Difference between revisions of "PDP-8"
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| − | ''This article is about the first PDP-8, which had that name. For information about PDP-8's in general, see [[PDP-8 family]].'' | + | ''This article is about the first PDP-8, which had that name without a model suffix. For information about PDP-8's in general, see [[PDP-8 family]].'' | 
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| | memory mgmt = bank select | | memory mgmt = bank select | ||
| + | | logic type = [[diode transistor logic|DTL]] | ||
| | bus arch = Negative I/O Bus | | bus arch = Negative I/O Bus | ||
| | predecessor = [[PDP-5]] | | predecessor = [[PDP-5]] | ||
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| | operating system    = | | operating system    = | ||
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Revision as of 02:55, 5 September 2018
This article is about the first PDP-8, which had that name without a model suffix. For information about PDP-8's in general, see PDP-8 family.
| PDP-8 | |
|  An original, transistorized PDP-8 | |
| Manufacturer: | DEC | 
|---|---|
| Architecture: | PDP-8 | 
| Year Introduced: | 1965 | 
| Year Discontinued: | 1969 | 
| Form Factor: | minicomputer | 
| Word Size: | 12 bits | 
| Logic Type: | DTL | 
| Design Type: | clocked random logic | 
| Clock Speed: | 333KHz | 
| Memory Speed: | 1.5 μseconds | 
| Physical Address Size: | 32KW (requires optional Type 183) | 
| Virtual Address Size: | 4KW | 
| Memory Management: | bank select | 
| Bus Architecture: | Negative I/O Bus | 
| Predecessor(s): | PDP-5 | 
| Successor(s): | PDP-8/I | 
| Price: | US$18,500 | 
The PDP-8 was DEC's major breakthrough, and now considered the first successful minicomputer. It was, by a significant amount, the cheapest computer yet made at the time. 
The PDP-8 was constructed with discrete transistors, 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).
Options
Options included:
- Type 183 Memory Extension Control, which was needed to support more than 4K words of memory
- Type 184 Memory Module
- Type 188 Memory Parity
- 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:
Emulators
There are various emulators for PDP-8 systems including:
| v • d • e PDP-8 Computers, Software and Peripherals | 
|---|
| PDP-8s: PDP-5 • PDP-8 • LINC-8 • PDP-8/S • PDP-8/I • PDP-8/L • PDP-12 • PDP-8/E • PDP-8/F • PDP-8/M • PDP-8/A Workstations: VT78 Also: PDP-8 family • PDP-8 architecture • PDP-8 Memory Extension units | 

