Using an FPGA to drive the 80386 CPU on a real motherboard

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 2:59:10 AM UTC-4, rickman wrote:

On 4/6/2016 11:40 PM, Jon Elson wrote:
Rick C. Hodgin wrote:



I figured the CPUs I'd make would cost $1,000 each in the early samples,
OK, the MOSIS standard order is for 40 parts. So, that's $40K each
revision. Unless you are truly brilliant, it is going to take a BUNCH of
respins of the part to get anything working.
with an anticipated 50 to 100 CPU minimum, but that if I am able to create
the industry I'm hoping to create (people who are willing to buy CPUs that
are wrought of love, more than high-speed bells and whistles, looking to
them as a utility to augment man's existence, rather than as a whizz bang
eye candy newest fad ("gotta have the $12K iPhone 6 because my $10K iPhone
5 is just so last year") kind of thing).

Uhhh, I can imagine there will be at LEAST 5 customers for this. How many
shirts do you have? Because you are certainly going to lose your shirt on
this project!

I think Rick H doesn't understand that electronics works exactly the way
it does because it allows the industry to provide $25 cell phones to
those who *need* them rather than the $400 latest eye candy phones to
those who want them. (I don't know of any $12,000 phones) In some ways
the $400 phones subsidize the cheap phones, but not in a serious way.
The expensive phones just drive the "bleeding edge" market since that
always costs more initially. Then once the high initial costs are
amortized, the rest of us get the benefit of the technology at the
sustained product rate.

Producing a CPU chip with no real market in an antique technology will
not help anyone, man or God.

This project *is* starting to sound familiar now.

I recognize that the industry today works a particular way, and that it
has established itself in a particular manner. However, I also recognize
that there are alternate ways of doing things, and that were we to regroup
around a focused and purposed relationship with God (one-on-one, each of
us, to Him, and then to one another), then He would be guiding the entire
operation by His sight, which is to be able to orchestrate people world-
wide toward the goals we're pursuing in this world which are given over to
Him.

The Bible states that whatever we do in word or in deed, we should do all
for the glory of God the Father in Heaven. We are also told in the Lord's
Prayer that His will should be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

That means we, as people, individually and collectively, must acknowledge
Him as He is while we are here in this world going about our daily affairs.
He can make us prosper in helping one another, in being the strength in
other people's weaknesses, in giving of our gifts, and in love and charity
with our labor.

It's a different way of looking at things, but it's the one I am committed
to, and to the best of my knowledge, it's the one which is correct as per
the guidance God's given us to be one to another here in this world: Each
of us operating in love for one another, loving one's neighbor even as our
own self.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:08:16 AM UTC-4, rickman wrote:

On 4/6/2016 4:38 PM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Wednesday, April 6, 2016 at 3:07:55 PM UTC-4, Aleksandar Kuktin wrote:

Also, why are you doing this? Is this a hobby? Work related? Starting a
new bussiness? Want to design and implement a NSA-proof PC?

To be honest, I am a Christian, and I want to use the talents I was gifted
with and give the fruit of my labor back to God, and to my fellow man (and
not a pursuit of money, or proprietary IP, or patents, or other such things,
but rather an expression of love basically in giving back).

This jogged a memory of a joke I was told at work when I worked on an
IRAD project that was being graded by the government. The government
format for the write up had a few sections and two were the GOAL and the
PURPOSE. Everyone was confused about the difference in the two. So
Fred wrote his report and said his goal was to measure some parameter
and his purpose was to prove the parameter met some requirements. His
boss read his report and said, "No, your goal is to prove the parameter
met the requirements so what is your purpose?". He worked on it again
saying his purpose was to show the unit X would work in system Y. It
was reviewed by his second level boss who said, "No, your goal is to
prove unit X works in system Y, what is your purpose?"

This happened a couple more times until his report got through all the
reviewers and he presented his report to a meeting. He started out
saying... "My purpose is to get into heaven".

I read this earlier this morning, but I didn't understand it, and still
don't. What does it mean?

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 2:46:51 AM UTC-4, rickman wrote:

On 4/6/2016 4:38 PM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
To be honest, I am a Christian, and I want to use the talents I was gifted
with and give the fruit of my labor back to God, and to my fellow man (and
not a pursuit of money, or proprietary IP, or patents, or other such things,
but rather an expression of love basically in giving back).

How would this accomplish that, the benefit to God or man?

To sum up my entire reply:

I want to build a complete hardware and software stack that is based
on a purposeful "considering God first" effort, so that we can have
a tool that, every time we use it, is founded upon that base, giving
it a different type of foundation than one simply bought and paid for,
for He is a foundation unlike any other, and those who found the things
they do upon Him are building this correctly, and their efforts will
bear much fruit.

Even shorter:

We are here because God made us and put us here in this universe He
made. We are here to love one another, and be part of a family of
man, loving our neighbor as ourself, and serving God in all we do.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:04:43 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:

On 4/7/2016 8:52 AM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 2:59:10 AM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
On 4/6/2016 11:40 PM, Jon Elson wrote:
Rick C. Hodgin wrote:



I figured the CPUs I'd make would cost $1,000 each in the early samples,
OK, the MOSIS standard order is for 40 parts. So, that's $40K each
revision. Unless you are truly brilliant, it is going to take a BUNCH of
respins of the part to get anything working.
with an anticipated 50 to 100 CPU minimum, but that if I am able to create
the industry I'm hoping to create (people who are willing to buy CPUs that
are wrought of love, more than high-speed bells and whistles, looking to
them as a utility to augment man's existence, rather than as a whizz bang
eye candy newest fad ("gotta have the $12K iPhone 6 because my $10K iPhone
5 is just so last year") kind of thing).

Uhhh, I can imagine there will be at LEAST 5 customers for this. How many
shirts do you have? Because you are certainly going to lose your shirt on
this project!

I think Rick H doesn't understand that electronics works exactly the way
it does because it allows the industry to provide $25 cell phones to
those who *need* them rather than the $400 latest eye candy phones to
those who want them. (I don't know of any $12,000 phones) In some ways
the $400 phones subsidize the cheap phones, but not in a serious way.
The expensive phones just drive the "bleeding edge" market since that
always costs more initially. Then once the high initial costs are
amortized, the rest of us get the benefit of the technology at the
sustained product rate.

Producing a CPU chip with no real market in an antique technology will
not help anyone, man or God.

This project *is* starting to sound familiar now.

I recognize that the industry today works a particular way, and that it
has established itself in a particular manner. However, I also recognize
that there are alternate ways of doing things, and that were we to regroup
around a focused and purposed relationship with God (one-on-one, each of
us, to Him, and then to one another), then He would be guiding the entire
operation by His sight, which is to be able to orchestrate people world-
wide toward the goals we're pursuing in this world which are given over to
Him.

The Bible states that whatever we do in word or in deed, we should do all
for the glory of God the Father in Heaven. We are also told in the Lord's
Prayer that His will should be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

That means we, as people, individually and collectively, must acknowledge
Him as He is while we are here in this world going about our daily affairs.
He can make us prosper in helping one another, in being the strength in
other people's weaknesses, in giving of our gifts, and in love and charity
with our labor.

It's a different way of looking at things, but it's the one I am committed
to, and to the best of my knowledge, it's the one which is correct as per
the guidance God's given us to be one to another here in this world: Each
of us operating in love for one another, loving one's neighbor even as our
own self.

Ok, but I don't understand how working with the obsolete 386 CPU design
has anything to do with God. What is your goal that is related to God?
Why does working with this chip relate to God any more than working
with a $5 ARM chip?

It has to do with beginning with an offering that is based on this
ongoing personal offering to God.

Think of it this way: You're given a house. Great. You have a house.
But you find out that the house was built by slave labor, or there were
people killed in the house during its construction, etc. The house
carries with it that history, and no matter what you do in terms of
paint and wallpaper, the house has that history, and it does affect
things with regards to it.

On the other hand, you're given a house. Great. You have a house.
It comes from volunteers who heard about your need, and out of the love
of their heart built you a house. It's a gift, and the house will carry
with it that history. Every time you consider something about that house,
there will be that original offering given to you.

When I go buy a $5 ARM CPU, or a $100 ARM device, what am I buying? I
don't know? I hear all kinds stories about Chinese workers being
exploited in the manufacturing of this thing, the assembly of it, etc.

I don't want to be a part of that industry. I want to create from the
ground up an industry that has the purpose of giving to people from their
talents, their skills, with that being the foundation of everything done
on the project. I want it to be the origination that goes along with the
hardware and software.

