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I want to play Tetris on this relay computer

A project log for AMBAP: A Modest Bitslice Architecture Proposal

Trying to unify and simplify a minimal architecture for various implementation technologies...

yann-guidon-ygdesYann Guidon / YGDES 11/24/2016 at 03:022 Comments

Since the idea of a flip-dot display has caught me, it appears that it would be both the most awesome and the best adapted system. It does not rely on semiconductors, it's totally in the spirit of the system and a dot matrix might be totally compatible with the DRAM system (both at the electrical level and timing, as well as the organisation). The flip-dot array could "spy" all the write cycles on the data bus, and update the dots in real time. With an appropriate address decoder, the display could be mapped anywhere in the data space so it's both a precious debugging tool (for binary lovers) and a nice framebuffer !

What's the first thing that comes to mind with such a display ? TETRIS.

If I can run at 10 instructions per second, it's still almost playable.

It HAS to be done !

The "width" must be 16 bits, with height of at least 20 (a Tetris playground is 10×20 squares). 16×24 is nice. Unfortunately the 16× width precludes the solution provided by http://www.flipdots.com/ (as was suggested by @Sophi Kravitz) because the tiles are 14×28. I am now trying to find a 16×28 array (Luminator Max 2000 or Max 3000). Any help is appreciated !

See you on this page: #Dot flippers


Update : Whatever the resolution, a Game of Life will also be awesome...

Discussions

Eric Hertz wrote 11/24/2016 at 08:56 point

Interesting...

...could flip-dots *be* the memory?

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Yann Guidon / YGDES wrote 11/24/2016 at 13:17 point

Ted asked first, but I wondered before you'all ;-)

Writing is easy but how could you read back the data ? The array would need expensive modifications...

I have already chosen the capacitor DRAM system anyway. More volatile, less visual, but faster response time (only recent flip dot arrays are designed for speed)

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