On 05/24/2016 11:56 AM, Swift Griggs wrote:
On Tue, 24 May 2016, Jon Elson wrote:
The early PDP-11s had a diode matrix ROM for the boot memory. You could
change the boot code with a wire cutter and soldering iron.
Is that similar to "wire wrap" ? I remember my grandmother talking about
having to snip wires connected to diodes. I think this was in the 50's but
it might have been the 60's, too. She mentioned something like that.
-Swift
Here's some wire-wrap. And, yes, you did need to change the
wire wrapping on some systems to configure different
options. http://pico-systems.com/stories/1982.html
But, the DEC diode ROM boards were printed circuit boards
with a matrix of diodes diagonally connecting between
vertical traces (on one side of the board) and horizontal on
the other. Diodes were removed to change zeroes to ones.
(or vice versa.)
Here's a homebrew one:
http://www.wintergroundfairlands.com/2013/10/visualizing-roms-1-diode-matrix-rom.html
Jon
