I thought I recognised your voice in the background, I gave up watching Veritasium ages ago due to all the clickbait and over drawn out subject matter; not to mention he was increasingly holding back with providing the whole truth relating to many of his assertions. You meanwhile are my brain food, every video, every length, no skips, and bunnies too. That relay calculator is awesome btw, and now @willdoesbuild truly has the bug, I'm sure his calculator will go through a few iterations and tweaks until it's right.
Relays are more like how computers worked in the 1920s. In the 1960s, IBM and the like sold useful, practical computers, using transistors and even early microchips with a few logic gates inside. Transistors even back then could switch millions of times per second, compared with maybe 5 or 10 times per second for a relay (and that's pushing it!).
I caught that too, I was like what? I guess to everybody in generation Z, the 1960s and the 1920s are practically the same thing? Kind of like how to me, there isn’t all that much difference between the 1750s and the 1780s… 🤣
I started with electronics at your age in the 1970s and I never built anything as primitive as this. Seriously great work. I didn't hear the word "flip-flop" in your description, but I think that is what you were talking about. Also, that biz of "invert and add one" to do subtraction is called "ones-compliment". Really wonderful work. I'm subscribing. Continued Success!
I am very much looking forward to this new wave of William Osman and Michael reeves inspired creators. Maybe I'll get around to it some time, definitely would need to up the build quality (and code). Very well done!!!
When I was 12, I made a 2 bit binary telephone exchange out of nothing but cascading relays, to switch my own personal phone line between my friend's houses. it let me use 2 spare lines and a common ground to switch 4 phone lines - from each handset. You deserve my sub.
@@agranero6 In my case I never had call for memory, but I recall a creative use of telephone exchange crossbars for the same purpose in a japanese relay computer - still functional from what I hear.
@@TheAussieRepairGuy Casio had a calculator made entirely of relays that still have one at the company museum. There is a CZcams video somewhere about it. Yeah crossbar switches are versatile enough to do a lot of things...and were extremely big and expensive too (I imagine more so now).
@@agranero6 There is a lot to be said for electromechanical systems. I know someone who manufactures digital pinball machines, and keeps trying to make improvements, but does not understand the attraction of an original pinball machine. it's not about the game.
I have been working with computers for about 45 years and have never seen a better demonstration of how they work than this. Please keep making videos. Thanks
Bro, who cares if the bell doesn't work right or the 128 bit doesn't work. People who have never tried to do something like this don't understand the difficulty of making such a "simple" thing.... this kind of stuff takes all sorts of "out of the box" thinking, even people who have a solid understanding of how a modern computer works would have trouble designing something like this. And the motor timer? GENIUS. good job. Great video.
This kid is going to be big. He's got the side bits, the jump cuts, and a quality idea. I would literally invest into his youtube. 100k+ views next vid. When you get the 1,000,000 sub play button, I want a shoutout.
This was an awesome build video to watch -- And for only a *second* video??? Damn..! You're doing really well right out the gate! Well done!! Editing / framing / lighting / sound / continuity / humour & script are all excellent!
Wait... So this is your SECOND video??? - "Shut up and take my money"!!! - Awesome progress from the first but also very entertaining and educational - Go big Will !!!
oh you get more ramblings about apple early macs, i do think these relays used to own before apple is the ibm had to use since it is redpilled to know about relays and i don't think that apple made wood macintosh using simple relays, early microchips, testing the computer before selling his intention to make a good product, i used iphone 5 to 7 because the both iphone 5 and 6 were broken, i had to use iphone 7 which came out in 2016 and it was so good, but my ramblings aren't enough to make simple chip, I think if you should go back to shenzhen and ask for relays and boards that is simple enough to make whole circuit... oh wait.. before apollo program used relays and simple computer tasks for NASA, had been long way since in 1960s or before had to make stuff better, and i think we should have make own board, relays, etc. to make 1:1 indentical to apollo 11 computer that used in nasa, not my ramblings but my fact that simple computer will work on binary and i thought haven't coded into vscode for microsoft..
I helped build a relay computer a while ago and being able to use the second pole on the DPDT relays might help making a latching circuit and inverting signals. There's also latching relays. You can also build sequencers with a stepping mechanism (using a solenoid that rotates a wheel with contacts) similar to your motor clock. Now you can have punch tape inputs so program it and store the outputs mechanically.
I looked into buying latching relays, but I couldn't really find them - at least from what I researched. Also, I hadn't ever seen that solenoid mechanism, but I can totally picture it in my head!
@@willdoesbuildLook into how NMOS logic worked back in the day. The NMOS transistor is your basic form A single pole relay, faster smaller and lower power :) Using nothing but form-A relays and resistors you can build complex relay computers. An inverter is two relays: one to invert, another to buffer the signal from the resistor. The best relays to use for the combinatorial logic in this NMOS-like approach are reed relays. Always look for lowest coil power you can get, since the pull-up resistors will have to dissipate 4x the power when the pull-down contact is switched on. Say you have a 1kohm coil 12V reed relay. The pull-up resistor has to go to 24V and also be 1kohm. When the pull-up drives the buffer coil it consumes same power as the coil - 24V split in half between them. But when the output is zero; the pull-up is shorted to ground, sees twice the voltage (24V vs 12V), and dissipates 4x the coil power. So heat is a concern - but it always is with relay computers. The larger ones will self-immolate in short order if built in a compact enclosure and the cooling fan(s) fail. Latches can also be built from form-A relays. A single bit latch is two relays, just like an inverter.
Keep up the excellent work! When I was your age I was building parts for classic computers on perfboard and now I work full time at a Fortune 500 company in an IT position. My maker skills I learned back in the late 00s have saved the day so many times. Big companies that have been around for ages often have some old-ass hardware doing something absolutely vital somewhere in their tech chain. Being able to diagnose a fault and repair or build replacement parts when the alternative is a sketchy e-waste recycler on eBay selling that little board for $5000 is the recipe for promotions. Seriously, you're slaying, keep it up!
I dunno which I find more impressive, the writing & production quality of the video or the fact that you were able to build a functional relay computer despite not having a great deal of expertise in the relevant areas (and I don’t at all mean that in a negative way; expertise comes with experience, and undertaking projects like this is a great way to gain experience). Your channel is definitely off to a great start - just remember what I would say is the golden rule, which is that it’s all about quality rather than quantity when it comes to content creation, especially on this platform. Look at all the channels that have 1M+ subs and only upload a handful of extremely high-quality videos a year (sometimes only 1 or 2) vs channels that just crank out multiple videos a week regardless of quality.
