how big is the eprom, that might be too big for discrete components in a small r...

actionfromafar · on March 28, 2023

The EPROM is 32 kilobytes.

Core rope memory could be "72 kilobytes per cubic foot" according to Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Core_rope_memory

ithkuil · on March 28, 2023

256kb

Does discrete components literally mean packaged single transitors, or can it mean packaged general purpose electronic components?

actionfromafar · on March 28, 2023

I meant in a "starting civilization over again" sense, so anything which is easiest given what you have at hand. Core memory seems easier to massproduce without foundries compared to transistors.

But if you have worked your way up to transistors already, the step is probably not very far to start doing chips with many transistors on them, given you already knew this was feasible.

kjs3 · on March 29, 2023

Functional core would be interesting without driver transistors.

kragen · on March 31, 2023

people have built entire computers out of square-loop ferrite (the kind used in core memory) and diodes; ferrite/diode systems were especially popular in the ussr in the late 60s because their transistor fabrication technology was lagging

magamps are still a thing today in some atx power supplies

as i understand it the main problem is that you can't get them to run any faster than a few megahertz

kragen · on March 28, 2023

i think they meant packaged single transistors or vacuum tubes from the 'small room with air conditioning' phrase

the board is already made of 'packaged general purpose electronic components', is quite a bit smaller than a room, and doesn't need air conditioning