PDP-10 (was Re: EDSAC on your desk.)

From: Eric Smith <eric_at_brouhaha.com>
Date: Tue Sep 22 00:31:46 1998

Huw Davies <H.Davies_at_latrobe.edu.au> wrote:
> It's just that there are so many circuits in a -10 that getting one to run
> (even when new) required a full time field service engineer

As I recall, the 2060 I used to use ran for months at a time without needing
repair (i.e., just scheduled PM).

> (our -10 was delivered in 1973 so if it were still here it'd be 25 years
> old)

Must have been a KI, then. I'm told that those were relatively easy to keep
running (at least compared to the KL).

> I'd expect the probability of it running would be close to zero. The
> maintenance fiche is about a foot deep....

A former DEC field service engineer has told me that I'm a madman for wanting
to try, but he didn't put the probability anywhere near that low. The
system was in perfect working order when it was decommissioned, and not
much has happened to it since. Aside from testing the power supplies and
checking for oxidation on the connectors, I'm not really expecting that
much to be wrong with it. And I think I know where to find spare modules
if it is necessary.

Cheers,
Eric
Received on Tue Sep 22 1998 - 00:31:46 BST

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