This could definitely be an A+ science project or even an engineering project! And I was thinking that making an 8-bit calculator out of transistors is complicated. You are really talented! Make more projects and be passionate about your hobby. Wishingg all the best for you! Ps. To make it more simple and ditching the memory part, you can just use bipolar switches, but this way you’ve learned more and that’s what it’s all about :)
Well done! The only important thing that you made wrong (from my POV) is that you didn't design it to be easely repaired. Boards should be detachable from each other, etc. You can do that with connectors or you can use flexible and longer cables between them so you can detach them while they're still connected or something. The video was a bit messy with you correcting yourself a lot but it was really fun to watch, it was not an issue at all. I'm sure you learnt a lot about many things. Good work!! I'm subscribing! :)
Super cool project! Pacing and humor was spot on for a topic that could have been dry if flubbed. Love that you didn't use custom PCBs and I really like the way the lights flash when the bell is engaged, definitely adds to the artistic jank old mechanical electronics feel imo (if it isn't actually harmful). Awesome that you'll be able to display this as an interesting art piece and testament to your ability as long as it remains reliable. You're making me want to build one myself, even though I KNOW I don't want to build one of these, which is definitely a sign of a great video. Keep your flow and you'll do well in these parts brother, I'll sub
Good news, your computer can also multiply and divide so you got 4 functions for the price of 2. Example: 011 x 010 -> 000 + 011 = 011, 011 + 011 = 110 110 / 010 -> 110 - 010 = 100, 100 - 010 = 010, 010 - 010 = 000. 110 / 010 = 011 You cal also do exponentiation and square roots if you are hardcore but it will take a looooong time.
The issue with the bell is probably because it's an inductor and when disconnecting inductors they make a large spike in voltage (could be up to several kilovolts) inductive flyback can be removed/reduced by using a diode
Dude, you're not giving yourself enough credit. Even though this wasn't entirely era-accurate, doing the boards and casing by hand (mostly) is how it would've been done around that time! I'm downright flabbergasted by your dedication!
nice video man....im going on 33 and have been messing with computers since i was like 14 and cars since i was 16 and this is prolly one of the coolest videos ive seen in a while. kinda reminds me of how the relay system in a car works.
Před měsícem+4
First of all, awesome video! Looking forward for your next project! Second, the reason that subtractions works by inverting the number and adding 1: This is, in essence, the way to represent negative numbers and it is called "2's complement". You basically are adding the first number and the negative of the second number thus subtracting the second number from the first one. The way to think of 2's complement is that the most significant (in your computer the leftmost) bit is the sign bit. When it is set to 1 you have a negative number and when it is set to 0 you have a positive number. If you just invert all the bits (that's called 1's complement) then both 0000 and 1111 represent zero (the former is +0 and the latter is -0). Thus by adding 1 you eliminate the double representation of 0 (0000 is 0 and 1111 is -1) And if you are wondering, yes you can subtract in the same way even when using other formats like 1's complement and signed numbers. The logic remains the same: you add the negative of the number thus subtracting
* I am planing to do a computer relay for a long time and I found Chinese relays that cost about 1 dollar and are small and have two switches. Before that I was considering use reed relays for a smaller cost. About the smell some Chinese products (not the most of them) smell like...plastic...or solvent. It is not an horrible smell but the sell remain too long, it is not the "new" smell when you buy a car it is stronger and lasts longer. * Congratulations, you created a shift register using relays! If you used the port equivalent to do the design it would take much more relays. * Using a motor for clock is ...well..have you ever saw an old washing machine? All the cycles it goes thought are determined by a complex set of switches moved by a sync motor that acts as a clock and cams to close switches. Traffic lights also used this method. It is a design that survived the test of time.
As someone currently designing a 8-bit computer and planning on making a CZcams video documenting the process... it's really nice seeing somebody close to my age have the same interests in building and computing and whatnot. I really enjoyed this video! why does this comment seem so formal lmho
@@willdoesbuild It'll be a little bit before its done... I've got 2 other unrelated passion projects, homeschooling, etc. But I do plan on making some mini episodes for little milestones. No spoilers, but the first one will likely be done later this month :)
Awesome man! 1960s is a little late for relay computers being used in production, but this was really well put together. Check out Usagi Electric if you haven't already. Oh and you might like the November 1966 issue of Electronics Illustrated. Its just a decade counter with a rotary dial input.
@@willdoesbuild oh yeah and you might like the repair of the Apollo Guidance Computer (video series on YT by Curious Marc). It is estimated that NASA bought 60% of all ICs made in the early years.
Great build. Back in I think 1970 i was in grade 8 and found a book in the high school library on 'How to build a working digital computer'. I am not sure if it was the one by Alcosser, Philips and Wolk but that one is in the internet Archive. My memory is it used a rotary telephone dial as an input device and old telephone relays to build a simple adder. Not sure if I still have the 24v relays hiding in a box somewhere. Never finished it as I got my hands on some surplus dual NOR RTL logic in 8 pin flat packs. You could pinch the pins together to make a flip flop and stack them to make a register (dead bug build style) 😀. That same year my math teacher introduced us the the 'CARDIAC' computer (CARDboard Illustrative Aid to Computation) from Bell Labs. Was hooked and never looked back. Have fun and keep building.
For a clock you can use a chain of inverters in a ring - called a ring oscillator. No need for a motor. You can also use slower relays for that to keep the relay count lower.
Great video, Will. I took the other approach; I built a relay capacitor circuit without making any of the addition logic. It blinks a light nicely. Anyway, you might want to know that there is a historic picture of the Atanasoff-Berry computer from the 1940's, and you can see that it has a motor. In fact, that first computer with its big electric motor has more actual horsepower than just about any computer running today. It was also the first computer to represent values with binary numbers.
If you REALLY want to go for a mid 20th century vibe you would use AC and incandescent bulbs... and either a literal bell or the most obnoxious buzzer for a audible output.
@@davestorm6718 In Grade 7 we did a science day at the local science centre. I was the only student with prior electronics xp as my father worked in Embedded Systems. We were just playing with a simple demo board with lights, buzzers switches, and so on... my table had me do all the wiring cause they were terrified and I read the specs of the power supply and knew it was fine (also you think they would let a bunch of kids play with real power?). After doing all the examples were were allowed some time to play with the circuits to do whatever... I wired the entire board in series and the resulting voltage drop made rhe buzzer play a slow beat... the table next to me attempted to replicate my results but couldn't... I suspect they wired everything in parallel and so no voltage drop.
I learned computer programming in high school, 1980. Our first several labs for learning binary was a 4 ft cube with large buttons and light bulbs that worked exactly like this. It could also multiply and divide. What an excellent project! Looking forward to more projects!
Having played a lot with relays and stuff like that, in the 80s and 90s when I was growing up, that part of this wasn’t that unexpected to me, though it shows some real dedication to build a whole calculator that way. The thing that really put this over the top for me, was the mechanical clock circuit using a motor. I’m not sure I would’ve ever thought of that, I love that idea. I kind of wish I had paused the video and tried to figure out what I would have done for a clock in one of these things, before watching how he solved it. I know enough about flip-flops that I probably could have come up with a relay and capacitance based clock, but it would’ve been a lot more complicated than the motor was. Bravo!
Great stuff. It's really cool to see that the next generation of engineers are still learning computing from the absolute ground up. Nothing like building a simple one out of electromechanical parts to truly appreciate the miraculous machines that we carry around in our pockets. Can't wait to see what you build next! Cheers!
Man, you have realized a brilliant project. I am deeply impressed!!!!!! For your understanding. I am a computer scientist and live here in Germany and have been giving tutoring in mathematics and physics for 32 years. Unfortunately, I have noticed that the performance of students has declined significantly in the last 32 years. The dumbing down of young people is progressing. Your video gives me hope. There are still young people who are intelligent. You saved my day. Thank you very much
I like the motor used as a timing circuit. Hopelessly complicated compared to a capacitor and inductor, but cool as hell. I look forward to seeing your next project!
