Looking to get into a Mini Computer, PDP or something Like that

Overall, there are basically two types of PDP-11 systems: (a) Unibus (b) Qbus Although there is no exact distinction, the Unibus group will, on average, but much bigger and almost always, VERY much heavier than the Qbus group. In general, a single individual can manage to carry all of the components (one at a time in some cases) of a Qbus system - although if disk drives such as the RL01 / RL02 are used, that would be difficult, most especially the cabinets. But systems which use a BA23 are usually not too difficult - a BA123 is often too heavy for one person. One other consideration to acquire PDP-11 hardware should be looked at. There are a number of free emulators for the PDP-11 which provide the possibility of figuring out before you acquire your own actual hardware exactly what you want to do with the machine. SimH is considered entirely free. Ersatz-11 is free for hobby users. There is also a great deal of software available, although some operating systems are easier to find than others. Jerome Fine