Talk:Computerology: Difference between revisions
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(teh numbotron) |
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Revision as of 13:37, 5 January 2015
mechanical compute engine & code to simulate
- http://www.chrisfenton.com/the-numbotron/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkbnmWeWv0E
- http://chrisfenton.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/numbotron.py
#The Numbotron is a simple electromechanical computer. The basic component #of the computer is an odometer-style, 3-digit, base-10 counter, driven #by a stepper motor. By means of 3 reed switches wired in series, in combination #with magnets embedded in the face of each digit wheel, an output signal is #grounded when the counter contains the value 000. Decrementing a counter already at #zero will result in it underflowing to 999, and incrementing a counter at 999 will #result in it overflowing to 000. # #Programs are stored on a motor-driven drum that may contain up to 20 instructions. #Instructions are encoded by means of knobs protruding from the surface of the #drum, which directly act on a bank of mechanical switches. 16 switches control #the 'Enable' and 'Direction' signals for each counter, allowing individual control #over whether a counter is incremented, decremented or left disabled. 8 additional #switches control which counters have their 'zero-detect' outputs connected to a #central 'zero-detect' bus bar. # #Each instruction is executed by repeatedly incrementing/decrementing the selected #set of counters simultaneously, until one or more of the observed counters reaches zero. #If the zero condition is true at the beginning of execution, it becomes a NOP. # #For now, the only 'input' is the starting state of the counters, which may be #configured by hand prior to program execution. All programs run indefinitely, #although a 'halt' can be executed by means of an instruction that consists #solely of a false zero-detect condition without accompanying increment/decrement commands. #The real machine has a giant button that will force the zero-detect condition true, and can #be used to pause the machine while the operator manually changes the state of one or more registers, #resuming operation once the button has been pressed. Implementing this has been left as an exercise #for the reader.