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The Soviet 1801VM2 LSI-11 Processor (2021)

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

#21

Post by avodonosov »

thriftwy wrote: post #9
0xcde4c3db wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

The broken Russian reads more like an advertisement to buy the real thing. Until you have supplied that quote I had no idea, even though I saw this picture.

Hm, indeed, can be interpreted this way, if you imagine commas at right places.

If you care, enough to steal, the real best.

(The word "настоящий" used as the translation of "very" means "real". For the rest we can leave the original english words and with commas even have some similar broken language effect)

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

#22

Post by FpUser »

varjag wrote: post #6

I happen to have three of those: one standalone NOS chip and two on Q-Bus SBCs. One however has a crack in its cerdip package. Here's what one of the boards looks like: http://blog.funcall.org/hadrware%20vintage%20pdp/2017/03/14/... Boards like these were used both in DVK systems and in different CNC controllers.

I used DVK for a while and yes good chunk of that time was used to play Tetris ;)

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

#24

Post by petrohi »

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.

I remember using Soviet-made VAX clone from СМ ЭВМ series:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM_EVM

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

#25

Post by jhallenworld »

dmitrygr wrote: post #23
jhallenworld wrote: post #19

Is there a datasheet for these Soviet PDP-11 chips? I mean assuming I want to make something new with it now..

https://gid.pdp-11.ru/a/mpss/mpss86-04.html https://gid.pdp-11.ru/a/mpss/mpss84-04.html

I don't understand the reset sequence of the KM1801VM1 and VM2, but it's clear for the VM3 (it starts at 0173000 or 026 depending on WO pin).

It looks like it has status signals so that program and data memory spaces can be split, the English translation has this funny comment:

"When working with weapons of mass destruction, system memory is “hidden”, i.e. its addresses in program mode do not occupy RAM address space. "

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

#26

Post by dmitrygr »

jhallenworld wrote: post #25
dmitrygr wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://gid.pdp-11.ru/a/mpss/mpss86-04.html https://gid.pdp-11.ru/a/mpss/mpss84-04.html

I don't understand the reset sequence of the KM1801VM1 and VM2, but it's clear for the VM3 (it starts at 0173000 or 026 depending on WO pin). It looks like it has status signals so that program and data memory spaces can be split, the English translation has this funny comment: "When working with weapons of mass destruction, system memory is “hidden”, i.e. its addresses in program mode do not occupy RAM address space…

Can you paste the original russian and i'll try to translate better? i suspect that " weapons of mass destruction" was a mistranslation of an acronym to WMD, which got then expanded

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

#27

Post by jacquesm »

jhallenworld wrote: post #20
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.

Possibly they wouldn't fit (metric pitch at 2.5 mm spacing for many Russian made chips).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_computer_hardware_i...

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

#28

Post by orbital-decay »

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…

> I once considered building a ДВК clone to play with and to teach my kids some proper assembly

I actually built a custom board with a K1801VM1 a while back to teach my son programming basics from the ground up. It's slow as molasses, but great at this purpose. The PDP-11 ISA is simple and comprehensible, as well as the 1801 microarchitecture. Underclocking and a few LEDs in the key points of the board can easily illustrate the entire process; it's very direct and you can almost physically see it "thinking" under the hood. We used that board to drive our Christmas lights and for simple games before moving to something more high-level.

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

#29

Post by yalok »

I used to write all my code for this CPU in plain machine codes. Granted they weee very easy to remember- in octal form.

Eg 10102 - mov R1, R2

Very elegant and human readable machine code.

Btw, the same processor was used in the MK85 “calculator” which in essence was a mobile computer (ca 1990!). I owned one not knowing that fact, and was so amazed to realize it was actually a 1801vm1/vm2 architecture when I unsoldered ROM from it, connected to my parallel port and read its content - it had that familiar code there!!

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

#30

Post by Miiko »

bloopernova wrote: post #16
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?

The table includes post-USSR chips too:

> Newer devices from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine are listed here if they are labelled according to the Soviet integrated circuit designation.

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