GoKawiilICM restoration project revives KICKI, a dual PDP-10 KI10 system
The Internet and Computing Museum (ICM) is preserving KICKI, a dual PDP-10 KI10 system built from CPUs serial numbers 522 and 606, both confirmed to have complete module sets by former DEC engineer Gary Solomon. The team has chosen to restore memory cabinets originally used by MIT's MC system, including MH10 cabinets and a DF10C data channel, over building new semiconductor memory or using Ampex ARM10L units. Solomon spent two weeks on-site in August advancing the machine from basic memory access to console teletype output.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The project illustrates the technical tradeoffs facing vintage computer preservation, where restorers must balance historical authenticity against practical concerns like reliability and power efficiency. By reusing MIT MC's original hardware lineage rather than modern substitutes, the team appears to be prioritizing historical fidelity, and their work upgrading old power supplies to modern efficiency levels could offer techniques applicable to other legacy hardware restorations. The project also depends on donations and volunteer expertise from former DEC staff, highlighting how such preservation efforts rely on a shrinking pool of people with firsthand knowledge of the original systems.
- KICKI is a dual PDP-10 KI10 system with CPUs sn 522 and 606, confirmed complete as of June 2025.
- Restorers chose to rebuild MH10 memory cabinets linked to MIT's MC system rather than build new memory or use Ampex ARM10L units.
- Former DEC engineer Gary Solomon worked on-site in August, advancing the system from memory access to teletype console output.
Source: icm.museum, 2026-09-25
Published there as: “KICKI: a DECsystem1060”
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