That was a very nice relay computer with a lot of good explanations of the technical stuff for people who are new to these ideas. I would be happy to adopt you as a nephew.
Admirable. I'm encouraged for the future when I see young people attempting crazy things like this. When I was a yoof way back 45 years ago I really wanted to build a Mark 8 computer. Lacking the means to buy anything (a paper round didn't pay enough in 4 months to even buy an 8008 and you know.. vinyls..) but having the town dump nearby I found a lot of people were scrapping obsolete bandits and all kinds of old electronics.. This gave me a huge supply of relays and other bits. Mine never worked properly either and back then we didn't have the joys of the internet and all this information at our fingertips. The local library came to hate me because I was always in there ordering obscure books of electronics and computing mathematics. Carry on young man. Hope you have great success in whatever you decide to do.
This is such a cool project! I love electromechanical arcade games, and seeing something like this that kind of uses the same idea, but in a more "digital" sort of way is really awesome. Plus you refreshed my memory on some things we covered in my digital circuits class.
Nicely done. This is similar to how older pin ball machines used to work. Lots of relays, motors and actuators. I used to repair them back in the '80s.
Talking about how relay memory works reminds me of my dad's first project of this sort. He just built a circuit that latches when it receives an input and used it to track when a door was opened.
I completely understand what you’re talking about with your clock circuit. I designed a similar thing with a plc to create a game of sorts. The clock is central to the control and events that happen.
That mechanical drawing is really the way to go. It lets you accurately place all the holes. It works well when making the front panel for any kind of electronics.
I worked with Strowger and in Switched Telegraphy (Telex). Back in the 70's we used in addition some DDL as well as a bit of TTL whilst we built Scamps for monitoring (SC/MP from scratch including the transformer). But the real early stuff were the relays with their valency trees. They were pretty elaborate. I think your project should be the starting point before people get into Arduinos and Raspberry Pi's. Well done!
usagi electric; was the youtuber you needed to email. Veritasium was at his house interviewing him. all so, neon lamps were used before LEDs were invented. and if your device is plugged in to a AC 100v to 250v outlet, they are much easier to use. keep up the good work your doing! & i look foreword to your next full length video :)
Computers in the 60s were mostly running with vacuum tubes. There's one computer (Zuse Z1) from '37 that did use mechanical switches, but they broke down all the time. Some Computers of the early 40s had relays though
If I may, with all due respect, YOU and like minded people are the justification of why do old tech. It’s ingenious in its simplicity and awesome, all the same.
The computers that I had growing up were very noisy with their clicky grindy disk drives, humming power sources, and PC speaker beeps. For this reason, perhaps, hearing this computer go "WHIRRRR" is very satisfying.
2:40 This might sound weird but, I miss the days when $77 was a lot. As you get older, you need bigger numbers to feel the same impact. I think to feel what you felt the moment you read $77, I'd have to be reading something like...."6,700"; my lovely Metuchen NJ monthly mortgage. Enjoy the youth kid, enjoy it.
Very cool, Will :) When I was around your age I designed and wire-wrapped a couple of (simple) boards for my 8-bit S-100 computer. I have a little feedback, and since you're my new para-nephew I'll be careful to be kind... Vacuum tubes took over from relays in computers by the mid 1950s. I don't know of any company selling relay logic as a "computer" later than that. I'm sure I won't be the only one pointing that out. :) However relay logic was still heavily in-use behind the scenes. I know an industrial conveyor company that built their controller logic with relays until past 1980. Their engineers were hitting retirement age and they couldn't find many relay logic designers among new graduates. :) I suggest edge connectors instead of wiring the boards together. It makes troubleshooting much easier. And if you use the same connector on multiple projects it's worth buying/building an extension board, so you can logic-probe a misbehaving board while it's still in-circuit. It's a big timesaver. One of my early jobs was refurbishing old telephone company relays, called "Strowger switches". Crazy-complex but fascinating relay logic. They even used motors for clocks like you did. You're probably already familiar with them, but just in-case here's an intro: czcams.com/video/HcvA5q8yOTo/video.html Subscribed, and looking forward to your next project.
Actually the first electric computer was built by Konrad Zuse in Germany during WWII. Because he received funding from the nazi regime, his work ended up forgotten and for many years the Mark I was considered the first electric computer. Zuse started his work before the war building the relays by hand but after he caused a blackout in his town he decided to look for 2nd hand relays and found that there were many available from the telephone company. The SUSE linux distro is named after Konrad Zuse.
We aren't the only animals with language. We aren't even the only animals with a language built from symbols. Bees. Bees dance to tell other members of the hive where they found food. They communicate direction, distance, winds, and obstacles they encountered all using symbolic steps in their dance. We are just starting to look into the complexity of bee language, what parts they share what parts are specific to an individual hive.
Over all really nice work! For getting your clock signal something I would like to get to you as an idea is using a pendulum like these sun-activated dancing flowers or a real pendulum you set in motion and let a contact trigger with every middle pass for example. Sure: Your engined timing device also works but I think it is rather complicated. Another solution would be a spring driven balance wheel like in old watches. If the clock signal could be a little faster you could also use a self interrupting circuit which could be built with relays as well (be warned: the relays used in this circumstance would not last long!).
Really cool, computer! I did watch the full twenty minutes and subscribed as per your instructions. Crazy, I never knew those were the rules? How about a new box (computer) for bit shifting or AND/OR? You could make the most impractical ALU ever made in the last 60 years!
I might be missing something, but if I was building something like this, and was considering using a motor assembly to generate the clocks, I would probably just look into dropping the relay sequencer all together, and just add a few more switches and possibly cams to the motor and have it do the sequencing. After all, motor sequencers were pretty common in electro-mechanical systems.
If you were my nephew, I'd be so proud. But I'd also wonder why you shrank, he's like way over 6'. As a retired computer person, well done. But also... lemme introduce you to 'The connector'. It lets you take a stack of boards apart, and also unplug the screen from the electronics module. You can 'retrofit' connectors to your design. The reason the bell makes the lights go weird is back EMF. Add reverse diodes to ... well practically every coil.
Yeah, I read that reverse diode tip a while ago, but well after I started the project! So I figured the relays wouldn't experience enough cycles over the computer's lifetime to make a huge difference, and I couldn't add them retroactively to like half of the boards. If I ever do something like this again, I'm definitely using connectors!
Great video, but that N95 mask you have is not adequate for sodering as it only filters out particles. A better choice would be a respirator with a 3M 60923 filter. Alternatively, you could get a Solder Fume Extractor just to be safe.
If you want a pulsing clock circuit from the 1960's, get an old turn signal relay. It's load dependent for speed, but it'll sit and on-off for you all day long. Unless it's a BMW part, those never seem to work.
Nice job, your video pop up on my list and at first I did not watch it. But I am glad I did!! When I was your age I done projects similar to what you are doing. Keep up the good work. Electronics are a lot of fun. Thanks for the video and I subscribed to your channel. Looking forward to seeing more.
