Time to check the maximum reachable speed !

The CPU needs 4 clock signals:

• Phase 1 CLR
• Phase 1 Activate
• Phase 3 CLR
• Phase 3 Activate

There are also phase 2 and phase 4, but they have no clock signal, these phases are the relay 'layers' that follow the state of the relays that are switched by state 1 and 3.

As the name implies, a CLR pulse clears a relay, and an Activate pulse can set a relay (if its input signal is true). But the CLR only disables the hold circuit of the relay. At the same time, the activate signal can be busy setting the relay, and even the circuits that follow the relay can already start switching while the CLR is still active ! So the clearing of a relay does not take time because it takes place at the same time as the activation (see technology file in the file section). The phase 1 CLR pulse falls within the phase 1 Activate pulse (so CLR can only be active if Activate is also active). And also, the phase 3 CLR pulse falls within phase 3 Activate.

I did built a clock generator that has 4 relays (one for each clock signal), driven by a few transistors, and the transistors driven by a function generator. I attached the new clock to my test-setup (that has an ALU and a Register pcb). Phase 3 loads the ALU latch A with the data from register D, and phase 1 loads register D with the ALU output.

On the test pcb, setting function to ADD and loading 1 in ALU latch B. This lets the ALU increment at each clock pulse.

Well thats nice... what they call blinkenlights.... see the bytes incrementing at 3 places: at the ALU output, in register D, and at ALU input A.

Yes and that sound.... Ohhhh...

Cranking the frequency up, until errors begin to occur.... then a little bit down again where everything seems ok.... 136 Hz !!

Power consumption around 600mA at 24 Volt. It's not really optimized for watts per megahertz....

The other circuits in the CPU ( like instruction decoder, and PC incrementer ) will operate concurrently, and have the same technology as the ALU and registers (so they will reach the same speed). Most instructions use a single cycle, so the CPU could reach a speed of 136 instructions per second ! Probably will have to run it slightly slower for good reliability.

The used relays have 2 mSec operating time. Relays with 1 mSec exist ( like IM06N ) but I found these too expensive. These could double the speed....