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Old 25th Aug 2020, 10:57 am   #1
wireless_john
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Default Executive Toy Update

This was originally referred to in this thread:

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...d.php?t=168878

started by Karen O.

I have now made progress with it. A new display has arrived from China and been installed, replacing the one I destroyed by reversing the power connections to it. The 1Hz oscillator is finished and working and fixed to the back panel. You can see the adjustment variable capacitor in the pictures.

I've finally got it working and written three programs for it. Each one selected by setting a switch. They are:

1. A 16 bit pseudo random number generator with a cycle of 4.3 billion before it repeats. Not sure how I can check that! I'm only displaying one byte at a time so it's going to be quite a while at one a second!!!
Each byte displays in decimal on the display and binary on the LEDs.

2. A clock program.

3. An elapsed time display that can be paused, shown in one of the pictures.

All absolute essentials for an 'Executive Toy' of course! I've been running it off Poundland 1A power banks. No idea yet how long they last before needing recharging but its quite a few hours.

I've spent so much time on this, I'm going to give it a rest now and go back to the Philips I'm working on.

John
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Old 25th Aug 2020, 11:17 am   #2
paulsherwin
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Default Re: Executive Toy Update

Beautiful construction - puts my efforts to shame.
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Old 25th Aug 2020, 7:36 pm   #3
pmmunro
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Default Re: Executive Toy Update

Beatifully made, a work to be proud of.

I like the message on the back. Could it be to ward off the attentions of the kind of solicitor who might be attracted to such a device to charge clients by expensive 6 minutes chunks, the kind I call avaricians?!

PMM
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Old 25th Aug 2020, 9:27 pm   #4
wireless_john
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Default Re: Executive Toy Update

It comes from:

“ACHTUNG! ALLES LOOKENSPEEPERS!”

“Das computermachine ist nicht fuer gefingerpoken und mittengrabben.
Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen und poppencorken mit spitzensparken.
Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei das dumpkopfen.
Das rubbernecken sichtseeren keepen das cotten-pickenen hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und watchen das blinkenlichten.”

I'm sure many of you have seen it before. Often seen in computer rooms in the 70's and 80's.


John
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 4:39 am   #5
TonyDuell
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Default Re: Executive Toy Update

There are many versions of that, slightly different.

I've got it on the door of what the estate agents called the 'living room' here. I call it the 'large machine room', it contains my PDP11/45, PDP8/e, VAX11/730, Philips P850, etc, etc, etc.
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 7:33 am   #6
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Default Re: Executive Toy Update

There are Tony. I've always thought it funny but there isn't enough room on the back of my 'Executive Toy' for all of it!

John
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 8:15 am   #7
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Default Re: Executive Toy Update

Quote:
Originally Posted by TonyDuell View Post
PDP8/e
A PDP-8? Gosh I remember them, where have they all ended up? They were quite common in the 70's.
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 11:09 am   #8
TonyDuell
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Default Re: Executive Toy Update

Well, 2 or 3 of them are here . There's the 8/e in a rack with paper tape, dectape, floppy disks,etc. A 'bare' PDP8/a (the version with the same CPU boards as the PDP8/e). And if you count it, a DECmate II (a desktop machine, about the size of an IBM PC, sold as a word processor, but there's a single-chip PDP8-compatible CPU in there).

I don't, alas, own the original discrete-transistor PDP8.
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