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The Soviet 1801VM2 LSI-11 Processor (2021)

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Re: The Soviet 1801VM2 LSI-11 Processor (2021)

#11

Post by mepian »

0xcde4c3db wrote: post #4
genman wrote: post #3

There was this joke at Soviet time, mimicking the usual Soviet propaganda: Soviet microprocessors - the most large microprocessors in the world! They made many clones of Western designs but had also number of original designs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Soviet_microprocessors

I remember reading that some version of the MicroVAX CPU had etched into it, in broken Russian, something approximating "VAX: When you care enough to steal the very best". I'm not sure how many Soviet engineers would have been familiar with the Hallmark commercials to get the joke, though.

DEC celebrated this in their "VMS at 20" anniversary book in 1997: https://vtda.org/docs/computing/DEC/VMS/VMSat20Book.pdf

Re: The Soviet 1801VM2 LSI-11 Processor (2021)

#12

Post by ruslan »

Arh.. nostalgia. I learnt to programme in PDP-11 assembly on ДВК-1 and БК-0010 somewhere in 89-90. That was my second assembly though. The first one was MOS 6502 on Atari 800s, they were quite popular in USSR in late 80th.Funny thing is that you still can purchase КМ1801ВМ3 chips in Russia for less than a $1 in bulk. I once considered building a ДВК clone to play with and to teach my kids some proper assembly, but then found this DVK-FPGA project on Github: https://github.com/forth32/dvk-fpga

Re: The Soviet 1801VM2 LSI-11 Processor (2021)

#13

Post by ggm »

genman wrote: post #3

There was this joke at Soviet time, mimicking the usual Soviet propaganda: Soviet microprocessors - the most large microprocessors in the world! They made many clones of Western designs but had also number of original designs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Soviet_microprocessors

Systime, a UK based DEC var and terminal maker was busted copying VAX boards to on-sell to the SU when DEC couldn't under ITAR restrictions. They sold clones with DEC boards and decided to up the profit by cloning the DEC boards.

Systime was doing fine selling VT100 compatible terminals but went seeking bigger bucks. I think the VAX was a sweetspot for them while it lasted. They went bust in the end.

Their headquarters in Leeds was a futuristic (for the 1980s) building with magstripe guided parts moving robots, a fantastic works cafeteria, the owners helicopter parked outside, and featured in a nuclear missile thriller TV series called "edge of darkness" -I worked at Leeds Uni on a systime funded research project and spent time there. Nice people in the research labs, smart, motivated.

Re: The Soviet 1801VM2 LSI-11 Processor (2021)

#14

Post by thriftwy »

ggm wrote: post #13
genman wrote: post #3

There was this joke at Soviet time, mimicking the usual Soviet propaganda: Soviet microprocessors - the most large microprocessors in the world! They made many clones of Western designs but had also number of original designs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Soviet_microprocessors

Systime, a UK based DEC var and terminal maker was busted copying VAX boards to on-sell to the SU when DEC couldn't under ITAR restrictions. They sold clones with DEC boards and decided to up the profit by cloning the DEC boards. Systime was doing fine selling VT100 compatible terminals but went seeking bigger bucks. I think the VAX was a sweetspot for them while it lasted. They went bust in the end. Their headquarte…

I've heard Latvia had a fisherman kolkhoz dedicated to smuggling dual purpose tech from Sweden (presumably with their benevolent neutrality).

Re: The Soviet 1801VM2 LSI-11 Processor (2021)

#15

Post by cyberax »

ggm wrote: post #13
genman wrote: post #3

There was this joke at Soviet time, mimicking the usual Soviet propaganda: Soviet microprocessors - the most large microprocessors in the world! They made many clones of Western designs but had also number of original designs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Soviet_microprocessors

Systime, a UK based DEC var and terminal maker was busted copying VAX boards to on-sell to the SU when DEC couldn't under ITAR restrictions. They sold clones with DEC boards and decided to up the profit by cloning the DEC boards. Systime was doing fine selling VT100 compatible terminals but went seeking bigger bucks. I think the VAX was a sweetspot for them while it lasted. They went bust in the end. Their headquarte…

It interesting, because VAX had never been used much in the USSR. The main architectures were PDP-derived or IBM-derived.

Re: The Soviet 1801VM2 LSI-11 Processor (2021)

#16

Post by bloopernova »

genman wrote: post #3

There was this joke at Soviet time, mimicking the usual Soviet propaganda: Soviet microprocessors - the most large microprocessors in the world! They made many clones of Western designs but had also number of original designs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Soviet_microprocessors

The table on that page says some chips used risc-v architecture. But made by the Soviet Union? Risc-v was introduced 10 years ago. What on earth?

Re: The Soviet 1801VM2 LSI-11 Processor (2021)

#18

Post by ggm »

cyberax wrote: post #15
ggm wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Systime, a UK based DEC var and terminal maker was busted copying VAX boards to on-sell to the SU when DEC couldn't under ITAR restrictions. They sold clones with DEC boards and decided to up the profit by cloning the DEC boards. Systime was doing fine selling VT100 compatible terminals but went seeking bigger bucks. I think the VAX was a sweetspot for them while it lasted. They went bust in the end. Their headquarte…

It interesting, because VAX had never been used much in the USSR. The main architectures were PDP-derived or IBM-derived.

Probably sold mostly to the sphere, not the core. Systime might have been in the pdp-11 business too but I was there working Vax, and the story was told to me about Vax (by systime employees I might add)

Re: The Soviet 1801VM2 LSI-11 Processor (2021)

#20

Post by jhallenworld »

ruslan wrote: post #12

Arh.. nostalgia. I learnt to programme in PDP-11 assembly on ДВК-1 and БК-0010 somewhere in 89-90. That was my second assembly though. The first one was MOS 6502 on Atari 800s, they were quite popular in USSR in late 80th.Funny thing is that you still can purchase КМ1801ВМ3 chips in Russia for less than a $1 in bulk. I once considered building a ДВК clone to play with and to teach my kids some proper assembly, but th…

You should resell them on eBay. IM6100s (PDP-8 CPU on a chip) are going for $50 / each.
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