recreating the PDP-11

From: pat_at_cart-server.purdueriots.com <(pat_at_cart-server.purdueriots.com)>
Date: Sat Apr 6 10:26:45 2002

In a project I'm thinking about starting this summer, I want to try and
re-create a PDP-11 (or maybe a -8 or something) using either SSI logic
and/or PAL/GALs. I would like to do the entire thing in SSI, but I fear
that I'd quickly eat up a lot of money on the project, so where necessary
I'd replace sections with PALs. Anyone have any good ideas?

About what I'm doing: Trying to replicate an 'old-computer feel' for a
mock airport that a friend of mine is thinking about making. I'll have a
good amount of time to work on designing it before I start laying down
copper on a circuit board. I'd like to make something that 1) looks
authentically old and 2) has a design I can (semi-legally, not for resale)
copy so I don't have to do all the re-design work myself.

I've considered just using a plain-old Apple //e that I have, but that
wouldn't be 'old enough' looking I was thinking. It'll need to have a
good amount of I/O, and be easy enough that I can actually build it and
understand how to program it without much effort. By that way, I don't
care about using 'standard OS's' or 'standard hardware' too much, I just
want to put together a system with a CPU, serial port, and some sort of
floppy drive interface (I prefer 5-1/4 disks at some PC readable format)
it can boot off of - or perhaps an IDE interface as that would be easy to
program a 'driver' for (or so I'm told).

Does anyone have any suggestions for what I should try to build? Eg. what
model PDP-11 cpu card, what prints I should get to try and assemble a
basic working system, etc. Should I try something else? I would like to
go a bit overboard, the look is a part of the thing, but I don't want to
screw with finding things like QBUS drivers, and don't think I'll want to
bother with a 'traditional mini-computer bus' if I don't need to.

This is what I have so far:

1) CPU card
2) Memory - SRAM
3) Front-panel switches
4) Console serial port
5) A few digital I/O ports
6) Floppy interface (anyone suggest an easy to interface controller?)
7) IDE controller

-- Pat
Received on Sat Apr 06 2002 - 10:26:45 BST