A PDP-11/40E Microprogramming Primer

This document, Technical Report 78-8 (July 1978) by Helmut K. Berg, serves as an introductory guide for the microprogramming laboratory at the University of Minnesota. It documents the PDP-11/40E, which consists of a standard PDP-11/40 computer extended by a WCS 11/40 (Writable Control Store) option. The primer covers the hardware and firmware structures of the system, including the PDP-11/40 architecture, the KD11-A processor, and the functional components of the WCS 11/40. It also provides detailed information on microinstruction formats, the KD11-A to WCS 11/40 interface, and techniques for microprogramming.