PiDP-8/I Software

Using Our Binary OS Images
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Imaging the SD Card

The PiDP-8/I OS images available for download from the PiDP-8/I development site are built on Debian Trixie (Debian 13) for 64-bit ARMv8 hosts. You will need a 4 GB or larger microSD card.

We recommend using Raspberry Pi Imager to flash the image, as it can decompress our .xz.img files on the fly, saving you from ballooning our quarter-gig compressed distribution file into the four-gig sparse form needed on the card. Etcher also knows this trick. Other schemes involving the likes of dd can also work, but you’re on your own there.

After downloading and unzipping the image file, open Raspberry Pi Imager, click "Choose OS", scroll to the bottom of the list and select "Use custom", then select the pidp8i-*.img file. Select your SD card and click "Write".

The download contains:

File Name Description
README.md this file
pidp8i-*.img the OS image, based on Debian Trixie Lite
MANIFEST.txt SHA-256 hash and file size for the OS image file

enable_ssh

To prevent your PiDP-8/i from becoming a launchpad for botnets, we ship the image with the SSH service disabled. The risk otherwise is that anyone who flashed a card, booted it up on a network, and then never logged in via the console or SSH would never get the prompt to change this well-known password, making takeover trivial.

We make it really easy to turn SSH service on if you want it.

After flashing the SD card, its boot partition might appear as a small drive on your Mac, Windows, or Linux machine. (If not, it is because the writing program ejected the card. Pull the card out and slip it back in to force a remount.)

Create a file named enable_ssh there. For instance, on a Mac:

touch /Volumes/BOOT/enable_ssh

The OS images we ship include a boot-time service that enables SSH service when that file is present, overriding the default-disabled security stance. This allows you to change your mind afterward:

sudo rm /boot/firmware/enable_ssh

Reboot, and SSH will be down.

WiFi Setup (Optional)

If you intend to run your PiDP-8/I headless over WiFi, you can pre-configure your network credentials before first boot. On the same BOOT partition as in the enable_ssh scheme above, you will find a file named wpa_supplicant-wlan0.conf. Open it in a text editor and fill in your network name and password:

ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
update_config=1
country=US

network={
    ssid="YourNetworkName"
    psk="YourPassword"
    key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
}

Be sure to change country= to your two-letter country code if you are not in the US. Not only might your clients fail to connect, your Pi might violate the local radio regulations.

Save the file, eject the SD card, and insert it into your Pi. On first boot, the WiFi credentials will be installed automatically.

Note that the Raspberry Pi 3B and Pi Zero 2 W support 2.4 GHz WiFi only. If your router broadcasts separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, make sure you use the proper SSID. These are often distinguished by a _2G or _2.4G suffix, or conversely a _5G suffix on the faster network.

If you prefer to configure WiFi after first boot, connect via Ethernet, then run:

$ sudo raspi-config

Select "System Options" → "Wireless LAN" and follow the prompts.

First Boot

Insert the SD card into your Pi and apply power. The first boot takes longer than usual — the PiDP-8/I service is being installed and the system will reboot automatically once complete. After the reboot, the front panel lights will begin blinking, indicating the simulator is running.

Logging In

The default login credentials are:

You will be required to change the password on first login. Remember, the S in IoT stands for Security. Those who wish to cast away this secure-by-default stance should see our How to Run a Naked PiDP-8/I guide.

You can log in directly with a keyboard and monitor, or via SSH once the Pi is on your network:

$ ssh pidp8i@pidp8i.local

Using the Simulator

The PiDP-8/I simulator starts automatically at boot. To connect to its console:

$ pidp8i

You will find yourself at the OS/8 prompt. To detach from the console and return to the Linux shell without stopping the simulator, type Ctrl-A d. To stop and restart the simulator:

$ pidp8i stop
$ pidp8i start

To test the front panel hardware (do this only after stopping the simulator first):

$ pidp8i stop
$ pidp8i-test