PDP-8 - Revision history

Jnc: /* External links */ +one from Paul Allen's collection at the LCM

2025-04-23T21:54:37Z

‎External links: +one from Paul Allen's collection at the LCM

Jnc: Make the image smaller

2024-02-08T16:28:55Z

Make the image smaller

Larsbrinkhoff: 12-bit cat.

2023-07-11T11:44:52Z

12-bit cat.

Jnc: +implementation details

2022-04-19T14:25:33Z

+implementation details

Jnc: +links, Ext links

2021-05-16T16:27:45Z

+links, Ext links

Jnc: Give basic clock

2019-08-25T11:57:13Z

Give basic clock

Jnc: correct cycle time

2019-08-23T14:52:48Z

correct cycle time

Nczempin: fpund good sources (primarily maintenance manual) that clarifies this

2019-08-19T21:24:22Z

fpund good sources (primarily maintenance manual) that clarifies this

Nczempin: for the 2 MHz clock, see "Computer Structures: Readings and Examples", page 120: "A PDP-S/S is one-fifteenth of a PDP-8 at one-half the cost. ...even though the same 2-megahertz logic clock is used in both cases."

2019-08-18T17:32:06Z

for the 2 MHz clock, see "Computer Structures: Readings and Examples", page 120: "A PDP-S/S is one-fifteenth of a PDP-8 at one-half the cost. ...even though the same 2-megahertz logic clock is used in both cases."

Nczempin: k is small

2019-08-18T16:26:35Z

k is small

@@ Line 64: / Line 64: @@
 * [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp8/pdp8 PDP-8] - Original PDP-8 documents at Bitsavers
 * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Plq-D1gEk Inventing Game of Life - Numberphile] - PDP-8 screen running J.H. Conways game of life
 {{Nav PDP-8}}

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 | name = PDP-8
 | image = PDP-8.jpg
 | caption = An original, transistorized PDP-8
 | manufacturer = [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]]
@@ Line 31: / Line 32: @@
 -->
 }}
 The '''PDP-8''' (now often known as a '''Straight 8'''; the name dates from the late 60's, apparently adopted to allow disambiguation), the first model of the [[PDP-8 family]], was [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]]'s major breakthrough, and now considered the first really successful [[minicomputer]]. It was, by a significant amount, the cheapest computer yet made at the time.

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:44, 11 July 2023
Line 69:		Line 69:
	[[Category: PDP-8s]]		[[Category: PDP-8s]]
	[[Category: DEC Systems]]		[[Category: DEC Systems]]
		+	[[Category: 12-bit Computers]]

@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 The '''PDP-8''' (now often known as a '''Straight 8'''; the name dates from the late 60's, apparently adopted to allow disambiguation), the first model of the [[PDP-8 family]], was [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]]'s major breakthrough, and now considered the first really successful [[minicomputer]]. It was, by a significant amount, the cheapest computer yet made at the time.
-The PDP-8 was constructed with discrete [[transistor]]s, packaged into DEC's [[FLIP CHIP]] technology. It could perform an addition to the [[accumulator]] in 3.0 μseconds, and a 12 by 12 bit multiplication with 24 bit result in 15 μseconds (average; range 9 to 21), using the optional math extension hardware (below).
+The PDP-8 was constructed with discrete [[transistor]]s, packaged into DEC's [[FLIP CHIP]] technology; mostly R- and S-series, in [[DEC card form factor|standard-length single-height]] (width) format, with a few dual-height.
 ==Options==
@@ Line 60: / Line 62: @@
 ==External links==
-* [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp8/pdp8 PDP-8] - Original PDP-8 documents
+* [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp8/pdp8 PDP-8] - Original PDP-8 documents at Bitsavers
 * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Plq-D1gEk Inventing Game of Life - Numberphile] - PDP-8 screen running J.H. Conways game of life

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 | year discontinued = 1969
 | architecture = [[PDP-8 architecture|PDP-8]]
-| physical address = 32k words (requires optional Type 183)
+| physical address = 32k words (requires optional Type 183 Memory Extension)
 | virtual address = 4k words
 | design type = [[clock]]ed random [[logic]]
@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 Options included:
-* Type 183 Memory Extension Control, which was needed to support more than 4k [[word]]s of memory
+* Type 183 Memory Extension Control, [[bank switching]] needed to support more than 4K [[word]]s of memory
-* Type 184 Memory Module
+* Type 184 4KW Memory Module (up to 7)
 * Type 188 Memory Parity
-* Type 182 Extended Arithmetic Element, which supported [[hardware]] integer multiplication and division, multi-[[bit]] double-word shifts, and [[normalization]]
+* Type 182 [[Extended Arithmetic Element]], which supported [[hardware]] integer multiplication and division, multi-[[bit]] double-word shifts, and [[normalization]]
 == Operating Systems ==
-The PDP-8 could run various operating systems including:
+The PDP-8 could run various [[operating system]]s including:
 *[[OS/8]]
 *[[TSS/8]]
@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
 *[[SIMH]]
-== Application software/Simulation software ==
+==External links==
-Mention in this video regarding a PDP-8 screen running J.H. Conways game of life:
+* [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp8/pdp8 PDP-8] - Original PDP-8 documents
+* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Plq-D1gEk Inventing Game of Life - Numberphile] - PDP-8 screen running J.H. Conways game of life
 {{Nav PDP-8}}

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 | virtual address = 4k words
 | design type = [[clock]]ed random [[logic]]
-| clock speed = 1.33 MHz
+| cycle time = 1.5 μseconds
 | memory speed = 1.5 μseconds
 | memory mgmt = bank select