Comments by "ke6gwf - Ben Blackburn" (@ke6gwf) on "The Selection Accumulator; a Jukebox's Brain" video.

  1. While you all think that this looks extremely complicated and impossible to understand or design, the funny thing about relay logic is that it's really simple, and most of you could figure out how to make a device that would do this if given a pile of relays and such. (or a virtual environment like ladder logic for a PLC.) The difference is, it would look ugly and take up a whole room! Lol The brilliance that these guys showed isn't really designing a machine to do all that, it's in making it so beautiful and compact and refined, all packed into such a nice layout with a minimum of components. You are probably looking at this as the big picture, and it's unimaginable to design it, but if you break down each function needed to the basic level, it's pretty easy to design a system to do it, and then you just start stacking layers and adding interconnections. There are a few bits that are more advanced, but mainly because it includes the mechanical design, but most of this is as simple as the latching relay in the first video, just layered up. But, the way they layered it and massaged it into a work of art is delicious! Almost as amazing as this video series, layered with humor tightly integrated into technology and videography, with a subtle garnish of sarcasm drawing it all together.
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  2. face-palm Good thing you are so enjoyable to listen to, because you suck at drawing accurate schematics! Lol If you want to post/email a good picture of the schematics etc, I would be happy to trace out the mystery circuit release. Figuring out relay logic (not always with a schematic lol) was what got me started in industrial automation. I might still remember a little bit... Some of the early computers that my dad ran were programmed by setting switches and installing jumper wires, or before that were entirely mechanical, so in the same way this IS digital computing, with the input being 3 bits (power, B, and 4)and then displaying the answer audibly lol But I agree that your title was still accurate. Also, the rotary contact arms are called Wiper arms or Wipers, not feeler arms. Other than those things, another excellent video and enjoyable presentation! Now, find some hope in this current situation, and keep breathing, because humans and this society are very resilient, and there is still Hope to be found. So follow the hope!
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