Part 2

This document, Chapter 7 of the PDP-8/E handbook, serves as a detailed technical reference for the various hardware options and peripheral devices available for the PDP-8/E computer system. It is organized into four primary sections:

• Section 1: Mechanical Expansion Options: Covers physical system housing, including expander boxes (BA8-AA, BA8-AB, BE8-A) and front panel configurations (KC8-EC, KC8-EB).
• Section 2: Computer Internal Options: Describes performance and memory enhancements, including the Extended Arithmetic Element (EAE) for high-speed computation, memory expansion and time-sharing capabilities (KM8-E), memory parity (MP8-E), and various read-only memory (ROM) configurations and bootstrap loaders. It also details real-time clock options (DK8-EA, EC, and EP) and power failure detection (KP8-E).
• Section 3: OMNIBUS Input/Output Equipment Options: Details standard peripheral interfaces, including the LA30 DECwriter, various teletype controllers (KSR33, ASR33), paper tape readers and punches, and CRT display interfaces (VC8-E).
• Section 4: External Bus Input/Output Equipment Options: Continues into specialized I/O, focusing on data communications interfaces (DP8-EA/EB), plotter controls (XY8-E series), line printers (LE8), card readers (CR8-E, CM8-E), and magnetic tape storage (DECtape).

For each hardware option, the document provides the technical specifications, functional descriptions, relevant programming instructions (including octal codes and operational logic), and, where applicable, example subroutines to help users implement and control these peripherals within the PDP-8/E system.