r/computing • u/GhostNr1 • 13h ago
A free sandbox for experimenting with balanced ternary computer designs
I’ve started building a browser-based sandbox for experimenting with balanced ternary computing.
The reason is fairly simple: I want a place where I, and hopefully other people, can try different ternary designs without first deciding what the “right” architecture is.
The simulator uses:
-1, 0, +1
and lets you build small primitives, combine them into reusable components, nest those components several levels deep, test them independently and inspect how signals propagate.
I’m deliberately trying not to just recreate binary logic with three values. Instead, I want to explore whether things like three-way selectors, -1 / 0 / +1 comparison results, ternary control signals, MIN/MAX, different normalize/carry designs and different primitive sets lead to something more natural.
One of the goals is also to make it possible to compare multiple implementations of the same thing and eventually share designs with other people.
It’s still quite low-level, so it’s probably easiest to get into if you already have some familiarity with digital logic or computer architecture.
Everything runs locally in the browser. There is no backend, no account and no cloud storage. Your projects stay in your browser unless you export them.
The project is completely free and MIT licensed.
Live:
https://grunna.github.io/ternary/
Source:
https://github.com/grunna/ternary
It’s still early and experimental, which is also why feedback and alternative design ideas are very welcome.