A heads up ...
Joerg Hoppe (http://retrocmp.com/projects/blinkenbone) has a very useful set of tools for reactivating control panels of old systems.
It consists of 
1 a beaglebone black, a "cape" for the beaglebone that provifes RS232.
2 a blinkenboard driver.  This allows some 128 lines to be used as  inputs and outputs to be driven/sensed under the control of the beaglebone black.  They can drive low or high voltages (in groups of 8 for hi volts, or 8 for low volts)
He has good simple software and network APIs to allow the boards to be controller.  (as well as the RS232)
I have used this to bring an old PDP 11/70 panel back  to life.  I am working on a saratov-2 front panel and a PDP-8 front-panel at present.
The beaglebone can run SIMH - and so you have a unix emulator available to drive the panel.
If you have lights and switches to drive/read his toolkit is a quick way to get started.
11/70 - panel http://www.scotnet.co.uk/iain/DEC/1170/
saratov-2 - panel http://www.scotnet.co.uk/iain/saratov/
http://www.scotnet.co.uk/iain/saratov/font-panel.jpg
			
			
						re-activating old iron
Moderator: Shaos
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				iainmaoileoin
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re-activating old iron
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				Shaos  
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				iainmaoileoin
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Re: re-activating old iron
Are there any more of these panels anywhere?  I dont know where to look for "eastern bloc" old iron.
			
			
									
						
										
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				Александр А.
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Re: re-activating old iron
Finding a computer with such a panel is a great success. When the USSR collapsed, machines began to be destroyed for the extraction of gold and palladium.Are there any more of these panels anywhere?
Просто Александр.
			
						 
				