I don't particular want to have ONLY an obsolete 80386 clone. As you can
seem from the designs I've made, I've upgraded it to 40-bits, and to more
than the standard eight registers, etc. I've also included not only an
80386 ISA, but also an ARM-32 ISA, which will also be extended to 40-bits.
And I have my own personal ISA in there as well.

On top of that, I have my own kernel, my own operating system, my own
assemblers, compilers, developer tools, all of which can be designed to
create our own apps, etc.

It is the foundation of knowledge given unto me by God, that I acknowledge
as coming from Him, and I desire to build from the ground up all of these
things in giving back to Him from that which He first gave me.

Make sense?

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:11:16 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:

On 4/7/2016 8:48 AM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 2:46:51 AM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
On 4/6/2016 4:38 PM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Wednesday, April 6, 2016 at 3:07:55 PM UTC-4, Aleksandar Kuktin wrote:
Also, why are you doing this? Is this a hobby? Work related? Starting a
new bussiness? Want to design and implement a NSA-proof PC?

To be honest, I am a Christian, and I want to use the talents I was gifted
with and give the fruit of my labor back to God, and to my fellow man (and
not a pursuit of money, or proprietary IP, or patents, or other such things,
but rather an expression of love basically in giving back).

How would this accomplish that, the benefit to God or man?

Well, it's difficult to describe to many people. To date, only a small
handful have seen any value in the idea whatsoever ... but, some do see
the value and I am one of them.

It comes down to our fundamental reason for being alive in this world.
Am I a self-made man with all of my abilities being my abilities? Or do
I acknowledge that I was gifted with those abilities by God, and then do
I hold God in that place in my life ahead of all things?

I am not rich. I am not strong. I am not many things. What I am though
He has gifted me with. I happen to have an interest in these areas and,
despite not having a formal education, have discovered over time that
these things just make sense to me and I'm able to maneuver in them with
little difficulty. They are also a great interest to me.

So, I refocus the purposes of my life from within that knowledge and
understanding: I was created by God. God had a purpose in creating me.
I desire to do these things in my life, so I will do them for God. And
if God has another purpose for me in my life, then as I am walking on
this path, He will put up obstacles and roadblocks to move me from this
direction to some other direction, which is the one He truly wanted me
to be on.

So long as I'm moving, and doing so for Him, I'm walking as I should.
And for me, it's in this industry (hardware, and software). But for
others walking similarly in their line of work, it would be in whatever
they do, using whatever skills they possess.

-----
It's an endeavor I've been working on since July 12, 2012, when I had
instead started heading down a path of doing what I'm doing now on
this project, except for GNU and the FSF. However, just before I began,
I found out some things about Richard Stallman that were very disturbing
to me, and I resolved within myself that I could not work for that
entity, contributing to its growth or prosperity because its very
foundations were wrought of a man whose viewpoints on several things are
not only against God, but against most people's assessment of what is
true right and true wrong.

So, instead of the Free Software Foundation, I created the Liberty
Software Foundation, and dedicated all of my work to honoring God. I
have given the labor I possess on these projects away, so that others
might benefit from them. I have done my best on this project, and not
many others have seen benefit in my work, and I've observed a similar
reaction to my efforts as I see here, where people initially are very
interested in helping, but once they see any kind of an association with
God, or doing work for God, there is a recoil, and a pulling away. Of
course it makes me sad because I desire to create these hardware and
software products, and I desire to receive help from others, but I also
desire to do it in a way which gives God the credit (glory, honor, praise)
for what He first did in me, giving me the abilities to do any of these
things in the first place, and in all who participate as well.

In essence, my heart cries out to God in acknowledgement of who He is,
what He has done, and I recognize why we are here in our various short-
comings, ineptitudes, strengths, and abilities: to help one another.

We are here to compensate for one another's weaknesses, to be strong in
areas they're weak, and have others be strong in the areas we're weak.
And in these areas of hardware and software design, I would very much
like to have a part running at 4 GHz or faster, but I cannot do that
alone. My goals are more modest, though my hope remains that I will
not only have a part running at 4 GHz, but rather that God will shine
the light of knowledge and understanding in these areas of physics and
allow a part to be created which operates at 100 GHz or faster, and
does so on less power, less heat, etc.

I am confident in my relationship with God, and with who God is, so I
seek to do the things I do in my life for Him. I do this in my work, my
hardware and software pursuits, in my family relationships, in the
relationships I have/attempt with friends, etc. I make Him part of my
life, and explicitly the biggest part, and the part out front of the
things I do, and I do this because of who He is, who I am, and what He's
given me here in this world.

Bottom line: I am not a self-made man. I need His help, guidance, and
that of those around me. But I know that together, in acknowledgement
of Him, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.

Does anybody have an experience or advice in creating an FPGA-based CPU
that connects to a real hardware device and simulates the real device's
abilities?

Does simulation count?

Yes. Also in emulation, as by a real FPGA product, but one which does not
plug into a socket, but is its own entire creation. Here's an Aleksander
who created a 486 SX CPU (it has not integrated FPU):

https://github.com/alfikpl/ao486

My goals are part of a project I'm working on called LibSF 386-x40, which
is a 40-bit extension to the 80386, and 32-bit ARM. I use a WEX register
model which extends the 32-bit registers to 40-bit registers:

https://github.com/RickCHodgin/libsf/blob/master/li386/li386-documentation/images/wex_register_mapping.png

However, in the past couple weeks I've had the idea of a pointer selector,
which operates like a segment selector, but on a specific pointer register.
When enabled, it loads an extra 8-bits into the segment register associated
with specific register, such that it then is able to reference a 4GB window
of memory within the 1 TB address space:

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.arch/bcpb03mL0o0/xUBzCXDmBgAJ

These are all part of long-term plans. I'd like to have my first CPU being
shipped to a fab for real manufacturing by July 12, 2022, which I expect to
be around a 90 MHz part.

So in 2022 this will rival the $5 ARM MCU devices currently available?

The part I have planned today won't. But if more people come together,
we can together create something that will exceed it. It just takes the
willingness from within to work together, and the guidance of God guiding
our hearts and minds in the right direction, for He is truth, and this
universe is His creation. If there is anyone who can guide us on the
direction we should go, it's Him. And I place my faith, hope, and trust
in Him because of who He is.

That being said, that doesn't mean I don't want to work with you on this
project. You have exhibited incredible kindness, and I have been moved
by it. I have these desires to pursue these hardware ends, and nothing
about that has changed. The only thing that's different now than it was
yesterday or the day before, is that now you know that I am desiring to
do this as an effort given over to God, in honoring Him with the fruits
of my life. I hope this won't be a stumbling block. I find your generosity
of spirit refreshing, and your knowledge and experience desirable assets
that you are willing to share so freely. It's made me happy actually.

Ok, so you are trying to do *something* of value to God, but you don't
know what value that is. If you want to get help from people, you need
to explain to them how it will be a good thing in ways they can
understand. You can't explain it and you need the help of others to
make it happen. I think you are screwed.

My explanation is given. It's inherent in the work, and in the various
pages associated with my work, but more than that it comes from His Holy
Spirit living inside of me.

The explanation I give probably won't make much sense to anyone who is
not born again, or in pursuit of truth with their life. If they place
no value on these things I'm outlining here, then it won't mean anything.
The value to them would come from a $5 multi-GHz part, and not from a
foundation given over to God.

But for the born again believer, that foundation given over to God is a
real thing, and the believer desires to do everything in his/her life to
please God, and to bring honor and glory to His name.

It's not a hobby. It's not a membership in a church roster. It's an
inner and fundamental change of the person's makeup and nature. And from
within that inner change comes these outward expressions of that change,
such that the desire to serve God in all areas is manifested.

For me, that means hardware and software. For the farmer, that means in
using organic seeds. For the bricklayer, it means something else, etc.

Each of us decides why we do the things we do, and then we do them for
those reasons. For me, it is because God has saved me, and gifted me
with these talents and abilities, and I desire to serve Him with the
labor of my life, the ideas of my mind, and the creativity He's given
me.

I want my life to serve and honor Him, both inwardly, and outwardly, and
I want to encourage others also to be part of this living act of giving
back to Him that which He first gave us. And for those who are born
again, this will resonate as it is founded in scripture, but more
importantly, it's founded in the born again nature as by His Holy Spirit.

We are brothers and sisters, and we should be there for each other in
these ways, looking up to God, and looking out to one another, in that
order, in and for everything we do. It's how it will be in Heaven.
Forever.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:13:08 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:

On 4/7/2016 11:54 AM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 2:46:51 AM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
On 4/6/2016 4:38 PM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
To be honest, I am a Christian, and I want to use the talents I was gifted
with and give the fruit of my labor back to God, and to my fellow man (and
not a pursuit of money, or proprietary IP, or patents, or other such things,
but rather an expression of love basically in giving back).

