26 Dec
2009
26 Dec
'09
6:09 a.m.
I recently rescued the following system:
One full size (H960)rack cabinet containing (from the top down) -
DEC PDP-11 crest
Telebyte TDX 1/2" tape drive
PDP-11/34A w/ full programmer's console
Data Systems Design (DSD) 880-120
homebrew connector panel
Wesperline I/O unit
One "corporate highboy" cabinet (VAX style)
RLO2 drive
BA11-KE chassis
non-racked items -
2nd RLO2 drive
DSD twin floppy system, 110/430
additionally -
8 disk packs + "pack rack"
several boxes of 8" floppies, including an install set for RT-11 V5.1c,
configured by Cambridge Digital, dated 1984
card inventory (by chassis slot) -
- 11/34A (chassis marked 11/34A XX)
(1) M8266 control module (KD11-EA)
(2) M8265 datapath module (KD11-EA)
(3) M8267 floating point (FP-11A)
(4) M7859 programmer cons (KY11-LB)
(5) M8268 cache board (KK11-A)
(6) M7801 data word cntrl (MC11) [I think I must have misread the card
number and this is really M7891, 128KW MOS RAM, but I haven't yet verified
that]
(9)<->(11) M9202 backplane jumper
(12)DSD 808830 controller for DSD 880-120
(13)DILOG DU130 tape controller
(14)M7865) SLU+RTC (DL11-W)
- BA-11-KE
(3) M7860 parallel I/O (DR11-C)
(5)&(6) MSP-3/A, MSP-3/C Computer Design Assoc. boards
(8) M7762 RL02 disk controller (RL11)
(9)<->(11) M9202 backplane jumper
(12)&(13) MDP-3/M CDA boards (includes 4 AMD 2903 SuperSlice chips)
Pictures at: http://tinyurl.com/pdp1134a
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The system was apparently used for data logging and analysis in a windtunnel
application.
Questions:
1) Can anyone provide more info on the Computer Design Associates board
sets? Each of the board sets is comprised of two boards in adjoining slots
with ribbon cables across the board tops. I've emailed the researcher who
used this system in the early '80s but haven't heard back from him yet.
2) Are there PDP8 device interfaces for either the DSD430 or DSD880? The 430
emulates a pair of RX02's; the 880 emulates an RX02 + RL02 and is capable of
formatting floppy disks in stand-alone mode. From the bitsavers manuals, I
see that there is a PDP8 interface (DSD 2131) for the 210 and 440 chassis,
but it's not clear if there were similar interfaces for the other units or
if the 2131 will support the 430 chassis.
Thanks for any help,
Jack