Vintage Computer PDP8S now up and running.

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Here is an update on the Digital Equipment PDP8S that was hidden in my museum warehouse for over 24 years.


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Lyle Bickley & his PDP8S

Lyle Bickley new owner of minicomputer PDP8S serial number 203 reports on 7/18/14.





Hi Dave,

I was chatting with Michael from the RICM and was about to ask him to
watch the video on your website of you finding and opening the box
containing the PDP-8/S you sold me. But I couldn't find it on your
website. - (Here is the link to video- & here is link about my visit to Lyle in California - Dave)

BTW: Since we last chatted my PDP-8/S has been up and running most of
the time. A couple of weeks ago, another transistor went out - and
memory began to fail. I found and replaced it - and now it's working
100% again. So far I've replaced a total of about 32 transistors and
over a dozen diodes.

I recently went through CPU and memory timings in great detail - and
now they meet all of DEC's specifications.

My 8/S passes all DEC diagnostics - and runs FOCAL w/o a hitch.

Bob build a cool I/O interface for the 8/S (and made one for me, too)
that emulates a TTY, high speed paper tape (partial), A->D, D->A and
incremental plotter. He does the hardware and I'm in the process of
modifying the drivers in FOCAL to support all of the above ;)

I hope all is well with you and Gaynell!

Cheers,
Lyle

David Larsen

Just great to have this PDP8S with Lyle and up to date running condition.

^{"by David Larsen"  KK4WW Computer Collector Historian}   
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Vintage PDP8S - Bob Rosenbloom has his new (50 year old) Digital Equipment Corporation minicomputer operational

Bob & David

Bugbooks

Great news - Bob Rosenbloom successfully restores his PDP8S minicomputer to working condition. This is the minicomputer from the "Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Museum".  We visited Bob just last week in Santa Cruz , California and he had started the process of restoring the PDP8S. He first removed every card , cleaned the card and contacts, then checked every transistor and diode. He did find a few transistors and diodes bad. This sure saved a lot of diagnostic time. See the video below for Bob's description of the restoration and operating PDP8S.                                                                                                                     
       Bob tells in his own words the the retro work on his PDP8S minicomputer    Send Message CLICK

Video of PDP8S restoration and  operational computer 'CLICK'

Lyle Bickley, PDP8S restored by Bob, Bob Rosenbloom & David Larsen

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Lyle Bickley & Bob Rosenbloom with Bob's analog
computer collection

Display area in Bob's computer corner - this is how he uses his airplane hanger. I don't know just where the airplane is but the computers are in here.

9 containers full of collectable computers and electronic memorabilia.

A look into one of the containers with many historical microcomputers.

 These are some big Redwood trees around Bob's home.

David Larsen

The visit to see Bob's collection was really interesting. He has a great collection of very interesting historical computers and other electronic equipment. He also lives next to a private air strip he uses with his airplane. The Redwood trees around his property are very large compared to our Pine and Firs trees here in Virginia. He lives in an interesting area of the Santa Cruz Mountains and we enjoyed the rural experience.
 ^{"by David Larsen"  KK4WW Computer Collector Historian}   
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Vintage Computer - A look at new home for the Bugbook Computer Museum's PDP8S minicomputer

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My wife and I arrived in California just fine and the first afternoon 10/23/13 had a really nice visit with Lyle Beckley . We had a wonderful Italian dinner at the end of the day. Great first day's visit. Today we will be meeting up with Bob Rosenbloom and will tour the Computer History Museum here in Mountain View. Gaynell and I are looking forward to seeing it again. Lyle will give us a guided of the museum. He has some of his computer collection at his home including the PDP8S from the "Bugbook Historical Computer Museum". Lyle  is working to bring it back to life as a functional computer. He has it starting to function but not really executing programs --

Good news - Lyle called me 11/08/13 and he now has his PDP8S fully functional.  Follow up email indicated continued work - replacing a few burned out panel lamps. Great work Lyle sure good to know the 50 year old system is now executing programs. 

Lyle Bickley & David Larsen

Some of Lyle's other Computers

PDP8S from our collection

Lyle running Spacewar! on his PDP8 E

Up date on PDP8S 7-18-14
Hi Dave,

I was chatting with Michael from the RICM and was about to ask him to
watch the video on your website of you finding and opening the box
containing the PDP-8/S you sold me. But I couldn't find it on your
website. - (Here is the link to video- Dave)

BTW: Since we last chatted my PDP-8/S has been up and running most of
the time. A couple of weeks ago, another transistor went out - and
memory began to fail. I found and replaced it - and now it's working
100% again. So far I've replaced a total of about 32 transistors and
over a dozen diodes.

I recently went through CPU and memory timings in great detail - and
now they meet all of DEC's specifications.

My 8/S passes all DEC diagnostics - and runs FOCAL w/o a hitch.

Bob build a cool I/O interface for the 8/S (and made one for me, too)
that emulates a TTY, high speed paper tape (partial), A->D, D->A and
incremental plotter. He does the hardware and I'm in the process of
modifying the drivers in FOCAL to support all of the above ;)

I hope all is well with you and Gaynell!

Cheers,
Lyle

David Larsen

^{"by David Larsen"  KK4WW Computer Collector Historian}   
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Computer History Museum - A planned visit to California to see Computer Collectors Bob Rosenbloom & Lyle Bickley + Museum

Computer History Museum

Bugbooks

My wife and I are planning a visit to California this month the 23rd of October to see our new friends and the Computer History Museum in Mt. View California.  We visited  the museum about 6 years ago however  I understand many changes

and wonderful improvements have been made since our last visit. We are really excited to be making this trip for many reasons.  Several of the minicomputers from our "Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Museum" have gone Bob Rosenbloom & Lyle Bickley & they are associated with the Museum. Lyle is one of the founding members of the Computer History Museum. He volunteered  to give Gaynell and I a personal tour of the museum.  Bob does volunteer restoration work there and will join us. You can see the computers from our collection that Lyle now has here 'CLICK' and Bob's are here "CLICK".
 