How would this accomplish that, the benefit to God or man?

Even shorter:

We are here because God made us and put us here in this universe He
made. We are here to love one another, and be part of a family of
man, loving our neighbor as ourself, and serving God in all we do.

I can do all that without making an obsolete 386 CPU clone for $100,000.

I haven't made a CPU yet. I am in pursuit of these things, giving the
designs, ideas, labor, etc., to Him, and to other people. Somebody may
come along and enable me to produce a product which competes with bleeding
edge technology. I don't know, but I do trust in God. So long as I am
moving in my life toward Him, in all I do, with all I possess (inwardly,
and outwardly, then I'm moving rightly.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:41:00 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:

On 4/7/2016 8:56 AM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:08:16 AM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
On 4/6/2016 4:38 PM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Wednesday, April 6, 2016 at 3:07:55 PM UTC-4, Aleksandar Kuktin wrote:

Also, why are you doing this? Is this a hobby? Work related? Starting a
new bussiness? Want to design and implement a NSA-proof PC?

To be honest, I am a Christian, and I want to use the talents I was gifted
with and give the fruit of my labor back to God, and to my fellow man (and
not a pursuit of money, or proprietary IP, or patents, or other such things,
but rather an expression of love basically in giving back).

This jogged a memory of a joke I was told at work when I worked on an
IRAD project that was being graded by the government. The government
format for the write up had a few sections and two were the GOAL and the
PURPOSE. Everyone was confused about the difference in the two. So
Fred wrote his report and said his goal was to measure some parameter
and his purpose was to prove the parameter met some requirements. His
boss read his report and said, "No, your goal is to prove the parameter
met the requirements so what is your purpose?". He worked on it again
saying his purpose was to show the unit X would work in system Y. It
was reviewed by his second level boss who said, "No, your goal is to
prove unit X works in system Y, what is your purpose?"

This happened a couple more times until his report got through all the
reviewers and he presented his report to a meeting. He started out
saying... "My purpose is to get into heaven".

I read this earlier this morning, but I didn't understand it, and still
don't. What does it mean?

Hmmm... Fred was continually asked why he was doing the research and
each time he was told what he thought was his purpose (the reason for
doing the project) was really his goal (what he hoped to accomplish by
doing this, not the same thing really). So his abstraction continued to
be elevated until it reached his ultimate reason for doing anything...
to enter heaven... which really had nothing to do with the research
project in a meaningful way.

I'm not doing this to enter into Heaven. I'm doing this because God has
saved me, and I am changed, and the things in my life I desire to do go
back to Him as a source, and as a destination, because what I possess He
first gave me, and I desire, of my own free will, because of who He is,
to give back to Him.

You seem to be making a connection between this project and God in a way
that no one else understands. I suspect that is because you are seeing
an irrational connection founded in an emotional context. If there was
a logical connection you would be able to explain it.

The other possible explanation is the one given in the Bible, which says
there are things the non-born-again person cannot understand, because they
don't come from a flesh-based understanding, but from the spirit, and until
a person is born again, they don't have the spirit or spiritual discernment
to be able to understand it (http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/2-14.htm).

So far the only
thing I get is that there is something you don't like about Richard
Stallman. Look him up on xkcd. That site is a hoot!

There are many people who are creative, clever, funny, have amazing
abilities, etc., but they do not honor God with their life, acknowledging
Him as He is, and they have no future, no hope, only the things of this
world which is perishing to seek.

The efforts I give in these areas of labor are unto God, an ongoing
sacrifice offered unto Him of my life (http://biblehub.com/romans/12-1.htm).
It is not just in these areas where I do this, but it is in my life, in all
areas. God is God to me, and that means something, and I seek to serve Him
here on this Earth, as it is done in Heaven ... with everything we possess.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:48:47 PM UTC-4, Jon Elson wrote:

Rick C. Hodgin wrote:


On the other hand, you're given a house. Great. You have a house.
It comes from volunteers who heard about your need, and out of the love
of their heart built you a house. It's a gift, and the house will carry
with it that history. Every time you consider something about that house,
there will be that original offering given to you.

Well, that sounds like Habitat for Humanity. A good organization.
Maybe you will be CPUs for Humanity? But, wasn't that what the Raspberry Pi
was all about, initially? And, it is a LOT more computer than a '386, and
no slave labor involved in Linux.

I look at things like Stallman and Torvalds and their behavior, and that
means something to me. It reflects the inner man, which is why I am in
pursuit of these endeavors. That's all.

As for making chips in your garage, besides the part about how difficult it
will be to get the yield above 0.000%, once the EPA or the neighbors find
out you are using Arsine, Phosphine and DiBorane in there, you will be doign
very well if you can keep yourself out of a jail cell. Especially if you
happen to be in California.

The term "garage" was metaphorical. It would be me and a small consortium
of people working to produce these chips ourselves using equipment which
is, by industry standards, antiquated, but still viable, rather than having
them made through GlobalFoundries, for example.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:56:14 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:

On 4/7/2016 3:24 PM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:04:43 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
On 4/7/2016 8:52 AM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 2:59:10 AM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
On 4/6/2016 11:40 PM, Jon Elson wrote:
Rick C. Hodgin wrote:



I figured the CPUs I'd make would cost $1,000 each in the early samples,
OK, the MOSIS standard order is for 40 parts. So, that's $40K each
revision. Unless you are truly brilliant, it is going to take a BUNCH of
respins of the part to get anything working.
with an anticipated 50 to 100 CPU minimum, but that if I am able to create
the industry I'm hoping to create (people who are willing to buy CPUs that
are wrought of love, more than high-speed bells and whistles, looking to
them as a utility to augment man's existence, rather than as a whizz bang
eye candy newest fad ("gotta have the $12K iPhone 6 because my $10K iPhone
5 is just so last year") kind of thing).

Uhhh, I can imagine there will be at LEAST 5 customers for this. How many
shirts do you have? Because you are certainly going to lose your shirt on
this project!

I think Rick H doesn't understand that electronics works exactly the way
it does because it allows the industry to provide $25 cell phones to
those who *need* them rather than the $400 latest eye candy phones to
those who want them. (I don't know of any $12,000 phones) In some ways
the $400 phones subsidize the cheap phones, but not in a serious way.
The expensive phones just drive the "bleeding edge" market since that
always costs more initially. Then once the high initial costs are
amortized, the rest of us get the benefit of the technology at the
sustained product rate.

Producing a CPU chip with no real market in an antique technology will
not help anyone, man or God.

This project *is* starting to sound familiar now.

I recognize that the industry today works a particular way, and that it
has established itself in a particular manner. However, I also recognize
that there are alternate ways of doing things, and that were we to regroup
around a focused and purposed relationship with God (one-on-one, each of
us, to Him, and then to one another), then He would be guiding the entire
operation by His sight, which is to be able to orchestrate people world-
wide toward the goals we're pursuing in this world which are given over to
Him.

The Bible states that whatever we do in word or in deed, we should do all
for the glory of God the Father in Heaven. We are also told in the Lord's
Prayer that His will should be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

That means we, as people, individually and collectively, must acknowledge
Him as He is while we are here in this world going about our daily affairs.
He can make us prosper in helping one another, in being the strength in
other people's weaknesses, in giving of our gifts, and in love and charity
with our labor.

It's a different way of looking at things, but it's the one I am committed
to, and to the best of my knowledge, it's the one which is correct as per
the guidance God's given us to be one to another here in this world: Each
of us operating in love for one another, loving one's neighbor even as our
own self.

Ok, but I don't understand how working with the obsolete 386 CPU design
has anything to do with God. What is your goal that is related to God?
Why does working with this chip relate to God any more than working
with a $5 ARM chip?

It has to do with beginning with an offering that is based on this
ongoing personal offering to God.

Think of it this way: You're given a house. Great. You have a house.
But you find out that the house was built by slave labor, or there were
people killed in the house during its construction, etc. The house
carries with it that history, and no matter what you do in terms of
paint and wallpaper, the house has that history, and it does affect
things with regards to it.

On the other hand, you're given a house. Great. You have a house.
It comes from volunteers who heard about your need, and out of the love
of their heart built you a house. It's a gift, and the house will carry
with it that history. Every time you consider something about that house,
there will be that original offering given to you.

When I go buy a $5 ARM CPU, or a $100 ARM device, what am I buying? I
don't know? I hear all kinds stories about Chinese workers being
exploited in the manufacturing of this thing, the assembly of it, etc.

I don't want to be a part of that industry. I want to create from the
ground up an industry that has the purpose of giving to people from their
talents, their skills, with that being the foundation of everything done
on the project. I want it to be the origination that goes along with the
hardware and software.

