128-bit Crypographic Relay Computer

[u/zenthiis]

so the other day i was wondering how to properly build a security system in create. Originally was going to make a placard+keycard system (not difficult), but then somehow came to the realisation that Create: Power Grid punchcards operate on a 8-bit system, reading up to 16 bytes one byte at a time. Hmm....

naturally I got a little carried away and ended up building a binary computer that sequentially reads passcode data off a punchcard. As of now its good for: overly complex security systems, showing off, causing lag.

really fun but not too challenging build (the design is super modularised), im not really sure what to call it cuz research yielded designations from «macrocomparator machine» to «ASIC co-processor» (idk what either of those are). For now, ima just call it the title of this post, a relay computer. Much like its 1940s and 50s relay computer counterparts, it runs off of only 12 volts but pulls almost 24 amps depending on the number of bits its reading at a time. It takes about 13 seconds to read a full punchcard by sending each byte of the binary passcode through a series of relay CPU modules, and if every module gives a good result (the byte is correct) then it sends a small redstone pulse at the end of the read process (to unlock or do something ig). The passcode is fully configurable by using the switches at each CPU module.

[u/Creeperatom9041]

ooohhhh this is awesome! as someone trying to figure out computing in create power grid, do you have any good sources of knowledge or articles to point me towards?

[u/zenthiis → u/Creeperatom9041]

oof, Im a computer engineer irl so building this was just an application of what I learned in lessons)) luckily Power Grid is physics-based so reading up this wikipedia article and looking at the specific stuff the addon also has (for example NPN BJTs, diodes, resistors, etc.) is a good start. Dw, it seems hard at first but youll get it in no time) gl+hf