On Fri, Oct 23, 2015 at 7:49 AM, Noel Chiappa <[email protected]> wrote: > We have plenty of the original bezels, from which it would be easy to cast > molds > (the same part is used on the 11/45 and 11/70, unlike the rest of the front > console).
Casting is one option. Another is CNC out of dense PVC foam. > The real issue in any front panel recreation is going to be the switches (not > the plastic toggles, the actual electrical device). Both the /45 and /70 used > the now-apparently-unobtainium version with the intergral metal plate to hold > the switch in place in a metal holder plate. It's probably possible to find small quantities of the right switch, but not 2 dozen per panel. > So a recreation front panel is > going to have to have some new mechanical design, to allow use of standard > micro-switches - and that's probably going to mean a re-design of the plastic > toggles, as those attached to side-plates on the original toggle switches. The pivot and attachment method is "standard" for C&K paddle switches. You can still get switches with that arrangement, but with a different mounting method. > I wonder how big an order of switches would be required before some > switch-making firm could be convinced to do a run? Maybe whoever made the > 'back in the day' still has the tooling to do so gathering dust in an old > room.... Good question... is it 1,000? 5,000? > To do that is going to require exactly emulating the interface to the CPU, > which is not going to be entirely trivial. Physically, the signals all come > over flat ribbon cables to standard Berg connectors, so that won't be hard, > but I doubt the interface is documented, someone will have to puzzle it out > by reading prints - and probably looking at a working one with a logic > analyzer. It's been done at least twice 6809-based interface (I happen to have 2 of these, so I'm good here) http://www.pdp-11.nl/homebrew/cons1170/cons70startpage.html Blinkenbone. http://retrocmp.com/projects/pdp-11-70-panel-on-blinkenbone http://retrocmp.com/projects/blinkenbone (more than just 11/70) > Also, powering the front console requires an unusual AMP connector shell, > although that may still be available? And of course one could always bodge > the power connection... That's a "standard" shell as used in several DEC power supplies and for 20mA TTY connections. They get brought up on the list from time to time. I happen to have a basket of them, but they are somewhat rare on the open market. -ethan