I don't particular want to have ONLY an obsolete 80386 clone. As you can
seem from the designs I've made, I've upgraded it to 40-bits, and to more
than the standard eight registers, etc. I've also included not only an
80386 ISA, but also an ARM-32 ISA, which will also be extended to 40-bits.
And I have my own personal ISA in there as well.

So by including the ARM ISA, aren't you back to the problem you are
trying to get away from? That house was built with slave labor I
thought??? Even the 386 was designed with slave labor according to your
thinking, no?

I have people ask me this question regularly. I have no answer to give
that would make sense as people always try to push me back further into
creation, as you have done here ... "Well why don't you just start with
dirt and wood and rock and hay and build up from there. Surely if you
want to give something to God, you must start with the true fundamentals,"
or other such form of expression.

I have continued in the station I was in when I became a Christian in 2004.
I do not have conviction over my work, but I have great peace, in that I am
giving this labor over to Him, and to other people.

On top of that, I have my own kernel, my own operating system, my own
assemblers, compilers, developer tools, all of which can be designed to
create our own apps, etc.

It is the foundation of knowledge given unto me by God, that I acknowledge
as coming from Him, and I desire to build from the ground up all of these
things in giving back to Him from that which He first gave me.

Make sense?

No, you are still using house designs that were designed with slave
labor. If you want to do something for God, you should design your own
and forget the 386, the ARM and even the FPGA for that matter. Heck how
are you going to get PCBs made that aren't related to the same slave
labor you want to eschew?

My goal is to create the entire industry, from design to manufacturing.
I would be perfectly content to have someone step forward with a fab
given over to that purpose. Until such a fab is created, which may only
come from me creating such a fab, I have to use what's there. But as I
have told many people, once I'm able to bootstrap these efforts, I will
do so, and never look back. The same is true with software, hardware,
and manufacturing.

But, we have to begin somewhere, and this is where I'm beginning... taking
what's here, and turning it around and giving it to God, desiring to build
the solid foundation upon an offering unto Him, and in all areas that are
involved. It's more than I can do alone, but I continue to pray that He
will send others, or that He will move me away from these endeavors and put
me at the place He would have me be, so that I am well within His will.

It's my desire: to serve Him, and in the capacity He's provided for me.
I am doing that to the best of my ability, and pray I continue to do so.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:57:30 PM UTC-4, Jon Elson wrote:

Rick C. Hodgin wrote:

On Wednesday, April 6, 2016 at 11:40:35 PM UTC-4, Jon Elson wrote:
Rick C. Hodgin wrote:



I figured the CPUs I'd make would cost $1,000 each in the early
samples,
OK, the MOSIS standard order is for 40 parts. So, that's $40K each
revision. Unless you are truly brilliant, it is going to take a BUNCH of
respins of the part to get anything working.

I can't remember who it was I searched a while back (2014 I think), but
I found a company that was manufacturing on 250nm and 500nm process
technologies. The mask sets were $15K each, and each run varied, but
the total cost for 100 parts was less than $100K including masks.
That is quite amazing, and I find it VERY hard to believe that is in the US.
If going offshore, you may well end up with Chinese or Malaysian
practically-slave labor making the parts.

I can't remember who it was. I have an email. Most of the companies I
sought were unwilling to entertain a run of a single wafer. But a couple
of them pointed me to smaller firms which specialize in one-off wafers.
I contacted them asking for pricing of an approximately 200 mm^2 chip on
250nm to 500nm process technologies. That was the information I was
given. Nothing formal. No contracts or an examination of any type of
design. But, just a ball-park figure.

Well, it's not a goal. It's not being done for money. I would like to
have
assistance from those who are willing to give.
Yes, I got this part, but I think you are massively underestimating costs
that will be hard to push down. I make electronic stuff for some VERY niche
markets, and have some idea what various things cost to have done. Also,
since working with having some custom chips made, I have some idea of the
processes required, and the insane levels of clean room procedures, etc. to
make stuff work at all. There are truck-movable clean room packages that
you can buy, they roll it off the truck and slide it into your facility.
So, there are outfits that are making various semiconductor products in
house. I think a lot of them are diode laser manufacturers, however.

I have spent some time researching this industry, and the clean room
requirements of 3,000 to 10,000 nm process technologies are significantly
different than modern fabs' needs. But, I hear what you are saying, and
I appreciate the information. I have been content to produce products
which run in FPGA form on a little board which plugs in to my system,
though I ultimately would like to create a completely integrated system
with all components to have a fully functional real computer made atop
this protractive effort.

And, when I speak of these things, I always reference James 4:15, which
is about acknowledging that the Lord may have other plans for me, and if
so then I will follow Him.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:59:53 PM UTC-4, David Brown wrote:
> [snip]

Hi, David. The born again nature is real. You can see the way people
change when they are born again. The fact that you can't understand the
change is, as I've said many times, because you do not pursue the truth.

You are willing to continue on believing you have the answers, and you
are in possession of the definitive knowledge base. Until you are willing
to set aside yourself, and say honestly, "I want to know the truth, even
if it shatters everything about my world view and turns my life upside
down," you will never find it.

Jesus Christ is only found when we come to the end of ourselves, which
is why He eludes you.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:57:36 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:

On 4/7/2016 3:31 PM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:11:16 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
On 4/7/2016 8:48 AM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 2:46:51 AM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
On 4/6/2016 4:38 PM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Wednesday, April 6, 2016 at 3:07:55 PM UTC-4, Aleksandar Kuktin wrote:
Also, why are you doing this? Is this a hobby? Work related? Starting a
new bussiness? Want to design and implement a NSA-proof PC?

To be honest, I am a Christian, and I want to use the talents I was gifted
with and give the fruit of my labor back to God, and to my fellow man (and
not a pursuit of money, or proprietary IP, or patents, or other such things,
but rather an expression of love basically in giving back).

How would this accomplish that, the benefit to God or man?

Well, it's difficult to describe to many people. To date, only a small
handful have seen any value in the idea whatsoever ... but, some do see
the value and I am one of them.

It comes down to our fundamental reason for being alive in this world.
Am I a self-made man with all of my abilities being my abilities? Or do
I acknowledge that I was gifted with those abilities by God, and then do
I hold God in that place in my life ahead of all things?

I am not rich. I am not strong. I am not many things. What I am though
He has gifted me with. I happen to have an interest in these areas and,
despite not having a formal education, have discovered over time that
these things just make sense to me and I'm able to maneuver in them with
little difficulty. They are also a great interest to me.

So, I refocus the purposes of my life from within that knowledge and
understanding: I was created by God. God had a purpose in creating me.
I desire to do these things in my life, so I will do them for God. And
if God has another purpose for me in my life, then as I am walking on
this path, He will put up obstacles and roadblocks to move me from this
direction to some other direction, which is the one He truly wanted me
to be on.

So long as I'm moving, and doing so for Him, I'm walking as I should.
And for me, it's in this industry (hardware, and software). But for
others walking similarly in their line of work, it would be in whatever
they do, using whatever skills they possess.

-----
It's an endeavor I've been working on since July 12, 2012, when I had
instead started heading down a path of doing what I'm doing now on
this project, except for GNU and the FSF. However, just before I began,
I found out some things about Richard Stallman that were very disturbing
to me, and I resolved within myself that I could not work for that
entity, contributing to its growth or prosperity because its very
foundations were wrought of a man whose viewpoints on several things are
not only against God, but against most people's assessment of what is
true right and true wrong.

So, instead of the Free Software Foundation, I created the Liberty
Software Foundation, and dedicated all of my work to honoring God. I
have given the labor I possess on these projects away, so that others
might benefit from them. I have done my best on this project, and not
many others have seen benefit in my work, and I've observed a similar
reaction to my efforts as I see here, where people initially are very
interested in helping, but once they see any kind of an association with
God, or doing work for God, there is a recoil, and a pulling away. Of
course it makes me sad because I desire to create these hardware and
software products, and I desire to receive help from others, but I also
desire to do it in a way which gives God the credit (glory, honor, praise)
for what He first did in me, giving me the abilities to do any of these
things in the first place, and in all who participate as well.

In essence, my heart cries out to God in acknowledgement of who He is,
what He has done, and I recognize why we are here in our various short-
comings, ineptitudes, strengths, and abilities: to help one another.

We are here to compensate for one another's weaknesses, to be strong in
areas they're weak, and have others be strong in the areas we're weak.
And in these areas of hardware and software design, I would very much
like to have a part running at 4 GHz or faster, but I cannot do that
alone. My goals are more modest, though my hope remains that I will
not only have a part running at 4 GHz, but rather that God will shine
the light of knowledge and understanding in these areas of physics and
allow a part to be created which operates at 100 GHz or faster, and
does so on less power, less heat, etc.