Worth a sub and like! Keep this forever and tell your kids that's what your school calculator was, and if you didn't bring it to class every day, you'd be considered unprepared.
It looks a lot better than the monstrocity I built in the 80's. LOL. Mine was big chunky 24 volt relays strapped to a wodden board with light bulbs and point to point wireing, all of it was scavanged parts over a year.
Don't worry if anyone is mean to you we will fight alongside you. I loved this video so much and the fact it's your second video is insane, humor top notch, suffering top notch, also I adore the build and logo. I've never made anything as cool as this but I know that exact feeling of "Wow isn't this beautiful" when looking at something that I made from scratch it's a very cool feeling to see something you worked so hard on come to fruition. Cannot wait for more videos and I love the editing, pop off king. Easiest subscribe in my life.
Great video mate! Just a little correction, computers in the 60s already used vacuum tubes and some already used transistors, in so called SLT packages; the IBM 360 mainframe from 1964 did that. And technically the first parts were sprockets
I believe there was a relay computer developed in germany in the 1930's so definitely pre 60's - ENIAC was 1947 and it was vacuum tubes so it was way faster than relay based machines and also the transistor was invented in 1947 and were in use fairly commonly in the 1950's.
I have them same prototyping circuit boards off ali express haha ... they are so nice to have laying around (I bought an entire box of them lol). The one gripe with them is the pads on the edges aren't dual sided, and each side is a diferent pad, so you can't solder to one side, and touch the other to form a connection with a wire or something like you can with the holes. But they are still really decent boards for the price, as well as there being a bunch of diferent form factors to choose from. Thbey are perfect for making drop in DC blockers for my already built audio devices etc. and as they have the holes in them (the bigger 3mm ones at the corners) you can mount them with stick on feet that they just clip into. If I'm using them for HV stuff I'll spray the bottom with a couple of coats of insulator first, as the feet could come off over time, and don't want them to short on the case or something just incase.
Your "Little Guy" looks like an elf but he is far more interesting than the innards of the Digiac Comtran 10. You just explained in a few mins with your little guy Christmas Elf a BIG part of what I learned in 4 weeks at Great Lakes, Ill. GJ
Great job on the whole process, including video editing! You're a cool dude and a geek! ...that's a compliment these days. (I think. :) ) I'm sure that all of your failures in the process benefited you. All the custom soldering...well worth the experience! For your next computer, if there will be a next one, use transistors. Transistors are basically switches; the same logic as the relay computer. Use MOSFET type transistors (these are easier to deal with than Bipolar transistors) to create CMOS (this has special meaning) logic gates. You can simulate the analog (and digital) circuits with LTSpice. For further inspiration, look up Lev Kruglyak and Ben Eater.
I suspect that many people wonder what the monitors, mice, and keyboards looked like on the first home computers. His panel of switches and lights -- that was your monitor, keyboard, and mouse. The big subject at computer meet-ups was: OK, I have one of these, what do I do with it?
This is awesome! When I was a high school teacher, I always wanted to do something like this with my students but never managed to work it in to the curriculum. As a side note, keep in mind that you can totally use this project and your videos as part of your portfolio when applying for work other other positions. I mean it kind of depends on what the job or role is, but being able to not just hand someone a resume, but instead pointing them toward well presented videos and hard evidence of all the cool shit you've done already really helps you stand out.
Love your project, Will! I built lots of things like that when I was a kid in the 70s, & it's great seeing kids your age going right back to the basics this way. If you want to get seriously retro about this, there's a a couple of things you can do to make it more authentic: 1) Relay computers don't need a regulated power supply; a mains transformer + bridge rectifier + a 2200uF filter capacitor will work fine. I'd recommend making everything either 12V or 6V. 2) Use tiny lightbulbs instead of blue LEDs. Car dashboard lights are still available, if you go for a 12V power supply. Also, look up "grain of wheat" lightbulbs, which are great for projects like this. If you're willing to settle for 70's instead of 60's, red LEDs are legit for the period, but be sure to calculate out the correct current limiting resistors for whatever power voltage you're using. PS: Great job on your YT presentation too! A good sense of humour always makes videos better. SUBSCRIBED!
It reminds me of when I was once hellbent on creating a virtual cpu out of a logic gate simulator program when i was younger...i only got as far as making an adding and subtracting circuit...lol. Building something like this IRL and out of relays of all things with their quirks considered is super impressive and neat! :D
Fun fact, the relay calculator in the Veritasium video just so happens to be mine!
Nicely done!
That's right! I wish I'd credited you in the video but I at least linked your video in the description :) Thanks for the idea!
I am glad when the YT community joins forces and does things together...
I thought I recognised your voice in the background, I gave up watching Veritasium ages ago due to all the clickbait and over drawn out subject matter; not to mention he was increasingly holding back with providing the whole truth relating to many of his assertions. You meanwhile are my brain food, every video, every length, no skips, and bunnies too. That relay calculator is awesome btw, and now @willdoesbuild truly has the bug, I'm sure his calculator will go through a few iterations and tweaks until it's right.
0:47 I came here to say that was a picture of UsagiElectric's Valve computer. The UE-1
Usagi!!!
i’ve got a sneaky feeling that in the next 8 months this vid could break 1 mil views
same
Why 8 months in particular? Some sort of meme?
for that it needs engagement
engagement
engagement
Relays are more like how computers worked in the 1920s. In the 1960s, IBM and the like sold useful, practical computers, using transistors and even early microchips with a few logic gates inside. Transistors even back then could switch millions of times per second, compared with maybe 5 or 10 times per second for a relay (and that's pushing it!).
Yeah, I'm not sure why I started saying 1960's lol! I think I started saying it early in the project, and never gave it up. Thanks for the correction!
@@willdoesbuildWell Japan had relay computers in the 50s so...close enough.
According to my Dad (who's born in the 1960s) dinosaurs roamed the earth and computers were 100% relays.
I caught that too, I was like what? I guess to everybody in generation Z, the 1960s and the 1920s are practically the same thing? Kind of like how to me, there isn’t all that much difference between the 1750s and the 1780s… 🤣
I started with electronics at your age in the 1970s and I never built anything as primitive as this. Seriously great work. I didn't hear the word "flip-flop" in your description, but I think that is what you were talking about. Also, that biz of "invert and add one" to do subtraction is called "ones-compliment". Really wonderful work. I'm subscribing. Continued Success!
Nah, it's called two's complement. Just inverting but NOT adding 1 would be one's compliment.
I am very much looking forward to this new wave of William Osman and Michael reeves inspired creators. Maybe I'll get around to it some time, definitely would need to up the build quality (and code). Very well done!!!
When I was 12, I made a 2 bit binary telephone exchange out of nothing but cascading relays, to switch my own personal phone line between my friend's houses.
it let me use 2 spare lines and a common ground to switch 4 phone lines - from each handset.
You deserve my sub.
At about 9 designed a relay circuit that could retain its state, it was basically a flip-flop. I got so proud I could create a memory with relays.
@@agranero6 In my case I never had call for memory, but I recall a creative use of telephone exchange crossbars for the same purpose in a japanese relay computer - still functional from what I hear.
