From:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010156.htm
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life
Scientists recreated cosmic dust in a bottle,
offering a new glimpse into how the ingredients for life may have formed among the stars.
Date:
July 19, 2026
Source:
University of Sydney
Summary:
Researchers have created cosmic dust from scratch by recreating space-like conditions inside glass tubes.
The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements essential to life and produces infrared
signals similar to real material found in space.
By studying these laboratory samples, scientists can explore how organic chemistry unfolds around stars and
how comets, asteroids and meteorites may have carried those ingredients to Earth.
From:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010156.htm
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life
Scientists recreated cosmic dust in a bottle,
offering a new glimpse into how the ingredients for life may have formed among the stars.
Date:
July 19, 2026
Source:
University of Sydney
Summary:
Researchers have created cosmic dust from scratch by recreating space-like conditions inside glass tubes.
The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements essential to life and produces infrared
signals similar to real material found in space.
By studying these laboratory samples, scientists can explore how organic chemistry unfolds around stars and
how comets, asteroids and meteorites may have carried those ingredients to Earth.
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life
Scientists recreated cosmic dust in a bottle,
offering a new glimpse into how the ingredients for life may have formed among the stars.
Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid> spake the secret code ><113irfo$fa0j$1@dont-email.me> thusly:
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life
Scientists recreated cosmic dust in a bottle,
offering a new glimpse into how the ingredients for life may have formed
among the stars.
And this has what, exactly, to do with electronics design?
Not "science." Not "interesting." Not "contains a glass tube." Not >"somebody somewhere used an instrument that had electrons in it." What
does copy/pasting a university press release about a hyped-up origin-of-life >experiment from a PhD student have to do with designing electronics?
This is sci.electronics.design, not sci.random-press-release-pastebin.
If there is an electronics angle, state it. What circuit? What >instrumentation? What detector? What vacuum control? What measurement >problem? What design tradeoff? What failure mode? What schematic
question? Anything?
Last week it was Chinese rocket cheerleading with a pointless little
"bye bye Elon" garnish, as if sci.electronics.design needed another >geopolitical fortune cookie from the Ministry of Copy/Paste. Now it is >cosmic dust in a bottle, because apparently anything with a ScienceDaily >headline and enough shiny nouns qualifies as electronics design after it
has passed through your newsreader.
You are not starting a technical discussion. You are flyposting headlines. >That is not contribution, it is RSS with a pulse.
Try this next time: before pasting the press release, identify the actual >electronics design issue you want discussed. If you cannot find one, that
is the clue that the article belongs somewhere else, preferably in the same >drawer as the rocket propaganda and the Elon reflex.
john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com>wrote:
On Sun, 19 Jul 2026 15:45:59 GMT, Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid>wrote:
From:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010156.htm
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life
Scientists recreated cosmic dust in a bottle,
offering a new glimpse into how the ingredients for life may have formed among the stars.
Date:
July 19, 2026
Source:
University of Sydney
Summary:
Researchers have created cosmic dust from scratch by recreating space-like conditions inside glass tubes.
The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements essential to life and produces infrared
signals similar to real material found in space.
By studying these laboratory samples, scientists can explore how organic chemistry unfolds around stars and
how comets, asteroids and meteorites may have carried those ingredients to Earth.
The mystery of life isn't ingredients, it's structure.
john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com>wrote:
On Sun, 19 Jul 2026 20:35:02 -0000 (UTC),legalize+jeeves@mail.xmission.com (Richard) wrote:
Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid> spake the secret code >><113irfo$fa0j$1@dont-email.me> thusly:
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life
Scientists recreated cosmic dust in a bottle,
offering a new glimpse into how the ingredients for life may have formed >>> among the stars.
And this has what, exactly, to do with electronics design?
Not "science." Not "interesting." Not "contains a glass tube." Not >>"somebody somewhere used an instrument that had electrons in it." What >>does copy/pasting a university press release about a hyped-up origin-of-life >>experiment from a PhD student have to do with designing electronics?
