01 Nov 2019 - 3 min read
Sequencer Design: 24-cycle FSM
Recently I’ve been looking at what’s needed to implement branching in my computer (the upcoming GOTO class of instructions). In my last post I covered the timing …
06 Oct 2019 - 4 min read
In my last post I covered the design for the GOTO opcode which will enable my relay computer to perform branching, loops and so on. Here’s where I got to last time: …
23 Sep 2019 - 7 min read
There’s been a common theme recently in the comments on my YouTube videos … people are ready to see my relay computer gain the power of branching and become a …
09 Aug 2019 - 9 min read
It’s time for the oddly therapeutic part of designing a PCB … laying out the board. In my last post I covered the schematic design and so we now have all the …
15 Jul 2019 - 8 min read
In my last couple of posts I’ve been building up to a change of approach in how I’m making the cards in my computer. This is mainly because I can’t face the …
04 Mar 2019 - 12 min read
After years of using pad/prototyping boards to build my computer I’ve decided to switch things up a bit and have a go at making a custom PCB. The thinking is that it …
14 Jan 2019 - 6 min read
In my last post I touched on how the repetitive nature of making register cards has been putting me off progressing my relay computer. If you’ve followed my blog (over …
06 Jan 2019 - 4 min read
Procrastination is the thief of time
… or so the proverb goes … and it’s fair to say I’ve been procrastinating quite a bit recently. I typically take a summer break from working on the …
27 Mar 2018 - 4 min read
Auxiliary Control Construction
In my last three posts I covered the design of the auxiliary control unit which will ease entering and inspecting programs in the computer’s memory. With the design ‘in the …
07 Feb 2018 - 4 min read
Auxiliary Control Design (Part 3 of 3)
This is the last post in a mini-series of three covering the design of the auxiliary control unit which will ease entering and inspecting programs in the computer’s …
29 Jan 2018 - 12 min read
Auxiliary Control Design (Part 2 of 3)
In my last post I made a start on the auxiliary control design which once completed will make it much easier to load instructions in to memory - effectively it’s a …
24 Jan 2018 - 6 min read
Auxiliary Control Design (Part 1 of 3)
My relay computer is now at the point where it can execute a program in memory without assistance. In order to do that though, of course, the program needs to be loaded into …