OT: how big would it be?

From: CLASSICCMP_at_trailing-edge.com <(CLASSICCMP_at_trailing-edge.com)>
Date: Wed Oct 20 11:47:43 1999

>Well . . . if you mean really discrete, i.e. no TTL SSI/MSI stuff, you need
>to recall that a single flip-flop was resistors, capacitors and a handful of
>transistors.
>...
>There, methinks you'd be talking about a board as big as your dining room
>table, with miles of wire, and potentially millions of errors to correct.

No, it doesn't have to be as big as a dining room table. Like I said,
I own several examples of bit-serial processors implemented using
discrete components - for example, my Monroe programmable calculator -
which pack everything onto a few square feet of printed circuit board,
and not incredibly dense PCB's at that.

There are other examples of bit-serial processors in my collection -
for instance, the HP 9100A - where there is some, but not much, integration
used. The big PCB in the 9100A is the ROM, while the processor itself
resides on a daughtercard!

-- 
 Tim Shoppa                        Email: shoppa_at_trailing-edge.com
 Trailing Edge Technology          WWW:   http://www.trailing-edge.com/
 7328 Bradley Blvd		   Voice: 301-767-5917
 Bethesda, MD, USA 20817           Fax:   301-767-5927
Received on Wed Oct 20 1999 - 11:47:43 BST

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