Minicomputers

The era of the minicomputer generally begins in the 1960s with cheap (for the time this means a computer costing less than US$10,000 that did not require special cooling or power), reliable computers introduced by Digital Equipment Corporation. Other minicomputers were brought to market by Data General and Hewlett-Packard.

My first serious programming was on a PDP-11/70 running RSTS/E using BASIC-PLUS when I was an early teenager -- before I learned algebra, trigonometry or any serious mathematics. The PDP-11/03 is the smallest member of the PDP-11 family, while the PDP-11/70 is the largest member of that family.

Current holdings in the collection:

• Digital Equipment Corporation
  • PDP-11/03
    • Acquired: 23-Nov-2005 on ebay for $250
    • Status: Working
    • Documentation: Yes
    • Accessories:
      • 28K words memory
      • serial line unit for console
      • asynchronous serial line for printer
      • dual RL01 disk drives
      • RT-11 w/full doc set
      • 23 RL01 disk packs
  • VAXserver 4000/300
    • Acquired: by donation.
    • Status: Working
    • Documentation: Yes
    • Accessories:
      • 3 DSSI disk drives
      • TK70 tape drive
      • CMD SCSI interface card
      • 25 ft. MMJ console cable
      • 2 MMJ to DB25 adapters
• Fujitsu
  • M2444 9-track tape drive.
    • Acquired: 03-Dec-2005 for $0.99+tax on e-bay from a local vendor.
    • Status: Untested
    • Documentation: Yes