PDP8/e programmers consoles

[Doug Ingraham]

On Mon, Mar 19, 2018 at 8:02 PM, Charles Dickman via cctalk <
cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:

> On Fri, Mar 16, 2018 at 9:59 PM, allison via cctalk
> <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
>
> >> Has anyone ever seen a PDP8/i style console for the PDP8/e? Looking at
> >> the way the PDP8/e console functions, it should be possible to time
> >> multiplex all the register to the data bus so they are all visible at
> >> once when the machine is halted.
> > No and can't!   The 8i (nor the 8L) was not omnibus.  The boards to make
>
> I know the 8/I panel won't work with an 8/e. My question was if there
> was a special seen in the wild that had all the register values like
> the 8/i did since the panel interface clearly supports it.
>

This would certainly be possible.  I discussed exactly this possibility a
few years
ago with a now departed friend.  We did a cursory search at the time and
didn't
turn up anything.  Of course there are lots of smart people out there who
do a lot
of clever things and never bother to tell the net.  My bet would be that
nobody
has wanted this enough to make their own omnibus front panel when there are
still real panels and machines readily available.

I guess you can be the first!  Best wishes.

-- 
Doug Ingraham
PDP-8 SN 1175