I am confident in my relationship with God, and with who God is, so I
seek to do the things I do in my life for Him. I do this in my work, my
hardware and software pursuits, in my family relationships, in the
relationships I have/attempt with friends, etc. I make Him part of my
life, and explicitly the biggest part, and the part out front of the
things I do, and I do this because of who He is, who I am, and what He's
given me here in this world.

Bottom line: I am not a self-made man. I need His help, guidance, and
that of those around me. But I know that together, in acknowledgement
of Him, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.

Does anybody have an experience or advice in creating an FPGA-based CPU
that connects to a real hardware device and simulates the real device's
abilities?

Does simulation count?

Yes. Also in emulation, as by a real FPGA product, but one which does not
plug into a socket, but is its own entire creation. Here's an Aleksander
who created a 486 SX CPU (it has not integrated FPU):

https://github.com/alfikpl/ao486

My goals are part of a project I'm working on called LibSF 386-x40, which
is a 40-bit extension to the 80386, and 32-bit ARM. I use a WEX register
model which extends the 32-bit registers to 40-bit registers:

https://github.com/RickCHodgin/libsf/blob/master/li386/li386-documentation/images/wex_register_mapping.png

However, in the past couple weeks I've had the idea of a pointer selector,
which operates like a segment selector, but on a specific pointer register.
When enabled, it loads an extra 8-bits into the segment register associated
with specific register, such that it then is able to reference a 4GB window
of memory within the 1 TB address space:

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.arch/bcpb03mL0o0/xUBzCXDmBgAJ

These are all part of long-term plans. I'd like to have my first CPU being
shipped to a fab for real manufacturing by July 12, 2022, which I expect to
be around a 90 MHz part.

So in 2022 this will rival the $5 ARM MCU devices currently available?

The part I have planned today won't. But if more people come together,
we can together create something that will exceed it. It just takes the
willingness from within to work together, and the guidance of God guiding
our hearts and minds in the right direction, for He is truth, and this
universe is His creation. If there is anyone who can guide us on the
direction we should go, it's Him. And I place my faith, hope, and trust
in Him because of who He is.

That being said, that doesn't mean I don't want to work with you on this
project. You have exhibited incredible kindness, and I have been moved
by it. I have these desires to pursue these hardware ends, and nothing
about that has changed. The only thing that's different now than it was
yesterday or the day before, is that now you know that I am desiring to
do this as an effort given over to God, in honoring Him with the fruits
of my life. I hope this won't be a stumbling block. I find your generosity
of spirit refreshing, and your knowledge and experience desirable assets
that you are willing to share so freely. It's made me happy actually.

Ok, so you are trying to do *something* of value to God, but you don't
know what value that is. If you want to get help from people, you need
to explain to them how it will be a good thing in ways they can
understand. You can't explain it and you need the help of others to
make it happen. I think you are screwed.

My explanation is given. It's inherent in the work, and in the various
pages associated with my work, but more than that it comes from His Holy
Spirit living inside of me.

The explanation I give probably won't make much sense to anyone who is
not born again, or in pursuit of truth with their life. If they place
no value on these things I'm outlining here, then it won't mean anything.
The value to them would come from a $5 multi-GHz part, and not from a
foundation given over to God.

But for the born again believer, that foundation given over to God is a
real thing, and the believer desires to do everything in his/her life to
please God, and to bring honor and glory to His name.

It's not a hobby. It's not a membership in a church roster. It's an
inner and fundamental change of the person's makeup and nature. And from
within that inner change comes these outward expressions of that change,
such that the desire to serve God in all areas is manifested.

For me, that means hardware and software. For the farmer, that means in
using organic seeds. For the bricklayer, it means something else, etc.

Each of us decides why we do the things we do, and then we do them for
those reasons. For me, it is because God has saved me, and gifted me
with these talents and abilities, and I desire to serve Him with the
labor of my life, the ideas of my mind, and the creativity He's given
me.

I want my life to serve and honor Him, both inwardly, and outwardly, and
I want to encourage others also to be part of this living act of giving
back to Him that which He first gave us. And for those who are born
again, this will resonate as it is founded in scripture, but more
importantly, it's founded in the born again nature as by His Holy Spirit.

We are brothers and sisters, and we should be there for each other in
these ways, looking up to God, and looking out to one another, in that
order, in and for everything we do. It's how it will be in Heaven.
Forever.

You seem to think I don't understand your answer, but it's more of a
case of you not understanding the question.

If you understood the answer, you would see value in it. The fact that
you think I don't yet understand the question, indicates you do not yet
understand my answer, and cannot because the place from which I proceed
in this effort stems from a place unknown to you: the spirit, and in a
manifestation of the invisible things at work in our lives, rather than
merely the visible things.

Love exists, but you cannot see love, only the effects of love in a
person's life, in their behavior, their speech, their drives, desires,
and so on.

It's the same for the born again believer pursuing spiritual things.
But this differs from love, because all people can experience love. But
for the spiritual person, the born again believe, those things they are
in pursuit of cannot be known to someone without the born again nature,
so there is disconnect, a lack of understanding, and a conclusion as to
the wrongness of the born again person as by the assessment of the not-
born again flesh-based reasoning mind.

It is the result of original sin, and is the consistent battle Christians
face when reaching out to the lost. It's why it requires an act of God
in a person's life before they can be saved, or even be led to Jesus Christ
to repent, ask forgiveness, and be saved.

It's why God deserves all of the credit, and we who are born again choose
to honor Him with all of the things of our lives.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 4:40:17 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:

On 4/7/2016 4:12 PM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:56:14 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
On 4/7/2016 3:24 PM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:04:43 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
On 4/7/2016 8:52 AM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 2:59:10 AM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
On 4/6/2016 11:40 PM, Jon Elson wrote:
Rick C. Hodgin wrote:



I figured the CPUs I'd make would cost $1,000 each in the early samples,
OK, the MOSIS standard order is for 40 parts. So, that's $40K each
revision. Unless you are truly brilliant, it is going to take a BUNCH of
respins of the part to get anything working.
with an anticipated 50 to 100 CPU minimum, but that if I am able to create
the industry I'm hoping to create (people who are willing to buy CPUs that
are wrought of love, more than high-speed bells and whistles, looking to
them as a utility to augment man's existence, rather than as a whizz bang
eye candy newest fad ("gotta have the $12K iPhone 6 because my $10K iPhone
5 is just so last year") kind of thing).

Uhhh, I can imagine there will be at LEAST 5 customers for this. How many
shirts do you have? Because you are certainly going to lose your shirt on
this project!

I think Rick H doesn't understand that electronics works exactly the way
it does because it allows the industry to provide $25 cell phones to
those who *need* them rather than the $400 latest eye candy phones to
those who want them. (I don't know of any $12,000 phones) In some ways
the $400 phones subsidize the cheap phones, but not in a serious way.
The expensive phones just drive the "bleeding edge" market since that
always costs more initially. Then once the high initial costs are
amortized, the rest of us get the benefit of the technology at the
sustained product rate.

Producing a CPU chip with no real market in an antique technology will
not help anyone, man or God.

This project *is* starting to sound familiar now.

I recognize that the industry today works a particular way, and that it
has established itself in a particular manner. However, I also recognize
that there are alternate ways of doing things, and that were we to regroup
around a focused and purposed relationship with God (one-on-one, each of
us, to Him, and then to one another), then He would be guiding the entire
operation by His sight, which is to be able to orchestrate people world-
wide toward the goals we're pursuing in this world which are given over to
Him.

The Bible states that whatever we do in word or in deed, we should do all
for the glory of God the Father in Heaven. We are also told in the Lord's
Prayer that His will should be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

That means we, as people, individually and collectively, must acknowledge
Him as He is while we are here in this world going about our daily affairs.
He can make us prosper in helping one another, in being the strength in
other people's weaknesses, in giving of our gifts, and in love and charity
with our labor.

It's a different way of looking at things, but it's the one I am committed
to, and to the best of my knowledge, it's the one which is correct as per
the guidance God's given us to be one to another here in this world: Each
of us operating in love for one another, loving one's neighbor even as our
own self.

Ok, but I don't understand how working with the obsolete 386 CPU design
has anything to do with God. What is your goal that is related to God?
Why does working with this chip relate to God any more than working
with a $5 ARM chip?

It has to do with beginning with an offering that is based on this
ongoing personal offering to God.

Think of it this way: You're given a house. Great. You have a house.
But you find out that the house was built by slave labor, or there were
people killed in the house during its construction, etc. The house
carries with it that history, and no matter what you do in terms of
paint and wallpaper, the house has that history, and it does affect
things with regards to it.

