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Posted by Jaso1024 19 hours ago

Show HN: A game where you build a GPU(jaso1024.com)
Thought the resources for GPU arch were lacking, so here we are
600 points | 144 commentspage 3
iandev 16 hours ago|
I'm confused about a difference in the NMOS and PMOS. The scenario I'm confused about is when the source is VDD and the drain is connected to GND and output.

For the PMOS, the output toggles between 1 and 0 (opposite the gate) as expected. However, for the NMOS, the output is always 0.

I don't understand why GND pulls VDD down to 0 for the NMOS, but not the PMOS.

Jaso1024 16 hours ago|
Oh, the drain should only be connected to the output, not drain aswell (irl this would kill one's chip, I'll add a feature to show short-circuiting). on pmos the source should be vdd, on nmos the source should be gnd (this doesn't apply for some later levels, but does for earlier ones).
buildbot 18 hours ago||
This would be such a good game for introducing students to digital technology! This is so fun! We just had to draw them by hand back in the dark ages of the 2010s.
Jaso1024 18 hours ago|
Thx, way better (imo) than just reading slides or (god forbid) pure text describing comp arch
buildbot 18 hours ago||
100% agree - the way that you have the very subtle arrows on the transistor drains that show the actual current flow is really smart too. I struggled with visualizing the current flow in undergrad for an embarrassingly long time.
Jaso1024 16 hours ago||
Hi everyone, commenting to address feedback:

- Made timed minigames optional (e.g. binary tables)

- Added 7 (optional) intro levels to walk through pmos and nmos transistors

- Fixed the bug in the capacitor levels

- Changed editor bg to use dots instead of lines to fix wire confusion

sheiyei 16 hours ago|
Layout appears unusable on my phone on Firefox Android (both portrait and landscape). Necessary elements seem to get hidden behind others. Not sure if I'm even supposed to be able to play it without kB&m though lol :)
Jaso1024 16 hours ago||
Yeah, its not mobile-ready atm, ill push an update to make it mobile-friendly in the next day or so
brynnbee 14 hours ago||
Huge fan of this! I love learning-by-doing and this captures that cycle perfectly.
unsnap_biceps 16 hours ago||
The truth tables are way too hard for me. I need time to think and the 10 seconds is way too fast. If this is intended to be a teaching resource, avoid timers IMHO. It needlessly excludes people.
Jaso1024 16 hours ago|
makes sense, idk if i want to remove times altogether (i personally found it fun + i want the game to be fun for all levels of familiarity), but ill add a modal to explicitly select difficulty level at the start of the racer game, i def agree w/ u overall
testaccount28 14 hours ago||
please just let me skip it. why am i doing homework in the middle of a game?
Jaso1024 10 hours ago||
lol, i made them skippable earlier to day, if u refresh now it should let you skip them
gchadwick 17 hours ago||
A nice game, though the truth table lighting round is pretty punishing! Big contrast to the circuit building part where you can take your time. Personally I'd drop the time requirements from that quiz section.
Jaso1024 16 hours ago|
Yeah, a lot of people have said similar things, I'm going to make them all optional (coming in 30 min or so)
NooneAtAll3 16 hours ago||
if you solve a level, then press "next level", then solve that next level - then it still shows the original level (I think it just gets hidden below the new one and then reappears after a solve?)
Jaso1024 16 hours ago|
just pushed a fix
xnzakg 16 hours ago||
The 2.13 level ("hex racer") is kind of pain. Apparently I'm not fast enough at dividing/multiplying by 16... when I get something like "convert 0xB3 to decimal"
Jaso1024 16 hours ago|
Time to get on zetamac (all jokes aside, it should be optional, i'll also make racer games slower + adaptive soon (today))
fleshers 17 hours ago||
This is awesome! The truth table lightning round took me by surprise, I am rustier than I thought...

One note: It isn't immediately obvious that the In/Out nodes can be connected to multiple wires, made the first few rounds harder to work thru.

Jaso1024 17 hours ago||
I see, thx, ill add a note in the game to make it more clear
Jaso1024 16 hours ago||
truth tables round is optional now!
baobabKoodaa 17 hours ago|
Is this a sequel to "How to make a CPU"? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuvckBQ1bME
Jaso1024 16 hours ago|
lol, I hadn't seen that video before but its a good one. Na, this is the guide to comp arch that will (hopefully) end all instances of toil over documentation for any sort of processor when learning
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