Bob Rosenbloom

Lyle Bickley

                          






                                         
It is always a pleasure for me to visit the area where my professional electronics career started in 1963. -WOW that was 50 years ago- I did engineering work for Raytheon, Varian , and Fairchild Semiconductor in the San Francisco Bay Area before my 31 years of teaching at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.  My son was born in Palo Alto (1963)  near the present Silicon Valley.  The Silicon Valley was just  beginning when I was there -- it was mostly orchards of Prune Trees.

David Larsen

I will be taking lots of pictures during our visit and making video's for the blog. I will posting on my at www.twitter.com/computerhobby and here on my computer blog.

  ^{"By David Larsen" KK4WW Computer Collector Historian}   
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PDP 8S Minicomputer discovered hidden in warehouse

Bugbooks

PDP8S

                           Computer Collector Lyle Bickley now has this computer in his collection.
I received this PDP8S minicomputer from a fellow collector in 1990 and it has remained unopened for all these years. Desiring to focus on the historical microcomputers  I have found new homes for most of my minicomputers. It was now time to open the box for the very first time. My friend Clement Pierre Lewis visiting from Dominica helped open the box and make the video. The computer and box weight about 100 lbs so it was a two person effort.  It was fun to open the box - sort of like early Christmas and I am very pleased with the condition of the computer.
A video  opening the box with PDP8S inside - This was fun

Here is the box PDP8S was in for the past 24 years.
The computer is about 50 years old so it was it has
been in this box for 1/2 of its existence. The wooden
box is rare these day so maybe I should keep it as
example of how it was shipped in the old days.

 The PDP8S computer is in good condition and
has interface cables to attach to a peripheral
device. Computer made by Digital Equipment 
Corporation.

 

Not room for one more card in the computer and it
appears to be in very good condition.

PDP8S MINI

The core memory stack consisting of
4k of 12 bit words.

The computer is self contained in a small cabinet
with built in power supplies.

David Larsen

You can see the actual unpacking for the first time in the video listed above the photo's. This was an interesting and fun experience and the computer is a real beauty.  I do not plan to power it up at this time however I would not be surprised if it worked ---- out of the box.
  ^{"By David Larsen" KK4WW Computer Collector Historian}   
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Vintage Computers- PDP8s & PDP8 Minicomputers have a new home with Bob Rosenbloom

LR Bob & Dave

Bob Rosenbloom came in early this morning by plane from Santa Cruz, California and arrived  at the "Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Museum" warehouse ready to load up by 10:30 AM. Our loading crew arrived about 10 minutes later. Bob's rented truck was loaded with the PDP8S, PDP8 minicomputer and the Systron Donner Analog Computer in about 1 hour - the loading really went smoothly as the Analog computer weighs in at 800 pounds - we used a forklift to get this on the truck. Bob also loaded an ASR33 Teletype for the PDP computers.   The PDP8S was rather small and light weight - it went into the  passenger seat of the truck for a cushy ride to California.
Bob was treated to a Virginia Lunch at our house by my wife Gaynell. Bob and I then did a 2 hour tour of our area that included the "Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Museum" and our "Chantilly Festival Farm" . It was about 3:30 PM however for Bob's California time it was only 12:30 and he took to the road to get a good start on his 2700 mile journey to Sana Cruz, CA.

Update - My wife and I visited Bob Rosenbloom and Lyle Beckley - in October 2013 after they had purchased computers from  our collection - great visit we  also visited the Computer History Museum while in CA.

   Bob arrived today and here is a few words about the journey in his own words, 8-9-13

                          Video of Bob's visit in his words

 The Systron Donner Analog computer weighs 800 pounds - a forklift was need to get this on the truck.

 Easy fellows, this is important cargo.

 On the truck - easy with the right equipment.

Analog Computer strapped down for the 2700 mile journey.  Loading crew Nate, Bob and Jason.

Dave - curator of the "Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Museum" inspecting the passenger, the PDP8S.



More to be added to this blog - I need some sleep now.


 Here is a look at some of Bob's Vintage Computers.


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WOW it was great to load these computers for a new home and  Bob is sure excited to have them for his collection. Bob really likes the vintage minicomputers and other large antique computer memorabilia.  I like all this also however I am working more with the historical Microcomputers. All of our staff are delighted to see these computers go to a new home where they will be treated very special.
"By David Larsen" KK4WW Computer Collector Historian.

Bob Rosenbloom is heading to Virginia for vintage PDP computers for his Collection

A PDP8, PDP8S and Systron Donner model 80 Analog Computer will be leaving the 'Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Museum' collection for new home this weekend.  Vintage computer collector Bob Rosenbloom is arriving tomorrow on a Red Eye flight.  Bob will be taking these additions to his collection home in a rented truck. This is a long drive to his home in California however Bob feels more confident in personally picking up the computers then trusting a commercial shipper.  I will post more on this adventure for Bob and I as we pack the computers in this rented truck and he is off to California.


Just received email Bob is on the plane and we expect him here in  Floyd VA about 10AM today. 
WOW good timing he arrived today at 10:30AM - see next blog for more.

Bob and some of his collection

 Here is a look at some of Bob's Vintage Computers.




"By David Larsen" KK4WW Computer Collector