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Front Panel
 I have made some replacement lights boards for the 8/i front panel.
     The 8iLights board is a replacement for the lights board of the PDP-8/i.  
This board was relatively delicate, and repeated soldering and desoldering 
has often damaged the originals.  (The bulbs burn out with age, and 
occasionally take the drive transistors with them.)
 This board has extra wide holes for the bulbs, allowing the installation of 
machine pin sockets (nearly flush to the board), to reduce this wear on the 
boards.
 Connections are provided for the traditional surface mount ribbon cable 
attachment, or the installation of headers and IDC connectors for the 
ribbon cables.  Mechanically and electrically, these are drop-in replacements 
for your existing 8/i lights boards.
 Provision is also made for an optional series resistor (install a jumper if 
omitted), per bulb.  Since 15V bulbs with the original specifications are 
getting quite hard to find, this allows the substitution of a lower voltage 
bulb, with an appropriate series resistor.  (This also allows the installation 
of LED indicators, with their required resistor.)
 The boards are double-sided, with plated through holes, solder mask on 
both sides, and silk-screen on the bulb side.  Power and ground traces 
have been widened with polygon fill, as the supply for these boards is 
about 89*.030A or 2.7A worst case, and probably about 1A in normal 
operation.
 Note that you'll also need to obtain bulbs, PN2222 transistors, and 
series resistors, as well as the 1/4" PCB-mount spade lugs.  (Contact 
me if you need help locating parts.)
     I have also made some replacement switches boards for the 8/i front panel.
     The 8iSwitches board is a replacement for the switches board of the PDP-8/i 
front panel.  This board isn't usually a problem, but it happened that this 
board in my spare panel was trashed.
 Connections are provided for the traditional surface mount ribbon cable 
attachment, or the installation of headers and IDC connectors for the 
ribbon cables.  Mechanically and electrically, these are drop-in replacements 
for your existing 8/i switch boards.
 Since switches that fit this board are virtually impossible to find, 
it isn't clear that there will be demand for these.  I do have 3 extra
boards, though, because I had to order the minimum quantity.
 The boards are double-sided, with plated through holes, solder mask on 
both sides, and silk-screen on the switch side.
 Note that to build this you also need the unobtainium switches (good 
luck!) as well as the 1/4" PCB-mount spade lugs.  Contact me if you need 
help locating the latter.
    
 
	Last updated on 02/25/23 02:21