🚀 go-pugleaf

mgcbo@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu (Charles B. Owen) writes:

>Questions:

>Is anyone else doing this, as just a hobby (not maintaining one for
>business use)?

  I have an 8/A that's currently in storage, although I used to
run it all the time before I ran out of room to keep it!  It has
two RK05s (an F and a J), RX02, TU56, 32K MOS (I also have a 16K
core board, but it takes up too much room in the backplane), and
a real VT52 for a console.

  I've also owned a few DECmates and one VT78, but I don't have
any at the moment.

  I also built a system once based on the IM6100 and 6102.  It had
8K RAM and a cassette tape (that's an _audio_ cassette, Kansas City
format!) interface.  I managed to get FOCAL running on it.

>How available is software that I would not have to pay DEC for?  Much PD
>available?  For obsolete hardware, it would almost make sense for DEC to
>give the stuff away.  

  There's an archive of some PDP-8 software at telebit.com.  Also,
OS/278 is available, with or without sources, from DECUS.  A few
other PDP-8 software packages are still available from DECUS.

  Other than that, DEC isn't giving any software away.  They've given
permission to reproduce hardware manuals that they no longer sell,
but as far as I know DEC's never given permission to distribute old
PDP-8 software.  I'm sure there's no value in holding on to it -
probably there's just nobody willing stick their neck out and say
"It's free!".

>Any problem maintaining these systems?  I am very good at electronics,
>so I can handle anything I can get parts for.  But, are there many
>custom parts that are difficult to obtain?  (particularly mechanical
>parts)  DEC still support?  (Reasonably) 

  The later machines, 8/I and after, use standard TTL parts.  The 8/A
had a few LSI chips, like UARTs, in it.  I've successfully replaced
chips on my RK8E controller and LP8E.  I still see PDP-8 components for
sale by some of the used DEC equipment resalers, but not nearly as much
as there was 10 years ago.  Used DECmates are still relatively easy
to buy from these places.

  I've no idea if DEC still sells replacement parts.  They'd probably
be much too expensive to be useful even if they did.

  Good luck.

Bob Armstrong
rla@netcom.com