| 2100 series architecture There were two 16-bit | | | | microprogrammed CPU. An option allowed user |
| accumulators, called A and B which could do most | | | | microprogramming. Front panel buttons were lit on |
| instructions such as load or add, and two 1-bit | | | | by small incandescent light bulbs that burnt out |
| flags, called Overflow and Extend, although the A | | | | with use. Dark lights did not bother regular users, |
| register had a few more instructions. The | | | | who knew the 1 and 0 sequences to load the |
| program counter, 15 bits, was called P. All | | | | paper tape 'loader-loader' instructions without |
| instructions in the standard instruction set were 16 | | | | seeing the panel's lights. 2100A 2100S 21MX |
| bits long. The earlier PDP-8 from DEC had just | | | | (1975-1979) Semiconductor memory, expandable |
| one accmulator and a 12 bit address. Memory | | | | to 1,048,576 words (one megaword). Front panel |
| was word accessible, unlike the later PDP-11 which | | | | buttons were lit on by small red LEDs which were |
| was addressable by byte. Conditional branching | | | | the longest lasting part on the system. M-series |
| was done with a conditional skip followed by a | | | | 2105A, 2108A, 2112A (has a blue line on front |
| jump instruction. There was no dedicated stack | | | | panel) E-series 2109A, 2113A (yellow line on front |
| register. The processor instruction-set architecture | | | | panel - E for Extended) F-series 2111F, 2117F (red |
| was very efficient, predating RISC architectures | | | | line on front panel - F for Floating point) The 21MX |
| with some similar features 20 years later, as | | | | ran the HP RTE (Real Time) Operating System |
| there were only 68 instructions. All instructions are | | | | (OS). They started out as refrigerator-sized rack |
| fixed width, 16 bits wide, and all instructions | | | | computers with lights and switches on the front |
| executed in one memory cycle (1.6 | | | | panels. The last models would use a 1 chip |
| microseconds). However, instructions could | | | | processor and fit under a desk using a console |
| address both memory and a register, it had only | | | | rather than front panel. The new L and A series |
| two accumulators instead of a series of general | | | | models had HP-IB interface ability but as with all |
| registers (such as the PDP-11). The | | | | HP systems at that point in time, the blinking LED |
| register-reference instructions could execute | | | | lights were removed from the front panel. |
| multiple operations per instruction (RISC | | | | Despite customer demands for a Real-Time ability |
| processors generally execute only one operation | | | | and HP R&D's efforts using an installable |
| per instruction) The early machines in the series | | | | Real-Time card, the RTE-A OS was not as good |
| (including the 2116) were direct-execution | | | | at Real-Time operations as RTE on a 21MX. This |
| machines but the 2100 and later machines were | | | | was an important reason this computer was hard |
| microprogrammed. The 2100 offered a writable | | | | to kill. Many companies use Real-Time operations |
| control store allowing the user to extend and | | | | to take a measurement, make a change (turn on |
| change the vertical microcode. The 2100-series of | | | | or off a pump, heater, a valve, speed-up or |
| processors is one of the systems that the SIMH | | | | slow-down a motor), etc. L-Series (1980) HP1000L |
| multi-system emulator is able to run. Descendants | | | | SOS (silicon on sapphire) CPU and I/O processors |
| and variants The HP 9810, 9820 and 9830 | | | | A-Series (1981-1996) each addressable up to 32 |
| desktop computers used a slow, serialized TTL | | | | MB of RAM. 1981: A600 - based on Am2900 |
| version of the 2116 CPU, although they did not | | | | bit-slice processor, 1 MIPS, 53kFLOPS A600+ - |
| ultimately use any of the operating system or | | | | based on Am2900 bit-slice processor, supports |
| application software, instead relying on | | | | code and data separation, optional ECC (error |
| user-friendly ROM-based interpreters such as | | | | correcting) memory. Codename: LIGHTNING |
| BASIC which worked when powered up and | | | | 1982??: A700 - HP own CPU, optional hardware |
| integrated keyboards and displays rather than | | | | floating point processor, 1MIPS, 204kFLOPS, |
| disks or standard terminals. In 1975, HP introduced | | | | microprogramming, optional ECC memory. |
| the BPC, the world's first 16-bit microprocessor, | | | | Codename: PHOENIX 1984: A900 - Provides |
| using HP's NMOS-II process. The BPC was usually | | | | pipelined datapath, 3MIPS, 500kFLOPS, ECC |
| but not always packaged in a ceramic hybrid | | | | memory. Codename MAGIC 1986: A400 - first |
| module with the EMC and IOC chips, which added | | | | single-board CPU including 4 serial lines; CPU |
| extended math and I/O instructions. The hybrid | | | | fabricated by VLSI Technology with their |
| was developed as the heart of the new 9825 | | | | CMOS-40 process, 512kB RAM on board. |
| desktop computer. The later 9845 workstation | | | | Codename Yellowstone 1992: A990 - CPU |
| added an MMU chip. These were the forerunners | | | | implemented with two 208-pin CMOS |
| of personal computers and technical workstations. | | | | application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), 298 |
| HP 9830 desktop computer The major | | | | instructions, supports up to 512 MB of memory. |
| differences between the original 2116 architecture | | | | Operating systems The operating system shell |
| and the BPC microprocessor are a completely | | | | even in the late 70s was very primitive, with a |
