1:10 scale Connection Machine

Description

In the 90s some smartypants made an awesome machine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connection_Machine

So, I made a small one. Inside is an Adafruit QT Py that drives (via a IS31FL3731 board) four 9x16 charlieplexed LED matrices. The source code is here: https://codeberg.org/trevorflowers/tiny-connection-machine

If you'd like your own then visit my Gumroad store: https://store.transmutable.com/

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Does a RPi fit inside? Yes!
Trevor Flowers • 11/10/2023 at 18:55 • 0 comments

A few people have asked whether or not the Connection Machine miniature has enough room inside for a Raspberry Pi so here are a couple of photos showing the situation.
This is a shot of the two main parts of the body before I glue them together with a RPi inside to show that it does fit:
And here's a look at the rear of the glued-together body with an RPi inside. Those openings on the back are big enough for the Pi to pass inside as long as it is tilted 45 degrees.
So, yes you can fit a Pi fully inside.

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Discussions

Peabody1929 wrote 11/10/2023 at 19:32

Yesterday at the Computer History Museum in Moutain View, CA I looked at a real CM-1 in the collection. Wearing gloves, I was able to look inside. Amazing Design.

Are you sure? yes | no

mpagel wrote 11/08/2023 at 18:55

https://discord.com/channels/754950670175436841/1048217327851802704 for TuringPi2 case discussion.

Are you sure? yes | no

mpagel wrote 11/08/2023 at 18:49

is there any room inside to have a Raspberry Pi for doing actual computing and then using the LEDs to display a "result"? Can you post a photo of the inside of the CM? Would you be willing to make a larger CM ? I have a TuringPi 2 board (holds 4 CM4s) that needs a case (airflow required for cooling) and it would be so cool to use a Thinking Machines CM case. Someone has made and posted a Borg Cube case but it's difficult to print all the Borg detail.

Are you sure? yes | no

Trevor Flowers wrote 11/10/2023 at 18:57

Hey, I just posted a log showing the size of the interior of the model with a RPi for scale. Hopefully that will let you determine whether your board can fit inside.

Regarding a larger version, I do sometimes accept commissioned work though my plate is a bit full until January so it wouldn't be a fast process.

Are you sure? yes | no

Trevor Flowers wrote 11/05/2023 at 19:51

@svofski It appears that Hackaday doesn't allow me to add a video here but you can see one on this build thread: https://machines.social/@trevorflowers/111353830269143888

Are you sure? yes | no

svofski wrote 11/06/2023 at 10:07

Thank you! That looks cool :)

Are you sure? yes | no

Trevor Flowers wrote 11/04/2023 at 20:52

@Per Jensen It's 3D printed.

Are you sure? yes | no

Per Jensen wrote 11/04/2023 at 08:08

No details of the build-process?

Are you sure? yes | no

Trevor Flowers wrote 11/04/2023 at 17:04

What would you like to know?

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Per Jensen wrote 11/04/2023 at 20:45

How is it built? 3D-printing, wood?

Are you sure? yes | no

svofski wrote 11/05/2023 at 08:45

I would love to see the blinkenlights in action. You could just set up the camera like in the static picture, let it run for a minute and optionally tell a few words about the build. It's just it's really nice and intriguing, not unlike its counterpart.

Are you sure? yes | no

Dan Maloney wrote 11/03/2023 at 17:08

The real CM was quite a beast, and the aesthetic was amazing. You captured that look really well here, in a much more manageable size. Nice work!

Are you sure? yes | no

Trevor Flowers wrote 11/04/2023 at 17:05

Thanks! The originals are so neat and interesting, both from a CS perspective and for its industrial design.

Are you sure? yes | no

1:10 scale Connection Machine

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Does a RPi fit inside? Yes!

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