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hi, PDP 11/45 found at Attic? What is this?

P

patrickdafunk

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Mar 8, 2015
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Hi there, I found this on my attic:
VodR6j8.jpg


I have no clue what it is, so I thought I'd ask here! Is this of any value?

Thank you very much!

whoops, double thread post, moderator? please merge or delete one! thank you!
 
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That sure looks like the front panel of a PDP-11/45 to me. That would be a DEC minicomputer from about 1972. It is certainly worth something to somebody (even a front panel alone is sometimes seen on ebay). Do you have more than a front panel? If there is a complete box, are there circuit boards inside? The 11/45 fans will want techno-porn (close-ups showing circuit board identifiers, power supply numbers, etc).
 
Other thread doesn't have any replies yet, so I guess this one will be the official one by default.

Well, i am certainly jealous of your attic. definitely do not throw that away! It is certainly of value to somebody. these days, old computers with blinkenlights and toggle switches are quite valued by collectors. I'd love to have a machine like that one, though I've been buying too much stuff lately to consider buying yours. So, I'll just drool on my keyboard instead.

The picture shows the front panel of a PDP-11/45, a 16-bit minicomputer made by Digital Equipment Corp. Presumably, the rest of the computer is behind it. Assuming it's complete, that cabinet would just contain the CPU, memory, and interface cards. In that era, there would be no internal storage (i.e., disk drives). Storage would be via some combination of external hard drives, paper tape punch/readers, etc. All of those beautiful front panel switches and lights let the operator monitor the state of the CPU and toggle in code and data, bit by bit.

Is there anything behind that panel, or is it just a front panel? Even a front panel will interest people. Please feel free to share more pictures of it, so we can help you figure out just what you have. There are a number of folks here who should be able to figure out how complete the innards are based on pictures, and perhaps answers to some specific questions.

If it's a complete cabinet, rather than just a removed front panel, then it would be best if you could find a nearby buyer. A machine like that is heavy and fragile, and it could easily be destroyed in shipping if it is not packed just right. It would help if you told us where you are located.

Congratulations on your find! I wonder what else might be lurking in your attic?
 
NF6X said:
Other thread doesn't have any replies yet, so I guess this one will be the official one by default.

Well, i am certainly jealous of your attic. definitely do not throw that away! It is certainly of value to somebody. these days, old computers with blinkenlights and toggle switches are quite valued by collectors. I'd love to have a machine like that one, though I've been buying too much stuff lately to consider buying yours. So, I'll just drool on my keyboard instead.

The picture shows the front panel of a PDP-11/45, a 16-bit minicomputer made by Digital Equipment Corp. Presumably, the rest of the computer is behind it. Assuming it's complete, that cabinet would just contain the CPU, memory, and interface cards. In that era, there would be no internal storage (i.e., disk drives). Storage would be via some combination of external hard drives, paper tape punch/readers, etc. All of those beautiful front panel switches and lights let the operator monitor the state of the CPU and toggle in code and data, bit by bit.

Is there anything behind that panel, or is it just a front panel? Even a front panel will interest people. Please feel free to share more pictures of it, so we can help you figure out just what you have. There are a number of folks here who should be able to figure out how complete the innards are based on pictures, and perhaps answers to some specific questions.

If it's a complete cabinet, rather than just a removed front panel, then it would be best if you could find a nearby buyer. A machine like that is heavy and fragile, and it could easily be destroyed in shipping if it is not packed just right. It would help if you told us where you are located.

Congratulations on your find! I wonder what else might be lurking in your attic?
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for the replies much appreciated. It is not only a front panel. Its a whole cabinet with tons of circuit boards and wires deep. Underneath there seems to be 2 big fans.
Behind it there are at least 3 more cabinets. They are very large and weigh tons. One with some kind of tape or fan mechanism which I have no idea of. I will post more pictures later today...! Also I found loads of boxes with 'digital' on them with huge circuitboards in them and wrapped up in foly. Also a few with some old papers with diagrams and such.

Thanks again for all your help..!
 
I am always looking for parts for systems like these...please advise if you're looking to sell any of this...where are you?
 
I've been looking for a PDP-11 like that for years! I guess international shipping would be far from affordable though.

