PDP-8 family

The PDP-8 family was a range of 12-bit minicomputers produced by DEC.

Models

Model Name	Introduced	Discontinued	Cost	Implementation	Notes
PDP-5	1963	1967	???	Transistor System Modules	Effectively, the prototype
PDP-8	1965	1969	$18,500	Transistor FLIP CHIPs
LINC-8	1966	1969	???	Transistor FLIP CHIPs
PDP-8/S	1967	1970	$10,000	Transistor FLIP CHIPs	Serial, unbelievably slow
PDP-8/I	1968	1971	???	TTL FLIP CHIPs
PDP-8/L	1968	1971	???	TTL FLIP CHIPs	Stripped down PDP-8/I
LAB-8	1968
PDP-12	1969	???	???	TTL FLIP CHIPs	New version of LINC-8
PDP-8/E	1970	1978	???	quad PCBs	First OMNIBUS
PDP-8/F	1972	???	???	quad PCBs	Smaller PDP-8/E
PDP-8/M	1972	???	???	quad PCBs	OEM PDP-8/F
PDP-8/A	1975	???	???	single hex PCB
VT78	1978	1980	???	Intersil 6100	Desktop
DECmate I	1980	1984	???	Harris 6120	Desktop
DECmate II	1982	1986	???	Harris 6120	Desktop
DECmate III	1984	1990	???	Harris 6120	Desktop
DECmate III+	1985	1990	???	Harris 6120	Desktop

as well as two microprocessor implementations:

• Fabri-Tek MP12
• Intersil 6100 used in the VT78
• Harris 6120, used in the DECmate systems

Architecture

See PDP-8 architecture

Operating Systems

• OS/8
• TSS/8
• RTS/8

See also

• PDP-8 Memory Extension units‎‎

External links

• PDP-8 - Original PDP-8 documents at Bitsavers
• PDP-8 reference card (images in TAR file)
• C. Gordon Bell and John E. McNamara, The PDP-8 and Other 12-Bit Computers, in C. Gordon Bell, J. Craig Mudge, John. E. McNamara, Computer Engineering: A DEC View of Hardware Systems Design, Digital Press, Bedford, 1978
• Online PDP-8 Home Page - David Gesswein's PDP-8 site
  • PDP-8 Document Search Results
• Highgate's PDP-8 Page
• PDP-8 Models and Options - Douglas Jones' PDP-8 site
• The PDP-8 - "The first ‘personal’ computer for engineers and scientists ushered in the minicomputer era", John Voelker, IEEE Spectrum
• "Rhode Island Computer Museum: Digital Equipment PDP-8/S, S/N 517" - "The PDP-8/S ... was designed by Saul P. Dinman and was the first CPU to cost less than $10,000. It ... does not contain any integrated circuits. Just the processor contains 1001 transistors."
• "A relay PDP-8 ?" is a paper design by Joe Allen for a 227-relay computer implementation that executes the PDP-8 instruction set.