Obsolescence Guaranteed
Recommended: Gigatron
a computer w/o a microprocessor
Vintage Computing Pages
Since you're here, you are probably looking for vintage computers. I've been a computer hobbyist since the early 80s. Over the years, I've gathered a collection of machines that played a role in shaping the microcomputer revolution. This site is dedicated to them.
I also got into homebrewing: designing your own computers. Whatever it is, I hope you find on this site what you came to look for!
Homebrew Computer Kits
The PiDP-1
The beginnings of Hacker Culture
The PDP-1 was a first in many respects. But it is also just an absolute puppy. So simple it is quickly understandable to any 21st century user.
Famous for spacewar, the world's first computer video game, this is the original Hacker's machine - the word comes from its early student users at MIT.
Their demo programs are still pure eye candy thanks to the Type 30, a converted radar display. Driving the electron beam over its slow phosphor, pretty graphics effects come out of just a few lines of code.
But this is more than the original democoding platform. It had the first text editor, the first inter-active debugger - even acted as Arpanet's controller.
This was a 3-year passion project for Angelo Papenhoff and me, resulting in two versions. The stand-alone 'PiDP-1 Console', and a 'PiDP-1 Rack' version. Both existed back in the day, too. And because DEC could never make its mind up on the front panel color, we gave the PiDP-1 interchangeable white and blue front panels.
The PiDP-10
A faithful replica of the 1968 PDP-10 and MIT's complete AI Lab
My third DEC replica, and quite a special one. A computer History Capsule!
It gives a hardware shape to the ITS Reconstruction Project (link).
So, yes, it is a fully functioning replica of the 1960s PDP-10 mainframe. It will run DEC's own TOPS-10 operating system.
But it also includes tons of additional hardware, as found in MIT's famous AI Lab.
And the PiDP-10 also runs the reconstructed ITS operating system, that was developed at MIT by hackers - the only hackers at the time who could play with a computer of this size and power.
Hundreds of important, interesting and simply fun programs were written for it, making the PDP-10 the only mainframe ever that is just fun to use...
The PiDP-11 kit
A faithful replica of the 1975 PDP-11/70
The PDP-11 was a hugely significant computer. Its architecture influenced pretty much every CPU and computer designed afterwards. It was also the first machine for which you could buy Unix...
The PiDP-8 kit
A faithful replica of the 1968 PDP-8/I
The 8/I is the favourite computer I never had... And by now, real ones are impossible to obtain. And to maintain. So the PiDP-8/I has become my 2015 replica project.
The PiDP-8 is a true 'computer history capsule': it comes with a huge amount of software and operating systems ready to boot. Visit the Google Group for lots of PDP-8 developments!
The KIM Uno kit
A homebrew clone of the vintage KIM-1
The KIM Uno is a calculator-sized board based on an Arduino Pro Mini. It emulates the KIM-1, with a lot of vintage programs ready to run in ROM. It's also extended with a calculator mode, that turns the venerable KIM into a 6502 programmable calculator.
Perhaps you are not looking for computers at all... If you are the proud owner of a Hurley sailing boat you may be looking for its documentation archive - that site, by now more than 17 years old, is below along with various other curiosa I picked up along the way...
Sailing the Hurley 22
Suzuki SA-310 Memorial Page
More...