On the other hand, you're given a house. Great. You have a house.
It comes from volunteers who heard about your need, and out of the love
of their heart built you a house. It's a gift, and the house will carry
with it that history. Every time you consider something about that house,
there will be that original offering given to you.

When I go buy a $5 ARM CPU, or a $100 ARM device, what am I buying? I
don't know? I hear all kinds stories about Chinese workers being
exploited in the manufacturing of this thing, the assembly of it, etc.

I don't want to be a part of that industry. I want to create from the
ground up an industry that has the purpose of giving to people from their
talents, their skills, with that being the foundation of everything done
on the project. I want it to be the origination that goes along with the
hardware and software.

I don't particular want to have ONLY an obsolete 80386 clone. As you can
seem from the designs I've made, I've upgraded it to 40-bits, and to more
than the standard eight registers, etc. I've also included not only an
80386 ISA, but also an ARM-32 ISA, which will also be extended to 40-bits.
And I have my own personal ISA in there as well.

So by including the ARM ISA, aren't you back to the problem you are
trying to get away from? That house was built with slave labor I
thought??? Even the 386 was designed with slave labor according to your
thinking, no?

I have people ask me this question regularly. I have no answer to give
that would make sense as people always try to push me back further into
creation, as you have done here ... "Well why don't you just start with
dirt and wood and rock and hay and build up from there. Surely if you
want to give something to God, you must start with the true fundamentals,"
or other such form of expression.

But those were *your* words, that you can't live in a house made with
slave labor, your metaphor. If a commercial MCU you can buy today is
not suitable because of its origins, how is any of this suitable? It's
all from the same commercial, not founded in love of god, basis. Why
reject one and not the other?

I have no answer to give that would make sense to people as the people
who ask these questions are not in pursuit of the truth to begin with,
but are rather pointing fingers and making accusations to discredit me.
From within that very spirit they cannot understand my answer.

But, here it is:

To describe it: When I was saved in 2004, I held every thing in my life
up to the Lord for scrutiny. I changed most everything about my life, but
some things remained because they survived that scrutiny. I didn't feel
convicted over them. This is one of them.

I have continued in the station I was in when I became a Christian in 2004.
I do not have conviction over my work, but I have great peace, in that I am
giving this labor over to Him, and to other people.

So far I haven't seen any sign God is involved. It seems to be all
about you.

I don't know what to tell you, Rick.

On top of that, I have my own kernel, my own operating system, my own
assemblers, compilers, developer tools, all of which can be designed to
create our own apps, etc.

It is the foundation of knowledge given unto me by God, that I acknowledge
as coming from Him, and I desire to build from the ground up all of these
things in giving back to Him from that which He first gave me.

Make sense?

No, you are still using house designs that were designed with slave
labor. If you want to do something for God, you should design your own
and forget the 386, the ARM and even the FPGA for that matter. Heck how
are you going to get PCBs made that aren't related to the same slave
labor you want to eschew?

My goal is to create the entire industry, from design to manufacturing.
I would be perfectly content to have someone step forward with a fab
given over to that purpose. Until such a fab is created, which may only
come from me creating such a fab, I have to use what's there. But as I
have told many people, once I'm able to bootstrap these efforts, I will
do so, and never look back. The same is true with software, hardware,
and manufacturing.

Ok, I have money. Let's say I am happy to devote some of it to a fab
that will build a chip for the purposes of God. Why *this* chip? Why
an obsolete design with little redeeming qualities? What is the
justification of this design over all others?

It's the one I have experience on, and have interest in. However, I do
desire to move it to 40 bits.

I also have other interests. I believe there is an encoding in DNA which
conveys data and a processor ISA. I call it the "Butterfly CPU," and it
was something I was given which, to me at the time, was surprising. You
can read about it here:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/dnaprojectbutterfly

I have several ideas. And one of my prayers has been to be shown the
fundamental microprocessor. I've laid that desire before the Lord, and
left it there, continuing on in motion, knowing that as I am in motion,
He is able to use me, and then move me to where He needs me to be.

There are also several witnesses throughout my life. Things which have
happened to me that I can't just explain away, and even couldn't explain
away at that time.

In short: I am a sinner, saved by grace, and that grace has extended
throughout my life, even before I was a believer, and I have seen multiple
witnesses of His hand at work in my life, even before I received Him as
Lord and Savior.

But, we have to begin somewhere, and this is where I'm beginning... taking
what's here, and turning it around and giving it to God, desiring to build
the solid foundation upon an offering unto Him, and in all areas that are
involved. It's more than I can do alone, but I continue to pray that He
will send others, or that He will move me away from these endeavors and put
me at the place He would have me be, so that I am well within His will.

Ok, so you offer your design to Him. Will He then go out and have it
fabbed? Then what happens? Who will use a 15 year old computer design?
What value will it give to anyone other than you?

I don't have those answers. I will lift my effort up to Him with my life
and labor and prayer. He will then move me, and it, in the direction He
sees fit, and I would not presume to guess the future.

My personal goals for the future are part of a timeline of labor:

(1) By the end of this year, having my assembler and low-level
C compiler completed for my kernel, and
(2) have my kernel booting on real hardware using my own dev tools.
(3) In 2017, to rewrite part of my kernel in my low-level C language,
and to complete my RDC framework and CAlive compiler (a higher
level C-like compiler).
(4) Also in 2017, begin coding my Logician tool, which is a
semiconductor design tool.
(5) In 2018, have my kernel solid with several core apps and a
well-debugged RDC framework and CAlive compiler tool chain,
and also Visual FreePro, Jr.
(5) In 2019, have my ISA completed and working in simulation, and on
FPGAS, and begin working on other hardware devices, and the whole
system design (mainboard, form factor, features, etc).
(6) In 2020, 2021, and 2022, continue developing these things which
I have to get to the point where I have a complete system.
(7) In 2022, have my CPU and other hardware devices ready to be
manufactured in a fab.

(And there are a few more things in there at various stages, but those
are the big bullet points)

Will any of it come to pass? These are my goals. If the Lord is willing,
yes. If not, then I'll move to the next thing.

It's my desire: to serve Him, and in the capacity He's provided for me.
I am doing that to the best of my ability, and pray I continue to do so.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 4:42:54 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:

On 4/7/2016 4:17 PM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
And, when I speak of these things, I always reference James 4:15, which
is about acknowledging that the Lord may have other plans for me, and if
so then I will follow Him.

Plans are great, but does He have funding?

I don't know how it would come to fruition, if it does. These are my goals.
And I am prepared to yield to His goals for my life. And if these are part
of His plans for my life, I look forward to seeing how they will come to
fruition. The DNA Butterfly CPU idea, for example, started from a dream I
had. In that dream I saw mated circles connected in a cross pattern that
is as the images I've posted about it convey. It was a strange dream to
me, and one which later took on meaning through another "revelation" given
to me when I was sitting at a co-worker's desk looking at a butterfly's
wing pattern. It looked to me like UV-unwrapped texture data for a 3D
model. I thought to myself, "How interesting it would be if God had put
some 3D story in the DNA of the various species, beginning with the Monarch
Butterfly (as it looks like it has a candle on its back, and the Bible
begins with "And God said, let there be light.")

I've told the DNA Butterfly CPU idea to many people. They all think I'm
daft. Nonetheless, I could see how God could do that knowing that only in
the end-most times, when we had this technology, would we be able to decode
the message He placed in there from the very beginning of His creation of
life on this planet.

We'll see though. So far it has yielded no fruit, though I haven't spent
a lot of time on it, just a few dozen hours. It's outside of my field of
expertise, so I just leave the idea and information out in the public so
the person who's supposed to come across it can do so, and make the actual
discovery themselves ... assuming it even exists.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 5:05:02 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:

On 4/7/2016 4:55 PM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 4:40:17 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
On 4/7/2016 4:12 PM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:56:14 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
On 4/7/2016 3:24 PM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:04:43 PM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
On 4/7/2016 8:52 AM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:
On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 2:59:10 AM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
On 4/6/2016 11:40 PM, Jon Elson wrote:
Rick C. Hodgin wrote:



I figured the CPUs I'd make would cost $1,000 each in the early samples,
OK, the MOSIS standard order is for 40 parts. So, that's $40K each
revision. Unless you are truly brilliant, it is going to take a BUNCH of
respins of the part to get anything working.
with an anticipated 50 to 100 CPU minimum, but that if I am able to create
the industry I'm hoping to create (people who are willing to buy CPUs that
are wrought of love, more than high-speed bells and whistles, looking to
them as a utility to augment man's existence, rather than as a whizz bang
eye candy newest fad ("gotta have the $12K iPhone 6 because my $10K iPhone
5 is just so last year") kind of thing).