| redesigned I/O structure, the removal of multiple | | | | single-level file system. The command to run a |
| levels of indirect addressing, and the provision of a | | | | FORTRAN compiler would be like: ru, f77, |
| stack register for subroutine call and return. The | | | | &test,'test,%test meaning run the f77 |
| elimination of multiple indirection made an extra bit | | | | program, using special characters to distinguish |
| available in the memory reference instructions, | | | | between source file, object, and exe files for |
| allowing the maximum memory capacity to be | | | | older FMGR files. A modern Unix command line |
| increased from 32K to 64K. The BPC also added | | | | uses an implied run, and files have dot extensions |
| an input allowing the "current page" to be | | | | or internally stored characteristic ("magic number") |
| PC-relative, rather than a power-of-two aligned | | | | to distinguish between different file types for a |
| page. The BPC was used in a wide range of HP | | | | given project. It may have been the most |
| computers, peripherals, and test equipment, until it | | | | primitive of any competitive minicomputer at the |
| was discontinued in the late 1980s. The HP 2100 is | | | | time. The HP 1000 also was one of the few |
| one of many 8 and 16 bit machine architectures | | | | minicomputers that restricted names to only 5 |
| said to be inspired by the PDP-8. These can be | | | | characters, rather than the 6 common at the |
| characterized by use of RAM instead of registers, | | | | time, which made porting and even writing |
| and a small number of accumulators (such as A | | | | programs a challenge. Newer RTE-A operating |
| and B) rather than a relatively large number of | | | | system for HP 1000 provided conventional |
| regular registers (such as R0-R7 or R15) found on | | | | directory structure with 16.4 file names, and |
| the PDP-11. This philosophy can save money when | | | | made the ru command optional. GRAPHICS/1000 |
| RAM is less expensive than registers. Poland | | | | was a FORTRAN 5 character name |
| manufactured HP2114B clone since 1973. The | | | | implementation of AGL, which was based on the |
| Polish clones were called: MKJ-28 (prototype, | | | | HP 9830 graphics commands. Alternatively, a |
| 1973), SMC-3 (pilot production, 17 machines, | | | | specific dual processor configuration was sold (The |
| 1975-1977) and PRS-4 (production in series over | | | | HP2000 system) that could run HP Time-Shared |
| 150 machines, 1978-1987). Czechoslovakia | | | | BASIC. In this system, a well-equipped 2116 acted |
| produced its own HP1000 compatible clones | | | | as the main processor while a 2114 acted as the |
| designated ADT4000 (4300, 4500, 4700, 4900). | | | | communications multiplexer, simulating many |
| More than 1000 units were delivered by the | | | | UART channels in software. Later, 2100-series |
| vendors Aritma Prague (development), ZPA | | | | processors were substituted. The HP2000 was |
| akovice and ZPA Trutnov between 1973 and | | | | the fore-runner of the Tandem NonStop |
| 1990. Those computers served in the power | | | | architecture, Tandem being created when HP |
| plants including nuclear ones, other industry, | | | | management stopped the HP2000 product and its |
| military, at universities etc. for their high reliability | | | | champions disagreed.[citation needed] Introduction |
| and real-time features. Operating systems were | | | | dates HP 2116A Nov 1966 HP 2115A Nov 1967 HP |
| DOS/ADT (several versions) and Unix. The oldest | | | | 2116B Sep 1968 HP 2114A Oct 1968 HP 2000A |
| hybrid ADT7000 (1974) composed of digital | | | | Nov 1968 (2116-based timesharing system) HP |
| ADT4000 and analog ADT3000 parts, but only | | | | 2114B Nov 1969 HP 2116C Oct 1970 HP 2114C |
| digital part was interesting for customers. | | | | Oct 1970 References Leibson, Steve (2006). |
| ADT4316 (1976) had 16K words of ferrite core | | | | HP9825.COM: The Story of the Little Computer |
| memory, the ADT4500 (1978) up to 4M words | | | | That Could! The Hewlett Packard Company. |
| of semiconductor RAM. The ADT 4900 was | | | | HP1000/RTE Home page. External links Jeff |
| designed as a single-board computer, but its mass | | | | Moffat's HP2100 Archive, software and manuals |
| production did not start yet. Czechoslovak people | | | | Simulator, with executable binaries and source in C |
| army used ADT based MOMI 1 and MOMI 2 | | | | HP: The Accidentally, On-Purpose Computer |
| mobile minicomputers, built in container carried by | | | | Company 1972 HP 2100 Brochure rack mounted |
| the Tatra 148 truck. Instruction overview | | | | HP2100 system Guilherme Bittencourt's site image |
| Arithmetic Add, Increment, And, Or, Exclusive or | | | | showing from top to bottom, left: a 21MX |
| Program Control Skip, Jump, Jump to Subroutine | | | | E-series computer, 2100A computer, 2100 power |
| Shift/Rotate Arithmetic and Logical Shifts, 16- and | | | | supply (PS), 7905 disc drive, 13037 drive |
| 17-bit Rotates Optional Multiply, Divide, 32-bit Load | | | | controller; right: paper tape reader, paper tape |
| and Store, 32-bit Shifts Model overview Early | | | | punch, 7900 disk drive, 7900 PS. HP Computer |
| models (1966-1970) Core memory, hardwired | | | | Museum: 2000F Timeshare System HP Computer |
| CPU. Similar to a PDP-8 that has been pumped up | | | | Museum: 1000-L & A Series Migration |
| to 16 bits and two accumulators. 2116A 2116B | | | | Specialties provides HP2100 & HP1000 |
| 2116C 2115A 2114A 2114B 2114C Second | | | | replacements and upgrades. |
| generation (1970-1974) Core memory, | | | | |