Rope simulator
About the Rope simulator PCB
Rope simulator is an open source PCB design by shirriff, published on GitHub. It is a 2-layer board measuring 70.1 × 86.4 mm, with 30 components from 10 distinct parts.
Other key parts include the AM26C32, AM26C31 and 74LVC07. By type, the board carries 10 ICs, 10 capacitors, 3 resistors, 2 modules, 2 connectors and 1 diode.
From the project
Documentation of a core rope memory simulator for the Apollo Guidance Computer
This repository documents a core rope simulator for the Apollo Guidance Computer. This simulator was built by Raytheon around 1970 and plugged into the Apollo Guidance Computer in place of the 6 core rope modules. It allowed an external computer to provide the rope data.
The Apollo Guidance Computer is the famous computer used to navigate to the Moon during the Apollo missions. Its programs were stored in a 36K word ROM, constructed from core rope memory; data was stored by putting wires through or around magenetic cores to store 1's or 0's.
Main components on the Rope simulator
Rope simulator bill of materials (BOM)
30 components, 10 distinct parts.
| Qty | Part | Footprint | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | AM26C32 | SOIC-16_3.9x9.9mm_Pitch1.27mm | IC1, IC2, IC3, IC4, IC5 |
| 4 | AM26C31 | SOIC-16_3.9x9.9mm_Pitch1.27mm | IC6, IC7, IC8, IC9 |
| 1 | 74LVC07 | SOIC-14_3.9x8.7mm_Pitch1.27mm | U10 |
| 1 | 50-PIN-CENTRONICS-FFEMALE | CENTRONICS-50-F | M1 |
| 1 | 50-PIN-CENTRONICS-MMALE | CENTRONICS-50-M | M2 |
| 2 | BeagleBone_Black_Header | Socket_BeagleBone_Black | P8, P9 |
| 2 | SW_Push | SW_PUSH_6mm | B1, B2 |
| 1 | LED_RCGB | LED_D5.0mm-4 | D1 |
| 10 | .1UF | C_0603 | C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, C8 +2 |
| 3 | 220 | C_0603 | R1, R2, R3 |
Rope simulator design files
The KiCad project lives in the shirriff/rope-simulator repository on GitHub; these links point at the commit this page was built from.
Rope simulator: common questions
How big is the Rope simulator PCB?
The Rope simulator measures 70.1 × 86.4 mm, has 2 copper layers and is 1.6 mm thick.
How many components are on the Rope simulator?
30 components, from 10 distinct parts. The full bill of materials is listed on this page.
Where can I download the Rope simulator design files?
From the shirriff/rope-simulator repository on GitHub, which has the KiCad layout; the links under Design files point to each one.
Can I use the Rope simulator design in my own project?
The repository has no license, so all rights stay with shirriff. Use it as a reference, and ask the author before reusing the design.