@@TheAussieRepairGuy Casio had a calculator made entirely of relays that still have one at the company museum. There is a CZcams video somewhere about it.
Yeah crossbar switches are versatile enough to do a lot of things...and were extremely big and expensive too (I imagine more so now).
@@agranero6 There is a lot to be said for electromechanical systems.
I know someone who manufactures digital pinball machines, and keeps trying to make improvements, but does not understand the attraction of an original pinball machine. it's not about the game.
@@TheAussieRepairGuy Technology Connections has a series of videos explaining the internals of an electromechanic pinbal machine he has.
I have been working with computers for about 45 years and have never seen a better demonstration of how they work than this. Please keep making videos. Thanks
Check out Ben Eater if you think this was put together well.
Bro, who cares if the bell doesn't work right or the 128 bit doesn't work. People who have never tried to do something like this don't understand the difficulty of making such a "simple" thing.... this kind of stuff takes all sorts of "out of the box" thinking, even people who have a solid understanding of how a modern computer works would have trouble designing something like this. And the motor timer? GENIUS. good job. Great video.
This kid is going to be big. He's got the side bits, the jump cuts, and a quality idea. I would literally invest into his youtube. 100k+ views next vid. When you get the 1,000,000 sub play button, I want a shoutout.
This was an awesome build video to watch -- And for only a *second* video??? Damn..! You're doing really well right out the gate! Well done!!
Editing / framing / lighting / sound / continuity / humour & script are all excellent!
Thanks! I've been making short-form for awhile so I've had some practice :)
Wait... So this is your SECOND video??? - "Shut up and take my money"!!!
-
Awesome progress from the first but also very entertaining and educational - Go big Will !!!
Admit it, you can't fix the 128 bit o/p because you GLUED THE BOX SHUT. That's stupid. Like would Apple glue their iPhones shut. Oh wait.
oh you get more ramblings about apple early macs, i do think these relays used to own before apple is the ibm had to use since it is redpilled to know about relays and i don't think that apple made wood macintosh using simple relays, early microchips, testing the computer before selling his intention to make a good product, i used iphone 5 to 7 because the both iphone 5 and 6 were broken, i had to use iphone 7 which came out in 2016 and it was so good, but my ramblings aren't enough to make simple chip, I think if you should go back to shenzhen and ask for relays and boards that is simple enough to make whole circuit... oh wait.. before apollo program used relays and simple computer tasks for NASA, had been long way since in 1960s or before had to make stuff better, and i think we should have make own board, relays, etc. to make 1:1 indentical to apollo 11 computer that used in nasa, not my ramblings but my fact that simple computer will work on binary and i thought haven't coded into vscode for microsoft..
@@dergonmcdragon3161Jesus fucking christ dude
I helped build a relay computer a while ago and being able to use the second pole on the DPDT relays might help making a latching circuit and inverting signals. There's also latching relays. You can also build sequencers with a stepping mechanism (using a solenoid that rotates a wheel with contacts) similar to your motor clock. Now you can have punch tape inputs so program it and store the outputs mechanically.
I looked into buying latching relays, but I couldn't really find them - at least from what I researched. Also, I hadn't ever seen that solenoid mechanism, but I can totally picture it in my head!
@@willdoesbuildLook into how NMOS logic worked back in the day. The NMOS transistor is your basic form A single pole relay, faster smaller and lower power :) Using nothing but form-A relays and resistors you can build complex relay computers. An inverter is two relays: one to invert, another to buffer the signal from the resistor. The best relays to use for the combinatorial logic in this NMOS-like approach are reed relays. Always look for lowest coil power you can get, since the pull-up resistors will have to dissipate 4x the power when the pull-down contact is switched on. Say you have a 1kohm coil 12V reed relay. The pull-up resistor has to go to 24V and also be 1kohm. When the pull-up drives the buffer coil it consumes same power as the coil - 24V split in half between them. But when the output is zero; the pull-up is shorted to ground, sees twice the voltage (24V vs 12V), and dissipates 4x the coil power. So heat is a concern - but it always is with relay computers. The larger ones will self-immolate in short order if built in a compact enclosure and the cooling fan(s) fail.
Latches can also be built from form-A relays. A single bit latch is two relays, just like an inverter.
I suspect the words stepper motor, rotary solenoid, and the way the pulse telephone network was built, are going to be in your future. Lol
Keep up the excellent work! When I was your age I was building parts for classic computers on perfboard and now I work full time at a Fortune 500 company in an IT position. My maker skills I learned back in the late 00s have saved the day so many times. Big companies that have been around for ages often have some old-ass hardware doing something absolutely vital somewhere in their tech chain. Being able to diagnose a fault and repair or build replacement parts when the alternative is a sketchy e-waste recycler on eBay selling that little board for $5000 is the recipe for promotions. Seriously, you're slaying, keep it up!
I dunno which I find more impressive, the writing & production quality of the video or the fact that you were able to build a functional relay computer despite not having a great deal of expertise in the relevant areas (and I don’t at all mean that in a negative way; expertise comes with experience, and undertaking projects like this is a great way to gain experience).
Your channel is definitely off to a great start - just remember what I would say is the golden rule, which is that it’s all about quality rather than quantity when it comes to content creation, especially on this platform. Look at all the channels that have 1M+ subs and only upload a handful of extremely high-quality videos a year (sometimes only 1 or 2) vs channels that just crank out multiple videos a week regardless of quality.
Yeah, I’m still trying to figure out that balance! Enjoying content creation though!
This could definitely be an A+ science project or even an engineering project! And I was thinking that making an 8-bit calculator out of transistors is complicated. You are really talented! Make more projects and be passionate about your hobby. Wishingg all the best for you!
Ps. To make it more simple and ditching the memory part, you can just use bipolar switches, but this way you’ve learned more and that’s what it’s all about :)
this video was really well put together and the project was really interesting i cant wait to see what else you make :)
Well done! The only important thing that you made wrong (from my POV) is that you didn't design it to be easely repaired. Boards should be detachable from each other, etc. You can do that with connectors or you can use flexible and longer cables between them so you can detach them while they're still connected or something.
The video was a bit messy with you correcting yourself a lot but it was really fun to watch, it was not an issue at all.
I'm sure you learnt a lot about many things. Good work!! I'm subscribing! :)
Thanks! yeah, from now on I will definitely make things more repairable lol
Super cool project! Pacing and humor was spot on for a topic that could have been dry if flubbed. Love that you didn't use custom PCBs and I really like the way the lights flash when the bell is engaged, definitely adds to the artistic jank old mechanical electronics feel imo (if it isn't actually harmful). Awesome that you'll be able to display this as an interesting art piece and testament to your ability as long as it remains reliable. You're making me want to build one myself, even though I KNOW I don't want to build one of these, which is definitely a sign of a great video. Keep your flow and you'll do well in these parts brother, I'll sub
Thanks! Keeping this complicated and often dull project entertaining was definitely one of the main challenges :)
Good news, your computer can also multiply and divide so you got 4 functions for the price of 2.
