Comment by timonoko
17 hours ago
I suggested that after the Final Countdown first computers are made with Rope Memory and Mechanical Relays. But Ken Schirriff said NO -- you need semifast semiconductors to read the memory.
17 hours ago
I suggested that after the Final Countdown first computers are made with Rope Memory and Mechanical Relays. But Ken Schirriff said NO -- you need semifast semiconductors to read the memory.
If you have relays, the easiest RAM is just a bank of latching relays and the easiest ROM is a resistor board. Core rope is only for density.
Achually. If you have L.M.Ericsson 8x8 latching crossbar switch, 64-bit memory needs only 6 relays. Yes SIX.
The Fuji relay-computer has lots of those crossbar switches.
However. The rope-memory in this scene is read-only-storage containing vast amount of data. Rope memory is economical to use but labor-intensive to produce.
You'd be able to do it with tubes at least.
I would love to see a relay switch at 1Mhz.
You will amazed. One reason is that relays are suitable for multilevel signalling. That is why the relays-only Fuji computer was on par with contemporary Amerikahito crap.