How hard is to build a processor?
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From: Jon Kirwan on 26 Feb 2010 11:20 On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:10:55 -0500, Walter Banks <walter(a)bytecraft.com> wrote: >Don McKenzie wrote: > >> It seems that �Google� engineer Bill Buzbee isn�t interested in >> microprocessors that can be purchased in marked. There is more fun to >> build own. Several years ago he built first �Magic-1� processors >> , but now he makes its documentations widely available in his project >> website. >> >> http://www.embedds.com/how-hard-is-to-build-a-processor/ > >It is a lost art. In the 70's I taught a course that students built >a small computer out of lab modules of TTL chip's. My first >personal computer was micro coded PDP-8 hand built. > >Ram was 1K (bits) parts on a wirewrap board. > >Walter.. Oh, my, Walter. That would have been a wonderful class to have taken. I only wish... Jon
From: Bill Cooke on 26 Feb 2010 11:49 Walter Banks wrote: > > Don McKenzie wrote: > >> It seems that Google engineer Bill Buzbee isnt interested in >> microprocessors that can be purchased in marked. There is more fun to >> build own. Several years ago he built first Magic-1 processors >> , but now he makes its documentations widely available in his project >> website. >> >> http://www.embedds.com/how-hard-is-to-build-a-processor/ > > It is a lost art. In the 70's I taught a course that students built > a small computer out of lab modules of TTL chip's. My first > personal computer was micro coded PDP-8 hand built. > > Ram was 1K (bits) parts on a wirewrap board. > > Walter.. > > In 1961 a colleague told me of a machine in a lab at Cornell named CADET, which reputedly stood for "can't add, doesn't even try". But it was a universal (Turing) machine. Most everyone has stood on the shoulders of software to extend behavior. In another sense, cpu development has also stood on the shoulders of software arts, for needs drive real engineering, not possibilities, and software disciplines provide the languages for expressing these needs. Each to his own. Some yearn to create a theory, some to create a bridge, some to create an impression. I still ponder the structure of a (programmable) computer of light and heavy marbles, gates, and a bunch of elevators. -- Bill Cooke
From: Joe Pfeiffer on 26 Feb 2010 14:44 Bill Cooke <bcooke(a)cookedata.com> writes: > Walter Banks wrote: >> >> Don McKenzie wrote: >> >>> It seems that “Google” engineer Bill Buzbee isn't interested in >>> microprocessors that can be purchased in marked. There is more fun to >>> build own. Several years ago he built first “Magic-1” processors >>> , but now he makes its documentations widely available in his project >>> website. >>> >>> http://www.embedds.com/how-hard-is-to-build-a-processor/ >> >> It is a lost art. In the 70's I taught a course that students built >> a small computer out of lab modules of TTL chip's. My first >> personal computer was micro coded PDP-8 hand built. >> >> Ram was 1K (bits) parts on a wirewrap board. >> >> Walter.. >> >> > In 1961 a colleague told me of a machine in a lab at Cornell named > CADET, which reputedly stood for "can't add, doesn't even try". But > it was a universal (Turing) machine. Most everyone has stood on the > shoulders of software to extend behavior. In another sense, cpu > development has also stood on the shoulders of software arts, for > needs drive real engineering, not possibilities, and software > disciplines provide the languages for expressing these needs. IBM 1620. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_1620 > Each to his own. Some yearn to create a theory, some to create a > bridge, some to create an impression. I still ponder the structure of > a (programmable) computer of light and heavy marbles, gates, and a > bunch of elevators. Another fun project! -- As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously. (Benjamin Franklin)
From: D Yuniskis on 26 Feb 2010 15:22 Don McKenzie wrote: > > It seems that �Google� engineer Bill Buzbee isn�t interested in > microprocessors that can be purchased in marked. There is more fun to > build own. Several years ago he built first �Magic-1� processors > , but now he makes its documentations widely available in his project > website. > > http://www.embedds.com/how-hard-is-to-build-a-processor/ In the early 80's it was common to build "custom" processors out of 2900 bit-slice components. There was an excellent text (and some good AMD appnotes) devoted entirely to this (Mick 'n' Brick? yellow dust jacket). In grade school, I build a combination (burglar) alarm using (bistable?) inter-latching relays for the code store. With a fire department klaxon as the annunciator (you *really* didn't want to get the combination wrong! :> ) In high school, I built a two-player (offense + defense) football (left-pondian football, that is :> ) game out of analog computers (integrators, adders), DTL and VOM's (to display: "down", field position, yards gained/lost on the play and yards 'til first down) but that just ran at "DC". It was also quite large (4' x 8' sheet of plywood to hold all the bits) and, thus, impractical to preserve. Many years ago, I built a "digital clock" out of relays. But, it was very noisey and cost a fortune to keep replacing the incandescent lamps used in the "7 segment" displays. Now, I am much more fascinated by electro-mechanical *mechanisms*. I have been working on a kinetic "sculpture" to act as a timepiece in the back yard. A tribute to Rube Goldberg -- with the exception that it must run *continuously* (most of his contraptions were "one-shot" devices). But, in order to keep *good* time, I need to "close the loop". Doing so without being noticed means using some "non-discrete" device that you can control. I.e., something like a liquid whose rate of flow can be varied without a critical observer being able to *easily* determine that this is happening. Living in the DSw poses a problem using water as it evaporates too fast (replenishing it from the domestic water supply would be "cheating" :< ). I also need to locate some larger solar panels so the device has no connection to the electric utility. I would also like to build a "Jetson's" style doorbell (though programmable) to replace the electronic version I made some years ago. But, apparently, the design of tubular bells is more art than science (and, mistakes can be costly). So, I have a lot more research to do. :< "Toys" <grin>
From: Vladimir Vassilevsky on 26 Feb 2010 15:17
Don McKenzie wrote: > > It seems that Google engineer Bill Buzbee isnt interested in > microprocessors that can be purchased in marked. It is trivial to build a processor. This type of project is a semester work for a student. It is hard to make commercially viable processor, though. VLV |