Open Computing History Project

Volunteers at the project's hardware lab have finished a six-month restoration of a PDP-11/70 front panel donated by a retired systems engineer. The switch register and all of the indicator lamps now work, and the panel is on display in the lab.

Most of the work went into the lamps and switches. Several switches had been broken off at some point and were replaced with parts from a second, damaged panel that came with the donation. Every incandescent lamp was tested and about a third were replaced. We have documented each step with photographs so that other groups working on similar panels can see what we did.

The panel is not connected to a working machine. Getting a complete PDP-11/70 running is a much larger project, and for now the panel is driven by a small test circuit that lets visitors toggle in values and watch the lamps.