PDP-8/e rebuilt from the circuit diagrams

The PDP-8 series from DEC, introduced in the mid-1960s, featured – as was customary at the time – a front panel on which the computer displayed its operating status via numerous lights and was controlled via just as many switches. If you want to experience this first-hand, you’ll need to track down one of the computers that’s still in working order – or get stuck in yourself. This is how the faithful FPGA-based replica came about, based on the original circuit diagrams of the PDP-8/e.

A new feature of this long-running project is a larger front panel, whose design is more closely modelled on the original (albeit on a smaller scale), meaning that it is not only functionally identical to the original.