DEC GT40
| Company type | Product |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Founded | October 1972 |
| Founder | Digital Equipment Corporation |
| Products | Vector graphics terminal, computing device |
DEC GT40 represents a vector graphics terminal and versatile computing device developed by Digital Equipment Corporation, launched in October 1972 with a price point below $11,000.
Description
The DEC GT40 system comprises the following components:
- CPU: KD11-B (PDP-11/10)
- VT11 display processor equipped with bootstrap ROM and a nine-slot backplane designed for CPU and memory modules
- MM11-L 8K word core memory (with MM11-K 4K word memory on GT40-Bx variants)
- DL11-E asynchronous line interface
- LK40 keyboard
- VR14-LC X-Y display monitor (or VR14-LD model for 230 V power supply)
- 375 light pen
Powered by a PDP-11 class processor, the GT40 served both as an independent graphics workstation and as a remote terminal. John Mucci, DEC’s graphic-11 marketing manager, indicated that this system was aimed at sectors such as graphic research, engineering, architectural design, and business information systems that demanded rapid and economical graphical output.
The terminal’s embedded PDP-11/10 could be enhanced with extra memory and peripheral devices to create more sophisticated configurations. The display processor connected through the PDP-11’s Unibus interface, providing adaptability in selecting CPUs within the PDP-11 series.
Other models
Several variants featured alternative PDP-11 processors and video processing units:
GT42
Vector graphics terminal utilizing VT11 technology paired with a PDP-11/10 processor.
GT44
VT11-based vector graphics terminal equipped with a PDP-11/40 CPU.
GT62
VS60 vector graphics workstation incorporating a PDP-11/34a CPU alongside the VT48 graphics processor.