This is sci.electronics.design, not sci.random-press-release-pastebin.
If there is an electronics angle, state it. What circuit? What >>instrumentation? What detector? What vacuum control? What measurement >>problem? What design tradeoff? What failure mode? What schematic >>question? Anything?
Last week it was Chinese rocket cheerleading with a pointless little
"bye bye Elon" garnish, as if sci.electronics.design needed another >>geopolitical fortune cookie from the Ministry of Copy/Paste. Now it is >>cosmic dust in a bottle, because apparently anything with a ScienceDaily >>headline and enough shiny nouns qualifies as electronics design after it >>has passed through your newsreader.
You are not starting a technical discussion. You are flyposting headlines. >>That is not contribution, it is RSS with a pulse.
Try this next time: before pasting the press release, identify the actual >>electronics design issue you want discussed. If you cannot find one, that >>is the clue that the article belongs somewhere else, preferably in the same >>drawer as the rocket propaganda and the Elon reflex.
What are you designing now?
On Sun, 19 Jul 2026 15:45:59 GMT, Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid>
wrote:
From:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010156.htm
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life
Scientists recreated cosmic dust in a bottle,
offering a new glimpse into how the ingredients for life may have formed among the stars.
Date:
July 19, 2026
Source:
University of Sydney
Summary:
Researchers have created cosmic dust from scratch by recreating space-like conditions inside glass tubes.
The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements essential to life and produces infrared
signals similar to real material found in space.
By studying these laboratory samples, scientists can explore how organic chemistry unfolds around stars and
how comets, asteroids and meteorites may have carried those ingredients to Earth.
The mystery of life isn't ingredients, it's structure.
On 20/07/2026 1:45 am, Jan Panteltje wrote:
From:
ÿ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010156.htm
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life
Scientists recreated cosmic dust in a bottle,
offering a new glimpse into how the ingredients for life may have
formed among the stars.
Date:
ÿ July 19, 2026
Source:
ÿ University of Sydney
Summary:
ÿ Researchers have created cosmic dust from scratch by recreating
space-like conditions inside glass tubes.
ÿ The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements
essential to life and produces infrared
ÿ signals similar to real material found in space.
ÿ By studying these laboratory samples, scientists can explore how
organic chemistry unfolds around stars and
ÿ how comets, asteroids and meteorites may have carried those
ingredients to Earth.
Asteroid and meteorites get quite hot (or at least their outsides do)
when they go through the atmosphere on their way down to earth. There's
not a lot of organic chemistry that would survive that.
The sun now emits quite a lot of hard ultra violet light and a certain amount higher energy radiation which doesn't make it through the earth's atmopshere.
The earth seems to have had a molten rock surface early in its career,
and that wouldn't have been all that receptive either.
It is an interesting area of study, but getting the results down to
earth may be tricky.
What are you designing now?
He is too stupid to see the opportunity to design the high voltage stuff
for it.
Electronics is not a subject into itself
it is always about applications.
Peepholes like him will never be able to solve problems with electronics.
And he never did!
And likely never will!
Beep
john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com>wrote:
On Sun, 19 Jul 2026 15:45:59 GMT, Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid> >>wrote:
From:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010156.htm
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life >>>Scientists recreated cosmic dust in a bottle,
offering a new glimpse into how the ingredients for life may have formed among the stars.
Date:
July 19, 2026
Source:
University of Sydney
Summary:
Researchers have created cosmic dust from scratch by recreating space-like conditions inside glass tubes.
The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements essential to life and produces infrared
signals similar to real material found in space.
By studying these laboratory samples, scientists can explore how organic chemistry unfolds around stars and
how comets, asteroids and meteorites may have carried those ingredients to Earth.
The mystery of life isn't ingredients, it's structure.
Could you with your wisdom elaborate a bit on that?
On Mon, 20 Jul 2026 05:11:00 GMT, Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid>
wrote:
john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com>wrote:
On Sun, 19 Jul 2026 15:45:59 GMT, Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid>wrote:
From:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010156.htm
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life
Scientists recreated cosmic dust in a bottle,
offering a new glimpse into how the ingredients for life may have formed among the stars.
