Show HN: Mechanical Computer Kit (Roons) https://ift.tt/ksxnhwq

Show HN: Mechanical Computer Kit (Roons) I built a mechanical computer kit: https://ift.tt/Ky4japV tl;dr: it's a cellular automaton on a "loom" of alternating bars, using contoured tiles to guide marbles through logic gates. It's not just "Turing complete, job done"; I've tried to make it actually practical. Devices are compact, e.g. you can fit a binary adder into a 3cm square. It took me nearly two years and dozens of different approaches. There's a sequence of interactive tutorials to try out, demo videos, and a janky simulator. I've also sent out a few prototype kits and have some more ready to go. Please ask me anything, I will talk about this for hours. -- Jesse https://ift.tt/pTt31O6 May 1, 2025 at 10:57PM