Example:
011 x 010 -> 000 + 011 = 011, 011 + 011 = 110
110 / 010 -> 110 - 010 = 100, 100 - 010 = 010, 010 - 010 = 000. 110 / 010 = 011
You cal also do exponentiation and square roots if you are hardcore but it will take a looooong time.
Wow! It's almost better than a ti-84!
The issue with the bell is probably because it's an inductor and when disconnecting inductors they make a large spike in voltage (could be up to several kilovolts) inductive flyback can be removed/reduced by using a diode
Thanks for adding this, hope he sees it.
I did! Electronics are so confusing 🙃 I’ll add flyback diodes next time!
Dude, you're not giving yourself enough credit. Even though this wasn't entirely era-accurate, doing the boards and casing by hand (mostly) is how it would've been done around that time! I'm downright flabbergasted by your dedication!
nice video man....im going on 33 and have been messing with computers since i was like 14 and cars since i was 16 and this is prolly one of the coolest videos ive seen in a while. kinda reminds me of how the relay system in a car works.
First of all, awesome video! Looking forward for your next project!
Second, the reason that subtractions works by inverting the number and adding 1:
This is, in essence, the way to represent negative numbers and it is called "2's complement". You basically are adding the first number and the negative of the second number thus subtracting the second number from the first one. The way to think of 2's complement is that the most significant (in your computer the leftmost) bit is the sign bit. When it is set to 1 you have a negative number and when it is set to 0 you have a positive number.
If you just invert all the bits (that's called 1's complement) then both 0000 and 1111 represent zero (the former is +0 and the latter is -0). Thus by adding 1 you eliminate the double representation of 0 (0000 is 0 and 1111 is -1)
And if you are wondering, yes you can subtract in the same way even when using other formats like 1's complement and signed numbers. The logic remains the same: you add the negative of the number thus subtracting
* I am planing to do a computer relay for a long time and I found Chinese relays that cost about 1 dollar and are small and have two switches. Before that I was considering use reed relays for a smaller cost. About the smell some Chinese products (not the most of them) smell like...plastic...or solvent. It is not an horrible smell but the sell remain too long, it is not the "new" smell when you buy a car it is stronger and lasts longer.
* Congratulations, you created a shift register using relays! If you used the port equivalent to do the design it would take much more relays.
* Using a motor for clock is ...well..have you ever saw an old washing machine? All the cycles it goes thought are determined by a complex set of switches moved by a sync motor that acts as a clock and cams to close switches. Traffic lights also used this method. It is a design that survived the test of time.
As someone currently designing a 8-bit computer and planning on making a CZcams video documenting the process... it's really nice seeing somebody close to my age have the same interests in building and computing and whatnot. I really enjoyed this video!
why does this comment seem so formal lmho
When do you plan on posting it? I wanna see!
@@willdoesbuild It'll be a little bit before its done... I've got 2 other unrelated passion projects, homeschooling, etc.
But I do plan on making some mini episodes for little milestones. No spoilers, but the first one will likely be done later this month :)
Awesome man! 1960s is a little late for relay computers being used in production, but this was really well put together. Check out Usagi Electric if you haven't already. Oh and you might like the November 1966 issue of Electronics Illustrated. Its just a decade counter with a rotary dial input.
I just looked up the issue, and everything in here is really interesting! One of my other favorite parts was the article, "IC's go civilian"
@@willdoesbuild oh yeah and you might like the repair of the Apollo Guidance Computer (video series on YT by Curious Marc). It is estimated that NASA bought 60% of all ICs made in the early years.
Look up Konrad Zuse, and the relay computers he started building in the 1930s.
there were no relay computers in the 20's, but a guy at bell labs made the k-adder out of relays in the 30's. His name was george stibitz
Great video! Interesting topic, well explained and top editing! Thank you!
6:00 I love the loading bar
Just discovered your channel, this is good, +1.
*gold
Great build. Back in I think 1970 i was in grade 8 and found a book in the high school library on 'How to build a working digital computer'. I am not sure if it was the one by Alcosser, Philips and Wolk but that one is in the internet Archive. My memory is it used a rotary telephone dial as an input device and old telephone relays to build a simple adder. Not sure if I still have the 24v relays hiding in a box somewhere. Never finished it as I got my hands on some surplus dual NOR RTL logic in 8 pin flat packs. You could pinch the pins together to make a flip flop and stack them to make a register (dead bug build style) 😀. That same year my math teacher introduced us the the 'CARDIAC' computer (CARDboard Illustrative Aid to Computation) from Bell Labs. Was hooked and never looked back. Have fun and keep building.
For a clock you can use a chain of inverters in a ring - called a ring oscillator. No need for a motor. You can also use slower relays for that to keep the relay count lower.
But motors are so cool!
Great video, Will. I took the other approach; I built a relay capacitor circuit without making any of the addition logic. It blinks a light nicely. Anyway, you might want to know that there is a historic picture of the Atanasoff-Berry computer from the 1940's, and you can see that it has a motor. In fact, that first computer with its big electric motor has more actual horsepower than just about any computer running today. It was also the first computer to represent values with binary numbers.
Fascinating!
If you REALLY want to go for a mid 20th century vibe you would use AC and incandescent bulbs... and either a literal bell or the most obnoxious buzzer for a audible output.
And make a relay into a buzzer! (I learned this in 2nd grade back in the 70s - wish we had the web back then)
@@davestorm6718 In Grade 7 we did a science day at the local science centre. I was the only student with prior electronics xp as my father worked in Embedded Systems. We were just playing with a simple demo board with lights, buzzers switches, and so on... my table had me do all the wiring cause they were terrified and I read the specs of the power supply and knew it was fine (also you think they would let a bunch of kids play with real power?). After doing all the examples were were allowed some time to play with the circuits to do whatever... I wired the entire board in series and the resulting voltage drop made rhe buzzer play a slow beat... the table next to me attempted to replicate my results but couldn't... I suspect they wired everything in parallel and so no voltage drop.
this looks amazing! subbed!
I learned computer programming in high school, 1980. Our first several labs for learning binary was a 4 ft cube with large buttons and light bulbs that worked exactly like this. It could also multiply and divide. What an excellent project! Looking forward to more projects!
Thanks!
Having played a lot with relays and stuff like that, in the 80s and 90s when I was growing up, that part of this wasn’t that unexpected to me, though it shows some real dedication to build a whole calculator that way. The thing that really put this over the top for me, was the mechanical clock circuit using a motor. I’m not sure I would’ve ever thought of that, I love that idea.
I kind of wish I had paused the video and tried to figure out what I would have done for a clock in one of these things, before watching how he solved it. I know enough about flip-flops that I probably could have come up with a relay and capacitance based clock, but it would’ve been a lot more complicated than the motor was. Bravo!
Great stuff. It's really cool to see that the next generation of engineers are still learning computing from the absolute ground up. Nothing like building a simple one out of electromechanical parts to truly appreciate the miraculous machines that we carry around in our pockets. Can't wait to see what you build next! Cheers!
Man, you have realized a brilliant project. I am deeply impressed!!!!!! For your understanding. I am a computer scientist and live here in Germany and have been giving tutoring in mathematics and physics for 32 years.
Unfortunately, I have noticed that the performance of students has declined significantly in the last 32 years. The dumbing down of young people is progressing.
