DEC indicator panel - Revision history

Jnc: Add image of one in an H960 cabinet

2024-01-05T18:33:02Z

Add image of one in an H960 cabinet

Jnc: +DX11 panel image

2024-01-03T16:10:56Z

+DX11 panel image

Jnc: /* See also */ +Front panel

2024-01-03T15:56:24Z

‎See also: +Front panel

Jnc: /* External links */ +page numbers in the FMPS

2024-01-03T15:52:36Z

‎External links: +page numbers in the FMPS

Jnc: /* External links */ + images of internal

2023-05-16T14:52:15Z

‎External links: + images of internal

Jnc: not mech

2022-06-15T23:16:11Z

not mech

Jnc: list PDP-11 ones

2021-12-11T13:34:26Z

list PDP-11 ones

Jnc: fiix link

2021-01-09T19:48:01Z

fiix link

Jnc: +cat

2020-12-02T04:56:21Z

+cat

Jnc: fix link

2019-11-22T21:07:09Z

fix link

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Image:DX11IndicatorPanel.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Indicator panel from a [[DX11-B System 360/370 Channel to PDP-11 Unibus Interface|DX11]]]]
+[[Image:RF11indicator.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[RF11 disk controller|RF11]] indicator panel mounted, as usual, at the top of an [[H960 rack|H960 cabinet]]]]
 '''Indicator panels''', containing arrays of lights which provided information about the internal state of the machine, were provided by [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]] for their earlier computers (such as the [[KA10]]), in common with the other computers of the day. Not only the [[Central Processing Unit|CPU]] had such lights; other devices such as [[disk]] [[device controller|controllers]] also had their own indicator panels.
@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Details==
 PDP-10 devices which used a 19 inch rack, along with the few types of PDP-10 [[main memory]] which came in such racks, used a standard indicator panel. The panel provided 4 rows of 36 lights each (although not all were used; unused lights were simply not wired up). Only the inlay was customized to the particular device.

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:10, 3 January 2024
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		+	[[Image:DX11IndicatorPanel.jpg\|thumb\|right\|300px\|Indicator panel from a [[DX11-B System 360/370 Channel to PDP-11 Unibus Interface\|DX11]]]]
		+
	'''Indicator panels''', containing arrays of lights which provided information about the internal state of the machine, were provided by [[Digital Equipment Corporation\|DEC]] for their earlier computers (such as the [[KA10]]), in common with the other computers of the day. Not only the [[Central Processing Unit\|CPU]] had such lights; other devices such as [[disk]] [[device controller\|controllers]] also had their own indicator panels.		'''Indicator panels''', containing arrays of lights which provided information about the internal state of the machine, were provided by [[Digital Equipment Corporation\|DEC]] for their earlier computers (such as the [[KA10]]), in common with the other computers of the day. Not only the [[Central Processing Unit\|CPU]] had such lights; other devices such as [[disk]] [[device controller\|controllers]] also had their own indicator panels.

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:56, 3 January 2024
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	Limited engineering drawings (they do not include the full mechanical drawings) for this indicator panel are included in the RF11 Engineering Drawings set; the indicator panel is shown on pp. 186-190. Of particular interest are the parts lists, which include all the inlays extant as of the date of the drawings (10/1972).		Limited engineering drawings (they do not include the full mechanical drawings) for this indicator panel are included in the RF11 Engineering Drawings set; the indicator panel is shown on pp. 186-190. Of particular interest are the parts lists, which include all the inlays extant as of the date of the drawings (10/1972).
		+
		+	==See also==
		+
		+	* [[Front panel]]

	==External links==		==External links==

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 ==External links==
-* [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/unibus/RF11_EngrDrws_Oct70.pdf RF11/RS11 DECdisk system engineering drawings] - Contains the engineering drawings
+* [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/unibus/RF11_EngrDrws_Oct70.pdf RF11/RS11 DECdisk system engineering drawings] - contains the engineering drawings for the indicator panel (on pp. 186-190 of the PDF)
 * [http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/DECIndicatorPanels.html Digital Equipment Corporation Indicator Panels] - Includes images of many of the panels
 * [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/unibus/5408458_ind_panel/back.jpg Image of back] - includes mounting hardware

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 * [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/unibus/RF11_EngrDrws_Oct70.pdf RF11/RS11 DECdisk system engineering drawings] - Contains the engineering drawings
 * [http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/DECIndicatorPanels.html Digital Equipment Corporation Indicator Panels] - Includes images of many of the panels
 [[Category: Digital Equipment Corporation]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:16, 15 June 2022
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	[[Category: Digital Equipment Corporation]]		[[Category: Digital Equipment Corporation]]
−	~~[[Category: DEC Hardware]]~~