Date:
July 19, 2026
Source:
University of Sydney
Summary:
Researchers have created cosmic dust from scratch by recreating space-like conditions inside glass tubes.
The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements essential to life and produces infrared
signals similar to real material found in space.
By studying these laboratory samples, scientists can explore how organic chemistry unfolds around stars and
how comets, asteroids and meteorites may have carried those ingredients to Earth.
The mystery of life isn't ingredients, it's structure.
Could you with your wisdom elaborate a bit on that?
You can't shake up a bucket of parts and get a radar. Or digitize
thermal noise into bytes and get a word processor program.
The reproduction of a DNA-based cell requires the incredible
complexity of a DNA-based cell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j8CV3droDw
And copying the DNA strand is just a part of cell reproduction. And
then there is the absurd complexity encoded in the DNA that makes the
cell do something as its day job.
That didn't evolve by incremental trial and error from a mud puddle
with a few organic compounds mixed in. Nothing works until it all
works.
I've got several projects in the works, some of which are "slow burn"
and some are moving faster:
- LED blinky light employee name badge for a local Mom & Pop burger
chain
- 6805 SBC project to play around with making an 80s 8-bit SBC from
some parts that were donated:
<https://github.com/legalizeAdulthood/6805_SBC>
- TI TMS34020 SBC. I always wanted to build a a graphics system
around this chip; I picked up some "new old stock" parts and have
started designing a bring up board. Nothing captured into github
yet.
- Tektronix 401x storage tube terminal "printer". The printer for this
thing was really not what you'd expect. The printer essentially
puts the terminal into a slave mode and drives the tube's electron
beam with scanning ramps generated by the printer. The terminal
would report back a voltage ("target signal") representing the
charge stored on the tube at the position of the scanning ramps.
The printer would take this analog signal and use it to print on
silver halide paper. While the printer units can be found, the
paper is unobtainium at this point and even if you did find some, it
would be 40+ years old at this point and likely the active chemicals
are no longer very responsive. So the idea was to make a circuit
that pretends it's the printer: start the handshake with the
terminal to put it in slave mode, generate the scan ramps, digitize
the return target signal and generate a grayscale image. Many
vintage compy folks still have these terminals and the idea of
getting a "hardcopy" of the screen image would be nifty.
Other projects, too, but they're mostly of the repair, refurbish, or reverse-engineer variety for vintage computing gear.
On 21/07/2026 1:05 am, john larkin wrote:
On Mon, 20 Jul 2026 05:11:00 GMT, Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid>
wrote:
john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com>wrote:
On Sun, 19 Jul 2026 15:45:59 GMT, Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid> >>>> wrote:
From:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010156.htm
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life
Scientists recreated cosmic dust in a bottle,
offering a new glimpse into how the ingredients for life may have formed among the stars.
Date:
July 19, 2026
Source:
University of Sydney
Summary:
Researchers have created cosmic dust from scratch by recreating space-like conditions inside glass tubes.
The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements essential to life and produces infrared
signals similar to real material found in space.
By studying these laboratory samples, scientists can explore how organic chemistry unfolds around stars and
how comets, asteroids and meteorites may have carried those ingredients to Earth.
The mystery of life isn't ingredients, it's structure.
Could you with your wisdom elaborate a bit on that?
You can't shake up a bucket of parts and get a radar. Or digitize
thermal noise into bytes and get a word processor program.
The reproduction of a DNA-based cell requires the incredible
complexity of a DNA-based cell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j8CV3droDw
And copying the DNA strand is just a part of cell reproduction. And
then there is the absurd complexity encoded in the DNA that makes the
cell do something as its day job.
That didn't evolve by incremental trial and error from a mud puddle
with a few organic compounds mixed in. Nothing works until it all
works.
So you are a creationist - or perhaps just too stupid to understand the >concept of incremental evolution.
