Can multiple Propellers be linked?
Kotobuki
Posts: 82
Hi,
I was wondering if multiple Propellers can be linked up to make say a sixteen cog processor. That was what was so powerful about the Intel 8086 family of CISC processors, they could be run in parallel with shared memory even though few if any companies did this. I know that some computer science students in the mid to late eighties made parallel computing engines out of the Intel chips, but they were often one purpose devices. The one that I witnessed first hand in person calculated orbital inconsistencies of the outer plants. It was built on custom Multibus boards.
I suspect that if the Propeller could be likewise used in multiple chip arraignments that they could be very versatile as opposed to the above mentioned Intel processors.
Best,
Joe
I was wondering if multiple Propellers can be linked up to make say a sixteen cog processor. That was what was so powerful about the Intel 8086 family of CISC processors, they could be run in parallel with shared memory even though few if any companies did this. I know that some computer science students in the mid to late eighties made parallel computing engines out of the Intel chips, but they were often one purpose devices. The one that I witnessed first hand in person calculated orbital inconsistencies of the outer plants. It was built on custom Multibus boards.
I suspect that if the Propeller could be likewise used in multiple chip arraignments that they could be very versatile as opposed to the above mentioned Intel processors.
Best,
Joe
Comments
They can't be linked with shared memory as the 8086 could since they have internal memory.
You can build multi-propeller clusters running in a master/slave configuration under PropForth. We just had a thread about this within the past two weeks. I can 't search and cut/paste very well since I'm on my tablet now but you should be able to find it with a little work. You can got to my profile and look through my recent threads if all else fails.
I can post details later with links to my two multi-propeller experimental configurations.
Now if we can come up with a Propeller bus arbiter! :-)
Best,
Joe
There was also some talk of multi Propeller boards in this thread (I linked to the post with my TetraProp boards).
I still hope to come up with a way for multiple Propeller to share the 8-bit bus SRAM stacks I soldered together.
Clock Loop has a very interesting thread about loading code to multiple Propellers at the same time.
Here's Beau's thread about high speed Prop to Prop communication.
Best,
Joe
I agree, they do look cool. I'm pretty sure jazzed added a link to his site where he sells them (post #18).