Unknown Intel blinkenlight panel circa 1973

[Joshua Rice]

PDP-10 was 36-bit. You’re thinking of the PDP-1, 4, 7, 9 and 15 line of computers. 

However, it’s not actually 18-bit, but 2 8-bit bytes with parity for each byte. If it is indeed an early Intel memory addon for minicomputers, i’d expect it to be for the 16-bit DG Nova or PDP-11 line of machines.

> On Jun 15, 2020, at 10:09 AM, Dave Wade via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: cctalk <cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org <mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org>> On Behalf Of Chuck Guzis via
>> cctalk
>> Sent: 15 June 2020 06:33
>> To: dwight via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org <mailto:cctalk at classiccmp.org>>
>> Subject: Re: Unknown Intel blinkenlight panel circa 1973
>> 
>> On 6/14/20 8:41 PM, dwight via cctalk wrote:
>>> I can see why I was having problems. The picture was upside down. It
>>> looked like Spanish or something. Do remember that Intel's claim to
>>> fame wasn't just micro processor. They were one of the first to do MOS
>>> RAMs for big machines. They were more into solid state memory systems
>>> than uPs, until after the 8080. It clearly isn't for some
>>> 4004 or 8008. It was likely monitoring some RAM for some mini.
>> 
>> Intel Memory Systems Division was largely responsible for saving Intel's
>> bacon in the early 1970s.  The MPU business with the 8008 and  4004 wasn't
> a
>> moneymaker initially.
>> 
>> However, selling DRAM assemblies for various minis (e.g. DG and DEC) as
>> well as S/370 add-on memory amounted to a large portion of their early
>> sales.   IMSD was on the far end of Mathilda in Sunnyvale.
>> 
> 
> I found this ad here:-
> 
> https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=9Ih5WQ-muXEC&pg=PT1&lpg=PT1&dq=ibm/370+t <https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=9Ih5WQ-muXEC&pg=PT1&lpg=PT1&dq=ibm/370+t>
> hird+party+memory+intel
> 
> I think if we could read the legends on the front we might get a better idea
> of what system it was for...
> ... looks like 18-bits so something in the pdp-10 line?
> 
> Dave
> 
> 
>> Have a look at section 7 here:
>> 
>> https://johncargin.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/intel-catalog-1973.pdf <https://johncargin.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/intel-catalog-1973.pdf>
>> 
>> --Chuck