PDP11/10 Vintage Minicomputer in Bugbook Historical Micrcomputer Museum

Our museum has only one minicomputer - (PDP11/10)   on display. We think it is a good idea to have a minicomputer to make comparisons with the microcomputers.  This PDP11 was  made

PDP11 computer

info click

in 1971 and cost about as much as a small house. It is easy to see why not many people could afford to purchase a minicomputer for home use. When the first microcomputers became available they were instantly in demand. The Altair 8800 first microcomputer kit made possible home computing  in January of 1975. The Altair 8800 sold for $395 however it was very limited in capability without a lot of skilled work and additions to the computer. The Altair was designed by Ed Roberts. Ed thought he could sell 500 computers however I understand he had 4000 orders the first several months. We are fortunate to have one of the very first Altair 8800's in our collection -- Serial Number 23.



 The PDP 11/10 in the Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Museum by David Larsen


Click photo to enlarge

PDP11 and David Larsen, Curator with PDP11

Digital Epuipment Corporation (DEC) made mincomputer from 1960 to about 1990. Microcomputers put DEC out of business with very good low cost computing. The first PDP computer was a PDP1 in 1960. Only about 3 of these computers still survive. The Computer History Museum in Mt. View, California has a restored PDP1 restored and in nice working condition.

PDP11/10 minicomputer

Many versions of the PDP11 were made and about 600,000 were sold during its 20 year lifetime.

The core memory is nonvolatile and does not lose its memory when powered off for the day. This module has very tiny cores -probably  16k words of 16 bits each.




Magnetic core memory module PDP11/10

Click this link for a verbal description.The PDP 11/10 

David Larsen

.^{"by David Larsen"  KK4WW Computer Collector Historian}   
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Museum Visitors from Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Club K4KDJ

Bugbooks

Very interested visitors at the "Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Museum" from the Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Club on Friday. The group arrived at 5:30 and we talked and looked at historical microcomputers until 9:30 - just a great time sharing my stories during the start up days of microcomputers..

The following is from the Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Club web site

           VTARA Visits Computer Museum, N4USA in Floyd, VA

Nathaniel Frissell gives his reaction to the visit to the Museum.

Submitted by W2NAF on Sat, 05/03/2014 - 02:14

On Friday, May 2, 2014, members of the Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Association went to Floyd, VA to visit the Bugbook Microcomputer Museum and the N4USA amateur radio station.  The Bugbook Computer Museum is owned and curated by Dave (KK4WW) and Gaynell (KK4WWW) Larsen.  Dave, retired from Virginia Tech, has been collecting computers for over forty years.  While at Virginia Tech, he used microcomputers to transform data collection techniques in the chemistry department.  He also was part of a team that authored an edited a series of books about computing and electronics known as Bugbooks.

The museum has quite an extensive collection, with a major emphasis on very early microcomputers.  These include early kit computers, an Altair 8800 and 680, an Apple II and Lisa, TRS-80s, Commodores, and many others.  The museum also has a variety of amateur radio equipment on display, including radios made by Heathkit, Hallicrafters, Kenwood, and Drake.  There is also a collection of Soviet radios and telegraph equipment. Many videos and additional information regarding the collection can be found at the museum’s web site, http://www.microcomputermuseum.com.

Dave and Gaynell also direct the Foundation for Amateur International Radio Services, or FAIRS.  This is a non-profit organization which supports amateur radio emergency services, provides equipment, funds, and training to amateurs and governments in less fortunate countries, and provides many additional forms of support to various areas in need.  FAIRS headquarters and primary radio station, N4USA, is also located at the computer museum.  More information regarding FAIRS may be found at http://www.fairs.org.  

The VTARA members who attended were Shyam Nambiar, KK4ORE, Andy Amrheim, KB3WPR, Adam Oliphante, KK4UDB, Ben Williams, KK4EWT, and Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF.  While at the museum VTARA member Nathaniel made contact with University of Missouri student Phil Gresham, KD5IPH on 20 m.

You can see more photos of the trip here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsjXdERLJ

                                                                                       Click on photo to enlarge 

Here is the K4KDJ VT Ham Radio Club Card.

This was the most enthusiastic group to visit the museum in a long time. It looks like they will be the ones to send more students to visit us here in Floyd. 
 ^{"by David Larsen"  KK4WW Computer Collector Historian}     Send Message    Like us on Facebook  My Blog about hometown Floyd VA