Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #01258
To: beam@corp.sgi.com
From: Justin jaf60@student.canterbury.ac.nz
Date: Fri, 05 Mar 1999 00:27:54 +1300
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: advanced circuits
> > The Alf circuit comes to mind as a
> > circuit with photopopper-like operation, but with high energy
> > efficiency, no 1381’s, able to drive non-inductive loads, and able to
> > change direction during the cap discharge if the sensors desire it.
>
> Um, what is supposed to be difficult about driving non-inductive
> loads? And I actually never built a photovore which couldn't change
> direction during discharge. Didn't know that was clever :)
As the topic was advanced photopoppers (rather than advanced
photovores*), I was talking about advances/improvements the Alf has over
the photopopper.
As for your work, well, you're clearly an advanced BEAMer anyway, so
it's hardly surprising your work is right up there with the designs I
suggested could be "advanced" :-)
To be perfectly honest, I'm unfortunately prejudiced against your
Suneater III style of photovore - mechanically and functionally I think
it's an absolute masterpiece, real stroke of genius material, but since
I origionally noticed BEAM as a way of making little critters, the
efficiency and economy of your design is overshadowed by my unfounded
preference for a more orthodox critter-like motion :)
I suspect this is eroding however, and since there are undoubtably
protozoans which use such navigational mechanisms, I'm sure I will
eventually be turned...
(In fact, now that I'm forced to think about it, it does seem to
potentially offer something I was looking for for a potential project.
I'll have to look into that sometime...)
*I may be mistaken here - he probably meant photovore when he said
photopopper, but I took it to mean photopopper as this made making my
point easier
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