We've told you more than once that DNA was the second generation
recording mechanism - there are traces of the original RNA-based scheme >around, including a bunch of RNA-based viruses.
The fact that nobody has yet been able to flesh out the way it might of >worked says a lot about the complexity of the process, and the
limitations of the way we've so far tackled the question of how it might >have worked.
Richard Dawkin's book does tackle the question directly
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blind_Watchmaker
and we know that you can't follow his arguments.
On 19/07/2026 17:34, Bill Sloman wrote:
On 20/07/2026 1:45 am, Jan Panteltje wrote:
From:
ÿ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010156.htm
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life
Scientists recreated cosmic dust in a bottle,
offering a new glimpse into how the ingredients for life may have
formed among the stars.
Date:
ÿ July 19, 2026
Source:
ÿ University of Sydney
Summary:
ÿ Researchers have created cosmic dust from scratch by recreating
space-like conditions inside glass tubes.
ÿ The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements
essential to life and produces infrared
ÿ signals similar to real material found in space.
ÿ By studying these laboratory samples, scientists can explore how
organic chemistry unfolds around stars and
ÿ how comets, asteroids and meteorites may have carried those
ingredients to Earth.
Asteroid and meteorites get quite hot (or at least their outsides do)
when they go through the atmosphere on their way down to earth.
There's not a lot of organic chemistry that would survive that.
Surprisingly they do survive Earth entry. The outer fused heat damaged
skin is generally not that thick. They are also not very hot when they
reach the ground but may disintegrate due to air pressure when they
reach the thicker atmosphere generating a shower of pebbles.
One such meteorite shower hit Paris just after their Academy of Sciences
had declared in a report that "nothing" ever fell from the sky!
Obviously stony and pure iron ones usually stay together in big lumps.
Carbonaceous chondrites like the one that fell in the UK during Covid
end up with an outer hard crust that is well toasty but the innermost
parts are virtually pristine provided that nobody touches them. This
wasn't the one I recall but it is in the news now and will do as an
example:
https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/hillsborough-meteorite-space-rock-reveals-alien-brine-chemistry-and-seeds-of-life/211992/
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/new-york-city-2024-meteorite-amino-acid
The sun now emits quite a lot of hard ultra violet light and a certain
amount higher energy radiation which doesn't make it through the
earth's atmopshere.
The earth seems to have had a molten rock surface early in its career,
and that wouldn't have been all that receptive either.
It is still thought that during the early phases of the solar system and after the Earth had a mostly solid surface that the seas we now have
were at least in part a result of cometary bombardment (dirty snowballs)
and steam/CO2/SO2/N2 escaping from the core by vulcanism.
It is an interesting area of study, but getting the results down to
earth may be tricky.
The balance between the two mechanisms is not clear. Both have certainly played a part. Extreme vulcanism can significantly affect climate, and
has done in recorded history 1816 Tambora and 1883 Krakatoa.
On Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:02:16 +1000, Bill Sloman <bill.sloman@ieee.org>
wrote:
On 21/07/2026 1:05 am, john larkin wrote:
On Mon, 20 Jul 2026 05:11:00 GMT, Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid>
wrote:
john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com>wrote:
On Sun, 19 Jul 2026 15:45:59 GMT, Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid> >>>>> wrote:
From:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010156.htm
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life
Scientists recreated cosmic dust in a bottle,
offering a new glimpse into how the ingredients for life may have formed among the stars.
Date:
July 19, 2026
Source:
University of Sydney
Summary:
Researchers have created cosmic dust from scratch by recreating space-like conditions inside glass tubes.
The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements essential to life and produces infrared
signals similar to real material found in space.
By studying these laboratory samples, scientists can explore how organic chemistry unfolds around stars and
how comets, asteroids and meteorites may have carried those ingredients to Earth.
The mystery of life isn't ingredients, it's structure.
Could you with your wisdom elaborate a bit on that?
You can't shake up a bucket of parts and get a radar. Or digitize
thermal noise into bytes and get a word processor program.
