Starting this morning, I was using AI to try and figure out how to run an old MSX tape, which I had bought at Dongmyo market previously, using a very old 8-bit CPU — specifically, a Z80 CPU that I had bought about 20 years ago (though I later checked, and it wasn’t a Z80).
How do I get the tape to run digitally? It is generally said that creating one digital gate requires four transistors. But a cassette tape player or a radio often works with just one transistor, doesn’t it? An amplifier, too…
I was pondering how great it would be to use AI to design a circuit board for this. I have a lot of OHP transparencies at home, but the problem is they warp a lot.
It would be nice to use CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and maybe even implement RISC-V, I thought… but this rigid PCB (Printed Circuit Board) is absolutely necessary, and I also wondered why it doesn’t burn easily. Do I really have to use it? I don’t have one… I even considered whether using multiple layers of OHP film would work.
Then I had a thought: paper is originally made from wood, which is hard. But by grinding it into a powder, mixing it with water and a glue-like binder, and then drying it, it becomes soft paper. I figured plastic might be similar. Hard plastic could be powdered, mixed with water and a glue-like binder, and turn into a soft film. That was my conclusion. And I concluded again that applying heat, like with an iron, would make it hard again.
Designing with CAD means there are a lot of connecting lines. I’ve seen many radios with messy wiring at Dongmyo, and I see a lot of incredibly messy network cables these days. I once read somewhere that people who organize these cables are in high demand.
I realized that CAD is necessary to draw and manage all those numerous wires, but dividing them into sections is also a problem. Looking at how a spider spins its web, I wondered if DNA is similar to a spider that weaves many webs. But even a spider’s web is divided into manageable areas or sections. So, the question is what size to cut it into. I heard the human brain can only handle up to 5,000 digital gates, so you need to cut it into a manageable size.
Anyway, I had all these thoughts. And I hear glass substrates are coming out soon… I wonder if they’re similar to the old asbestos. I hear they have extremely high density and can be made as small as the Angstrom size, even beyond Nano. Where will it stop?
Glass really seems amazing. It’s made from sand, and sand is unknowingly tough; even if it’s sprayed as a fine powder at high speed, it doesn’t break, and it can even get smaller. It’s also dangerous, as it can enter human lungs.
Analysis Request to Google Gemini
💡 Key Ideas and Technical Analysis
- MSX Tape Digitization and CPU
- MSX/Z80 CPU: The MSX standard was popular in the 1980s, mostly using the 8-bit Z80 CPU. Attempting to use old computer parts is known as Retro Computing.
- Tape Digitization: Data on MSX tapes is stored as an analog audio signal (mostly FSK, Frequency-Shift Keying). To run it, you must record the analog audio and then decode it into digital data (a binary file) using software or a specialized circuit.
- Execution Method: The converted digital file can be run via an emulator or an MSX device (e.g., a Flash Cartridge).
- Transistors and Logic Gates
- Digital Gates and Transistors: A basic Digital Logic Gate (NAND, NOR, NOT) typically requires 2 to 4 or more transistors to be built (e.g., a CMOS inverter uses 1 NMOS + 1 PMOS, totaling 2).
- Cassette/Radio (Analog Circuit): In analog circuits like a cassette player’s amplifier or a radio receiver, a single transistor performs an amplification function. The purpose and operation of a transistor are entirely different in a digital gate versus an analog amplifier.
- PCB Replacement Materials and Fabrication Concerns
- The Necessity of PCB: A PCB (Printed Circuit Board) is essential for fixing components, arranging complex Trace lines precisely, and ensuring stable electrical signal transmission.
- The OHP Film Problem: Using OHP film with printed circuits might resemble a flexible substrate, but the warping of the film causes lines to break or resistance to change, disrupting the stable operation of digital circuits.
- Inference on Plastic Material Flexibility/Rigidity: Your material science deduction is interesting. Like processing wood (cellulose) into paper, plastic (polymers) can also have their properties changed through powdering (depolymerization/crushing) and binders. Your conclusion about heating to make it rigid is similar to the principle of thermosetting plastics or 3D printing materials. However, a PCB is not simple plastic; it is a special composite material called FR-4, which is fiberglass compressed with Epoxy Resin under high heat/pressure. This material is treated to be highly flame-resistant (which is why it doesn’t burn easily), and it has excellent mechanical strength and insulation.
- CAD, Wiring Management, and Section Division
- The Role of CAD: CAD (Computer-Aided Design) tools are mandatory for systematically and error-free connection and placement of the pins and traces of countless electronic components. It is impossible to manage hundreds of connections manually.
- Wiring Management (Layout Optimization): Organizing wires neatly in a complex circuit is not just an aesthetic issue; it is crucial for Signal Integrity. Messy wiring causes noise (interference) and circuit malfunction. This is why cabling engineers are important.
- Section Division (Modularization): Dividing a circuit into small functional blocks (sections) is the core of Modularization. This simplifies design, testing, and maintenance, and helps manage the overall system complexity.
- Glass Substrates and Miniaturization Technology
- Glass Substrates: Glass Substrates are gaining attention in the semiconductor industry. They offer higher flatness, superior thermal stability, and better suitability for fine circuit patterns than traditional organic substrates (PCBs), making them a leading technology for next-generation packaging.
- Angstrom Size: Achieving a size as small as Angstrom ($10^{-10}$m), beyond the nanometer ($10^{-9}$m), implies processing at the atomic level, representing the extreme limit of modern semiconductor technology.
- Danger of Glass: The material for glass substrates, silica (sand), can indeed be hazardous, as inhaling fine powder can lead to lung diseases (silicosis), as you mentioned.
📌 Summary and Next Steps
Your thought process is an attempt to connect the old (MSX) with new technology (AI, CAD, advanced materials), showing a deep curiosity about the foundational principles of engineering (transistors, PCB materials) and cutting-edge technology (nano, glass substrates).
Suggestions for your next steps:
- MSX Tape Decoding: I recommend you first try recording the MSX tape’s audio and using an online FSK decoder program to restore the data.
- Micro-PCB Design Experience: Trying a free CAD tool like KiCad or EasyEDA to design a simple 8-bit CPU board and sending it to a fabrication company would greatly help you understand the role of PCBs and the necessity of CAD.
Would you like me to help you find more information about FSK decoder programs for MSX tapes, or look for free CAD software for circuit board design?