User:CU cannon/Sandbox

Bit Serial Mechanical Adder
The Bit Serial Mechanical Adder is a device designed to perform binary addition mechanically. It is the mechanical equivalent to a digital serial binary adder. The device was designed and patented by W. Daniel Hillis for use in the clock of the long now as a means to convert one time base to another.

Purpose
some stuff about the adder's application in the clock of the long now

The Bit Serial Mechanical Adder uses binary addition to generate accurate approximations that would otherwise require the use of complex gear systems. In operation the device adds a constant value at regular intervals to an accumulator until an overflow value is reached. The device then triggers the rotation of a Geneva wheel.

In the case in which a signal is to be generated once every solar year by a device that rotates once a day, a constant is of 1/365.24198 is added each day. Once the overflow value is reached the one-year signal is generated. Similarly this design can be used to generate other intervals using a different constant (i.e. lunar month).

Theory of Operation
some stuff about operation

The device works by periodically adding a constant value, represented by a series of pins, to an accumulated value, represented by a series of levers. When the overflow value is reached an impulse is given to Geneva wheel. Any remaining fraction of the accumulated sum remains in the accumulator in this manner round-off error will not propagate.


 * Denary: 5+9=14
 * Binary: 0101+1001=1110


 * Mathematical Representation of the Bit Serial Adder
 * {|border=1

!colspan=2 |Inputs !colspan=2 |In Count !colspan=2 |Output !width=65|A In !width=65|K Bit !width=65|Carry In !width=65|(One's) !width=65|A Out !width=65|Carry Out
 * -align="center"
 * 0
 * 0
 * 0
 * 0
 * 0
 * 0
 * -align="center"
 * 0
 * 0
 * 1
 * 1
 * 1
 * 0
 * -align="center"
 * 0
 * 1
 * 0
 * 1
 * 1
 * 0
 * -align="center"
 * 0
 * 1
 * 1
 * 2
 * 0
 * 1
 * -align="center"
 * 1
 * 0
 * 0
 * 1
 * 1
 * 0
 * -align="center"
 * 1
 * 0
 * 1
 * 2
 * 0
 * 1
 * -align="center"
 * 1
 * 1
 * 0
 * 2
 * 0
 * 1
 * -align="center"
 * 1
 * 1
 * 1
 * 3
 * 1
 * 1
 * }