Does anyone have documentation on the PDP-7 instruction set and hardware?
I know that the PDP-7 is a superset of the PDP-4, but I can't even find much
on what instructions the -4 supported (let alone the extended memory and
device control operations). A Google session this morning was not useful.
--
--------------------------------- personal: http://www.armory.com/~spectre/ ---
Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com
-- Do not innovate unnecessarily. -- "The Tick" -------------------------------
Okay,
I got the 11/34 up and running, and I loaded XXDP. It fails the trap
test. The instructions state you should examine the stack pointer
(777706) which shows it to be a value of 000470. This is supposed to
tell you the address of the Program Counter, right? So I load address
470, and the value is 000330. What instruction is failing? Am I
reading this right?
Any help, as always, much appreciated.
Thanks!
Julian
On Aug 17 2006, 20:31, Scott Quinn wrote:
> An PDP-11/03 processor, LSI-11 quad-height M7264EB (does anything
> go out over the C/D fingers, or are they just there for stability?)
I'm not sure exactly what version that is but it does supply refresh
for the memory, although only the very earliest memory boards actually
need that -- in fact your MSV11-B is the only one I can think of that
does -- and it's sometimes disabled. W4 controls that, it's inserted
to *disable* it. And that board possibly has 8K bytes of memory on it
already, which needs the refresh enabled.
Are the five MICROM sockets right at the edge of the board, or is there
some circuitry just to the left of them? The former is KD11-F, the
latter is KD11-J. Usually the former has on-board memory, usually the
latter does not. If there's a 23-003B5 chip in the leftmost socket,
you have the optional KEV11, which contains the EIS/FIS instruction
set.
You didn't mention -- or I missed it -- what backplane you have. I'm
guessing it's a "straight" backplane like an H9273. If so, what the
LSI-11 puts on the C/D fingers shouldn't matter, unless you put
something immediately below it that dislikes the LSI-11. I don't think
there's anything untoward on C/D, though, because they can be used in
"serpentine" backplanes like the H9270 used in the small BA11-M box for
small 11/03 systems.
> DHV11-A 8-line async serial
Interesting; that's a slightly later vintage than the other parts.
> RXV11 (forgot the V originally...)
That will need an RX01 (or an RX02 with the switches set for RX01
emulation) dual 8" floppy drive.
> either MSV11-B 4k RAM
This one needs the refresh control signal from the LSI-11.
> or MSV11-PL 256K ram (18-bit, but will the LSI-11 just ignore the
> extra or will it futz up?)
The 18-bit designation for the memory means that it has two parity bits
as well as the 16 data bits, and the processor will ignore that.
Actually, the MSV11-P has it's own parity CSR so some OSs might be
able to use it. It might not work because the extra address lines may
not be held at the right level -- the 11/03 only has 16 address lines
and no memory management, and it puts some extraneous signals on the
top 4 address lines -- but although the MSV11-P supports 22-bit
addressing, it also works in 18-bit systems, so it's worth trying and
it shouldn't do any harm to try it. If it does work, you'll end up
with 56K bytes of usable memory, because the top 8K byte page is
reserved for I/O.
The 16/18/22-bit designations can be confusing when you're talking
about memory, because they normally refer to the size of the address
bus and hence the address range. An 11/03 (and any CPU using an LSI11
or 11/02) has only 16-bit addressing. An 11/23 may be 18-bit or
22-bit, later processors are 22-bit. However, 16-bit and 18-bit are
sometimes used in the contect of memory to refer to the data bus width:
16 bits with, or without, two parity bits.
> Am I getting in too deep for a first-go at a PDP-11?
I wouldn't say so. It's a fairly simple machine, as -11s go. You want
to see if you can acquire some of the DEC handbooks for those systems,
such as the 1976 "Microcomputer Handbook" and perhaps the 1978-79
"Memories and Peripherals Handbook". Other useful ones are the 1982
"Microcomputers and Memories" handbook (doesn't say quite so much about
the LSI-11, though, but it does list the jumpers and etch revisions
etc), 1980 "Microcomputer Interfaces Handbook", and 1983-84
"Microcomputer Interfaces Handbook". Plus, of course, you should see
if you can get any of the engineering drawings as they too contain a
lot of useful information.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
Okay,
I got the 11/34 up and running, and I loaded XXDP. It fails the trap
test. The instructions state you should examine the stack pointer
(777706) which shows it to be a value of 000470. This is supposed to
tell you the address of the Program Counter, right? So I load address
470, and the value is 000330. What instruction is failing? Am I
reading this right?
Any help, as always, much appreciated.
Thanks!
