|
|
What is a PDP-8?
The PDP-8 is the name given to a series of minicomputers manufactured between the late 1960's through
to the early 1970's by a company then-called Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC).
DEC was bought out by Compaq, and now Compaq has merged with Hewlett-Packard.
The PDP-8 had a very simple architecture -- 8 basic instructions, a 12-bit word, and 4k to 32k words
of core (magnetic) memory [CORE MEMORY EXHIBIT].
The PDP-8s came in three generations: transistorized (PDP-8 and PDP-8/S), IC version with general purpose modules
built from SSI 74-series logic (PDP-8/I and PDP-8/L), and finally IC versions with "one board wonders" (one or two
logic boards containing the entire CPU, using MSI 74-series logic, as in PDP-8/A, PDP-8/E, PDP-8/F, and PDP-8/M).
|
S
M
L
XL
I don't currently own a PDP-8, but a local institution has one, and it's in the process of being restored.
I've taken some pictures, and put up some information about it.
|
S
M
L
XL
This PDP-8/A was purchased from an individual in Ottawa back in the late 1990's along with the PDP-8/M.
It is currently untested.
Price in 1974: USD$1,835
|
S
M
L
XL
This PDP-8/E was donated to the collection in the summer of 2000.
It was used by the Canadian Coast Guard as part of their LORAN-C system (read more here).
While I haven't extensively tested this machine yet, it is believed to be fully functioning.
It is model number "AE", and serial number AG 13319.
Price in 1970: USD$6,500
|
S
M
L
XL
This unit arrived 2006 09 14.
This is PDP-8/E S/N M40 00000 467, with KL8E,
and KA8E options.
|
S
M
L
XL
This unit arrived 2006 09 14.
This is PDP-8/E S/N 2871 Date 1972 02 24, with KE8E,
KD8E,
KA8E,
and TD8E options.
|
S
M
L
XL
This unit arrived 2006 09 14.
This is PDP-8/F-AE S/N 944 Dated 1974 06 11, with KM8E,
VE8E,
AD8E,
AM8E,
TA8E,
and KL8E options.
|
S
M
L
XL
This PDP-8/I was purchased from an individual in Mississippi in June 2003, and is now
restored.
To prove that it works, I just played chess on it today (2003 12 18)!
It was used on board a ship, in a project called SCORPIO (Shipboard Computerized Online Realtime Processing In Oceanography).
And yes, with a name like that, it does have an EAE (Extended Arithmetic Element, the KE8I),
however, there's a funny story that goes with that!
The 8/I is the second-largest of the PDP-8 systems (the "straight-8", an 8 with no suffix, is bigger).
In its basic configuration, it went for around USD$16,500!
|
S
M
L
XL
This PDP-8/L was purchased from an individual in Orange, California, in August 2007.
It's currently being restored.
The funny story about this one is that it came with no cards, and I was able to populate about 90+% of it using my spare card inventory
(which took a bit of a hit).
Initial powerup occurred 2007 09 08 and there was no smoke.
(The astute observer will notice that the picture is rotated 180 degrees :-)).
The PDP-8/L can hold 4k of core memory in the main cabinet and an additional 4k in an expansion box.
The serial number is 8L 2023.
Price in 1968: USD$8,500.
|
S
M
L
XL
This PDP-8/M was purchased from an individual in Ottawa back in the
late 1990's along with the PDP-8/A.
It is fully functioning.
This is serial number AG 09231.
This unit has 16k of core and the
KE8E Extended Arithmetic Element.
|
S
M
L
XL
This PDP-8/M was donated by an individual in Maryland/USA, and arrived at the end of May, 2006.
It came with a "cartrifile" tape unit and the interface card for it, three serial controllers (2 x M8650
and 1 x M8655),
two bootstrap loader cards (2 x M847, one modified, one original), and a whopping 16k words of
core (half the
address space)!
I received it for the price of shipping.
The unit is complete; the picture above was taken just before I started restoring it (20060909).
Restoration is now first-pass complete (all the mechanical parts are restored, the power supply is operational, and the
unit will run a short test program sporadically!)
Probably priced similarly to the PDP-8/E.
|
|
|
