A modern 8 bit design, built using 1950s thermionic valves
A modern 8-bit Valve.Computer, using 1950s valves, plays games like PONG and runs a 32-bit Fibonacci sequence. Built over 18 months, it integrates valves into a functional system, managed informally with colored pens. Despite challenges, the project was successful, with plans for art installation.
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The Valve.Computer is a modern 8-bit design using 1950s thermionic valves, capable of playing games like PONG and running a 32-bit Fibonacci sequence. It was built over 18 months by repurposing existing prototype machines and modifying over 1,000 components. The computer integrates thermionic valves into a functional general-purpose system, with a warm glow and a unique aroma. The project was managed informally with colored pens and paper, emphasizing the importance of defining the project's goals. Despite facing challenges like high voltages and construction errors, the Valve.Computer project was completed successfully, with only two minor incidents. The creator plans to enter it for the Turner Prize as an art installation. The computer's programming involves direct machine code instructions, offering control over data storage and hardware. Videos showcasing the computer's capabilities, such as running the Fibonacci sequence and playing PONG, have been shared online. The project highlights the joy of building something unique and the importance of support from loved ones throughout the process.
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20 commentsIt wasn't until working with valve hardware that I finally grokked the original difference between a cold boot and a warm one.
Hold out for the partner that cheers you on when you're doing what you love.
Something I’ve been curious about: is the current actually required for the thermionic effect, or just the heat?
Could you lower the current requirement by thermally insulating the tubes?
I've not used 6N3P tubes before but looking at the circuit it seems to me a 12AT7 (an old favorite of mine) would substitute in that circuit almost without alteration. Then again with a tweak or two either the higher gain 12AX7 or its lower gain cousin the 12AU7 would do.
In some of this stuff, over half of the power supplies output was dumped as heat in resistive divider networks just to bias things correctly and ensure operation. The filaments worked out to less than a fifth of the load in many cases.
Coming from a background of transistors and chips, it was wild to see so many 5 watt or more resistors in use.
This guy actually did it. What a fun project it must have been. Super interesting read.
One detail in the introduction that made me a bit puzzled: "The Valve.Computer is an 8 bit computer, with the usual 12 bit address and data buses". In an 8 bit CPU, we had "the usual 16 bit address bus and the 8 bit address bus".
Thank you for making it happen and sharing it here
Super interesting read and very inspiring too
Uh, what? Where did this sudden "virtue signaling" by the "cultural elite" stuff come from?
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