Alt-BEAM Archive

Message #00315



To: alt-beam@egroups.com
From: wilf.rigter@powertech.bc.ca
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 00:44:33 -0000
Subject: [alt-beam] Mono Nv Neuron


Hi everybody,

The essence of BEAM is the search for "appropriate" technology including using the fewest number of the simplest possible building blocks for a design. This principle is similar to one used in science called Occam's Razor to find the simplest theory. There are many reasons for using this principle in the electronics component of BEAM designs including: Aesthetics (simple/small is beautiful), Educational (transparency = full understanding of a circuit), self-similarity (as n*H2O=water, so does n*Nv=microcore). This is why for the electronics component of BEAM designs, the 74HC14 Nv is used in the Nvcores. An Nv doesn't get much simpler than that. Having said that, there may be tradeoffs to simplicity and depending on the application, other solutions with different requirements should be examined. So to push the envelop a little, I have introduced a number of Nv "lookalikes" that have improved performance at a cost of increased complexity. They are still completely understandable from first principles but use more components. If complexity of the "building block" was not an issue, a 74HC123 or 74HC221 dual Monostable based microcore would give superb performance. But even these relatively simple devices are not transparent with regards to what goes on under the hood and are "anathematic" to BEAM tech.

So to continue exploring other "no blackbox" solutions here is another installment in the series of Nv alternatives:

If you need process stability in noisy conditions over a wide voltage range, or if you need inverting/noninverting outputs for the Nv neuron, these circuits work well.

Vcc_______________
| |
[10K] [R] C
| |________||________
| | __ || __ |
IN ____||_|__ +-|00 \_____|04 \__|__ OUT
|| `------|__ / | |__ /
.001 NAND | INVERTER
|____________ /OUT

FIG 1 - Mono Nv NEURON (ACTIVE LOW)

____________ /OUT
|
IN ____||_____ __ | __
|| | `-----|02 \__|__|04 \_____ OUT
.001 | +-|__ / |__ / |
| |_______||_________|
| | ||
[10K] [R] C
0V__________|_____|



FIG 2 - Mono Nv NEURON (ACTIVE HIGH)



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