Computer History Museum - David and Gaynell Larsen Visit Silicon Valley & Museums

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Computer History Museum   

My wife and I made a tour out West in October 2013 to visit our  computer collector friends and the museums in the Silicon Valley area.  Many years ago - like 51 years ago - 'dog gone it ' I am getting older - I lived in  Mountain View California the current home of Silicon Valley (SV). Silicon Valley was not a reality in 1963. I remember lots of Prune Orchards, farms and a lot less people and freeways.  The SV was in the starting stages then with Fairchild Semicondnuctor being one of the start ups. Fairchild had been in business only 8 years when I worked for them in 1966 - I did not last long as the job was no fun and I moved on to Varian Associates.  Hewlett Packard was already big in 1966. Interesting current history - Hewlett Parkard purchased Varian about a year ago & is the largest instrumentation company in the world.

It has always been fun for us to visit the area and this our second visit to the Computer History Museum and Lyle Bickley gave us a personal guided tour. Lyle is part of the Digital Equipment PDP 1 team at the museum and helped restore the PDP 1 minicomputer into working condition. This is the only PDP1 in the world that is operational.

The Computer History Museum is a must visit place for all computer collectors, historians and people that just like knowing about the computer revolution. The staff includes hundreds of volunteers & employees is to be congratulated on what is most likely the best computer museum in the world.

Here are the video's I made during our visit to the Computer History Museum and the area. I think you will find several of them interesting.

Lyle Bickley at consold of  PDP 1

PDP1 Computer a Digital Equipment Corporation DEC at the Computer History Museum HD Lyle Bickley is a volunteer at the museum and is on the PDP1 team. Lyle not only demonstrated the PDP1 but gave us a complete tour of all the displays. This is the only operational PDP1 in the world.

PDP1 on switch 

 Bill Gates and the PDP1 Computer at the 'Computer History Museum' HD Lyle Bickley PDP1 team member describes Bill Gates visit to the Computer History Museum and his interaction with the PDP1 Computer. This is most interesting. 

Lyle Bicklly telling PDP1 / Bach story

PDP1 Digital Equipment Corportion DEC Minicomputer Plays Music BACH HD Lyle Bickley demonstrated the PDP1 minicomputer playing Bach on the only PDP1 in the world that is in running condition. It has been reported that only 3 of these minicomputer are known to exist. Pete Samson designed the hardware and software for playing music on the PDP1 computer.

                                                         

Hollerith Punch Card machine

Herman Hollerith Punch Card Machine HD The Hollerith machine is more than 110 years old and is so interesting. This was before electronic systems were available and is great example of electric and mechanical adding.  Some automation with the punch cards and this made adding the census totals 100's of time faster than by hand.

View looking onto the D17-B computer

Minuteman 1 ICBM guidance D17-B computer David Larsen's 1960 computer experience HD The D-17B computer -  it is an all solid state and used DRL ( diode- resistor- logic) , DTL ( diode transistor logic ) was used only for gain or inversion. The computer was a 24 bit machine and could execute almost 13,000 additions per second. It build with ( Approximate ) 6000 didoes,1000 capacitors,500 resistors, 1500 transistors, 75 circuit boards, memory of 5500 words and weighed 60 lbs.

Below is audio post about how Digital Equipment Corporation got it's start making minicomputers.

Vintage Computers -First PDP computers from Digital Equipment Corporation early 1960's

The story teller is Lyle Bickley at the Computer History Museum

Napa California Halloween Festival 2013

Napa California - Halloween Festival HD

The Napa , CA visit was a nice bonus and we found the town folks here having a Halloween Festival. All the merchants were giving out treats to the young ones.  The town was crowded with beautiful and unique costumes.

David G Larsen

These videos are only a tiny representation of the Computer History Museum in Mountain View California. Take a look at there web site or make a personal visit - you learn a lot and be well rewarded for your time. Thank you Llye Bickley and the Computer History Museum for allowing me to make these videos and present them here on my blog.

^{"by David Larsen"  KK4WW Computer Collector Historian}   
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Vintage Computer - Minuteman 1 Missile D-17B guidance computer - David Larsen, Testing & Engineering 1960

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David tells a few words about his work with the Minuteman 1 missile computer in 1960.
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This was another one of those - being in the right place at the right times- between my freshman and sophomore years at Oregon State University. I did not have a summer job so I jumped in my little 1955 Volkswagon and drove 1000 miles to Southern California looking for work. I applied for work at several tech companies.

Autonetics put me to work in test and engineering on a new project building D-17B computers for the Minuteman 1 missile guidance system. This was exciting for me being only 21 years old.

Dave&D-17B Computer 10-26-13

I must say I did feel a bit overwhelmed by the whole process as I had no previous formal electronics training other then in the Navy. I think it was my previous experience with the 1957 training at Remington Rand Univac in the Navy that really got me the job. Of course that Navy training was result of being selected for a special more or less secret work because of my electronics background and ham radio. Enlarge the photo's by clicking on them and then even more by a right click and select "View image".

