TYPE 340 round display question

298 views
Skip to first unread message

R Clark

unread,
Apr 5, 2025, 8:20:06 PMApr 5
to PiDP-10
Looking at pictures on the web, I see  hole/knob/switch or something in the lower left corner of the display panel.  Wondering what that was if anything. I freeCad'ed a simple box and added a small hole in that corner.  I can drill out to size as needed (or re-cut) after I laser cut the pieces. You see, I bought a 5" hdmi round touch screen from Waveshare to hopefully sort-of recreate the 340 display for fun.  Since the PiDP-10 is on a shelf and the RPI-5 hdmi connectors are being unused...  Anyway, see where project goes...  This hobby is addicting...



Tim Radde

unread,
Apr 5, 2025, 8:29:17 PMApr 5
to PiDP-10
I can't find a decent picture on the web that shows this. Can you provide one?

Stephen Jones

unread,
Apr 5, 2025, 8:32:41 PMApr 5
to Tim Radde, PiDP-10
Courtesy of SDF Vintage Systems.



--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PiDP-10" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to pidp-10+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pidp-10/8cbcb98d-cbd1-40ba-a258-0a4eadd1c832n%40googlegroups.com.

david avery

unread,
Apr 5, 2025, 8:40:18 PMApr 5
to pid...@googlegroups.com

pretty sure that is the display brightness control knob

R Clark

unread,
Apr 6, 2025, 10:32:13 AMApr 6
to PiDP-10
Thanks for the hi-res picture!!!  I couldn't find a good one on the web either.  

So a smooth silver control knob with a black center to control the brightness.  

Stephen Jones

unread,
Apr 6, 2025, 6:23:31 PMApr 6
to R Clark, PiDP-10
On both Type 340s here the potentiometer on the bottom left adjusts the gain control for the light pen.
Brightness and other adjustments are done through the PM calibration procedure.

Stephen Jones

unread,
Apr 6, 2025, 6:26:07 PMApr 6
to R Clark, PiDP-10
Your welcome, also this video of the Type 340 on our PDP-7 might be useful as well:



On Sun, Apr 6, 2025 at 7:32 AM R Clark <rbclar...@gmail.com> wrote:

pbi...@gmail.com

unread,
Apr 7, 2025, 12:04:14 AMApr 7
to Stephen Jones, R Clark, PiDP-10

Pretty interesting multi-media presentation :-}.  Thank you for sharing it.

 

  1. What phosphor does the Type 340 use?
  2. What is the source of the audio?
  3. Is the source code available for study?

 

It would be interesting to reproduce these outputs in other environments!

 

From: pid...@googlegroups.com <pid...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Stephen Jones
Sent: Sunday, April 6, 2025 6:26 PM
To: R Clark <rbclar...@gmail.com>
Cc: PiDP-10 <pid...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [pidp-10] Re: TYPE 340 round display question

 

Your welcome, also this video of the Type 340 on our PDP-7 might be useful as well:

 

 

-----

Lars Brinkhoff

unread,
Apr 7, 2025, 12:59:51 AMApr 7
to PiDP-10
  1. What phosphor does the Type 340 use?

P7 

Stephen Jones

unread,
Apr 7, 2025, 1:06:50 AMApr 7
to pbi...@gmail.com, R Clark, PiDP-10
P7 phosphors. The audio was captured by holding a yaesu uv8dr near various places around the controller backplane tuned out of the AM broadcast band. Both listings and more can be published on SDF’s git server soon! 

Both our Type 340s operate but we need to fabricate a controller to used the pictured one on our PDP-6.  More details on its analogue rebuild soon.

Lars Brinkhoff

unread,
Apr 7, 2025, 1:21:33 AMApr 7
to Stephen Jones, pbi...@gmail.com, R Clark, PiDP-10
SMJ wrote:
Both our Type 340s operate but we need to fabricate a controller to used the pictured one on our PDP-6.  More details on its analogue rebuild soon.

Wow, you'll be able to demo SHRDLU in style!

Bradford Miller

unread,
Apr 7, 2025, 10:05:40 AMApr 7
to Stephen Jones, PiDP-10
What is the panel that was cut off on the right of the picture?

> On Apr 5, 2025, at 8:32 PM, Stephen Jones <sdfp...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Courtesy of SDF Vintage Systems.
>
> <IMG_9400.jpeg>
>

Lars Brinkhoff

unread,
Apr 7, 2025, 1:03:52 PMApr 7
to PiDP-10
Bradford wrote:
What is the panel that was cut off on the right of the picture?

A PDP-8 "straight eight".

steve...@gmail.com

unread,
Apr 7, 2025, 2:57:30 PMApr 7
to PiDP-10

Photos of the "Classic 8" I used to own:
P1040003.JPG
P1040002.JPG

R Clark

unread,
Jun 7, 2025, 2:18:24 AMJun 7
to PiDP-10
Getting closer!  Nothing 'fancy here' . Note this is a 'phone' picture and the color is 'off' (more bluish).  Sitting on my desk it looks almost the right green color.  Go figure.   Thought I'd show my progress anyway.  I wrote a program to simulate the scope (pixels fade if not refreshed) and display a strange attractor on it.  Not hooked up 'yet' to the PDP-10.  Just playing around learning how to use the round display.  Right now I have two displays  hooked up on RPI. The round being the second display.  Easier that way.  As I said in another thread I really need to redo the proportions for the actual display viewing area (not the full width of the display). Ie. the front panel is bigger than it should be.  Live and learn.  Note the display is a touch screen, so could add the 'pen' capability....  We'll see.
scopeWorking.jpgscopeWorking2.jpg

Stephen Jones

unread,
Jun 14, 2025, 4:48:58 PMJun 14
to PiDP-10
This is very cool and you even have the screw holes for the shroud as well as the gain pot for the light pen.
The light pen has a mechanical gate, but maybe you could make a button for that and allow your finger to
take advantage of the touch screen.

Next, can you emulate this effect? :)




--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PiDP-10" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to pidp-10+u...@googlegroups.com.
Message has been deleted

R Clark

unread,
Jul 18, 2025, 3:47:57 PMJul 18
to PiDP-10
Here it is with the knob attached. Still have to automate the pot to modify the intensity of the screen, but now the hardware is done.  Up to the software now :) .
radarKnobAttached.jpg
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages