Stackable CPU boards

hus · 4 · 9463

hus

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(continuing from the comments)
Sharing signals shouldn't be a problem - it's just a matter of defining which CPU controls what line (and when) and putting all others in some high-Z state. But it would be more useful just to share power and a communication channel like I2C, and connect all other pins just to one side, e.g. the upper connector. If space allows, connection to the lower connector could be through solder bridges.


knickers

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What kind of projects might you use this for? It seems to me that it would be easier to just have a separate stack to handle a different task.


tinybuilder

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Alternately, a "stackable CPU shield", just in the sense of it having a connector on the bottom so that it can be anywhere in the stack.

Considering the current design, if a "coin cell shield" is created with a connector on top and the holder on the bottom, coupling the new "stackable CPU shield" with the new "coin cell shield", the current configuration is simulated.


calvinthedestroyer

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I would recommend having a shared static ram chip in the middle of the two CPU boards, that way each CPU can send signals to each other in the way of Status flags. IE: CPU1 sets register 1 to high, CPU2 reads register 1 and it knows that CPU1 is done with whatever the task was.

On the old machines I worked on:
CPU1 could write to the even registers, but could only read the odd registers.
CPU2 could write to the odd registers, but could only read the even registers.



 

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