using an FPGA to emulate a vintage computer
in [FPGA]
|
From: (see below) on 8 Feb 2010 08:52 On 08/02/2010 08:19, in article hkohet$u7p$1(a)news.eternal-september.org, "invalid" <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> wrote: > "(see below)" <yaldnif.w(a)blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message > news:C7921944.13537A%yaldnif.w(a)blueyonder.co.uk... >> On 05/02/2010 18:19, in article >> badc12c3-cb2b-4ce9-9543-237d60fc22d5(a)o8g2000vbm.googlegroups.com, "Eric >> Chomko" <pne.chomko(a)comcast.net> wrote: >>> Has anyone created a copy machine of an old system using an FPGA? I >>> was wondering if it would be possible to take an entire SWTPC 6800 and >>> compile the schematics and have it run on an FPGA board.? Wouldn't >>> even have to be the latest Xylinx product, I suspect. >> I think such a project would valuable, and perhaps even more valuable if it >> aimed to recreate a machine of the "heroic" era -- a 7094, an Atlas, or a >> KDF9, say. Perhaps even a Stretch. >> KDF9 had about 20K transistors, a few K logic transformers, and a comparable >> number of diodes; less than 50K devices in total. I imagine this would be >> easily accommodated on a modern FPGA. The big question would be whether to >> go for functional equivalence, or whether to try to replicate the original >> internal structures. > > If you want funtional equivalence to the KDF-9 instruction set, > then get yourself a copy of the Forth language. While there are strong similarities between KDF9's Usercode assembly language and FORTH, they are by no means functionally equivalent. As it happens, I already have a prototype KDF9 running in my laptop -- but implemented in software, not an FPGA. See: <http://www.findlayw.plus.com/KDF9> -- Bill Findlay <surname><forename> chez blueyonder.co.uk
From: Jecel on 8 Feb 2010 11:25 On Feb 8, 2:42 am, H. Peter Anvin wrote: > You can add to that list: > > http://www.abc80.org/~hpa/fpga/ Thanks! This is doubly wonderful since not only do I love FPGA based retrocomputing but am also very interested in the history of computing of countries outside the better known US/UK stuff. -- Jecel
From: Jecel on 8 Feb 2010 11:28 On Feb 8, 7:05 am, Gregory Estrade wrote: > You can add those too : > http://torlus.com/index.php?2007/12/05/208-oric-in-a-fpga-continued > http://torlus.com/index.php?2007/03/19/200-thomson-mo5-in-a-fpga > http://torlus.com/index.php?2007/01/31/198-hector-hrx-in-a-fpga > > Someday, I will set up a dedicated page for all these projects :) Great! This subject really needs a whole wiki to itself rather than just a page at a hard to remember address. This is on my "to do" list, but it will be a while before I get to it. -- Jecel
From: John Francis on 8 Feb 2010 12:07 In article <C7921944.13537A%yaldnif.w(a)blueyonder.co.uk>, (see below) <yaldnif.w(a)blueyonder.co.uk> wrote: > >I think such a project would valuable, and perhaps even more valuable if it >aimed to recreate a machine of the "heroic" era -- a 7094, an Atlas, or a >KDF9, say. Perhaps even a Stretch. While I'd love to see an Atlas, I rather doubt any of the software survives.
From: Al Kossow on 8 Feb 2010 12:37
On 2/8/10 9:07 AM, John Francis wrote: > In article<C7921944.13537A%yaldnif.w(a)blueyonder.co.uk>, > (see below)<yaldnif.w(a)blueyonder.co.uk> wrote: >> >> I think such a project would valuable, and perhaps even more valuable if it >> aimed to recreate a machine of the "heroic" era -- a 7094, an Atlas, or a >> KDF9, say. Perhaps even a Stretch. > > While I'd love to see an Atlas, I rather doubt any of the software survives. > Reviving early computing dinosaurs from the surviving DNA is difficult. I would be interested in hearing if any Atlas software survives. Sadly, it appears that the Titan software has been lost as well. The Computer History Musuem has paper copies of Stretch diagnostics, which someone had been working on OCRing, but I've not heard anything about that effort for over a year. 7090/94 is in better shape, and there are copies of software for it, including FORTRAN, running in simulation. Personally, I'm very interested in seeing B5500 running again. I'm hoping the MCP tapes we have in the CHM archives are recoverable. I have scanned most of the software listings CHM has in the archives and put them up on bitsavers. There is also someone working on an implementation of the CDC 6600 derived from the original engineering drawings. Hans Pufal was working on microcode level simulation of the 360/30, working from reverese-engineered microcode from the Field Engineering documents. |