Uhhh, I can imagine there will be at LEAST 5 customers for this. How many
shirts do you have? Because you are certainly going to lose your shirt on
this project!

I think Rick H doesn't understand that electronics works exactly the way
it does because it allows the industry to provide $25 cell phones to
those who *need* them rather than the $400 latest eye candy phones to
those who want them. (I don't know of any $12,000 phones) In some ways
the $400 phones subsidize the cheap phones, but not in a serious way.
The expensive phones just drive the "bleeding edge" market since that
always costs more initially. Then once the high initial costs are
amortized, the rest of us get the benefit of the technology at the
sustained product rate.

Producing a CPU chip with no real market in an antique technology will
not help anyone, man or God.

This project *is* starting to sound familiar now.

I recognize that the industry today works a particular way, and that it
has established itself in a particular manner. However, I also recognize
that there are alternate ways of doing things, and that were we to regroup
around a focused and purposed relationship with God (one-on-one, each of
us, to Him, and then to one another), then He would be guiding the entire
operation by His sight, which is to be able to orchestrate people world-
wide toward the goals we're pursuing in this world which are given over to
Him.

The Bible states that whatever we do in word or in deed, we should do all
for the glory of God the Father in Heaven. We are also told in the Lord's
Prayer that His will should be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

That means we, as people, individually and collectively, must acknowledge
Him as He is while we are here in this world going about our daily affairs.
He can make us prosper in helping one another, in being the strength in
other people's weaknesses, in giving of our gifts, and in love and charity
with our labor.

It's a different way of looking at things, but it's the one I am committed
to, and to the best of my knowledge, it's the one which is correct as per
the guidance God's given us to be one to another here in this world: Each
of us operating in love for one another, loving one's neighbor even as our
own self.

Ok, but I don't understand how working with the obsolete 386 CPU design
has anything to do with God. What is your goal that is related to God?
Why does working with this chip relate to God any more than working
with a $5 ARM chip?

It has to do with beginning with an offering that is based on this
ongoing personal offering to God.

Think of it this way: You're given a house. Great. You have a house.
But you find out that the house was built by slave labor, or there were
people killed in the house during its construction, etc. The house
carries with it that history, and no matter what you do in terms of
paint and wallpaper, the house has that history, and it does affect
things with regards to it.

On the other hand, you're given a house. Great. You have a house.
It comes from volunteers who heard about your need, and out of the love
of their heart built you a house. It's a gift, and the house will carry
with it that history. Every time you consider something about that house,
there will be that original offering given to you.

When I go buy a $5 ARM CPU, or a $100 ARM device, what am I buying? I
don't know? I hear all kinds stories about Chinese workers being
exploited in the manufacturing of this thing, the assembly of it, etc.

I don't want to be a part of that industry. I want to create from the
ground up an industry that has the purpose of giving to people from their
talents, their skills, with that being the foundation of everything done
on the project. I want it to be the origination that goes along with the
hardware and software.

I don't particular want to have ONLY an obsolete 80386 clone. As you can
seem from the designs I've made, I've upgraded it to 40-bits, and to more
than the standard eight registers, etc. I've also included not only an
80386 ISA, but also an ARM-32 ISA, which will also be extended to 40-bits.
And I have my own personal ISA in there as well.

So by including the ARM ISA, aren't you back to the problem you are
trying to get away from? That house was built with slave labor I
thought??? Even the 386 was designed with slave labor according to your
thinking, no?

I have people ask me this question regularly. I have no answer to give
that would make sense as people always try to push me back further into
creation, as you have done here ... "Well why don't you just start with
dirt and wood and rock and hay and build up from there. Surely if you
want to give something to God, you must start with the true fundamentals,"
or other such form of expression.

But those were *your* words, that you can't live in a house made with
slave labor, your metaphor. If a commercial MCU you can buy today is
not suitable because of its origins, how is any of this suitable? It's
all from the same commercial, not founded in love of god, basis. Why
reject one and not the other?

I have no answer to give that would make sense to people as the people
who ask these questions are not in pursuit of the truth to begin with,
but are rather pointing fingers and making accusations to discredit me.
From within that very spirit they cannot understand my answer.

No one is trying to discredit you. I am trying to understand you. You
keep repeating that you can't explain what you are talking about.

You attempt to discredit me below. You say, "So, it is about you," which
is a comment designed to belittle my efforts in giving this work over to
God, and to man. You try to translate it from my real attempts into
something the world could understand, rather than accepting that it might
really be an offering from within, one given in this way to God in the
same way someone who feels love for another person might do something for
that person because that love is real. For the born again person, the
desire to serve God in this way is real, and it's more powerful than love,
though it is also a form of love, it's just of and toward God, which makes
it something more fundamental.

But, here it is:

To describe it: When I was saved in 2004, I held every thing in my life
up to the Lord for scrutiny. I changed most everything about my life, but
some things remained because they survived that scrutiny. I didn't feel
convicted over them. This is one of them.

I'm not sure what you mean by "this".

Working with the 80836, my operating system, software in general, the
things which have led me to continue on in those endeavors.

I have continued in the station I was in when I became a Christian in 2004.
I do not have conviction over my work, but I have great peace, in that I am
giving this labor over to Him, and to other people.

So far I haven't seen any sign God is involved. It seems to be all
about you.

I don't know what to tell you, Rick.

That part is clear.

On top of that, I have my own kernel, my own operating system, my own
assemblers, compilers, developer tools, all of which can be designed to
create our own apps, etc.

It is the foundation of knowledge given unto me by God, that I acknowledge
as coming from Him, and I desire to build from the ground up all of these
things in giving back to Him from that which He first gave me.

Make sense?

No, you are still using house designs that were designed with slave
labor. If you want to do something for God, you should design your own
and forget the 386, the ARM and even the FPGA for that matter. Heck how
are you going to get PCBs made that aren't related to the same slave
labor you want to eschew?

My goal is to create the entire industry, from design to manufacturing.
I would be perfectly content to have someone step forward with a fab
given over to that purpose. Until such a fab is created, which may only
come from me creating such a fab, I have to use what's there. But as I
have told many people, once I'm able to bootstrap these efforts, I will
do so, and never look back. The same is true with software, hardware,
and manufacturing.

Ok, I have money. Let's say I am happy to devote some of it to a fab
that will build a chip for the purposes of God. Why *this* chip? Why
an obsolete design with little redeeming qualities? What is the
justification of this design over all others?

It's the one I have experience on, and have interest in. However, I do
desire to move it to 40 bits.

So this *is* about *you* then? Even so, I don't have any idea how
working on this project has any benefit for God or anyone else. It
seems like a hobby project you have tied into God for your own reasons.

I desire to move it to 40-bits, but that's to bring the aging 32-bit
limited design to more modern needs. The overall offering is the part
given to God, including the migration to 40-bits, using the creativity
and resourcefulness He gifted me with.

I have mapped out several cores for my design (the oppie*.png files):

https://github.com/RickCHodgin/libsf/tree/master/li386/oppie

It wasn't until late 2014 that I found out about Verilog, and that
hardware was something that was really within my grasp. Until then I
always thought of it as this entirely nebulous thing that other people
understood.

I also have other interests. I believe there is an encoding in DNA which
conveys data and a processor ISA. I call it the "Butterfly CPU," and it
was something I was given which, to me at the time, was surprising. You
can read about it here:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/dnaprojectbutterfly

The processor that executes DNA is life. Living organisms are the
machine that executes the code in DNA/RNA. No mystery there.

I'm saying that there's digital data encoded in the portion that is not
used for protein generation, of the kind that when converted from the
base-4 form in DNA would reveal its own logical CPU, and data, something
that would convey that story I'm talking about, and in a full 3D form,
probably with audio and some type of narration as well, but that's all a
guess.

I have several ideas. And one of my prayers has been to be shown the
fundamental microprocessor. I've laid that desire before the Lord, and
left it there, continuing on in motion, knowing that as I am in motion,
He is able to use me, and then move me to where He needs me to be.

I think you need to be more motivated to explore alternate architectures
to the 386. Let me motivate you to the MISC style of computing. If you
follow that path and combine it with useful peripherals and I/O, I think
you can find a design that will have value in both this world and the next.


There are also several witnesses throughout my life. Things which have
happened to me that I can't just explain away, and even couldn't explain
away at that time.

In short: I am a sinner, saved by grace, and that grace has extended
throughout my life, even before I was a believer, and I have seen multiple
witnesses of His hand at work in my life, even before I received Him as
Lord and Savior.

