PiDP11 Kit Build - Part 3 (of 4)

This is the third in a series of four videos showing how to build a PiDP-11 kit. The PiDP-11 emulates the experience of running a 1970s mini-computer. The third video walks through finishing the kit's soldering.
*Note, I've got the instructions backward at 1:38. First switch I put in goes down, the second switch goes up. However, the first from left goes up. This might just confuse some folks.
- Part 1 covered the original PDP-11/70 this kit emulates. We'll also start the preparation work for the project.
- Part 2 covered soldering the small passive component and LEDs.
- Part 4 finishes the assembly and tests it all out.
We reference a number of web pages in this video:
- Getting the kit:
obsolescence.wixsite.com/obso...
- Kit building instructions:
obsolescence.wixsite.com/obso...
- The manual:
www3.ispnet.net/pidp11/PiDP-1...
- The PiDP11 Forum
groups.google.com/forum/#!for...
- Some links to safe soldering practices
safety.eng.cam.ac.uk/procedur...
learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/...
Check out our other social media accounts:
- Instagram feed at / beigeovision
- Facebook feed at / beigeovision

[@MotownBatman]

Well Well Well... We Meet Again Mr. Bond... Gotta give it to the Creator. Those Guides for Everything Are GENIUS! What a Pro Touch to the Kit.

[@stevemcnaughton324]

This is a great set of tutorials for the setup and assembly of the PiDP-11 kit. It certainly saved me time and unnecessary experimentation in getting the assembly of this kit correct.

[@JamieWhitehorn]

I did this with my Anker XS25 soldering iron. It's a fixed temperature at 390C. It means the joints heat up very quickly and the solder flows freely into joints. You don't actually damage the components because you're only one the joints for 1-2 seconds max. You just have to learn to be fast and precise with the iron.

[@ricksharpe6895]

Those colors are rose and magenta. Rick

[@AdamPepeWerderits]

I love the look of this vintage computer. Would it be possible to build a voltage sequencer for synthesizers out of this?

[@beige-o-vision6936]

The guts are a Raspberry Pi, so I should think that would think you might be able to find a Pi expansion board to do the electronic part. You then run a task with the PDP-11 and a separate one for your voltage sequencer, or (with some limitations) you should be able to directly program inside a PDP-11 emulation. That would allow you to control a sequencer and the display from the same code and reflect values from one into the other. That's not trivial, if you aren't keen on retro-programming, but its possible.

[@AdamPepeWerderits]

@@beige-o-vision6936 thanks. I have recently figured out that the first privately owned PDP-11 was at Peter Zinovieff's studio and he did use it to control synthesizers somehow, long before anyone else did it. Well of course that didn't have a Pi inside.

[@BoredInNW6]

Good instructions! For what it's worth, I found I had no trouble soldering at 275 degrees, including the switches. This was using a decent leaded solder (0.5 mm Sn63Pb37 from Kester), and an iron with a 1 mm chisel tip.

[@McGrigorNZ]

No instructions on which way the White lamp test switch goes... The screen print doesn't say... and neither do the instructions.... I'm going with up ... Here's hoping

[@JamieWhitehorn]

It's goes up. it took me a while to work it out as well. There's a label on the left most red toggle switch that says Push Up. An arrow runs right from it, all the way to the White toggle switch, meaning it also goes up

[@ChristopherSwenson]

Thanks for the tutorials! I think you have one small bit backwards. At 1:38, you say that the first (purple) switch should go up, and then after say that the next switch should go down. Shouldn't the first switch go down, and the second switch go up?

[@beige-o-vision6936]

Ouch! You got me. Note, I've got the instructions backward at 1:38. First switch I put in goes down, the second switch goes up. However, the first from left goes up. This might just confuse some folks. I'll try and fix this up when I'm back from my current road trip.

[@2mj]

@@beige-o-vision6936 is this fixed?