The reproduction of a DNA-based cell requires the incredible
complexity of a DNA-based cell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j8CV3droDw
And copying the DNA strand is just a part of cell reproduction. And
then there is the absurd complexity encoded in the DNA that makes the
cell do something as its day job.
That didn't evolve by incremental trial and error from a mud puddle
with a few organic compounds mixed in. Nothing works until it all
works.
So you are a creationist - or perhaps just too stupid to understand the
concept of incremental evolution.
I don't see how incremental evolution from inorganics can produce live
cells. When someone shows how it can actually happen in nature, I'll reconsider.
The "in nature" part is critical. If people create self-reproducing
life that's simpler than our cells, that would be intelligent design.
We've told you more than once that DNA was the second generation
recording mechanism - there are traces of the original RNA-based scheme
around, including a bunch of RNA-based viruses.
RNA viruses need a DNA-based host to reproduce.
The fact that nobody has yet been able to flesh out the way it might of
worked says a lot about the complexity of the process, and the
limitations of the way we've so far tackled the question of how it might
have worked.
Richard Dawkin's book does tackle the question directly
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blind_Watchmaker
and we know that you can't follow his arguments.
I've read that one. It's wordy. And hand-wavy.
He admits to being an aggressive atheist, so shys away from anything
that could even hint at creationism. So he can't think.
On 7/20/2026 7:08 AM, Richard wrote:
I've got several projects in the works, some of which are "slow burn"
and some are moving faster:
- LED blinky light employee name badge for a local Mom & Pop burger
chain
I've some multicolor "light fixtures" for which I have been developing
an animation package so I can create "effects" without having to manually >determine when each lamp illuminates and with which color. I.e., the
*tool* is far more effort than the light fixtures themselves (I don't
even layout PCBs as the fixtures are far too large to make that practical!)
- 6805 SBC project to play around with making an 80s 8-bit SBC from
some parts that were donated:
<https://github.com/legalizeAdulthood/6805_SBC>
A 64180 would be far more capable [...]
If you really want to LEARN something, throw together a 2900
chipset and design your own instruction set!
- TI TMS34020 SBC. I always wanted to build a a graphics system
around this chip; I picked up some "new old stock" parts and have
started designing a bring up board. Nothing captured into github
yet.
If it is anything like the '010, you may regret the effort.
Motogorilla's RGP would have been an interesting device [...]
- Tektronix 401x storage tube terminal "printer". [...]
*That* could have value.
He admits to being an aggressive atheist, so shys away from anything
that could even hint at creationism. So he can't think.
John Larkin
Highland Tech Glen Canyon Design Center
Lunatic Fringe Electronics
Where did the creator come from?
On 7/20/26 18:15, john larkin wrote:
[...]
He admits to being an aggressive atheist, so shys away from anything
that could even hint at creationism. So he can't think.
John Larkin
Highland Tech Glen Canyon Design Center
Lunatic Fringe Electronics
We'd guesses as much, but there it is stated clearly at last.
Where did the creator come from?
Jeroen Belleman
- 6805 SBC project to play around with making an 80s 8-bit SBC from
some parts that were donated:
<https://github.com/legalizeAdulthood/6805_SBC>
A 64180 would be far more capable [...]
As I stated, the point is to use the parts I have, not make the "best"
SBC one could make.
If you really want to LEARN something, throw together a 2900
chipset and design your own instruction set!
Already did that in college.
- TI TMS34020 SBC. I always wanted to build a a graphics system
around this chip; I picked up some "new old stock" parts and have
started designing a bring up board. Nothing captured into github
yet.
If it is anything like the '010, you may regret the effort.
Many arcade machines and high end PC graphics cards used this chip.
Being familiar with this chip got me a job offer with Evans &
Sutherland in the 90s.
Motogorilla's RGP would have been an interesting device [...]
Maybe, but again, I'm not asking for different alternatives to what
I'm already working with. I was asked what I'm designing and I posted
a list.
- Tektronix 401x storage tube terminal "printer". [...]
*That* could have value.
