Relay Computer 2020 Review: Demonstration
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ค. 2024
- As I've now reached a significant milestone where my relay computer can perform branching it's time for a short series of review videos to cover off what's been achieved so far and to look at what's coming next. In this final episode I put everything shown so far together and load the Fibonacci program in to my relay computer and give it a whirl.
These are the episodes in this 2020 update series:
Architecture - • Relay Computer 2020 Re...
Instruction Set - • Relay Computer 2020 Re...
Assembly Language - • Relay Computer 2020 Re...
Programming - • Relay Computer 2020 Re...
Computer Tour - • Relay Computer 2020 Re...
Computer Demo - (this video)
Chapters in this video:
00:11 - Introduction
01:35 - Loading the Program
02:30 - Verifying the Program
04:00 - Manual Stepped Run
07:55 - Switch to Automatic Run (8Hz Clock)
10:07 - Changing Speed (unintentional 4Hz Clock Run)
11:00 - Program Run (16Hz Clock)
12:15 - Program Run (32Hz Clock)
13:08 - Program Run (16Hz Clock - Covers On)
14:57 - Dark Run / Close Out
The architecture of my computer is based upon the RC-3 relay computer at the Museum of Computer Culture by Phil Ryals and his team which is itself based on the Dr Harry Porter’s relay computer (HRPC). The following sites are also worth a good look and have a wealth of information available:
HPRC: web.cecs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay
RC-3 Relay Computer: www.computerculture.org/projec...
The architecture diagram seen in my video is a reproduction of Harry Porter's original and used with kind permission here - thanks Harry.
More details about the computer can be found at my blog: relaycomputer.co.uk - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
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The content and quality of these videos is amazing. They should be used to teach CS in schools.
Definitely!!!
Brilliant! Thanks for showing this. Imagine if you could travel back in time to the 19C and show this off to Charles Babbage. He'd be mighty pissed!
Very impressive work, thanks for sharing it. I love being able to hear the sound of a computer doing its work.
This is exactly how I imagined the future would look like!
It's nice how you've done that multi-screen edit, so that we can see everything at once without you having to wobble around with a handheld camera or anything seasick like that. :)
Thanks :) - although if I'd built my computer 'landscape' rather than 'portrait' of course I wouldn't need to do the multi-screen in the first place ;)
Sounds like a syncopated calculating tap-dancer! 😊 Wonderful device!!
Thats very cool, I absolutely love everything about your design and setup here, awesome job!
Amazing! I just had a flashback to Bletchley Park. That's awesome!
I love the quasi musical beat at 8:00. Well done!
A very outstanding computer, obviously a labor of love, and the best looking relay computer ever made in my humble opinion.
Bravo! It's clear that you put a lot of work into it!
Oh this is delightful! Well done!
Nicely done!
awesome work and eemo!
That's really cool man
Blinken liiiiighhtttssss.
But seriously, impressive work.
Sounds like an old fashioned telephone exchange. :) Great work.
I love the sound ... and the flashing lights ... but mainly the sound ;)
Beautiful
That amp gauge is about the only part of this that I understand.
yes
I hear Todd Howard is planning a SkyRim port
I love the lights, it's like the WOPR from WarGames.
That's absolutely the look I was going for :)
I don't think you should use a bell when this halts. Instead it should definitely have a mechanical buzzer.
So this is what they meant when you said to code the computer in binary, it is actually a hard switch coding.
Amazing work and presentation. Available as a kit someday? Hehe just hoping!
Thanks. Heh, yea, that would be quite a task making this in to a kit ... that said though, there's links to the PCB designs for the newer cards at www.relaycomputer.co.uk/pages/progress/ and I think I'll upload the Gerber files too so you could get any of the PCBs manufactured if you really wanted to make a bit of the computer.
What are the small squares and text with lights behind them called? Could use them for a project of mine... Great work 💪
They're these: www.nkkswitches.com/products/illuminated-tactile/jb-series-low-profile-illuminated-tactile-switches
Perfect thank you!
Why the dip switches for speed instead of a variable control?
At the moment it's running off a temporary clock board which uses a 32.768kHz crystal run through a series of 16 divide-by-2 gates (taking the clock down to 0.5Hz at the last gate). I tap off the result at the last 8 gates (0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64Hz) and put that through an 8-to-1 selector which takes a 3-bit input to select one of the 8 lines - that's what the DIP switch is controlling.
Previously I was using a 555 timer set up that had variable control but I wanted something that had some discrete fixed clock speeds. When I design the proper clock card I might implement both as well as having a more 'authentic' relay ring counter (which will be a fixed clock speed).
where do you get the switches?
What kind of switches are those? I want to get some for a project I'm doing.
Do you mean the main 'paddle' switches? ... if so they're these ones: www.nkkswitches.com.hk/products/Rockers/M/M2018TYW01 with the 'H' caps.
there's a bit more on them in my blog post here www.relaycomputer.co.uk/posts/2014/07/user-interface-data-switches/
I want one
what is the highest clock frequency?
The current (temporary) clock is based on a 32.768KHz crystal divided down and at 32Hz the computer works fine but at 64Hz the relays start locking up. The maximum will be somewhere between those two values (if I had a variable clock) but 32Hz is quick enough.
This is so beautifully useless. Nice work
Oh I’m sure he knew going into this that it would be supremely slow. But clickety clackety/flishity flashity!