Projects

Here comes a cool exhibit for a computer museum:

A credit-card size single board computer ("BeagleBone") emulating a selection of vintage computers ("SimH") ... all this build into a historical VT100 terminal.

So the retrocomputing systems are operated through the original terminal, and the whole installation can easily be carried around.

I build one of these, much in the following pages is about how I did it.

Tradition does not mean to look after the ash, but to keep the flame alive.
(Jean Jaures)

Project BlinkenBone - historic Blinkenlight console panels controlled by simulators

"BlinkenBone" is an architecture to connect simulators of vintage computers with "Blinkenlight panels".

The panels can be vintage physical panels enhanced with modern micro-Linux controllers, or graphical Java simulations of the panels. The interface between simulator and panel is a network-based client/server model.

Several precompiled ready-to-run distributions with virtual desktop panels are available on GitHub, start here for the docs.

A Google Group to exchange with other BlinkenBone users is here.

There are several BlinkenBone projects now:

• PDP-11/40. This panel was the first, and is documented on these pages in detail. It was well received on VCFe 14 in April 2013 in Munich (physical and Java simulation).
• PDP-11/45. BlinkenBone is finished, but since the colored acryl glass plate is missing, it was too ugly to publish pictures of it. It was dismantled.
• IBM 360/30. Went to the U.S., is under construction since March 2013.
• PDP-10 KI10, physical and Java simulation.
• PDP-11/70. Was already connected to USB, now moved to BlinkenBone. Pphysical and Java simulation.
• another PDP-11/70 in the U.S., made by Mark Matlock in 2013
• a virtual Java PDP8I panel was build, photos from a machine at CCG
• with a special driver, Oscar Vermeulens PiDP8 replica is enabled to work as a BlinkenBone panel.

The physical panels have been shown on several conventions, including VCFe 13 in Munich and VCFB 2014 & 2015 in Berlin.

The BlinkenBone software (SimH 4.x and helper tools) runs on several platforms:

• Ubuntu 64 bit
• Ubuntu 32 bit
• MS Windows 32 (from WinXP to Win 10)
• Raspberry Pi Raspbian
• BeagleBone Angstrom Linux

Sources are available on GitGub.

You want to connect your own panel? Here are some step-by-step instructions.

While repairing PDP-11's, I often suffered from missing documentation. Especially the program listings of the "XXDP" diagnostics were not found on the web.

On the other hand, some guys I know had boxes full of DEC micro fiches. It took a while before I realized that all documentation was already at my finger tips.

To read those fiches you need an old micro fiche reader (easy to get). Much better is access to a micro fiche scanner to make PDFs out of them, so you can share them with others. Getting access to a high-volume scanner proved to be almost impossible, so I decided to build my own.

You like to connect your own panel to BlinkenBone?

(PDP-11/70 panel, courtesy of Mark Matlock)

Follow these step-by-step instructions!

Blinkenbone software comes in two ways:

• as precomiled packages, wich contain SimH and all Java panels for diffferent platforms
• as image of all sources on GitHub

Core component are

• the extended SimH with a "REALCONS" device.
• Java panel simulations
• for physical Panels the "BlinkenBus/BlinkenBoard" system on BeagleBone.

Several photorealistic "blinkenlight panels" are delivered with BlinkenBone.

They are implement as platform-independen Java programs, which are controlled by SimH with REALCONS extension.

Working with the panels is fun, but you must know what lamps and switches are for, and how to operate those ancient operation systems.

See here docs about each implemented panel and the ready-to-run setup in the distribution:

Well, here no words are needed: just enjoy pictures of some console panels I'd like to re-animate. (I just can get enough of these!)

Beside simulated Java panels, also REAL panels can be connected to BlinkenBone client programs (speak: "SimH").

Standard method is with a BeagleBone micro system, to which special hardware is connected.

Also the PiDP8 replica made by Oscar Vermeulen can be made into a BlinkenBone component.

"LSIbox" is a compact case in DEC-style appearance, filled with a "BeagleBone" micro-Linux system.

LSIbox contains everything to operate an open PDP-11 / LSI-11 QBUS-system (PDP-11/03, 23, 73):

• Power supply.
• Remote operation of console panel.
• internal switchable null modem cables between Linux system and PDP-11.
• graphical Linux desktop with terminal simulation and other tools.
• "driveless" operation of PDP-11 with TU58 tape emulator.

But most important: it fits on the writing desk and looks beautiful !

Read on:

The console panels of early PDP’s have always attracted people: Their clean minimalistic layouts colored in psychedelic purple colors presents (to my opinion) one of the best ‘70s industrial designs. Is it just me, or is there really a subtle connection to Pink Floyd’s music?

Though most of the old mainframes have been scrapped, many of their consoles survived. This is because they are the most personalized part of a computer and they are not too difficult to store over long times.

Everybody likes them, some play around with them. People connected them to webserver, or installed networked interfaces, or simply controlled them with massive parallel I/O cards.

The PDP-11/70 is the most complex PDP-11 panel. Since I first got my PDP-11/70 panel around 2009, it kept me constantly busy:

• First I connected it over an USB I/O device to my PC.
• After some try and error this finally leads to BlinkenBone later.
• I also wrote an adapter software ("Blinkenlight API server") to connect Oscar Vermeulens "PiDP11" replica to my SimH modification.
• For a VCF convention in Seattle, I had to reduce my BlinkenBone 11/70 in size and weight and also cleanup its physical layout.
• For enhanced simulation fidelity, we could gather data from the real PDP-11/70 "Miss Piggy" at the Living Computer History museum in Seattle.

"UniBone" is a Linux-to-UNIBUS bridge, implemented with a BeagleBone Black micro Linux system.

UniBone can keep old PDP-11s running, by emulating devices and aiding in repair.

UniBone is very similar to its QBUS successor "QBone".

The articles here address different audiences: either they describe some aspects of UniBone for end users, or they explore technical details.

Dynamic discussion at the Google group.

"QBone" is a Linux-to-QBUS bridge, implemented with a BeagleBone Black micro Linux system.

QBone can keep old PDP-11s running, by emulating devices and aiding in repair.

It's UNIBUS sister is UniBone. These pages here do not repeat the general introduction or theory of function, so be sure to dig into UniBone documentation too.

Dynamic discussion at the Google group.

A home-made 1-Kilo-Bit ROM is presented, made as pluggable diode matrix.

It can be interfaced to DEC PDP-11s via UNIBUS or QBUS interface.

You can set own memory content by bit jumpers, and execute code from it.

Why? Because a retro-nerd should've soldered a big diode array once in his life time!