Julian
The DN discussion left me thinking about how classic computer collecting was presented to the outside world.
One of the things that stood out rapidly was that I would not recommend an Apollo as a first foray into the classic
world (I know that in this circumstance it isn't a first foray, just thinking in general).
So, I started thinking about what would be a good starter system. So far, I've come up with
Sun-3 or Sun-4 (good availability of information, easy software accesablilty (NetBSD works well, Solaris/SunOS isn't bad if you
can find it, although Sun licensing is the strictest of all the options here, with no transfers allowed). Open hardware, easy-availability
of parts and upgrades. Headers come with, SunOS 4 comes with cc.
Silicon Graphics IRISes of the ARCS era. Goodly amount of information (sgistuff.g-lenerz.de and futuretech are put out/aided/etc by
listmembers yay!!) Software is harder to come by, NetBSD isn't very well supported on these beasts and IRIX is pricy (but the license
transfers with the machine). Compilers available for 5.3, headers for 6.2 and 6.5. Parts are available readily for many classic IRISes, less
so for the biggish-iron (ultramicros? what would you call those...) machines or newer machines. High cool factor.
I ruled out IBM (non-PCs) because of software and some unusual hardware choices, DEC due to hard-to-find hardware parts on VAX and
the highly confusing mess with Alpha (play the "will my machine run VMS or Tru64" game - step right up, watch the pea...) Apollo because of
hard-to-find S/W and limited information on the net.
HP 9000 could be a contender, too. - good NetBSD support, (currently) free HP-UX, good online documentation, well-built machines.
You'll note this is pretty much limited to UNIX workstations, because of my space limitations and my assumption that UNIX will make for a
easier transition.
Any other ideas?
I have a need for this monitor. It is used on a measuring system.
It is not used with todays PC's, Mac or otherwise.
I have been looking for one for awhile.
Please contact me at following phone number
1-888-769-9017
Roger Fairman
Specialty Tires of America
1000 Don Mateer Drive
Unicoi, TN. 37692
I have a new bounty. A client is seeking an NEC ProSpeed 386 with docking
station. If you've got one then it's definitely worth money.
Contact me privately if you have one for more information.
Thanks!
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
[ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ]
[ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]
Hi,
I am desperately trying to make room here so my ASR-33 has got to go.
I'll either eBay it or ship it off for "long term storage" ;-)
In either case, I need to pack it so it will survive the
UPS gorillas.
I figured pull the mechanism off the base (is the base REALLY
worth saving??) and put it in one box (the mechanism) and
the "skin" in another. Wrap each in plastic. Shoot the
*mechanism* box full of self-expanding foam -- so everything is
encased in a conformal block of foam (the plastic wrap
preventing the foam from migrating into the mechanism itself).
And pack the skin in "cheetos" (peanuts)?
Does this sound like a safe approach? It usually works for
*monitors* but they aren't quite as irregularly shaped...
Thanks!
--don
Don <THX1138 at dakotacom.net> wrote:
TIP: An embroidery hook works wonders for fishing wirewrap wires
out of a nest without too much damage! ;-) (but you have to
find the right size hook to ensure a "good grab" on the wire)
For those of us who go back to the dawn, there was the spring hook, a
beautifully functional tool used on the relay machines. They worked great
on the thick wire mats. I still have all of mine and even today find the
spring hook to be one of the most useful tools around the shop.
Another tool I found useful was a jewelers device to hold rings for
soldering. It looks like a pair of tweezers with the ends bent out so they
can't touch. You squeeze it, stick it in the wire mat, and release. The
tension holds the wires apart. We made a bunch of copies using piano wire
and put shrink tubing over the ends.
If you get a chance, look at the 6600 or 7600 in the Museum. Seymour loved
those dense wire mats - he used wire lengths to tune his systems. If you
worked on one of his machines, you spent a significant part of your working
hours buried in wire up to your forearms.
The worst was the Cyber 170 machines. They were twisted pair 30 gauge wire
mats. If you weren't careful, the pins bent and touched. And there was
what we called "tingles". The broken piece off the end of a wire would
disappear into the wire mat and eventually short two pins out. Even more
fun, if you were tuning clocks, the power was on, so you could watch the
path of the tingle by the little sparks. Always happened on a Friday night,
of course.
One of the worst nightmares I worked on was a machine that the engineers
working on, had set their coffee cups on top of the cabinet and forgot about
them. This was before the styrofoam cups, just waxed paper. It soaked
through and dumped the coffee down into the wire mat. We tried for a few
days to fix it but finally had to scrap the entire chassis. Per the Peter
Principle, the chief suspect was later promoted to be my manager.
Billy
