Let's Talk about the New Propeller Power Cube!
Folding cube with six sides |
Non aligned cubes - see link for algorithm |
DEVELOPING POWER CUBES
In 2002 we examined the potential of cube computers, three dimensional constructs with XYZ planes and rows of computers, comprised of Parallax Processors. The first was a small multi processor cubed machine with a minimum number of chips. This was expanded with consecutive evolving machines until now in 2012, the Cube Computer design has grown to a much larger and more powerful scale with Parallax Propeller chips. The Propeller Power Cube Computer has 97,336 hybrid processors to make a 3D 46X3D cube computer. To make the new project possible, the interesting cubed structure is folded with mathematical software inside the space within the Propeller chips, and not necessarily arranged entirely through physical hardware. Let's take a brief look to see how this was accomplished.Power Cubing ushers in a new Propeller technology for hobby and academic experimentation and development.
Folding Cube
In the Folding Cube illustration, one computer is placed to a side and folded into a cube. This is a basic example of how a simple Level I Power Cube is configured, however, this config omits cube density and is only a simple illustrative example of six Perimeter Processors. The Power Cube has density and strata of processors.
Propeller Folding Cube
A Folding Cube made from Propeller chips is interesting. With topical processors, it has six prop chips and is a 48 processor machine. It's hollow cube core offers structural space for wiring. More convenient, wire is routed along the perimeter. The internal structure can house a power unit. Six adjoined PPPBs can serve this purpose well.
The Perimeter Cube & Perimeter Processors
Machines of more simple config in fewer numbers (six), and without internal cubed density, are fabricated with Perimeter Processors that position on the outside of the cube to make up its six sides. A Perimeter Cube, PC, can be fabricated from the internal Cogs of one Propeller chip using interconnecting software and a CA Connection Algorithm.
Large Propeller Power Cube Computer Project
We’ve had an ongoing interest in a three dimensional cube supercomputer for at least ten years. What is the largest cube supercomputer that can be built given a handful of Parallax Propeller chips? The Big Brain Labs wanted to find out.
Using VIPS processors created with each Propeller chip and setting the processor threshold up to 1,000 in each chip, the following is created:
100 chips hard wired
800 Cog cores prewired
100,000 VIP processors soft wired
100,800 processors total hybrid wiring
46x46x46 = 97,336 Cube
800 Cog cores prewired
100,000 VIP processors soft wired
100,800 processors total hybrid wiring
46x46x46 = 97,336 Cube
47x47x47=103823 Reference
Config Conclusion
Therefore 46 computers to a side are required to create a processor dense power cube computer with 97,336 processors.
Propeller Power Cube Wiring
The chips are all wired to function in parallel. The cogs all function in parallel. Cogs are then subdivided into VIP processor groups of 125 to each cog in each chip. Groups to groups function in Parallel. Chips are hard wired. Cogs are hard wired in the chips. VIP processors are soft wired per groups. A software algorithm tracks VIP groups from sides to vertices to make up the cube net. VIPS are tracked by their name or index. Each VIP is pre-indexed. The numerical derivation is acquired from the VIPS, Group, Cog, and Chip.
Power Cubing Setup
The configuration for Power Cubing utilizes the technique of a software mathematical matrix algorithm based on Propeller enumeration at the first level. At the second level, a sub-enumeration is utilized. Sub-Enumeration, or SUBE, is performed on VIPS. SUBE does not clone. The number of Processor Planes are enumerated and the processors inside the planes are ID'd. At the first level, the enumeration defines a number of columns and rows. These can hone the first one hundred props. The following hone is a constituent array of Cogs. Following the Cogs is the VIPS array. ENUMERATION and VIPS were developed for the UltraSpark Series and the Propeller Powered Big Brain machine. Power Cubing implements both of these technologies.
Propeller Power Cube Folding
The Matrix holds the orientation as a formula with soft wiring. Soft wiring is extremely useful and is completely successful where other forms of hard wiring (i.e. in a Hypercube) are overwhelming. Folding with software is very useful. In higher densities, the strata images of computers are created in one XY plane and successively stacked along the Z until a cube of symmetry emerges. The actual physical dominions are merely within the realm of the mathematical construct. This permits reconfigs of convenience and soft rewiring with code to create and experiment with new structures in a relatively efficient and clean time frame.
Hybrid Folding
It's possible to do processor config folding by a hybrid method involving both software and hardware. Generally chips can have a determined arrangement and Cogs, although rigid in construct, can undergo a degree of soft configuring, and other internals can be configured with software as well.
The Invention of Sub Cubes
Sub Cubes are created within full cubes starting at vertices and extending inward equal to a number of processors less than the Power Cube containment. For various reasons, such as power consumption, Sub Cubes are useful and configurable.
Moving Sub Cubes
Moving Sub Cubes can be software strobed across the Power Cube for utility and syncing of projects.
Bisecting Processors
Inside a power cube with aligned density processors, bisection can be implemented for various reasons. One example encompasses the benefit of shorter route communications. Another possibility is DCOM Direct Communications with other processors. In Bisection, for example, a diagonal internal line is drawn arbitrarily from one perimeter plane to another. It is the processors contacted resulting from the Bisection that come into use for this process algorithm.
A Dictionary of Power Cubing
Cube
Level I Power Cube a cube made with perimeter processor foldingBrain Cube the first cube computer
Propeller Power Cube project evolution in August of 2012
Folding Cube a cube configured by folding algorithms
Propeller Folding Cube Propeller chips topographically composed
Perimeter Cube a cube comprised of processors on cube sides
Sub Cube a cube inside a larger cube made from that cube's contents
Cube Density number of processors inside cube' dimensions
Hypering
Hypering extraordinary enhancement: software, hardware, function
Hypercube In geometry, a hypercube is an n-dimensional analogue of a square (n = 2) and a cube (n = 3). It is a closed, compact, convex figure whose 1-skeleton consists of groups of opposite parallel line segments aligned in each of the space's dimensions, perpendicular to each other and of the same length.
Processor
Perimeter Processor a processor located on the perimeter of a cube
Processor Threshold processor count limit added internally to a chip
Processor Density number of processors inside chip' dimensions
Processor Strata plane layers of XY processors
Processor Plane two dimensional representation of processors
VIP Processor a processor added internally to a Propeller chip
Sub Cube Processor processor inside a Sub Cube
Algorithm
Folding Algorithm method reconfigure structure confinement
Transforming Algorithm method reconfigure processor orientation
Process Algorithm technique to offer a method to the system
Wiring
Soft Wiring connections made with software and programming
Hard Wiring connections made by physical means
Process
Processor Stacking stacked layered XY processor planes
Cube Processor Line of Bisection
Bisected Processors diagonal drawn one perimeter plane to another
Hybrid Folding using hard and soft folding
Hard Configuring arrangements with hardware
Soft Configuring arrangements with software
SUBE Sub Enumeration, process of ID'ing VIPS
Alignment geometrical organization of cubes or processors
DCOM Direct Communications more direct route of communicating with a specific processor involving Bisection or other process
Software Strobing entire Sub Cubes, Processor Stratas, Processor Planes, Sub Processors, incrementally shifted from initial positions by one unit in repetition
History
Brain CubeReconfigurable Whole Cubes
2X2X2
3X3X3
6X6X6
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?123828-40-Props-in-a-Skyscraper&highlight=cube+humanoido
Radical Symmetrical Cube Contemplation
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?123909-Smartest-BoeBot&highlight=cube+humanoido
Links
Visual Transformation Algorithms
http://ken-soft.com/2009/06/27/3d-cube-engine-java/
Hypercube
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypercube