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Subject: 
Re: Mechanical Memory for Computing
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.technic, lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build
Date: 
Wed, 25 Jun 2003 13:56:07 GMT
Viewed: 
232 times
  
In lugnet.technic, Jona Jeffords wrote:
In lugnet.technic, Brian H. Nielsen wrote:
   Inspired by the recent pneumatic computing thread I have created some
LEGO mechanical memory.  It is an adaptation of a possible design for molecular
level RAM.


<SNIP>

   The molecular level RAM design included multiple bytes stacked up and a
method to select which one was being read/written, but it involves additional
structure containing flexible rods for which there is no suitable LEGO
counterpart.  I am working on alternate methods, but I am not hopeful at this
point in time.

   Please let me know what you think.

Brian

Do you happen to have any links to the molecular RAM design you are referencing?
It would be very cool to compare and contrast your excellent model with the
"real world" counterpart.

   About half-way down this page
http://www.aeiveos.com/~bradbury/Authors/Engineering/Drexler-KE/MMaMED.html  is
a diagram and short discussion of a possible design for molecular level RAM.
The diagram shows 2 memory cells of 2 bits each and the mechanism to select
which memory cell is being read/written.

   In my LEGO version there is only one memory cell, but I have widened it to 4
bits.  My black bit-sliders correspond to the sliders labeled 1 & 2, and my red
write-protect rod corresponds to rod 5.

   I have not implememted the read/write heads (rods 7 & 8) nor the row-selector
rods (9 & 10).

   The read/write rods appear to need to be flexible in order to move through
the gap left between row-selector rod and the bit-sliders.  Note how read/write
rod 7 is trapped by row-selector 9 and bit slider 1, whereas read/write rod 8
was blocked by neither 9 nor 2.  That 8 is not blocked by 2 is obvious, but in
order for 9 to block 7 but not block 8 implies that 8 flexed to go around 9 and
through the larger gap.

Brian



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Mechanical Memory for Computing
 
(...) <SNIP> (...) Do you happen to have any links to the molecular RAM design you are referencing? It would be very cool to compare and contrast your excellent model with the "real world" counterpart. Jona (21 years ago, 25-Jun-03, to lugnet.technic, lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)

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