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

#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.