Create a VAX CPU with FPGA?

[9000 VAX]

On Fri, 4 Mar 2005 14:14:32 -0500, Heinz Wolter <h.wolter at sympatico.ca> wrote:
> The 730 was also the slowest VAX on the planet.. save the Microvax I.
> They used the 2901s bit slice data path chip, but I'm not certain they used
> the AM2910 usequencer. VHDL and verilog models ~are~ available for both
> those chips.
> I think though, it would be quite a bit of work to verbatim copy/translate
> those schematics..
> Then you'd have to scarf the microcode from a 730 boot tape ;)
> I can help there since I have both a working 730 and a boot tape!
> btw - the pdp11/40 and VAX/780 have already been implemented on an FPGA!

It is good to learn that this is already done.

> 
> A better way would be to look at what this prof in Japan did -he's written a
> complete working
> pdp11/40 on a smallish altera fpga- - it even runs UNIX V6! and had an IDE
> hd interface.
> http://shimizu-lab.dt.u-tokai.ac.jp/pop11.html pictures here:
> http://shimizu-lab.dt.u-tokai.ac.jp/pop11pics.html
> here is the paper
> http://csdl.computer.org/comp/proceedings/asp-dac/2004/2543/00/25430571.pdf
> Get the files here: http://shimizu-lab.dt.u-tokai.ac.jp/ and note the VAX
> 780 project announcement.
> They show here that they are nearly complete on their VAX 780 on a chip
> project.
> Both the 780&11/40 are written in SFL - a nice but unpopular C-like HDL.
> This PDP is not microcoded.
> The tools are freely downloadable as well as the PDP11/40 source - so you
> can play
> on winblows and linux. I got both versions of the 11/40 to run but alas..
> they don't boot V6.
> The makefile compiles SFL to verilog using a closed compiler SFL2VL written
> by the prog.
> It seems to run run fine on Icarus/verilog and simulate, but I have been
> unable to
> import that verilog successfully into Alteras or  Xilinx's free software
> targetting a spartan2.
> Sad, as I wanted to use this as a front end to my PDP10 project written in
> SFL;) As far
> as PDP11s go - I'd be curious to try to implement an SFL WD1611/1621 and
> runing LSI11
> microcode on an FPGA..

I can not wait to get a 780 in a chip. 

vax, 9000

> 
> regards
> Heinz
> 
> Patrick Finnegan wrote:
> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
> <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: Create a VAX CPU with FPGA?