Flip flops

LEGO implementation of a bi-stable flip flop with 2nd lower layer. Works with the LEGO soccer balls (roughly 1.65 grams/ball).

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• LEGO
• GBC
• Rolling
• ball
• sculpture
• RBS
• Digicomp
• flip-flop

[bearandwoot]

Reminds me of a board game called Dr. Nim

[brdavis5]

@bearandwoot Take a look at my video of Digicomp II (an even more complicated 'computer' than Dr. Nim, produced by the same people). I've wanted to duplicate Dr. Nim for a while, but haven't managed to get a gate that functions in quite the same fashion (at least not reliably enough).

[brdavis5]

@Ghizzle1000 Sorry you feel that way. I'm a father of three, a university professor with a PhD in physics, survey newly discovered caves, and have been recognize for my "building with LEGO" enough that I co-authored a book on the subject, and that the LEGO corporation has asked me for my opinions on occasion... my life currently involves royalty checks based on things I find fun to do.

Yeah, I think I'll stick with my life. Thanks :)

[Valinxh]

Are you aware you just built a 3 diggit binary counter?

[randij10]

@bearandwoot where do u get gbc balls and could u do instructions bye :p

[Nadrealis]

@brdavis5 Phew. Sorry about that, I don't know if the project is even worth it since it seems pointless. I just like doing weird stuff like that with no aim or direction; I just like to see if I can do things for the sake of doing them.

[Nadrealis]

@brdavis5 (to account for propagation delay.) You would then have these marbles travel through the flip-flops 1 by 1 in a cascading fashion. You could have a light sensor couple with a laser(photoresistor or some other type of sensor that would measure the light interruption that the marble is causing) which would turn on a MOSFET to light an LED when it passes by.

It would basically just be a trigger setup that would light 4 different LED's once the marbles pass from 1 flip-flop to another.

[Nadrealis]

@brdavis5 I'm not sure if it can be done mechanically but it should be able to.. if you were to pretend that the marbles you're using are electrons. Anyway, I meant like with a synchronous counter using J-K flip flops, you would set all the flip-flops to a clock (I assume you could set up some type of servo or motor that would automatically flip your gates at a specified frequency.) Then let's say you sent in a serial data line (your 4 marbles) that would be sent at a different frequency

[brdavis5]

@Nadrealis Also... I've used these sorts of gates to reconstruct a mechanical "ALU" (really more of a calculator) that can add, subtract, multiple, and divide binary numbers (look at my "DigiComp II" video). I currently have a system that counts balls in more of a decimal format as well (in hundreds, and thousands... not just binary), although getting it to work fast & accurate was... tricky. I guess I need to post that :)

[brdavis5]

@Nadrealis "I'd like to see you expand on this and make a counter. That would be interesting. Maybe have 4 balls go in at once but only allows one ball per flip-flop and have them exit parallel to each other." I'm not sure what you mean. You can easily cascade a bunch of binary flip-flops into a binary counter, but I don't think that's what you mean. When you say four in at once, and four out in parallel, that can be done... but generally asynchronous (not simultaneous). Can you describe it?

[brdavis5]

@Nadrealis "I'm extremely impressed with anyone who has achieved their doctorate in one of the Hard Sciences" Thank you [blush]. Although I have to add that for some of us, while it certainly was very difficult... it was also something we *love* doing. So a PhD can be a labor of love... but yeah, it certainly is a lot of "labor" too :)

[Nadrealis]

@brdavis5 4 balls go in at once but only allows one ball per flip-flop and have them exit parallel to each other.

[Nadrealis]

@brdavis5 Youtube is a cesspool of uneducated half-wits. Few people have enough respect for someone who has achieved something as impressive and fantastic as a doctorate degree. I'm extremely impressed with anyone who has achieved their doctorate in one of the Hard Sciences. Anyway, flip-flops are very interesting. I work with them in class and use them sometimes to create up-down counters etc., I'd like to see you expand on this and make a counter. That would be interesting. Maybe have