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Relay-based projects

A list of projects where the relays are doing some kind of processing or computing - i.e. something more than just switching a load.

Similar projects worth following
If you're into relay logic then you probably already know about many of these projects - but hopefully some are new to you and can give you additional insights and ideas for your own projects.

Hackaday relay projects

YGREC16 - YG's 16bits Relay Electronic Computer
https://hackaday.io/project/18757
(superseded by #YGREC-РЭС15-bis)

SPDT16: 16-bits arithmetic unit with relays
hackaday.io/project/10889
(superseded by the above project)
SPDT16
Kalin-Burkhart Logical Truth Calculator
hackaday.io/project/7871 (project vanished ?)
4 bit relay adder
hackaday.io/project/3802
RISC Relay CPU
hackaday.io/project/11012
Simple Relay ALU
https://hackaday.io/project/162246-simple-relay-alu
Relay Puzzle Box
hackaday.io/project/2075

Swifty's Relay Clock Project
https://hackaday.io/project/55956
 
Relay Logic Clock
hackaday.io/project/8683
Relay Computer
hackaday.io/project/10303
RelayRepRap
https://hackaday.io/project/11914-relayreprap
Brainfuck relay computer
https://hackaday.io/project/18599-brainfuck-relay-computer


4 bit relay adder
https://hackaday.io/project/3802-4-bit-relay-adder
4-bit Relay ALU (РЦВМ-1)
https://hackaday.io/project/159308-4-bit-relay-alu-1
RELAY COMPUTING
https://hackaday.io/project/163254-relay-computing
R200 Relay Computer
https://hackaday.io/project/160710-r200-relay-computer
Super Micro Relay Computer
https://hackaday.io/project/167895-super-micro-relay-computer

Relay projects on other sites

Harry Porter's Relay Computer
web.cecs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay
(see the video )
i² (i Squared
isquared.weebly.com
Basic relay computer
electronixandmore.com/projects/relaycomputer
Relay Computer Two
electronixandmore.com/projects/relaycomputertwo
RC-3
computerculture.org/projects/rc3
Zusie
www.nablaman.com/relay
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxTUNOQS56cvNHgRD5bKMsg
Mercia
relaiscomputer.nl

Relay calculator
simonwinder.com/projects/relay-calculating-engine (broken)

YouTube video of the square rooting machine : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI8luQnyM9A (2014)
Paul Laws's Relay Computer
relaycomputer.blogspot.my
moved to https://relaycomputer.co.uk/
Clicks
clicksrelaycpu.blogspot.my
A fistful of relays
github.com/Dovgalyuk/Relay/wiki/Build-log
Radiolok
rln.nnov.ru/index.php
github.com/radiolok/RelayComputer2
tqfp.org/radiolok/releynaya-evm-versiya-2-releynaya-logika-alu
TIM series
northdownfarm.co.uk/rory/tim
Duo 14 Premium
ostracodfiles.com/ostracod/relay.html
R500/7T
strangecalc.ch
Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67jLony0mXg
Simon relay processor
cs.ubc.ca/~hilpert/e/simon
Relay Trainer
relaysbc.sourceforge.net
Relaiscomputer
relaiscomputer.de/pr.htm

Relaisrechner
schlaefendorf.de/relaisrechner/dokumentation
4-Bit Relay Adder
brainlubeonline.com/relaycomputer/RelayFramer.html
Neodem ALU/Computer
neodem.com/.../relay-computer
TD4 with relays
http://www.geocities.jp/team_zero_three/TD4/

Relay Computer
http://www.xpl0.org/rr6/

More:

Inspirational relay projects

Pongmechanik
cyberniklas.de/pongmechanik

Software for relay projects

TOFU Circuit Simulator
meatfighter.com/tofu
Relayser - Relay logic simulator
github.com/SmallRoomLabs/Relayser

Youtube:


Relay theory & general info

In the news

Read more »

  • Falstad's Circuijs now has relays !

    Yann Guidon / YGDES06/27/2021 at 21:51 0 comments

    I was trying to simulate my incrementer's new carry logic and noticed a new feature in http://www.falstad.com/circuit/circuitjs.html : configurable relays !

    You can edit the coil's inductance and resistance, the contact's on and off resistances, the coil's on current and the number of contacts. Still missing is the off current so this is not yet ready to simulate hysteresis. I sent a bug/feature request ;-)

    This page already has some links to relay simulators but circuitjs stands on its own and does many things, moderately well but well enough for most cases. I used it a lot to simulate many types of circuits and now even more !

    What else do you think is still missing from circuitjs ?

    (And for those who might wonder, here is the new circuit for the carry logic, using coils in series instead of parallel as in a previous attempt, so now the current is constant for each slice of 4 bits)

    And the link to play at home.

    UPDATE

    Circuitjs now handles hysteresis ! Here's my first test with the experimental code :-) The new features will be soon integrated in the main dev branch.

  • Rory's computer

    Yann Guidon / YGDES09/08/2018 at 09:55 0 comments

    The TIM machine was featured at EMF !

    You too can build your own machine :-)

  • April 1st video

    Yann Guidon / YGDES03/28/2017 at 04:02 2 comments

    Sweet music composed by @Al Williamsl :-)

    Relays are so simple :-)

  • Relay calculators on youtube

    Yann Guidon / YGDES12/11/2016 at 16:51 0 comments

    Covers the early electromechanical calculators :-)


    The Harwell Dekatron / WITCH calculator, uses Dekatron tubes for storage and telephone relays for the rest. The oldest electronic computer that is still working !

    The computational speed is crazy and tested "live" !


    More links welcome !

View all 4 project logs

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Discussions

Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 7 days ago point

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT664Mcjypk Pi calculated by bit-serial relay logic

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 11/22/2023 at 23:47 point

How come I missed this one ??? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZwGbe_eyxo Usagi Electric's relay-based calculators !

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Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 11/16/2023 at 23:17 point

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93PHxVpPLxA

9 minutes for an arithmetic shift left ?...

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Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 09/03/2023 at 14:57 point

How come I have forgotten @Dr. Cockroach ?

https://hackaday.io/project/21451-uglytech-the-cardboard-relay

https://hackaday.io/project/112078-cardboard-relay-uglytech-is-getting-better

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Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 06/09/2023 at 19:27 point

https://hackaday.io/project/174585-libre-gates/log/220106-the-taxonomy-of-setreset-latches

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Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 06/02/2023 at 03:47 point

https://hackaday.com/2023/06/01/hackaday-prize-2023-building-a-relay-alu/#comment-6648565 :

https://hackaday.io/project/180742-relay-alu

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Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 11/15/2021 at 07:11 point

More relay computing history :
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPREMA
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1908.09549.pdf

A dual-redundant computer with about 17K relays used at the soviet-controlled Karl Zeiss Jena plant.

Konrad Zuse was the German pioneer of computing and the communists really wanted to catch up...  And they claimed that Oprema drew only 40 Watts ? vs 5KW for the Z5... see https://www.vde.com/de/geschichte/karte/thueringen/gedenktafel

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Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 08/09/2021 at 23:16 point

http://www.electronixandmore.com/projects/relaylogic/index.html

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Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 07/27/2021 at 03:00 point

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hReCPMIcLHg Excellent video from Dave, every relay user should know this already !

  Are you sure? yes | no

Stefano wrote 12/29/2020 at 11:29 point

Now with the completion of the main unit can go into the list! :)

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 12/29/2020 at 11:41 point

done :-)

Good luck !!!

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Stefano wrote 12/29/2020 at 13:16 point

Thank you!

PS: looking at projects noted that "RELAY COMPUTING https://hackaday.io/project/163254-relay-computing" link is not working

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Mr. Piay wrote 01/10/2019 at 03:13 point

Hi, I'm also getting into relay computing: https://hackaday.io/project/163254-relay-computing

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 01/10/2019 at 04:20 point

Welcome ! have fuuuuun !

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Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 12/29/2020 at 11:42 point

oh, your project has disappeared :-(

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Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 11/11/2018 at 01:52 point

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE2F9dvAI-Q

just a flip-flop turned into a frequency divider :-D

  Are you sure? yes | no

roelh wrote 11/10/2018 at 20:30 point

For simulating your relay project, I recommend the Falstad simulator: http://www.falstad.com/circuit/

The relays can be selected in the "Draw" menu under "Passive components".

An example of using the Falstad simulator for relays can be found in my Simple Relay ALU project, https://hackaday.io/project/162246-simple-relay-alu (Scroll to the end of the Details section).

Advantages of the Falstad simulator:

1) It will also simulate 'backdriving', current that flows through a contact in the direction that was not intended,

2) It shows the actual position of the contacts.

3) You can edit the relay symbol to set the resistance and attract current.

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Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 11/11/2018 at 00:38 point

ah the memories... *pun*
https://hackaday.io/project/20864-ygrec-15-bis/log/58292-i-can-see-now
I used falstad to test my DRAM array and its excellence was challenged by my naughty circuit :-P But yeah it's a cool and useful tool :-)

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roelh wrote 11/08/2018 at 18:40 point

The simplest Relay ALU ever ! Only 2 DPDT relays (or 3 SPDT relays) and a few diodes provide 10 functions, including shift-right. See https://hackaday.io/project/162246-simple-relay-alu !

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Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 08/21/2018 at 18:10 point

More old relays !
The ARC is a pioneering electromechanical automatic calculator designed by the Booth spouses in UK.
http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/acl/literature/manuals/cambridge/p005.htm
First use of a drum high-speed magnetic memory, first electromechanical and fast computer with 20 bits of fixed points, addition in 1/50th of a second... Very interesting :-)

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Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 05/04/2018 at 17:45 point

Yet more relays, for beginners : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minivac_601

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Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 05/04/2018 at 17:48 point

With the associated HaD rebuild : #HOMEBREW MINIVAC 601 COMPUTER 

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