[pups] Re: A project--buiilding a device to plug into a PDP-11's bus

[Carl Lowenstein]

> Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2003 12:30:34 +1100 (EST)
> From: John Holden <johnh at psych.usyd.edu.au>
> To: pups at minnie.tuhs.org
> Subject: [pups] 
> 	Re: A project--buiilding a device to plug into a PDP-11's bus
> 
> Gregg C Levine wrote :-
> 
> > I also recall that the processor in question at one point in its
> > lifespan, actually used the AM2901 family of bit-slice processors.
> 
> DEC didn't use 2901's in central processors, but the FPU's for 11/34 and
> 11/44 used 16 of them to make the 64 bit data path for the FPU. They were
> also used in some peripherals like the KMC-11.

At one time there was a set of application notes that described how
to build a PDP11 clone out of AM2901 bit slices.  I think that the
performance would have been approximately that of an 11/40, while
the time and effort and parts cost would have been prohibitive for
a one-off production.

It is barely possible that I have a set of those notes somewhere,
although it would take a very lucky random search to find them.

    carl
-- 
    carl lowenstein         marine physical lab     u.c. san diego
                                                 clowenst at ucsd.edu