Your video gives me hope. There are still young people who are intelligent. You saved my day. Thank you very much
I like the motor used as a timing circuit. Hopelessly complicated compared to a capacitor and inductor, but cool as hell. I look forward to seeing your next project!
That was a very nice relay computer with a lot of good explanations of the technical stuff for people who are new to these ideas.
I would be happy to adopt you as a nephew.
i can see your channel blowing up in the near future, goodluck!
I love when people remake old technology like this, it is so fascinating. Thanks for showing is this!
Admirable. I'm encouraged for the future when I see young people attempting crazy things like this. When I was a yoof way back 45 years ago I really wanted to build a Mark 8 computer. Lacking the means to buy anything (a paper round didn't pay enough in 4 months to even buy an 8008 and you know.. vinyls..) but having the town dump nearby I found a lot of people were scrapping obsolete bandits and all kinds of old electronics.. This gave me a huge supply of relays and other bits. Mine never worked properly either and back then we didn't have the joys of the internet and all this information at our fingertips. The local library came to hate me because I was always in there ordering obscure books of electronics and computing mathematics.
Carry on young man. Hope you have great success in whatever you decide to do.
Great work mate, awesome video. Keep them coming
Thanks, will do!
Dude. You did nice work, no matter if you're a "kid". Seriously? That's impressive.
Hand-wiring your own machine from scratch is a rewarding process, nicely done. Now you can graduate to EDA software!
This is such a cool project! I love electromechanical arcade games, and seeing something like this that kind of uses the same idea, but in a more "digital" sort of way is really awesome. Plus you refreshed my memory on some things we covered in my digital circuits class.
Nicely done. This is similar to how older pin ball machines used to work. Lots of relays, motors and actuators. I used to repair them back in the '80s.
I wanna make a pinball machine like that someday- probably not soon though ;)
Talking about how relay memory works reminds me of my dad's first project of this sort. He just built a circuit that latches when it receives an input and used it to track when a door was opened.
I completely understand what you’re talking about with your clock circuit. I designed a similar thing with a plc to create a game of sorts. The clock is central to the control and events that happen.
That mechanical drawing is really the way to go. It lets you accurately place all the holes. It works well when making the front panel for any kind of electronics.
Yes it does!
I worked with Strowger and in Switched Telegraphy (Telex). Back in the 70's we used in addition some DDL as well as a bit of TTL whilst we built Scamps for monitoring (SC/MP from scratch including the transformer). But the real early stuff were the relays with their valency trees. They were pretty elaborate.
I think your project should be the starting point before people get into Arduinos and Raspberry Pi's.
Well done!
You did good kid. Proud of you.
usagi electric; was the youtuber you needed to email. Veritasium was at his house interviewing him. all so, neon lamps were used before LEDs were invented. and if your device is plugged in to a AC 100v to 250v outlet, they are much easier to use. keep up the good work your doing! & i look foreword to your next full length video :)
I tried to contact him, but I couldn't find his email anywhere!
btw one of the relays was switched around in the build montage.
Great video man! Looking forward to seeing more content from you!
Computers in the 60s were mostly running with vacuum tubes. There's one computer (Zuse Z1) from '37 that did use mechanical switches, but they broke down all the time. Some Computers of the early 40s had relays though
This is true!
Subbed! This is amazing! I love the editing style
If I may, with all due respect, YOU and like minded people are the justification of why do old tech. It’s ingenious in its simplicity and awesome, all the same.
The transistor was invented in 1947 and was used in computing to after the mid 1950s (1955-57) replacing the vacuum tube
The bunny was a nice touch. Made me laugh.
The computers that I had growing up were very noisy with their clicky grindy disk drives, humming power sources, and PC speaker beeps. For this reason, perhaps, hearing this computer go "WHIRRRR" is very satisfying.
2:40 This might sound weird but, I miss the days when $77 was a lot.
As you get older, you need bigger numbers to feel the same impact. I think to feel what you felt the moment you read $77, I'd have to be reading something like...."6,700"; my lovely Metuchen NJ monthly mortgage.
Enjoy the youth kid, enjoy it.
Very cool, Will :) When I was around your age I designed and wire-wrapped a couple of (simple) boards for my 8-bit S-100 computer. I have a little feedback, and since you're my new para-nephew I'll be careful to be kind...
Vacuum tubes took over from relays in computers by the mid 1950s. I don't know of any company selling relay logic as a "computer" later than that. I'm sure I won't be the only one pointing that out. :) However relay logic was still heavily in-use behind the scenes. I know an industrial conveyor company that built their controller logic with relays until past 1980. Their engineers were hitting retirement age and they couldn't find many relay logic designers among new graduates. :)
I suggest edge connectors instead of wiring the boards together. It makes troubleshooting much easier. And if you use the same connector on multiple projects it's worth buying/building an extension board, so you can logic-probe a misbehaving board while it's still in-circuit. It's a big timesaver.
One of my early jobs was refurbishing old telephone company relays, called "Strowger switches". Crazy-complex but fascinating relay logic. They even used motors for clocks like you did. You're probably already familiar with them, but just in-case here's an intro: czcams.com/video/HcvA5q8yOTo/video.html
Subscribed, and looking forward to your next project.
Actually the first electric computer was built by Konrad Zuse in Germany during WWII. Because he received funding from the nazi regime, his work ended up forgotten and for many years the Mark I was considered the first electric computer. Zuse started his work before the war building the relays by hand but after he caused a blackout in his town he decided to look for 2nd hand relays and found that there were many available from the telephone company. The SUSE linux distro is named after Konrad Zuse.
Really nice work and (what's even more important these days) excellent presentation. 🤩 Keep creating ... I'm watching you! 😱
We aren't the only animals with language. We aren't even the only animals with a language built from symbols. Bees. Bees dance to tell other members of the hive where they found food. They communicate direction, distance, winds, and obstacles they encountered all using symbolic steps in their dance. We are just starting to look into the complexity of bee language, what parts they share what parts are specific to an individual hive.
Awesome video Will!!!! Super Great job dude! A natural in front of the camera....It's like it's in your gene's or something :)
Thanks so much!!
Over all really nice work!
For getting your clock signal something I would like to get to you as an idea is using a pendulum like these sun-activated dancing flowers or a real pendulum you set in motion and let a contact trigger with every middle pass for example.
Sure: Your engined timing device also works but I think it is rather complicated.
Another solution would be a spring driven balance wheel like in old watches.
If the clock signal could be a little faster you could also use a self interrupting circuit which could be built with relays as well (be warned: the relays used in this circumstance would not last long!).
Really cool, computer! I did watch the full twenty minutes and subscribed as per your instructions. Crazy, I never knew those were the rules?
How about a new box (computer) for bit shifting or AND/OR? You could make the most impractical ALU ever made in the last 60 years!
I might be missing something, but if I was building something like this, and was considering using a motor assembly to generate the clocks, I would probably just look into dropping the relay sequencer all together, and just add a few more switches and possibly cams to the motor and have it do the sequencing.
After all, motor sequencers were pretty common in electro-mechanical systems.
I did think about that, but I’d already come up with a circuit design by then lol!
