Subject: PDP-8, A High Speed Digital Computer

From: [email-masked] (Douglas W. Jones,201H MLH,3193350740,3193382879)
Date: 27 May 1994 14:12:06 GMT

In my continuing search for documentation for PDP-8 serial number 85,
I've dredged up a nice little 20 page document from DEC.  The document
is short enough that a summary of the entire thing is worth posting.
This is a great programmer's reference handbook, and a fun snapshot of
DEC's PDP-8 product line at close to the very beginning:

Here's an ASCII facsimilie of the cover:
    _________________________________
   |                       F-81 6/65 |
   |  _____________________________  |
   | |                             | |    Page 1 is the cover.
   | |                      PDP-8  | |    Page 2 is a good full page
   | |                             | |       photo of the table-top 8
   | |                             | |       with a 1965 copyright.
   | |    ( Rather dark looking    | |    Page 3 is a general overview.
   | |      photo of a man at a    | |    Page 4 is a list of features.
   | |      teletype by a table    | |    Page 5 has diagrams of how
   | |      top model PDP-8     )  | |       the -8 pulls out of its
   | |                             | |       rack and how the table-top
   | |                             | |       model opens, followed by
   | |                             | |       a list of PDP-5 applications
   | |                             | |       and the statement that the
   | |_____________________________| |       PDP-8 is functionally
   |                                 |       equivalent.
   |  A HIGH SPEED DIGITAL COMPUTER  |    Page 6 describes the processor
   |                                 |       registers.
   |                                 |    Page 7 continues the description
   |                                 |       and ends with core memory and
   |                                 |       the operator console (front
   |                |d|i|g|i|t|a|l|  |       panel), with a very clear
   |                                 |       1/3 page photo of the latter.
   |         digital equipment corp  |    Page 8 has a block diagram of
   |         maynard, maddachusetts  |       the PDP-8, followed by a
   |_________________________________|       discussion of I/O devices.

Page 9 is a 2/3 page photo of the rack-mount model, with gull-wing table,
   plus two little photos of people at work in front of it.
Page 10 is titled STANDARD PDP-8 INSTRUCTIONS and has a small-print
   summary of the AND, TAD, ISZ, DCA, JMS and JMP instructions.
Page 11 continues the instruction set description with IOT instructions,
   with ION, IOF, the Type 189 ADC interface, the TTY interface, the
   Type 188 memory parity interface, and the Type 183 Memory Extension
   Control (CDF, CIF, RDF, RIF, RIB and RMF).
Page 12 continues the instruction set description with the Group 1 and
   Group 2 operate microinstructions.
Page 13 continues the instruction set description with the Type 182
   EAE instructions, MUL, DIV, etc.
Page 14 is titled PROGRAMMING SYSTEM, and discusses the MACRO-8 assembler.
Page 15 continues with a discussion of the FORTRAN compiler, DDT-8, the
   symbolic tape editor, the floating point package, the math function
   routines, and various utility and maintenance programs.
Page 16 is titled OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT and lists the Type 182 Extended
   Arithmetic Element, the type 183 Memory Extension Control, the Type 184
   Memory Module, the type 188 Memory Parity option, the Type 129 Data
   Channel Multiplexor, the type 750C High Speed Perf Tape Reader and
   Control, the Type 75E High Speed Perf Tape Punch and Control, the
   Type 451 Card Reader and Control, the Type 450 Card Punch Control, and
   the Type 350 Incremental Plotter Control.
Page 17 continues the option list with the Type 64 Automatic Line Printer,
   the Type 34D Oscilliscope Display, the Type 30N Precision CRT Display,
   the Type 370 Light Pen, the Type 189 Analog to Digital Converter, the
   Type 138E General Purpose Analog to Digital Converter, the Type 139E
   General Purpose (analog) Multiplexor and Control, the Type 250 Drum,
   the Type 552 DECtape Control and Type 555 DECtape Transport, the Type
   580 Magnetic Tape System, the Type 57A Magnetic Tape Control, and the
   Type 50 Magnetic Tape Transport.
Page 18 continues the option list with the Type 570 Magnetic Tape Transport,
   the Type 563 Data Communications System, and the cabinets, tables and
   chairs available.  Following this is a box containing the physical and
   electrical specs of the classic PDP-8.
Page 19 covers user support and DECUS; and it includes a list of other
   available PDP-8 literature -- the User's Handbook, the Interface Manual,
   the Software Abstracts, the shirt pocket reference card (I don't have
   this!), the Flip Chip Modules Catalog, and the Price List (I don't have
   this either).
Page 20 (the back page) is the list of sales and service offices.

				Doug Jones
				[email-masked]