentally, I was very lucky to find the > reference card, it in between stacks and stacks of old catalogs > and what-not. Going back to the flip-chip, it looks like it is > missing a transistor. I'm pretty sure it's a transistor that is > supposed to go there- there are 3 leads that are broken off at > one corner of the chip, and it appears that what should go there > is one of these black, round transistors that look like tiny > lunar landers. > Anyway, I want to salvage the pdp8, but I live on the 4th floor > of a small apartment, and I don't think that I have very much > room for it, I don't think that I would be able to get it in > here in the first place. I wrote an email to the emeritus who > was in charge of the lab, asking him about it, but he hasn't > responded yet. At the very least, I'll pull out the central > processing unit (the unit with the face plate with all the > plastic switches). Is the tape unit worth salvaging? I guess > that the biggest problem is the racks- you cannot dissassemble > them- they are soldered together. I'll think of something- > perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself- first I have to figure out > whether or not it is o.k. for me to haul the thing out of the > building. > Can anyone recommend a good book to read up more about the pdp8 > in the meantime? I figure that if I can get a pdp8 to play > around with, I'll learn a thing or two about how computers > work. > Ray Jensen ###### From: Will Jennings Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp8 Subject: Re: pdp8e Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 20:03:07 GMT Organization: Deja.com - Before you buy. Lines: 11 Message-ID: <8o1ald$bd1$1@nnrp1.deja.com> References: NNTP-Posting-Host: 206.196.156.53 X-Article-Creation-Date: Wed Aug 23 20:03:07 2000 GMT X-Http-User-Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.0; Windows 98; DigExt) X-Http-Proxy: 1.1 x53.deja.com:80 (Squid/1.1.22) for client 206.196.156.53 X-MyDeja-Info: XMYDJUIDspidget Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news-fra1.dfn.de!fu-berlin.de!uni-erlangen.de!newsfeeds.belnet.be!news.belnet.be!xfer13.netnews.com!netnews.com!news.maxwell.syr.edu!nntp2.deja.com!nnrp1.deja.com!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.sys.pdp8:118 Hmm... I'd be willing to fly out there and rent a large truck to save all the other stuff... especially the SDS and the XDS tape drive.. notice my email address I'd definetly save the Harris too.. hell I'd save all of it that wasn;t in use, which sounds like everything but the VAX... *drooling on self* Will J Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy. ###### From: kszabo@nortel.ca (Kevin Szabo) Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp8 Subject: Re: pdp8e Date: 24 Aug 2000 05:17:29 GMT Organization: Nortel Networks (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) Lines: 14 Message-ID: <8o2b59$lst$1@bcarh8ab.ca.nortel.com> References: <8nrhv1$fuc$1@flood.weeg.uiowa.edu> Reply-To: kszabo@nortelnetworks.com NNTP-Posting-Host: wkpks0bp.ca.nortel.com Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!isdnet!logbridge.uoregon.edu!!nrchh45.us.nortel.com!zcarh46f.ca.nortel.com!bcarh8ac.ca.nortel.com!bcarh8ab.ca.nortel.com!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.sys.pdp8:121 In article , Raymond W Jensen wrote: | |Hello, I put some pictures of the computer room that I found, |including the pdp8e. Enjoy! |http://www.pitt.edu/~rwjst4/complost.htm |(I'd put more pictures up than I had, but this is all I could fit in |my lousy 5Mb account) Nice pictures, thanks. You might try saving them as JPG instead of GIF, and you'll find the quality is good and the filesizes will be about 10%-20% of the gifs (50k instead of 400k). Kevin ###### From: Raymond W Jensen Newsgroups: alt.sys.pdp8 Subject: Re: pdp8e Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 11:22:39 -0400 Organization: University of Pittsburgh Lines: 31 Message-ID: References: <8nrhv1$fuc$1@flood.weeg.uiowa.edu> <8o2b59$lst$1@bcarh8ab.ca.nortel.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: unixs1.cis.pitt.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-Sender: rwjst4@unixs1.cis.pitt.edu In-Reply-To: <8o2b59$lst$1@bcarh8ab.ca.nortel.com> Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news-fra1.dfn.de!news0.de.colt.net!colt.net!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.skycache.com!Cidera!portc01.blue.aol.com!pitt.edu!not-for-mail Xref: chonsp.franklin.ch alt.sys.pdp8:117 On 24 Aug 2000, Kevin Szabo wrote: (snip) > Nice pictures, thanks. You might try saving them as JPG instead of GIF, > and you'll find the quality is good and the filesizes will be about > 10%-20% of the gifs (50k instead of 400k). Thanks for the suggestion, I'll try it and maybe then I can put more pictures up. Thanks also to thise who forwarded my URL to the fella at www.computerhistory.org. It seems that they are interested in the SDS/XDS. In case any of you are interested, I'll tell you more about it (sorry for the non-pdp8 material here). It is called a Scientific Data Systems (Xerox Data Systems) Sigma 5. It looks like it is from the late sixties or early seventies, right around when Xerox bought SDS. In one of the pictures I have an old teletype. That is from the Sigma 5. The monitor to the right is from the Harris. The SDS has 5 big boxes, the two that you saw in one of the pictures, plus three additional ones which hold memory and cards. One holds an LP-diameter shiny metal disk (or drum) that is on the bottom of the unit. I'm not sure what it is for. There is also a large printer sitting in the middle of the room that is part of the XDS. It looks like the XDS was in operation into the 1980s according to some docs. And there are a lot of docs lying around for this machine. In one of the pictures there is a card puncher or reader in the background. That is also from the Sigma 5. Ray Jensen http://www.pitt.edu/~rwjst4/index.htm