Everything I've listed has value to me, which is all that matters.
Some other people in the vintage compy community would likely have
interest in the 401x dongle. A couple other people have already
expressed interest in the 6805 SBC.
Bollocks snipped
On 7/20/2026 11:15 AM, Richard wrote:
- 6805 SBC project to play around with making an 80s 8-bit SBC from
some parts that were donated:
<https://github.com/legalizeAdulthood/6805_SBC>
A 64180 would be far more capable [...]
As I stated, the point is to use the parts I have, not make the "best"
SBC one could make.
A 64180 wouldn't be the "best" [...]
If you really want to LEARN something, throw together a 2900
chipset and design your own instruction set!
Already did that in college.
But, did you just create a same-ol', same-ol' instruction set?
- TI TMS34020 SBC. I always wanted to build a a graphics system
around this chip; I picked up some "new old stock" parts and have
started designing a bring up board. Nothing captured into github
yet.
If it is anything like the '010, you may regret the effort.
Many arcade machines and high end PC graphics cards used this chip.
Yes, I used the '010 in the design of a video slot machine many
decades ago.
Everything I've listed has value to me, which is all that matters.
Fair 'nuf. To me, value comes from creating something that
doesn't already exist. Otherwise, you're just spinning your
wheels making something that you could likely *buy*.
E.g., my current design emulates (in software) many *hardware*
features of (really) old CPUs -- like the 5500. And, given how
much faster devices are, today, they can almost approximate the
equivalent performance (without having to resort to VHDL to
reify the design)!
Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> spake the secret code <113lsl5$1ed5q$1@dont-email.me> thusly:
As I stated, the point is to use the parts I have, not make the "best"
SBC one could make.
A 64180 wouldn't be the "best" [...]
At the risk of repeating myself once more, the point is to make
something with the pile of parts I was gifted and learn something
about SBC design along the way. The 8K address space makes for some interesting ROM challenges in order to make a system that is not built
for a specific microcontroller problem. The funky gaps in the memory
map into which you can add your own peripherals made for some fun
address decoder practice. See the repository for deets.
If you really want to LEARN something, throw together a 2900
chipset and design your own instruction set!
Already did that in college.
But, did you just create a same-ol', same-ol' instruction set?
It was 40 years ago, TBH I don't remember the detailts, but it was a
generic CPU. I'm pretty sure it was straight from Mick & Brick and
didn't deviate from one of the designs presented there. Honestly, the
UDel EE department at the time was pretty crappy at teaching any
useful digital design beyond a simple state machine for a traffic
light controller. When I went to UofU for CS as a grad student I
discovered that undergrad CS students did more digital design in a one
year course than I did during 4 years at UDel. Kurt Akeley was like
one or two years ahead of me, but I never interacted with him at that
time. I learned more about practical digital design by assisting John
Kelly on his PhD graphics processor. I wire wrapped something like
6,000 wires.
- TI TMS34020 SBC. I always wanted to build a a graphics system
around this chip; I picked up some "new old stock" parts and have >>>>> started designing a bring up board. Nothing captured into github >>>>> yet.
If it is anything like the '010, you may regret the effort.
Many arcade machines and high end PC graphics cards used this chip.
Yes, I used the '010 in the design of a video slot machine many
decades ago.
The designer of the chip recently gave a talk on it: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8IBG5NaRw4>
Everything I've listed has value to me, which is all that matters.
Fair 'nuf. To me, value comes from creating something that
doesn't already exist. Otherwise, you're just spinning your
wheels making something that you could likely *buy*.
There are two types of value I am getting out of these projects:
- actually building *something*
- having fun building them
I was subscribing to the AdaFruit AdaBoxes for a while but they aren't
very interesting because you don't *build* anything. You connect
prefabricated modules with cables and load firmware. The HackerBoxes
still actually require you to solder stuff, even if you're not
designing boards/circuits from scratch. Sure, they use a bunch of
modules with microcontrollers and you load firmware into them, but
they are less oriented as a complete thing than as a platform into
which you can experiment. Plus HackerBoxes has managed to deliver a
monthly project on time for multiple years, whereas AdaBox flaked out
and took like a 6 yr break between the last one I got for my
"subscription" and the next one that came out.
