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CuriousMarc - Apollo AGC - Restoring the computer that put man on the Moon

Started by LambdaMikel, 06:52, 09 April 19

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LambdaMikel

Guess many of you guys already know about this, but I don't want anybody to miss these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KSahAoOLdU&list=PL-_93BVApb59FWrLZfdlisi_x7-Ut_-w7

By now, he got pretty far - Part 8 in the series was published a couple days ago.

ComSoft6128

Thanks LambdaMikel,

I see its by the same team that did the excellent Xerox Alto restoration video. They have a knack of making something I know very little about (hardware) interesting.

Cheers,

Peter

LambdaMikel

Glad you are enjoying it.
These guys are wizards...


here is a link to the Apollo simulator & Verilog code:


http://mikestewart.hcoop.net/


https://github.com/virtualagc


ComSoft6128

And this Wikipedia page about a female software pioneer involved in the Apollo program is also worth reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Hamilton_(scientist)#NASA

The photograph of her standing beside the printout of the software is striking.





robcfg

Great videos!


I watched the videos on a row and found them fascinating.


Peter, thanks for sharing such nice stuff!

ComSoft6128

Cheers Rob,

The thanks go to LamdaMikel for his original info/postings on the Xerox Alto restoration. The enthusiasm of the team involved in that project is a pleasure to watch. And like I said before - I'm not a hardware guy, in fact quite the opposite - the prospect of going anywhere near a soldering iron makes me break out in a cold sweat!

Peter

LambdaMikel

Quote from: ComSoft6128 on 05:42, 10 April 19
And this Wikipedia page about a female software pioneer involved in the Apollo program is also worth reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Hamilton_(scientist)#NASA

The photograph of her standing beside the printout of the software is striking.



Yes, M. Hamilton probably coined the term "Software Engineering" (before the NATO 1969 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Conference which popularized the term together with "Software Crisis").


She is very well-known.

LambdaMikel

If you liked CuriousMarc's videos, then you might also like

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx7Lfh5SKUQ
You will get a good understanding of the AGC and see that things like RAM / ROM Banking weren't invented for th CPC, but aready existed in the 60is  ;)


LambdaMikel


Not sure you followed the channel, but by now they have fully restored it!!


And the local Palo Alto newspaper has their story on the front page this morning.
Crappy picture taken with my ChromeBook, can post a scan later tonight.





ComSoft6128




ComSoft6128

Thanks for that,
Downloaded using 4K Video Downloader and will watch it tomorrow on the big screen :)

LambdaMikel

Isn't it AMAZING?
That must be the only device left on earth that uses rope and core memory... and is functional.
The amount of workarounds and diagnostics and repairs (machining their own screws and connectors, drilling into the epoxy and excavating the wires, replacing diodes, putting in a transistor as a workaround hack, AND the whole FPGA simulation thing with great interfaces etc.) that these wizards had to perform leaves me speechless. Utterly ingenious.

Gryzor


Bryce

Much like the CPC... It usually ends up being a RAM issue :D

Bryce.

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