building my own relay computer - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

13 Feb 2015

On 14/02/15 11:02, Cory Heisterkamp wrote:
...
  Tom, any reason for choosing the Harvard architecture?
it may have some Modified Harvard architecture
the computer is NOT Stored-program based, it may have a small (128/256
byte) CPU styled cache

...
  I'm currently in the middle of a relay computer
build so I'll toss in my 2 cents.
...
  The most important thing I hit on early is to define
the instruction set,
 work out a number of potential applications/uses on paper (or excel),
 and step through each instruction to make sure the machine is capable enough.
...
  You'll probably discover a number of efficiency
improvements you can make to the hardware while doing so,
...
  and a few "hardware subroutines" worth
adding.
 You can also baseline how long a program will take to run if you settle on a clock
rate, and determine if there's a better way to do it. 
...
  Ultimately, relay computers are SLOW. Don't take 6
cycles to do what could be accomplished with a couple extra relays and a single
pulse.
...
  Well thought out HW and instructions will pay big
dividends when the soldering iron comes out. -Cory
good point, I am prototyping the computer design in software and
software in 6502 assembly