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Dice Computer Overview

This is a game/vm/teaching tool whereby one or more people pretend to be a simple computer.

requirements

  • papers and pencils
  • as many dice as possible

jobs

One person can play this game, or for more enjoyment, the tasks can be split up between several people.

  • programmer (filling out initial memory. starting/stopping the computer.)
  • 'the pad' (output)
  • registers (tracking the PC, AA, XX)
  • memory (responding to fetch requests)
  • instruction decode (looking up the instructions, calling out orders)
  • clock (keeping everyone moving and data flowing)

basics

  • Each digit is a die. So 12 34 is four dice: 1, 2, 3, 4
  • Memory has a 'word' of four dice, consisting of a Two digit opcode. 0-2 digit operand. Memory can be as big as you like up to address 66.
  • Registers (all 2-die)
    • AA General purpose accumulator
    • XX General purpose index
    • PC Program Counter. Starts at 11 on cold boot.

registers

Make a piece of paper that has three entries: AA, XX, and PC.

Place two dice each on each entry.

PC should start as 11. After each instruction is completed, increment PC by one, unless PC was otherwise changed. (Note that 16 is followed by 21, etc.)

memory

Memory can be a pad of paper with a program, or ideally it would be a pad of paper with dice placed on it to represent memory values. (Note that 16 is followed by 21, etc.)

For example:

  ##: I I  N N
  11: _ _  _ _
  12: _ _  _ _
  13: _ _  _ _
  …
  66: _ _  _ _

example

  • Suppose the memory was initialized as follows:

    11: 26 35
12: 31 11
13: 16

  • At first: PC=11, AA=??, XX=?? (questionmarks = does not matter)

  • Since the program counter is 11, fetch 26 35 from memory. Use four dice to make 2-6 3-5

  • 26 means move NN (that's 35) into AA. So, change AA to 35

  • Increment the PC from 11 to 12

  • Now fetch 31 11.

    • 31 means to write AA to port 11, the 'pad of paper'
    • Look up the value of AA, 35 in PAD-11. It is Q.
    • Write a Q in the next spot on the output pad.

  • Increment the PC to 13

  • Now fetch 16

    • 16 means to halt, or stop. The game is over.

License

All text is © 2022 Code Hive Tx LLC and licensed under CC-BY-SA-4.0

SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-SA-4.0