A few minutes ago, I got my PDP-11/73 to boot. I installed the disk
controller and connected the hard drive. I typed in the boot program,
and booted from the BRU standalone tape. It worked! This time it didn't
crash, since it could find the drive controller. It booted up and
displayed this:
http://24.194.65.231/images/screen1.jpg I haven't
figured out how to get past this though. Typing /dev gives me this :
http://24.194.65.231/images/screen2.jpg I tried typing in a device
name, but it just gives me a syntax error. Hardware wise, I think that
everything is working together properly. I don't know how to use the
software though... To start off with, I'd like to run a flavor of UNIX
on this, since I know UNIX very well. Any reccomendations as to what I
should use? BSD 2.11 should work on this, but I don't know how well. In
the future though, I'll probably install a PDP specific operating
system, like RSX or RT11, and learn that, but at least as I get things
going with the hardware, I think I should at least stick to software I
know :). Also, once I do get something installed on the hard drive, how
do I boot it? Currently, toggling the boot switch doesn't boot the
machine. Should it? Will I have to type in a bootstrap code every time,
or can I make a ROM do it for me?
Here are some more pictures I took of my current setup.
This is what the computer looks like at the moment. The side panels are
off the rack, and the cables are just hanging around the front for the
time being as I am just testing at this point. I'll neatly route them
out the back later. I'm currently using a Lear Siegler ADM3A, since it
was convenient when I was first hooking it up. Not only that, but I
really like the ADM3. Mine's missing two keys, but it works.
http://24.194.65.231/images/pdpworking.jpg
This is one of the brackets I had to make to mount the Fujitsu Eagle
into the rack. It's made out of a Home Depot bracket that originally
was wider, and had two little wings coming off the top of it. I think
it was intended to join two 2x4's together somehow. I cut it down with
a Dremel tool, and drilled new holes in it. It worked out very well.
http://24.194.65.231/images/homemadebracket.jpg
Ian Primus
ian_primus_at_yahoo.com
Received on Wed Nov 26 2003 - 18:53:44 GMT
