What is QBone? QBone is a fascinating project by Jörg Hoppe. It is based on a PDP QBus module that can be inserted into any QBus backplane. It implements all features required by the QBus, so this module looks like any other QBus module from the PDP11 perspective.
The module integrates a BeagleBone Board (BBB). This is an ARM-based modern computer, like Raspberry PI. The biggest advantage of BBB over Raspi is: that the board contains two separate I/O processors called PRU (Programmable Realtime Unit).
My DEC VAX 4000 boards All boards seem to come from a VAX 4000-300 machine. See http://gunkies.org/wiki/VAX_4000_series
ebay seller text
DEC VAX 4000-300 Boards CPU KA670 L4000 in Module Plastic Case (99-08536) 2x MS670-CA L4001-CA und 1x64MB Clearpoint Memory KA670 CPU board 22 Bit QBus board. CPU clocked with 143 Mhz. CPU chip is called REX-520 There is a FPU on board called CD523.
Built-in Ethernet and 2xDSSI (disk) controllers
DEC Digital OBA11-MF bought in poor condition from ebay. It has no case, has some physical damage. Sold of course as defective.
All together this seems to be a kind of “embedded” PDP 11/03 with only a bare minimum of boards and no intention for extending it later on. Maybe used as a control unit in some chemical plant or whatever. here someone has a picture of another device like this.
I own some old PDP11 parts. I try to complete these to have a minimal set of cards to boot the PDP11. This is seen as a long term task and may last several years…
Activity was started in February 2017. In January 2021, I have spent 91+161+3*90 = 522€ on that madness, without any results so far :-) .
In 2022, I could buy a basic PDP unit, without case and in bad condition.
DEC Keyboard LK401 has serial interface, 4800 Baud, 8N1. See more information on the keyboard hardware here.
The keyboard is solid and heavy, has superb tactile keys and is of the old 80ies quality. That you simply cannot order on Amazon or so.
For a long time, the keyboard was supported by the Linux kernel, but this time is gone.
My idea: connect the keyboard to a microcontroller that can connect to a PC via USB.
This keyboard came in as part of a Digital DEV VT402 terminal. I have some information on that terminal here . After some time, I found that the keyboard of that terminal is also an interesting kind of thing.
DEC LK401 Hardware DEC Keyboard has a serial interface. The connector to plug into a DEC VT420 terminal looks like an old telephone connector, with 4 pins, called RJ10.
An Intel 80C51 microcontroller handles most of the keyboard functions We can see also the Beeper and a 7.
Some pictures from inside a DEC VT420 from 1994. Wikipedia has some info on it here It is a 14’’ device with 800x400 pixel, can handle up to 38.400 Baud.
(click to view larger version) Monochrome tube with HV transformer.
(click to view larger version) Closer look on main pcb. Below the shielded area I suspect the digital part of the device.
(click to view larger version) Again HV section
After having revived a HP E1498 VXI controller, which is a VXI Slot sized version of a HP9000 UNIX workstation from the late 90ies of the last century (LINK and the revival of a military use Subsonic analysis VME mainframe, it was only a question of time and opportunity to start the next computer history project.
The opportunity came in March 2018. Someone at eBay sold several new old stock Spectrum Analyzers.
The text below describes a HP75000 Series C mainframe. I also have a file describing a HP75000 Series B mainframe.
Meanwhile this beast occurred in my lab…
This is a large, noisy, but super-flexible VXI solution. All 14xx modules from HP and all older 13xx modules (with adapters) can be used inside this mainframe.
HP 75000 in general The HP75000 is a VXI mainframe. A VXI mainframe is a standardized infrastructure where individual measurement devices can be simply plugged in and used.
Da sich die Nutzung von Computern durch mein ganzes Leben zieht, das Berufsleben geprägt und das Privatleben beeinflusst hat, habe ich die wesentlichen Ereignisse für mich zusammengestellt.
Anfänglich habe ich mich mit der Beschreibung meiner Computer-Errungenschaften begnügt. Später kamen auch elektrische Messgeräte, Werkzeuge und Musikelektronik aus dem Bereich E-Gitarre hinzu…
Bis 2000 sind die Preise, die ich immer mal hinschreibe in DM, danach in Euro.
Vor 1986 Ich spiele in meiner Schulzeit herum mit Taschenrechnern, TI57 (mit glaube ich 50 Programmschritten), später TI58 (mit ich glaube 480 Programmschritten) und zuletzt mit dem HP41 mit theoretisch 4800 (?