If you were my nephew, I'd be so proud. But I'd also wonder why you shrank, he's like way over 6'. As a retired computer person, well done. But also... lemme introduce you to 'The connector'. It lets you take a stack of boards apart, and also unplug the screen from the electronics module.
You can 'retrofit' connectors to your design. The reason the bell makes the lights go weird is back EMF. Add reverse diodes to ... well practically every coil.
Yeah, I read that reverse diode tip a while ago, but well after I started the project! So I figured the relays wouldn't experience enough cycles over the computer's lifetime to make a huge difference, and I couldn't add them retroactively to like half of the boards. If I ever do something like this again, I'm definitely using connectors!
Great video, but that N95 mask you have is not adequate for sodering as it only filters out particles. A better choice would be a respirator with a 3M 60923 filter. Alternatively, you could get a Solder Fume Extractor just to be safe.
Yeah, I have a little fan that I use at the moment for solder extraction. Also, I use lead-free solder which is only an irritant!
Well done Will. I think this video is very well presented & could well end up being used by schools & colleges.. Top MARKS from me. 60's kid.
If you want a pulsing clock circuit from the 1960's, get an old turn signal relay. It's load dependent for speed, but it'll sit and on-off for you all day long. Unless it's a BMW part, those never seem to work.
Using a turn signal relay is definitely something I hadn’t thought about!
Nice job, your video pop up on my list and at first I did not watch it. But I am glad I did!! When I was your age I done projects similar to what you are doing. Keep up the good work. Electronics are a lot of fun. Thanks for the video and I subscribed to your channel. Looking forward to seeing more.
Worth a sub and like! Keep this forever and tell your kids that's what your school calculator was, and if you didn't bring it to class every day, you'd be considered unprepared.
It looks a lot better than the monstrocity I built in the 80's. LOL.
Mine was big chunky 24 volt relays strapped to a wodden board with light bulbs and point to point wireing, all of it was scavanged parts over a year.
Don't worry if anyone is mean to you we will fight alongside you. I loved this video so much and the fact it's your second video is insane, humor top notch, suffering top notch, also I adore the build and logo. I've never made anything as cool as this but I know that exact feeling of "Wow isn't this beautiful" when looking at something that I made from scratch it's a very cool feeling to see something you worked so hard on come to fruition. Cannot wait for more videos and I love the editing, pop off king. Easiest subscribe in my life.
Great video mate! Just a little correction, computers in the 60s already used vacuum tubes and some already used transistors, in so called SLT packages; the IBM 360 mainframe from
1964 did that. And technically the first parts were sprockets
Yup, my timeline was definitely off!
@@willdoesbuild that’s fine! It’s only CZcams we come for the entertainment value! I also shamelessly listed wrong info from time to time 🤣
I believe there was a relay computer developed in germany in the 1930's so definitely pre 60's - ENIAC was 1947 and it was vacuum tubes so it was way faster than relay based machines and also the transistor was invented in 1947 and were in use fairly commonly in the 1950's.
Yeah, I was off on the timeframe!
Genuinely fun to watch this build. Keep up the great work... and definitely use a PCB fab next time. Either that, or give wire wrapping a shot.
I've often tried to understand this before but never really got it before this video
I have them same prototyping circuit boards off ali express haha ... they are so nice to have laying around (I bought an entire box of them lol). The one gripe with them is the pads on the edges aren't dual sided, and each side is a diferent pad, so you can't solder to one side, and touch the other to form a connection with a wire or something like you can with the holes. But they are still really decent boards for the price, as well as there being a bunch of diferent form factors to choose from. Thbey are perfect for making drop in DC blockers for my already built audio devices etc. and as they have the holes in them (the bigger 3mm ones at the corners) you can mount them with stick on feet that they just clip into. If I'm using them for HV stuff I'll spray the bottom with a couple of coats of insulator first, as the feet could come off over time, and don't want them to short on the case or something just incase.
At first, I was gonna use the side pads to connect them together, but then I realized the same thing!
Your "Little Guy" looks like an elf but he is far more interesting than the innards of the Digiac Comtran 10. You just explained in a few mins with your little guy Christmas Elf a BIG part of what I learned in 4 weeks at Great Lakes, Ill. GJ
Great job on the whole process, including video editing! You're a cool dude and a geek! ...that's a compliment these days. (I think. :) ) I'm sure that all of your failures in the process benefited you. All the custom soldering...well worth the experience! For your next computer, if there will be a next one, use transistors. Transistors are basically switches; the same logic as the relay computer. Use MOSFET type transistors (these are easier to deal with than Bipolar transistors) to create CMOS (this has special meaning) logic gates. You can simulate the analog (and digital) circuits with LTSpice. For further inspiration, look up Lev Kruglyak and Ben Eater.
i love how i can sort of understand how this works (apart from actually wiring this up and all) because i do minecraft redstone
Minecraft is a wonderful teacher
I can see the next generation of CZcams is not going to disappoint.
I suspect that many people wonder what the monitors, mice, and keyboards looked like on the first home computers. His panel of switches and lights -- that was your monitor, keyboard, and mouse. The big subject at computer meet-ups was: OK, I have one of these, what do I do with it?
This is awesome! When I was a high school teacher, I always wanted to do something like this with my students but never managed to work it in to the curriculum. As a side note, keep in mind that you can totally use this project and your videos as part of your portfolio when applying for work other other positions. I mean it kind of depends on what the job or role is, but being able to not just hand someone a resume, but instead pointing them toward well presented videos and hard evidence of all the cool shit you've done already really helps you stand out.
Awesome job! Well explained, really well edited and you've earned a subscriber! Really enjoy your style and honestly, keep up the great work!
Love your project, Will! I built lots of things like that when I was a kid in the 70s, & it's great seeing kids your age going right back to the basics this way.
If you want to get seriously retro about this, there's a a couple of things you can do to make it more authentic:
1) Relay computers don't need a regulated power supply; a mains transformer + bridge rectifier + a 2200uF filter capacitor will work fine. I'd recommend making everything either 12V or 6V.
2) Use tiny lightbulbs instead of blue LEDs. Car dashboard lights are still available, if you go for a 12V power supply. Also, look up "grain of wheat" lightbulbs, which are great for projects like this.
If you're willing to settle for 70's instead of 60's, red LEDs are legit for the period, but be sure to calculate out the correct current limiting resistors for whatever power voltage you're using.
PS: Great job on your YT presentation too! A good sense of humour always makes videos better.
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Thanks for the advice! If I do a bigger V2 of this project, it’ll definitely be a while from now
you should add diodes for relays' magnetizer side and also for solenoid that rings the bell to avoid reverse current
Oh I loved the motorized clock!
Subtraction works since you are making the numbers negative. If you add a positive number with a negative one its going to output a subtraction.
It reminds me of when I was once hellbent on creating a virtual cpu out of a logic gate simulator program when i was younger...i only got as far as making an adding and subtracting circuit...lol.
Building something like this IRL and out of relays of all things with their quirks considered is super impressive and neat! :D
Learning something new by trying is never a bad thing.
Cool project, thanks for sharing your successes and failures for learning!
I love this freaky engineering video
Fascinating work. Great job!