(or really a PDP of any sort - they don't seem exactly common in New Zealand. All I've managed to get my hands on so far is a set of RT-11 manuals and some 8" floppy disks.)
 
As my old dad says locks only keep out honest thieves. Also remember GOLD is heavy, watch the ORIGINAL Italian job for example....
... and although valuable PDP-11's are reasonable common so can be affordable...
 
I carried an RA82 out of a recycling center on my own before any of them realized it was actually a hard drive.
an 11/45 is like carrying a bag of feathers in comparison. ;)

Anyways, nice find. I'm amazed that some of these machines are still being found out in the wild like this.
 
Hey guys, thank you all for your replies. Here are some more pictures, and stuff I found:

424JbR0.jpg

uDR0hji.jpg

QyJ1JpM.jpg

NOS78Ih.jpg


Seems the PDP 11/45 are quite rare, I didn't know I had this in the ATTIC. It's pretty awesome to find! Could somebody please tell me how much it is worth?
I also found tons of old Circuit boards from pre-PC/APPLE era tucked away in sealed boxes, please see pictures. Also a strange looking Keyboard. :) Any info on these boards and the PDP/11/45 are very much appreciated! Thank you!
 
You have a lot of digital equipment corp parts, someone who knew what he/she was doing enough to save them. I am working on an 11/40 right now, the 45 is slightly newer but they both were from 1973-80 era many parts interchangeable. Whomever set these aside probably did it in the 1980's.

Value- tested these parts would be worth a lot. and there is that tape unit and panel too. You should find a DEC expert near you to check out in more detail. Be careful how you handle and avoid unsorting anything that appears to have been grouped together as a set, such as controller cards.

There are a dozen or so people with DEC parts for sale on Ebay, who have had the same overpriced items for sale ... there is an 11/45 front panel for example that will never sell for the price being asked. If you sell, try to sell useful sets of parts that people who restore these machines can actually use. i.e. don't sell the door handle, sell the whole door.

where are you located? I recognize these parts but it does not appear to be a complete system. I am interested in the black power supply box, it should say "h742a" on the front or back ... it is pictured on its end side in your photo.. and the tape unit ....with cards and cables that go with it. This would be for my system.

I am looking for one of these:
http://vintagecomputer.net/digital/PDP11-40/DEC_742a_Power-Control-Board-underside.jpg
thm_DEC_742a_Power-Control-Board-underside.jpg


Bill
 
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Thanks for sharing more pictures! Please tell us where you are, so we can figure out which of us are close enough to drive over there with a fistful of cash. ;)

I should also add: Seeing that DECtape drive, my shirt is now fully drenched with drool. Sadly, my bank account is not fully drenched with money. :(
 
I know this might be hard to understand but there is no real answer to "what is it worth" other than to say its worth what some one is willing and able to pay. The only completed and sold auction on E-Bay for a PDP-11 I could find was for this pair of 11/10's which sold for approximately $2,000 for the pair.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/391034233749

and given the PDP11/45 is a more powerful beast of a similar age I guess that $1000 is a starting ball park. I also see you have a DEC Tape unit. One of those failed to sell for $750

http://www.ebay.com/itm/141572675314

but the vendor accept an offer which was less than that. Its a pity we can't find out what, but I might have started with $500.

You also appear to have on IBM Model 029 Card Punch Keyboard that might fetch a few dollars.....
 
You have schematics for a Documation card reader. Now that's something fancy.

Like the others have said, the price is in the eye of the beholder. I'd give you $500 because I'm a pretty simple hobbyist and I'm simply not the kind of person who can afford major purchases on the spot but I know that for stuff like this I'm "small fry".
 
g4ugm said:
I also see you have a DEC Tape unit. One of those failed to sell for $750

http://www.ebay.com/itm/141572675314

but the vendor accept an offer which was less than that. Its a pity we can't find out what, but I might have started with $500.
Click to expand...

Click on the See original listing link (or append "?&orig_cvip=true" to the item url).
http://www.ebay.com/itm/141572675314?&orig_cvip=true

Then view the page source and search for "binPrice":
"binPrice":"US $650.00"

eBay will probably break that method before too long...
 
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