A few words about the D-17B computer - it was all solid state and used DRL ( diode- resistor- logic) , DTL ( diode transistor logic ) was used only

D-17B Guidance Computer

for gain or inversion. The computer was a 24 bit machine and could execute almost 13,000 additions per second. It was build with ( Approximate ) -  6000 didoes,1000 capacitors,500 resistors, 1500 transistors, 75 circuit boards, memory of 5500 words and weighed 60 lbs.

Here is a look at some of the computer boards http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/d17b/d17bpcbs/

I enjoyed the engineering & testing work for three months and then went back to college for my Sophomore year. I wondered why I was hired because I did not hide the fact I was returning to college. It was a great experience. Seeing the D-17B guidance computer at the Computer History Museum brought back some wonderful memories from 63 years ago. Golly am I getting old or what ?

I would like to have a Minuteman 1 computer in our museum however that will be difficult. I do have a computer in the "Bugbook Historical Microcomputer Museum" made about the same time or a little earlier made by Autonetics, the same company the made the missile computer. It is an  Autonetics Recomp 501 computer made in 1958. The 501 is a transistorized computer and has some of the same features as the missile computer. It is likely the same team at Autonetics designed the 501.

 

Video of Minuteman Computer at Computer History Museum

                                                                            

David Larsen

Computer History Museum

The visit to the  'Computer History Museum' located  in Mountain View, California was a trip down memory lane and a great way to learn about the history of computers. The displays of equipment are extremely captivating and the personal tour by Lyle Bickley was insanely great. Thank you - the Computer History Museum and Lyle Bickley for allowing me to make this video,blog, and podcast.
The Computer History Museum should be on the 'Must Visit' list for visitors to Silicon Valley.

 ^{"by David Larsen"  KK4WW Computer Collector Historian}   
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PDP1 Vintage Computer at the Computer History Museum - Mountain View , California

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The visit to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California was insanely great - it was 56 years ago my career in computers started with school at 'Remington Rand Univac' in St. Paul, MN.  Much of the old things I worked with long before microcomputers were on display with excellent documentation.

Lyle Bickley is a volunteer at the museum and is on the PDP1 team. Lyle not only demonstrated the PDP1 but gave us a complete tour of all the displays. The PDP1 is a computer I have never had the opportunity to use or see - the only operational one is at the museum and we were able to play "Spacewar!" on the machine.

Video story of PDP 1 history by Lyle Bickley below photo's.

Click on photo to enlarge 

 Lyle Bickley team member for the PDP1 at the
Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.
The 2 boxes on the railing black knobs are for playing
 "Spacewar!" on the PDP1.

L-R David Larsen, Bob Rosenbloom & Lyle Bickley
at the PDP1 Computer. Lyle demonstrated the PDP1
operating and we all played "Spacewar!".

L-R Gaynell Larsen, Bob Rosenbloom & Lyle Bickley.








Lyle told us all the PDP1 computers were custom made and were all a little different. This large photo in on the wall in the room with the PDP1 looks much different with additional display panel and three additional racks of equipment (communications controllers,
etc.).   When restoring the PDP1 at the museum Lyle told us they could not find diagrams or schematics that were a good match for that machine and they had to do some guessing and trial and error testing to make the machine operational. The team worked for 1.5 years restoring the PDP1.

Many different historical items on display - here is a Google Map bicycle and car.






                                                             Video of Lyle Bickley telling
                                                             some history about the PDP1.

David & Gaynell Larsen

.^{"by David Larsen"  KK4WW Computer Collector Historian}   
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Visiting Intel, Computer History Museum, Apple Co., Fry's, Weird Stuff store, Bob Rosenblooms computer collection - big day

This has been a great day here in Silicon Valley with visits to "The Computer History Museum", Intel Museum, Weird Stuff and Fry's computer stores and Bob Rosenbloom's computer collection. This is the kind of day historical computer collectors dream of - my wife and I were sure having a good time with Lyle Bickley touring us around the area. Ended the day with fresh fish meal at the "Fish Market" restaurant in Mountain View, CA.


        David tells in his own words about the visit to great things in Silicon Valley.

 Lyle Bickley, PDP8S, Bob Rosenbloom & David Larsen at Bob's computer collection.

 David & Gaynell Larsen at Intel Corporate Office and Museum







One display in Intel Museum.

Fly's Giant computer store - really big - 50 check out registers.

 Weird Stuff Warehouse - Wonderful old computer things for sale.

 Computer History Museum

 Dave , Bob and Lyle at the PDP1 computer. The only PDP1 that is operational in the world.  Lyle was one of the folks that helped restore this rare computer - 3 only.  David & Gaynell enjoyed a game of "Spacewar!" running on the PDP1.
Here is one of my video's about the PDP1 'CLICK'
One more video - the Bill Gates story with the PDP1 'CLICK'




^{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

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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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