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-The earlier computers from [[Digital Equipment Corporation]], such as the [[KA10]], in common with the other computers of the day, included many so-called '''indicator panels''', containing arrays of lights which provided information about the internal state of the machine. Not only the [[CPU]] had such lights; other devices such as [[disk]] [[device controller|controllers]] also had their own indicator panels.
+'''Indicator panels''', containing arrays of lights which provided information about the internal state of the machine, were provided by [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]] for their earlier computers (such as the [[KA10]]), in common with the other computers of the day. Not only the [[Central Processing Unit|CPU]] had such lights; other devices such as [[disk]] [[device controller|controllers]] also had their own indicator panels.
 This tradition lasted through the early models of the [[PDP-8 family|PDP-8]] and [[PDP-11]], although the PDP-11 CPU light displays were modest compared to earlier CPUs. The earliest PDP-11 disk controllers were very much a match for the earlier machines, though, and included indicator panels which displayed a great deal of information.
-Alas, the cost of such displays was high, and they were dropped from later controllers. This was a significant loss; in addition to helping with debugging (both hardware and software issues), they gave an extensive insight into how the machine was operating.
+Alas, the cost of such displays was high, and they were dropped from later controllers. (The only PDP-11 controllers with indicator panels were the [[RF11 disk controller|RF11]], the [[RP11 disk controller|RP11]], and the [[DX11-B System 360/370 Channel to PDP-11 Unibus Interface|DX11]]; the [[RK11-C disk controller|RK11-C]] was wired for one, but DEC never even produced the 'inlay' - a clear plastic panel, with black paint with holes for the lights on the back, and white caption lettering on the front - for it. This was likely connected to the fact that these controllers were the only ones built out of a large number of small [[FLIP CHIP]]s in a large custom [[backplane]].) This was a significant loss; in addition to helping with debugging (both hardware and software issues), they gave an extensive insight into how the machine was operating.
 ==Details==
-PDP-10 devices which used a 19 inch rack, along with the few types of PDP-10 [[main memory]] which came in such racks, used a standard indicator panel. The panel provided 4 rows of 36 lights each (although not all were used; unused lights were simply not wired up). Only the 'inlay' (a clear plastic panel, with black paint with holes for the lights, and white caption lettering on the front) was customized to the particular device.
+PDP-10 devices which used a 19 inch rack, along with the few types of PDP-10 [[main memory]] which came in such racks, used a standard indicator panel. The panel provided 4 rows of 36 lights each (although not all were used; unused lights were simply not wired up). Only the inlay was customized to the particular device.
-The PDP-8 and PDP-11, although not 36-bit machines, also used the same indicator panel, but in general did not include any 36-bit fields. (The exception is the [[RP11 disk controller|RP11]], which was able to read packs written on a PDP-10, and thus included a 36-bit shift register, which was displayed on the RP11-C panel.)
+The PDP-8 and PDP-11, although not 36-bit machines, also used the same indicator panel, but in general did not include any 36-bit fields. (The exception is the RP11, which was able to read packs written on a PDP-10, and thus included a 36-bit shift register, which was displayed on the RP11-C panel.)
 The 18-bit [[PDP-15]] also used this indicator panel.
@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 The two groups differed in the white bezel; in the PDP-10's, the bezel is metal, and goes over the inlay; in the PDP-11's, the bezel is plastic, and the inlay is laid into the bezel.
-Limited engineering drawings (they do not include the full mechanical drawings) for this indicator panel are included in the [[RF11]] Engineering Drawings set; the indicator panel is shown on pp. 186-190. Of particular interest are the parts lists, which include all the inlays extant as of the date of the drawings (10/1972).
+Limited engineering drawings (they do not include the full mechanical drawings) for this indicator panel are included in the RF11 Engineering Drawings set; the indicator panel is shown on pp. 186-190. Of particular interest are the parts lists, which include all the inlays extant as of the date of the drawings (10/1972).
 ==External links==
 * [http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/DECIndicatorPanels.html Digital Equipment Corporation Indicator Panels] - Includes images of many of the panels
 [[Category: Digital Equipment Corporation]]
 [[Category: DEC Hardware]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:48, 9 January 2021
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	The earlier computers from [[Digital Equipment Corporation]], such as the [[KA10]], in common with the other computers of the day, included many so-called '''indicator panels''', containing arrays of lights which provided information about the internal state of the machine. Not only the [[CPU]] had such lights; other devices such as [[disk controller]]s also had their own indicator panels.	+	The earlier computers from [[Digital Equipment Corporation]], such as the [[KA10]], in common with the other computers of the day, included many so-called '''indicator panels''', containing arrays of lights which provided information about the internal state of the machine. Not only the [[CPU]] had such lights; other devices such as [[disk]] [[device controller\|controllers]] also had their own indicator panels.

	This tradition lasted through the early models of the [[PDP-8 family\|PDP-8]] and [[PDP-11]], although the PDP-11 CPU light displays were modest compared to earlier CPUs. The earliest PDP-11 disk controllers were very much a match for the earlier machines, though, and included indicator panels which displayed a great deal of information.		This tradition lasted through the early models of the [[PDP-8 family\|PDP-8]] and [[PDP-11]], although the PDP-11 CPU light displays were modest compared to earlier CPUs. The earliest PDP-11 disk controllers were very much a match for the earlier machines, though, and included indicator panels which displayed a great deal of information.

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:56, 2 December 2020
Line 21:		Line 21:
	* [http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/DECIndicatorPanels.html Digital Equipment Corporation Indicator Panels] - Includes images of many of the panels		* [http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/DECIndicatorPanels.html Digital Equipment Corporation Indicator Panels] - Includes images of many of the panels

		+	[[Category: Digital Equipment Corporation]]
	[[Category: DEC Hardware]]		[[Category: DEC Hardware]]