Digital Equipment Corp. PDP-11/40 minicomputer
UvA Computer Museum catalogue nr 93.57
The PDP-11 architecture, introduced in 1970, was designed to cover
a wide range of price/functionality ratios. The PDP-11/40 (1973) is
the direct descendant (in the equal-cost/increasing-functionality
line) of the PDP-11/20, the root of the PDP-11 family tree.
Our machine has 8k 16-bit words of core memory and is equipped with
a fast papertape reader/punch, an RK-05 cartridge disk unit, a
double DECtape unit and a pair of RX-11 8" single-sided floppy
drives. The presently used console is a DECwriter II matrix
printer, replacing the original Teletype 38 ASR unit shown in the
picture.
This machine has been used for a long time (1973-1990) as a local
data concentrator for the Cyber mainframe computer at the
University Computing Centre (SARA). Running the RT-11 operating
system, this PDP-11/40 is still in use in our museum as a host for
various peripherals among which a Documation punched card
reader.
The picture shows the PDP-11/40 in its original state. There is also a
close-up of the console and papertape reader/puncher.
This machine was donated by SARA (Stichting Academisch
Rekencentrum Amsterdam).