Photo-Crystal Analog Computation R&D -- 2
Budget: $250 – $750 USD
I am advancing a solid-state analog computer that relies on an etched crystal, a single 555-timer–driven flyback stage, and three orthogonally placed electromagnets that generate a rotating magnetic field. When broadband light passes through the crystal, the field alters the photonic path, giving each voxel up to 512 possible states (0-255 × 2 polarities). The induced voltage in the pickup coil is not just power—it is the data itself.
The concept is sound on paper; now I need the research and development that turns it into a lab-ready platform. The most critical work centers on the computation and data read-out loop: reliably extracting the tiny analog differentials that encode state changes, conditioning them, and presenting them in a form that can be logged or visualized in real time.
Key objectives
• Model the interaction of the rotating magnetic field, light, and crystalline lattice to predict state transitions.
• Design and simulate the analog front-end that captures µV-level signals, filters noise from the flyback spikes, and preserves phase information.
• Produce hardware schematics, PCB layout, and a parts list for the driver (555 timer + flyback), the tri-axis Hall feedback, the RGB illumination path, and the photodiode array.
• Outline a calibration routine that aligns light, field strength, and crystal orientation, ensuring reproducible behavior.
• Deliver sample read-out code (Python, MATLAB, or similar) that converts analog data streams into human-readable state maps.
Acceptance criteria
1. Circuit simulations demonstrate stable rotating magnetic field and controlled flyback behaviour.
2. Bench-level prototype achieves discernible analog state shifts (>3 dB above noise floor) when magnetics or light inputs are varied.
3. Data acquisition chain can resolve at least 8-bit changes across the 512-state space at 1 kS/s.
If you have a background in electromagnetics, photonics, or unconventional computation and can navigate both simulation and bench prototyping, your insight will be invaluable to pushing this physics-driven processor toward reality.
The concept is sound on paper; now I need the research and development that turns it into a lab-ready platform. The most critical work centers on the computation and data read-out loop: reliably extracting the tiny analog differentials that encode state changes, conditioning them, and presenting them in a form that can be logged or visualized in real time.
Key objectives
• Model the interaction of the rotating magnetic field, light, and crystalline lattice to predict state transitions.
• Design and simulate the analog front-end that captures µV-level signals, filters noise from the flyback spikes, and preserves phase information.
• Produce hardware schematics, PCB layout, and a parts list for the driver (555 timer + flyback), the tri-axis Hall feedback, the RGB illumination path, and the photodiode array.
• Outline a calibration routine that aligns light, field strength, and crystal orientation, ensuring reproducible behavior.
• Deliver sample read-out code (Python, MATLAB, or similar) that converts analog data streams into human-readable state maps.
Acceptance criteria
1. Circuit simulations demonstrate stable rotating magnetic field and controlled flyback behaviour.
2. Bench-level prototype achieves discernible analog state shifts (>3 dB above noise floor) when magnetics or light inputs are varied.
3. Data acquisition chain can resolve at least 8-bit changes across the 512-state space at 1 kS/s.
If you have a background in electromagnetics, photonics, or unconventional computation and can navigate both simulation and bench prototyping, your insight will be invaluable to pushing this physics-driven processor toward reality.