[Info-vax] The SBC6120 is back once again! (PDP-8 clone KIT)

[Richard B. Gilbert]

Bob wrote:
> [Reposted from http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sparetimegizmos with
> Bob's permission. Please direct all discussion to that forum. Bob
> requested that I make it VERY clear that more front panels are very
> unlikely at this time: it would take at least a hundred orders to make
> it possible. And please don't address any questions to me. I'm just
> spreading the word for Bob.]
> 
> 
> THE SBC6120 IS BACK!
> 
> A friend pointed me to a source for still more NOS HD6120 chips and
> gently "persuaded" me to order more SBC6120 PC boards. That means the
> SBC6120 is back - you can order a bare PC board, a partial kit of the
> hard to find parts, or (for a very limited time) a full kit of all
> parts, from the web page -
> 
> http://www.sparetimegizmos.com/Hardware/SBC6120-2.htm
> 
> 
> WHAT'S A SBC6120?
> 
> The SBC6120 is a clone of the venerable DEC PDP-8 minicomputer that
> you can build yourself, today, using more-or-less modern parts. The
> CPU
> is the Harris HD6120 PDP-8 chip, which is the same part used in
> Digital's DECmate series of computers. The SBC6120 uses an IDE/ATA
> disk
> or CompactFlash card for mass storage, any ordinary serial ASCII
> terminal as a console, and can run OS/8, FOCAL69, and pretty much any
> other software that would have run on a PDP-8/E.
> 
> Construction is pretty simple with the PC board. Only thru hole parts
> are used and no difficult SMT soldering is required. The SBC6120 has
> the same footprint as a 5-1/4" disk drive and requires only a 5V power
> supply. It's easy to fit the whole thing, including a disk drive, into
> an old external drive case. Add a terminal - most people will use a PC
> with some terminal emulation software - and you're ready to go.
> 
> If you want to get a better idea of what's involved in building one,
> there's a complete manual, including assembly instructions and a full
> pars list, here -
> 
> http://www.sparetimegizmos.com/Downloads/SBC6120.pdf
> 
> 
> ORDERING
> 
> A bare PC board alone for the SBC6120 is $28 plus $5 for S&H.
> 
> A "partial kit" consisting of the PC board, one HD6120 CPU chip, three
> 64Kx4 SRAM chips, two pre-programmed EPROMS with the BTS6120 firmware,
> and three pre-programmed PLD chips, is $150 plus $13 S&H.
> 
> You can order either of these options from the SBC6120 web page -
> 
> http://www.sparetimegizmos.com/Hardware/SBC6120-2.htm
> 
> All shipping prices are for US domestic only - for international
> orders please inquire about shipping charges before ordering. All
> shipments to California addresses must also pay sales tax.
> 
> 
> FULL KITS
> 
> People often ask to buy full kits of all the SBC6120 parts, however
> I'm always reluctant to sell full kits because of the huge amount of
> time required to order all the parts, count them out, and pack them
> into
> bags. Spare Time Gizmos will sell full kits for the SBC6120, but this
> time I've decided to try something a little different.
> 
> A full kit of all the PCB mounted parts, except the expansion bus
> connector, will be $350 plus $25 S&H. All you'll need to do is build
> it, add a terminal, disk drive, and power supply, and you'll be ready
> to
> go.
> 
> If you want to order a full kit, then go to the web page listed above
> and order the partial kit. When you complete your PayPal checkout,
> include a message with your order saying that you want to buy a full
> kit. You'll be charged the regular partial kit price at that time;
> I'll
> process your order and send you a receipt, and I'll set your partial
> kit
> parts aside. I will not ship them at that time.
> 
> Then, around the middle of January, I'll stop taking orders for the
> full kits. You'll get a PayPal bill from Spare Time Gizmos for the
> remaining balance, which you'll have a couple of days to pay. I'll
> order the parts for the full kits, divide them up, and they'll be
> shipped by the end of January. If you don't pay the balance or if you
> change your mind, then I'll simply ship you your original partial kit
> with no hard feelings.
> 
> 
> FRONT PANELS
> 
> The front panel kits for the SBC6120 sold out years ago, and I simply
> have no parts of any kind left for it. Unfortunately the front panels
> are nowhere near as easy to bring back into production as the SBC6120
> -
> the switches used are special order items, the LED bar and other
> mechanical parts were custom machined, and the faceplate itself was
> laser cut and silk screened in five colors. If I could find something
> like 100 people who wanted to buy one, at a couple hundred dollars for
> a
> partial kit of the custom parts only, then it might be possible to
> have
> more built economically.
> 
> That seems unlikely, though, so right now Spare Time Gizmos has no
> plans to offer the front panel kits again.

Nostalgia?  The PDP-8 was such a limited machine by today's standards! 
The telephone/PDA that rides in my shirt pocket has more computing power 
and more memory than any PDP-8!