The major reference sites for the PiDP-1 are:-
As at October 1st, 2026, the book PiDP-1, A Programmed Data Processor, by Andrew Barron has the most comprehensive collection of PiDP-1 material. This book takes the PiPD-1 from an introduction through construction to the upgrades and expansion provided by Bill Ezell's software on Github. It should be obvious that I've failed to recommend this site.
In the construction. installation, programming, operation and maintenance of a PiDP-1 system the open nature of this project will include variations and different interpretations. I'm including my comments in this PiDP-1 Notes section.
These notes are just personal opinion and guesstimates that should be taken with a large grain of salt. As these PiDP-1 Notes include my guesstimates they may or may not have some vague connection to reality,
You have been warned!
A major hurdle is the PDP-1 predates the Intertubes and information has been lost. A significant percentage of the information that was preserved is not available online. When looking at DEC's PDP-1 documentation and code fragments I kept running across mnemonics that were missing from DEC's PDP-1 Handbook. My starting point was to assemble the available information for all PDP-1 systems.
The following list has been built from the available references at this date (October 1, 2026:-
Warning: Because of my guesstimates there are significant differences from these established references.
| Page | Para. | Source | Comments/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 4 | TIP: I find it easier to cut the diodes and resistors away from the paper strips two at a time, rather than attemptinmg to pull them out of the strips. | I would never pull these components from the paper strips. Depending on the force and angle of the first pull it is possible to bend a lead at the body of the component. This won't be a catastophic mistake and the bent lead can be simply straightened. Catch is under vibration and thermal stresses these components can be vulnerable to later failure. The paper holding the components is actually two (2) strips of paper glued together. If you pull the components from the paper the ends of the component leads can be coated in the glue. Although this might normally be burnt off by the high tempersture of the solder it may lower the reliability of the joint. A good reference for further information are documents such as the Standard Maintenance Practices, Minature/Microminiature (2M) Electronic Assembly Repair, Revision 4, WP 007 00 Through Hole Components, 07-6 Workmanship Standards. These standards will be at a higher level that what is expected for the PiDP-1. There are simple, cheap, plastic tools to assit bending component leads. For example |
| 33 | Resistors |