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
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" KK4WWComputer Collector Historian Send Message CLICK Like us Click
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.
