RP11 disk controller

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The RP11 disk controller for the UNIBUS is for the earlier RP multi-platter moving-head magnetic disk drives (RP02-RP03). (The later RP04 and RP06 drives are un-related - they include integral controllers, and connect to the MASSBUS.)

The only version of the RP11 is the RP11-C. Like many of the earlier large peripheral controllers for the PDP-11, the RP11-C was a large custom wire-wrapped backplane which bolted into the front of a 19 inch rack, such as an H960; into it plugged about 40 small M-Series FLIP CHIPs.

The backplane was wired for connection to a standard DEC indictor panel, which came standard with an RP11-C, mounted in the top of the rack the RP11-C backplane was mounted in.


Device registers

Register Abbreviation Address
Device Status Register RPDS 776710
Error Register RPER 776712
Control Status Register RPCS 776714
Word Count Register RPWC 776716
Bus Address Register RPBA 776720
Cylinder Address Register RPCA 776722
Disk Address Register RPDA 776724
Maintenance 1 Register RPM1 776726
Maintenance 2 Register RPM2 776730
Maintenance 3 Register RPM3 776732
Selected Unit Cylinder Address SUCA 776734
Silo Memory SILO 776736