Difference between revisions of "PDP-8"

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The '''PDP-8''' was [[Digital Equipment Corporation|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 [[transistor]]s, packaged into DEC's [[FLIP CHIP]] technology.
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The '''PDP-8''' was [[Digital Equipment Corporation|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.  
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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).
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==Options==
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Options included:
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* Type 183 Memory Extension Control, which was needed to support more than 4K [[word]]s of memory
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* Type 184 Memory Module
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* Type 188 Memory Parity
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* Type 182 Extended Arithmetic Element, which supported [[hardware]] integer multiplication and division, multi-[[bit]] double-word shifts, and [[normalization]]
  
 
== Operating Systems ==
 
== Operating Systems ==

Revision as of 03:48, 5 September 2018

This article is about the first PDP-8, which had that name. For information about PDP-8's in general, see PDP-8 family.


PDP-8
PDP-8.jpg
An original, transistorized PDP-8
Manufacturer: DEC
Architecture: PDP-8
Year Introduced: 1965
Year Discontinued: 1969
Form Factor: minicomputer
Word Size: 12 bits
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: