PDP-12 at the RICM

[Paul Anderson]

Hi Rich,

Which one was possibility built for NSA? I missed the [1] footnote. Do you
know more about the story?

Paul

On Mon, Jul 13, 2015 at 2:16 PM, Rich Alderson <
RichA at livingcomputermuseum.org> wrote:

> From: Kip Koon
> Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2015 10:52 PM
>
> > I would be most interested in finding out more about this effort.  Do
> you have
> > ongoing pictures documenting this effort?  I'd love to have a PDP 8, 11,
> 12
> > someday, but I don't have the space for something like that much less
> the cost
> > involved so I'll have to be satisfied with emulators on my PC or
> eventually
> > building one or more of these systems with current technology like the
> SBC6120
> > if memory serves.  Are there other possible alternatives?  I used a
> PDP-8/E in
> > high school and college and have been quite interested in the high
> capability
> > PDPs like the PDP-11 Series for starters.  I didn't know there were PDP
> 12
> > Series computers.  Are there other PDP series computers as well?
>
> Don't confuse higher numbers with higher capabilities, or even as being
> related
> to each other.  DEC created computers with 9 different architectures
> before the
> 32-bit VAX was even dreamed of.
>
> The list of Programmed Data Processors goes like this:
>
> PDP-1   18-bit word, 12-bit address
> PDP-2   24-bit word, paper design only
> PDP-3   36-bit word, paper design only
> PDP-4   18-bit word, 13-bit address
> PDP-5   12-bit word
> PDP-6   36-bit word, mainframe unrelated to PDP-3
> PDP-7   18-bit word, PDP-4 successor
> PDP-8   12-bit word, PDP-5 successor
> PDP-9   18-bit word, PDP-7 successor
> PDP-10  36-bit word, PDP-6 successor mainframe
> PDP-11  16-bit word, 16-bit address[2]
> PDP-12  12-bit word, PDP-8/i + LINC hybrid
> PDP-14  control processor for customer-built special purpose equipment
> PDP-15  18-bit word, PDP-9 successor
> PDP-16  Register-Transfer Module hard-wired processor, PDP-14 competitor[3]
>
> There were later variants of some of these:
>
> PDP-7A
> PDP-8/s, PDP-8/i & /l, PDP-8/e & /f & /m, PDP-8/A
> PDP-9/L
> PDP-15/76
>
> After 1971, they stopped naming things "PDP-n", with the exception of
> models of
> the PDP-11 (which eventually consisted of more than 20 models designated
> PDP-11/nn), but even there the Pro-3x0 desktop systems were called
> something
> else.  Later models were microprocessor-based.
>
> The later PDP-10 models were designated DECsystem-10 and DECSYSTEM-20.
>
> The later PDP-8 models were the DECmate, DECmate II, and DECmate III (word
> processing desktop systems) and the VT-78, all based on Intersil or Harris
> microprocessors which were roughly the PDP-8/e in silicon.
>
> "high capability PDPs" = PDP-10 & follow-ons.  PDP-11?  Pfeh.
>
>                                                                 Rich
>
> [1] 1 built by a customer, reputed to be an NSA front company.
>
> [2] With memory management, 18 or 22, in 16-bit segments.  Late models
> could
>     use separate instruction and data segments, for a total of 128KB in
> use at
>     one time.
>
> [3] Different model lines had separate sales teams, and competed against
> each
>     other across the company for sales.
>
>
> Rich Alderson
> Vintage Computing Sr. Systems Engineer
> Living Computer Museum
> 2245 1st Avenue S
> Seattle, WA 98134
>
> mailto:RichA at LivingComputerMuseum.org
>
> http://www.LivingComputerMuseum.org/
>