Written by: Administrator
Parent Category: Stories
Category: The PDP-10 KI10 console panel

In February 2018 I attended the first VCF convention in Seattle, named "VCF Nord West Pacific". The convention was held in the Living Computer Museum, and beside the VCF I'd traveled around half the globe to see their running PDP-10 KI10 there.

lcm ki10 overview

You are right: Its running!

It said that the the LCM machine in fact came from Germany, city of Kiel. Kiel had a dual-processor PDP-10, one half is on exhibit in the Computermuseum der Fachhochschule Kiel. The other half is now at LCM. The transfer involved some third-party dealer, details are a bit obscure.

My computer club visited the collection in Kiel in 2010, there I got in touch with a KI10 after 30 years:

kiel joerg

In Seattle I tried to verify that the LCM machine is in fact this one. Results were irritating: some details, especially stickers on the panel, indicate identity, others do not fit. However, the LCM machine underwent heavy restoration and was perhaps even reassembled from parts of other KI10s. As we could see on tour through LCM storage, they have some more KI10s, complete or just parts.

Restorator Bruce Sherry posed with me for an selfie (we both look a bit uneasy, as the photographer was not able to operate my camera for minutes).

lcm bruce&joerg

And the 2010 photo was reproduced.

lcm joerg posing

I was totally excited and made several videos and 260 photos of the machine. For example I finally have a good poster of the central processor bay:

lcm console pano

These pictures were used to enhance the BlinkenBone KI10 panel simulation: I added original LCM background to the pictures, the simulation appears now more realistic. Compare old and updated version:

lcm blinkenbone ki10 no background

lcm blinkenbone ki10 new background

* * *

Bruce also made a LAMP TEST for me: about 900 lamps were illuminated with one key press.

lcm lamptest 3bays

But as always, some need replacement.

lcm lamptest detail

Still can't believe I did not dream this!