PDP8/e programmers consoles

[allison]

On 03/21/2018 10:04 PM, Charles Dickman via cctalk wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 20, 2018 at 11:27 AM, Doug Ingraham via cctalk
> <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
>> 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?
>>> 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.
> Not sure I want to go there...
>
> If you have ever looked at the DEC part number listing on bitsaver's
> you will be amazed at all the specials that were done. And that was
> what I was really interested in. Did DEC ever make a fancy panel that
> displayed all the registers? The original designer had it in mind
> since he displays a selected register at runtime during TS1 and when
> the processor is stopped since that is TS1.
>
There were versions for Telco, Power, and other industries never minding
the typeset 8s.
A few were done by CSSS (customer services special systems) for military
and other
more unique specialized systems.

>> --
>> Doug Ingraham
>> PDP-8 SN 1175
> Charles Dickman
> PDP-8/e SN 2630

Can a panel that displays everything like a 8I be built, yes.  Keep in
mind there
will be at least  55-58 lamps/leds and drivers.   The circuit is simple
though
repetitive to the max.  More of a mechanical pain than electronic.  It
would
likely not fit the existing panel space.


Allison Parent
PDP-8F SN 01030