DEC's first computer,
the beginnings of Hacker Culture
The PDP-1 was the first computer made by DEC - Digital Equipment Corporation. Its history is told very well on Wikipedia. A team at the CHM has restored one PDP-1 to working order; and Angelo Papenhoff has written exact simulators in both Verilog and C. Shown above is our first prototype replica up and running - including the Type 30 display.
We could not decide whether we wanted to make a full replica of the PDP-1 in its rack, or a smaller stand-alone front panel. Interestingly, DEC had trouble making up its mind, too. It made a few panels that stood separate from the rack with its gubbins, but then decided to mount the panel on the side of the rack anyway. So, we decided to make both option as well. The full version and a more portable "Hacker's Edition".
Another choice was whether we'd opt for the iconic blue panel, or DEC's earlier white panel version. Here too, we decided to do both: the kit comes with interchangeable panels. You can swap between the white and blue at any time...
Lastly, most PDP-1s came with the big paper tape reader mounted above the front panel. Alas, we still have not figured out how to make a functional paper tape reader in this style... and so, we opted to replicate the Lawrence Livermore PDP-1. It had a speaker panel instead of the paper take reader. As electronic music was a big thing in PDP-1 world, that seemed appropriate.