E.g., my current design emulates (in software) many *hardware*
features of (really) old CPUs -- like the 5500. And, given how
much faster devices are, today, they can almost approximate the
equivalent performance (without having to resort to VHDL to
reify the design)!
Pi Pico projects are fun that way and I've done a little fiddling
around with them, but nothing serious yet. The 401x printer dongle
thingy will like be a Pico with some analog ramp circuitry attached.
john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com>wrote:
On Mon, 20 Jul 2026 05:11:00 GMT, Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid>wrote:
john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com>wrote:
On Sun, 19 Jul 2026 15:45:59 GMT, Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid> >>>wrote:
From:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260718010156.htm
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life >>>>Scientists recreated cosmic dust in a bottle,
offering a new glimpse into how the ingredients for life may have formed among the stars.
Date:
July 19, 2026
Source:
University of Sydney
Summary:
Researchers have created cosmic dust from scratch by recreating space-like conditions inside glass tubes.
The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements essential to life and produces infrared
signals similar to real material found in space.
By studying these laboratory samples, scientists can explore how organic chemistry unfolds around stars and
how comets, asteroids and meteorites may have carried those ingredients to Earth.
The mystery of life isn't ingredients, it's structure.
Could you with your wisdom elaborate a bit on that?
You can't shake up a bucket of parts and get a radar. Or digitize
thermal noise into bytes and get a word processor program.
The reproduction of a DNA-based cell requires the incredible
complexity of a DNA-based cell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j8CV3droDw
And copying the DNA strand is just a part of cell reproduction. And
then there is the absurd complexity encoded in the DNA that makes the
cell do something as its day job.
That didn't evolve by incremental trial and error from a mud puddle
with a few organic compounds mixed in. Nothing works until it all
works.
legalize+jeeves@mail.xmission.com (Richard)wrote:
Beep indeed. That is the noise the truck makes while backing over what is
not one word of tronics in your reply
New here? Start learning
On 7/20/2026 11:15 AM, Richard wrote:
- TI TMS34020 SBC. I always wanted to build a a graphics system
around this chip; I picked up some "new old stock" parts and have
started designing a bring up board. Nothing captured into github
yet.
If it is anything like the '010, you may regret the effort.
Many arcade machines and high end PC graphics cards used this chip.
Yes, I used the '010 in the design of a video slot machine many
decades ago.
Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid> spake the secret code ><113n2iv$1oomr$1@dont-email.me> thusly:
not one word of tronics in your reply
New here? Start learning
The low-wattage poster's standard move is now visible from orbit: paste
an off-topic press release, invent the missing electronics angle only
after being asked, fail to trim quoted sludge, reply with "beep" and
"start learning," and then pretend the problem is everyone else's
technical incompetence rather than his own inability to form a design >question. This is not sci.electronics.design; it is headline composting
by a man who thinks "tronics" is a subject keyword and that random lab >equipment becomes on-topic if he squints hard enough at the power cord.
legalize+jeeves@mail.xmission.com (Richard)wrote:
Jan Panteltje <alien@comet.invalid> spake the secret code ><113n2iv$1oomr$1@dont-email.me> thusly:
not one word of tronics in your reply
New here? Start learning
The low-wattage poster's standard move is now visible from orbit: paste
an off-topic press release, invent the missing electronics angle only
after being asked, fail to trim quoted sludge, reply with "beep" and
"start learning," and then pretend the problem is everyone else's
technical incompetence rather than his own inability to form a design >question. This is not sci.electronics.design; it is headline composting
by a man who thinks "tronics" is a subject keyword and that random lab >equipment becomes on-topic if he squints hard enough at the power cord.
Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> spake the secret code <113lsl5$1ed5q$1@dont-email.me> thusly:
On 7/20/2026 11:15 AM, Richard wrote:
- TI TMS34020 SBC. I always wanted to build a a graphics system
around this chip; I picked up some "new old stock" parts and have >>>>> started designing a bring up board. Nothing captured into github >>>>> yet.
If it is anything like the '010, you may regret the effort.
Many arcade machines and high end PC graphics cards used this chip.
Yes, I used the '010 in the design of a video slot machine many
decades ago.
Seeing as how you have design experience with these chips, I'd be
curious to hear your thoughts on the best way to attach them to a
frame buffer capable of 1080p double buffered 32-bit/pixel.
Putzing
around with AI suggested that I use 1Mbyte VRAMs, if I could find
them. The alternative to actual NOS VRAMs was to use modern memory
with an FPGA front end to the 340x0 pretending to be VRAM.
Thoughts?
On 7/21/2026 9:00 AM, Richard wrote:
Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> spake the secret code
<113lsl5$1ed5q$1@dont-email.me> thusly:
On 7/20/2026 11:15 AM, Richard wrote:
- TI TMS34020 SBC. I always wanted to build a a graphics system
around this chip; I picked up some "new old stock" parts and have >>>>>> started designing a bring up board. Nothing captured into github >>>>>> yet.
If it is anything like the '010, you may regret the effort.
Many arcade machines and high end PC graphics cards used this chip.
Yes, I used the '010 in the design of a video slot machine many
decades ago.
Seeing as how you have design experience with these chips, I'd be
curious to hear your thoughts on the best way to attach them to a
frame buffer capable of 1080p double buffered 32-bit/pixel.
Do you *really* want 4 billion different color/intensity combinations
per pel?
That means moving aa lot of data (over a fixed bandwidth
bus) if you want on-screen motion or effects.
"Back in the day", 4b/pel was typically used [...]
What was usually done was smaller pel representations [...]
Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> spake the secret code <113pk8f$2k0tb$1@dont-email.me> thusly:
If it is anything like the '010, you may regret the effort.
Many arcade machines and high end PC graphics cards used this chip.
Yes, I used the '010 in the design of a video slot machine many
decades ago.
Seeing as how you have design experience with these chips, I'd be
curious to hear your thoughts on the best way to attach them to a
frame buffer capable of 1080p double buffered 32-bit/pixel.
Do you *really* want 4 billion different color/intensity combinations
per pel?
340x0 can do 16 and 32-bit/pixel, but not 24. 24-bit RGB with 8-bit
alpha is not unreasonable. A 3D system needs a Z buffer as well, so
add another 16 or 32-bits per pixel. The ESV workstation (comparable
custom hardware from the same period) had 88 bits of frame buffer:
- 24-bit RGB double buffered
- 32-bit Z buffer
- 8-bit window id for fast clear
For best color gamut representation, 8-bits per channel isn't even
enough, you really want at least 10-bits per channel. The ARS
(Advanced Rendering System, another period E&S device) hardware did
this to get full fidelity gamma corrected 8-bits output per channel.
That means moving aa lot of data (over a fixed bandwidth
bus) if you want on-screen motion or effects.
Agreed. Hence double buffered.
"Back in the day", 4b/pel was typically used [...]
Yes, but I want truecolor rendering, not indexed color rendering.
It's my understanding that you can reconfigure the video modes in the
340x0 so that you can use indexed or 16-bit 5/6/5 RGB organization
if you want other video modes/resolutions. However, maximum
resolution and color depth is determined by how much memory you hang
off the system.
What was usually done was smaller pel representations [...]
Yes, I know.
But we're not really getting at an answer to my question, you're
talking about what other people did back then.
Never mind; I've found a better way to explore the design space.
You've still not indicated your intended use.
Oops, you did ask one important question that I didn't answer.
Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> spake the secret code <113qobh$31b0i$1@dont-email.me> thusly:
You've still not indicated your intended use.
A hardware accelerated implementation of PHIGS-PLUS, which basically
means 3D with lighting, depth cueuing and Gouraud shading. Also,
basically OpenGL 1.x with no texturing.
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