But, we have to begin somewhere, and this is where I'm beginning... taking
what's here, and turning it around and giving it to God, desiring to build
the solid foundation upon an offering unto Him, and in all areas that are
involved. It's more than I can do alone, but I continue to pray that He
will send others, or that He will move me away from these endeavors and put
me at the place He would have me be, so that I am well within His will.

Ok, so you offer your design to Him. Will He then go out and have it
fabbed? Then what happens? Who will use a 15 year old computer design?
What value will it give to anyone other than you?

I don't have those answers. I will lift my effort up to Him with my life
and labor and prayer. He will then move me, and it, in the direction He
sees fit, and I would not presume to guess the future.

My personal goals for the future are part of a timeline of labor:

(1) By the end of this year, having my assembler and low-level
C compiler completed for my kernel, and
(2) have my kernel booting on real hardware using my own dev tools.
(3) In 2017, to rewrite part of my kernel in my low-level C language,
and to complete my RDC framework and CAlive compiler (a higher
level C-like compiler).
(4) Also in 2017, begin coding my Logician tool, which is a
semiconductor design tool.
(5) In 2018, have my kernel solid with several core apps and a
well-debugged RDC framework and CAlive compiler tool chain,
and also Visual FreePro, Jr.
(5) In 2019, have my ISA completed and working in simulation, and on
FPGAS, and begin working on other hardware devices, and the whole
system design (mainboard, form factor, features, etc).
(6) In 2020, 2021, and 2022, continue developing these things which
I have to get to the point where I have a complete system.
(7) In 2022, have my CPU and other hardware devices ready to be
manufactured in a fab.

(And there are a few more things in there at various stages, but those
are the big bullet points)

Will any of it come to pass? These are my goals. If the Lord is willing,
yes. If not, then I'll move to the next thing.

It's my desire: to serve Him, and in the capacity He's provided for me.
I am doing that to the best of my ability, and pray I continue to do so.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 5:20:10 PM UTC-4, David Brown wrote:
> [snip]

I appreciate your input, David. Your knowledge and experience serve
many people well. They are assets to be sure.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 5:35:34 PM UTC-4, David Brown wrote:
> [snip]

David, Jesus came to this Earth to meet men at the point of forgiveness
rather than judgment and condemnation. He offers to set us free from
our sin debt, freeing us from the punishment that comes from sin, re-
storing us to eternal life, which is what gives us the born again
nature.

That new nature is one which aligns with our true nature, which is as
He is (Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and we are soul, body, spirit). When
we died in original sin, we are only soul and body, as our spirit was
dead because of sin. Only when Jesus takes our sin away are we then
alive again in the spirit. And because of that new part of our nature
is then alive and active, we are in tune again with God, and with the
things which are of His Kingdom, and not merely the things of this
Earth.

The born again person is not like other people. Their interests are
not like those of this world. They are in business for God, going
about His business, and doing this as an ongoing matter of course in
their lives. It's not about them, but it's about Christ living in
them.

We are the light of the world, as He is living inside us spiritually,
and He is guiding us in our lives in the things we do as we go. We
are dead to self, and alive to Him, which is why we change.

It's up to you to reject Him and all He's offering you, David. But if
you take the time to learn about who He is, and pursue that knowledge
honestly, you'll find out that He is love, and what He is sending to
Hell is sin, and all those who embrace sin and will not turn from sin.
Everyone else will be saved.

As I've advised you many times, David, be one who is saved. Do not
let the draws and pulls and lies of this world keep you from coming
to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You'll be forever
grateful that you did.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 6:40:48 PM UTC-4, Jon Elson wrote:

Rick C. Hodgin wrote:

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 3:57:30 PM UTC-4, Jon Elson wrote:
Rick C. Hodgin wrote:

On Wednesday, April 6, 2016 at 11:40:35 PM UTC-4, Jon Elson wrote:
Rick C. Hodgin wrote:



I figured the CPUs I'd make would cost $1,000 each in the early
samples,
OK, the MOSIS standard order is for 40 parts. So, that's $40K each
revision. Unless you are truly brilliant, it is going to take a BUNCH
of respins of the part to get anything working.

I can't remember who it was I searched a while back (2014 I think), but
I found a company that was manufacturing on 250nm and 500nm process
technologies. The mask sets were $15K each, and each run varied, but
the total cost for 100 parts was less than $100K including masks.
That is quite amazing, and I find it VERY hard to believe that is in the
US. If going offshore, you may well end up with Chinese or Malaysian
practically-slave labor making the parts.

I can't remember who it was. I have an email. Most of the companies I
sought were unwilling to entertain a run of a single wafer. But a couple
of them pointed me to smaller firms which specialize in one-off wafers.

Really, nobody will do a single wafer (even if that is what is supposed to
be delivered) as so many things can go wrong. So, they run a couple wafers
and give you the best one. And, the cost of the wafer disappears into the
noise of the entire effort. The masks are the huge expense, and then once
they are set up to run a specific process, it only costs a tiny bit of extra
time to run a couple more through all the same steps. Many of the steps are
done by pushing a boat of 25+ wafers through an oven all at the same time.

Makes sense. Good information. Thank you.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[Rick C. Hodgin]

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 6:43:08 PM UTC-4, Jon Elson wrote:

rickman wrote:
You don't need a wafer to get a chip. There are foundries that will
batch your design onto a shared wafer. You likely can't use a 500 nm
process, but you can get a decent process that will be inexpensive. I
recall the minimum price for a small chip would be in the low 10's of
thousands.
MOSIS is still running the AMI (now ON Semi) C5N process, with 500 nm
feature size. Now, we use it for mixed signal stuff that is very heavy on
the analog side, but the process is CMOS with some high res poly. It is one
of the cheaper processes they offer.

For my needs, it will be a long time before I'm ready to go to a fab.
My desire would be by July 12, 2022, which would be 10 years after I
started this project, but that's just a target.

I think if I was going to create a semiconductor fab, I would call it
Sand Castles.

Best regards,
Rick C. Hodgin

 

[rickman]

On 4/7/2016 8:52 AM, Rick C. Hodgin wrote:

On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 2:59:10 AM UTC-4, rickman wrote:
On 4/6/2016 11:40 PM, Jon Elson wrote:
Rick C. Hodgin wrote:



I figured the CPUs I'd make would cost $1,000 each in the early samples,
OK, the MOSIS standard order is for 40 parts. So, that's $40K each
revision. Unless you are truly brilliant, it is going to take a BUNCH of
respins of the part to get anything working.
with an anticipated 50 to 100 CPU minimum, but that if I am able to create
the industry I'm hoping to create (people who are willing to buy CPUs that
are wrought of love, more than high-speed bells and whistles, looking to
them as a utility to augment man's existence, rather than as a whizz bang
eye candy newest fad ("gotta have the $12K iPhone 6 because my $10K iPhone
5 is just so last year") kind of thing).

Uhhh, I can imagine there will be at LEAST 5 customers for this. How many
shirts do you have? Because you are certainly going to lose your shirt on
this project!

I think Rick H doesn't understand that electronics works exactly the way
it does because it allows the industry to provide $25 cell phones to
those who *need* them rather than the $400 latest eye candy phones to
those who want them. (I don't know of any $12,000 phones) In some ways
the $400 phones subsidize the cheap phones, but not in a serious way.
The expensive phones just drive the "bleeding edge" market since that
always costs more initially. Then once the high initial costs are
amortized, the rest of us get the benefit of the technology at the
sustained product rate.

Producing a CPU chip with no real market in an antique technology will
not help anyone, man or God.

This project *is* starting to sound familiar now.

I recognize that the industry today works a particular way, and that it
has established itself in a particular manner. However, I also recognize
that there are alternate ways of doing things, and that were we to regroup
around a focused and purposed relationship with God (one-on-one, each of
us, to Him, and then to one another), then He would be guiding the entire
operation by His sight, which is to be able to orchestrate people world-
wide toward the goals we're pursuing in this world which are given over to
Him.

The Bible states that whatever we do in word or in deed, we should do all
for the glory of God the Father in Heaven. We are also told in the Lord's
Prayer that His will should be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

That means we, as people, individually and collectively, must acknowledge
Him as He is while we are here in this world going about our daily affairs.
He can make us prosper in helping one another, in being the strength in
other people's weaknesses, in giving of our gifts, and in love and charity
with our labor.

It's a different way of looking at things, but it's the one I am committed
to, and to the best of my knowledge, it's the one which is correct as per
the guidance God's given us to be one to another here in this world: Each
of us operating in love for one another, loving one's neighbor even as our
own self.

Ok, but I don't understand how working with the obsolete 386 CPU design
has anything to do with God. What is your goal that is related to God?
Why does working with this chip relate to God any more than working
with a $5 ARM chip?

--

Rick