• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

DEC Computer Lab Workbook

BrunoD

Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2009
Messages
18
Location
Belgium
I bought a book called Digital Computer Lab Workbook (see photo). Does anybody know about the piece of hardware shown on the cover? PDP-8's are pretty rare in Belgium, but I have never even seen this thing before.

As far as I understood from reading a few pages in the book, it should be mainly a patchpanel with a number of logic gates but with some extras like clock generators. I don't know what the switches at the bottom do.

Does anyone have the pdf version of the book btw? I know from previous experience that pages tend to get loose in these DEC-books when you open them too often. Apparently they aren't made to last 40 years :(

dec-clw-1.jpg
 
H500 Computer Lab

H500 Computer Lab

I bought a book called Digital Computer Lab Workbook (see photo). Does anybody know about the piece of hardware shown on the cover? PDP-8's are pretty rare in Belgium, but I have never even seen this thing before.

I believe that is called an H500 Computer Lab. I've got one :p. Here's a link to a description on the web: http://www.decodesystems.com/dec-clw.html

As far as I understood from reading a few pages in the book, it should be mainly a patchpanel with a number of logic gates but with some extras like clock generators. I don't know what the switches at the bottom do.

The switches are just switches. They generate a "0" or "1" output depending on the orientation of the rocker switch. Three of them are momentary and generate timed pulses. There is a companion set of bulbs, which light when driven with a "1".

Does anyone have the pdf version of the book btw? I know from previous experience that pages tend to get loose in these DEC-books when you open them too often. Apparently they aren't made to last 40 years :(
View attachment 5454

I have PDF versions of both the Workbook and the Teacher's Guide, which is the companion volume for the instructor. Checking my email, I find that the Workbook PDF originated with B. Watzman, and IIRC the teacher's guide is a scan of A. Carder's Xerox copy.

What I'm missing is information about the patch cords -- how many of each color make a complete set? And of course, I'm also missing a bunch of the actual patch cords. (The brass taper pins to make new patch cords are not easy to find, either.)

Vince
 
Hi, I'm looking for the Workbook and the Teacher's guide, printed and/or as .pdf. Please contact me via pm. Greetings from Germany Thorsten
 
Hello folks...I am also looking for a PDF of the workbook, I acquired one of these H-500 labs and hope to interface it with an analog sequencer to control a modular synthesizer...it would be most helpful to get some tips from the workbook on setting up interesting Boolean operations. Any help would be most appreciated!
 
Just in case anyone's interested, I was able to get my H-500 set up as a binary counter (7-bit)...still working after over 40 years...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuNsK_IWC2I

Once again, if anyone has access to a PDF of the workbook, I would be most appreciative...I'm just scratching the surface with this thing due to my rudimentary knowledge of Boolean logic...
 
DEC Computer Lab Teache's guide

DEC Computer Lab Teache's guide

Hello,
i'm looking after the DEC Computer Lab Teacher's guide in PDF.
Can someone email me for it.
Thanks
 
I have one of these - picked up at a Trash and Treasure at MIT when I was living and working in the USA (NH). I have relocated back to Australia, so am looking for details on the electronics (power supply etc) as I would like to refurb it to 250V50Hz instead of the 110V60Hz. Also don't have any of the jumper cables - does anyone have specs on the pins/connectors/cable gauges/lengths. ?
 
I have one of these - picked up at a Trash and Treasure at MIT when I was living and working in the USA (NH). I have relocated back to Australia, so am looking for details on the electronics (power supply etc) as I would like to refurb it to 250V50Hz instead of the 110V60Hz. Also don't have any of the jumper cables - does anyone have specs on the pins/connectors/cable gauges/lengths. ?

If you open the unit, the transformer has 2 sets of primary windings (at least mine had), just make them from parallel to serial and you can run it on 220V
I don't think the frequency is really an issue.
 
Has anyone found some affordable patch cables or just the plugs for these DEC H500 Computer Labs?
The original had taper pins, but I would much prefer banana plug style connectors with soft silicon rubber coated wires.
Does anyone know what cable lengths were supplied with the H500?

Thanks
Tom
 
Last edited:
Back
Top