KIM Uno /PiDP-11 plans...

[Dave G4UGM]

I think that the switches can be found, but they might be expensive. I have
a few that I used on recent project. 
What I found hard was obtaining centre off switches as it appear from this
picture:-

http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/showthread.php?46651-hi-PDP-11-45-fo
und-at-Attic-What-is-this

that PDP-11 Switches may be flipped up or down, or is that not true?

I believe they were made by C&K who are still in business. I wonder if it is
worth approaching them.

The double pole version appears to be still "stocked", I see Farnell  has
some in the UK

http://cpc.farnell.com/c-k-components/7203j50-zqe/switch-body-ctr-off/dp/SW0
4163

http://www.newark.com/c-k-components/7203j50-zqe/switch-body-ctr-off/dp/99K0
440?ost=7203J50&categoryId=&categoryName=

but they are a tad expensive in the US....

.. still working out how to build a front panel for his SBC6120 as FPC6120
kits are even more un-obtainium than the switches....

Dave Wade
G4UGM



> -----Original Message-----
> From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Noel
> Chiappa
> Sent: 23 October 2015 12:49
> To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
> Cc: jnc at mercury.lcs.mit.edu
> Subject: Re: KIM Uno /PiDP-11 plans...
> 
>     > From: Alexandre Souza
> 
>     > Easily done if I had the original part on hand
> 
> We have plenty of the original bezels, from which it would be easy to cast
> molds (the same part is used on the 11/45 and 11/70, unlike the rest of
the
> front console).
> 
> The real issue in any front panel recreation is going to be the switches
(not
> the plastic toggles, the actual electrical device). Both the /45 and /70
used the
> now-apparently-unobtainium version with the intergral metal plate to hold
> the switch in place in a metal holder plate. So a recreation front panel
is going
> to have to have some new mechanical design, to allow use of standard
> micro-switches - and that's probably going to mean a re-design of the
plastic
> toggles, as those attached to side-plates on the original toggle switches.
> 
> (That's all a bit difficult to describe in words; a picture will make it
obvious, if
> anyone wants to know more.)
> 
> I wonder how big an order of switches would be required before some
> switch-making firm could be convinced to do a run? Maybe whoever made
> the 'back in the day' still has the tooling to do so gathering dust in an
old
> room....
> 
> 
>     > From: David C. Jenner
> 
>     > How about making a version for a REAL PDP-11/70 front panel, and one
>     > for a REAL PDP-11/45 front panel, for those of us who have such
stashed
>     > away waiting for the right simulator to come along...
> 
> To do that is going to require exactly emulating the interface to the CPU,
> which is not going to be entirely trivial. Physically, the signals all
come over
> flat ribbon cables to standard Berg connectors, so that won't be hard, but
I
> doubt the interface is documented, someone will have to puzzle it out by
> reading prints - and probably looking at a working one with a logic
analyzer.
> 
> Also, powering the front console requires an unusual AMP connector shell,
> although that may still be available? And of course one could always bodge
> the power connection...
> 
> 	Noel