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+--- Thread: My (hopefully) epic school project! (/thread-4642.html)
My (hopefully) epic school project! - MelvinS4_ - 09-03-2014
So, I thought this project of mine would interest you guys.
Here in Sweden, when we enter the last year of high school we have to make a project in order to prove that we are ready to graduate and move on to higher studies. As my project I've decided to make a mechanical computer. That's right, no electricity whatsoever.
More specifically, due to not being allowed to simply build the computer as my project, the project will be about using a mechanical computer as a visual tool for studying computer science.
I'd like to hear your thoughts about this. Do think I'll manage to make it and what to think of it as a tool in order to study computers? When/if I succeed with this I'll make sure to post pictures and a description.
Btw, does anyone happen to know if it has been done before? I've not been able to find any information about a fully mechanical computer actually being built. I know that the British mathematician Charles Babbage made sketches of what he called "The Analytical engine" but it was never finished. (This was also the inspiration of this project in the first place).
RE: My (hopefully) epic school project! - Apuly - 09-03-2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1i-dnAH9Y4
There are a bunch of them on youtube. Just searching for 'mechanical computer' gives you a whole bunch of results.
As for making the computer itself, I would be very impressed if you pull it off.
RE: My (hopefully) epic school project! - MelvinS4_ - 09-03-2014
(09-03-2014, 01:46 PM)paulydboy Wrote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1i-dnAH9Y4
There are a bunch of them on youtube. Just searching for 'mechanical computer' gives you a whole bunch of results.
As for making the computer itself, I would be very impressed if you pull it off.
While that most certainly is a computer, it is not what I meant. The definition of computer I'm using in this project is a digital, programmable and turing complete computer. It will have a working memory, ALU and so on.
RE: My (hopefully) epic school project! - Nuuppanaani - 09-03-2014
Awesome project Melvin!
I'm truely interested on seeing how this comes together.
btw. Prepare for the criticism from piston haters xD
RE: My (hopefully) epic school project! - Legofreak - 09-03-2014
Awesome!
If it is supposed to be digital, what kind of movement will define 1 and 0?
I started making logic gates in Space Engineers and was able to make pushrods represent 1 and 0.
I have an example of an XOR on the steam workshop which is made up of NOT and OR gates. NOT is just a lever that goes to the other side and OR has 2 arms that push a lever but cant pull it.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=301359118
I've seen other ways of doing them too. I hope you succeed!
RE: My (hopefully) epic school project! - MelvinS4_ - 09-03-2014
(09-03-2014, 04:10 PM)RekcirBrickeR Wrote: If it is supposed to be digital, what kind of movement will define 1 and 0?With digital I simply meant that the data will not be analouge, but rather an exact value. The computer will likely use a high base, perhaps 60 or more.
The program memory might however use binary, since I'm thinking of using punched cards. Not decided on that yet..
RE: My (hopefully) epic school project! - Nickster258 - 09-04-2014
I used legos. Simple, motor to turn on. Counter-clockwise = 0 Clockwise = 1.
RE: My (hopefully) epic school project! - MelvinS4_ - 09-04-2014
(09-04-2014, 01:48 AM)Nickster258 Wrote: I used legos. Simple, motor to turn on. Counter-clockwise = 0 Clockwise = 1.
So you've built one? A little more detail would be appreciated. Pictures?
RE: My (hopefully) epic school project! - Nickster258 - 09-04-2014
(09-04-2014, 06:25 AM)MelvinS4_ Wrote:(09-04-2014, 01:48 AM)Nickster258 Wrote: I used legos. Simple, motor to turn on. Counter-clockwise = 0 Clockwise = 1.
So you've built one? A little more detail would be appreciated. Pictures?
It was a little while back and I did not take pictures. I simply used a combination of motors and differential gears to achieve it. It was a binary adder and I really could not do much else. I'll see what I can find online.
Edit: This was the closest thing I could find. It uses a simple lever system
RE: My (hopefully) epic school project! - MelvinS4_ - 09-04-2014
(09-04-2014, 02:49 PM)Nickster258 Wrote:(09-04-2014, 06:25 AM)MelvinS4_ Wrote:(09-04-2014, 01:48 AM)Nickster258 Wrote: I used legos. Simple, motor to turn on. Counter-clockwise = 0 Clockwise = 1.
So you've built one? A little more detail would be appreciated. Pictures?
It was a little while back and I did not take pictures. I simply used a combination of motors and differential gears to achieve it. It was a binary adder and I really could not do much else. I'll see what I can find online.
Edit: This was the closest thing I could find. It uses a simple lever system
Too bad you didn't take pictures, always interesting to see what solutions different people have come up with. The "ALU" in my computer will very likely be a Charles Babbage styled adder/subtractor. See this for an idea on how it works. I might include a multiplier and sin/cos, not decided on that yet.