Welcome to TimeFracture!                                                                                   Index Page.

Here are some of my more elaborate hobby projects.  My ultimate objective is to include enough detail to allow sufficiently-motivated hobbyists to duplicate them.  I have also included extensive FAQs and general design notes, which I hope will be useful to hobbyists working on their own designs. Should you have questions or comments concerning anything on this site, please E-mail me at john.doran@timefracture.org.  Click on pictures to get larger/higher-quality images.

D16/M Homebrew  Minicomputer This is a general-purpose 16-bit processor designed and built from scratch!  It is fabricated from HCMOS MSI and SSI integrated circuits using wire-wrapped construction, and is packaged in a rack-mount chassis.  It has a full front panel ("programmer's console") and a plug-in bus for peripheral interfaces and memory.

D16/M Peripherals I have documented all of the D16/M peripherals (such as this Serial/Parallel I/O Module) on a separate page.

Homebrew Carbon Dioxide Laser This electrically-excited flowing-gas laser produces an output  of over 25 watts, at 10.6 micrometers in the far infrared.

Dual-Discharge Laser Current Regulator This active current source drives gas laser tubes, such as the CO2 laser above, without wasting power in inefficient ballast resistors. It permits rock-stable adjustment of the discharge current with the twist of a calibrated knob!

Electronic Vector Clock Here is an electronic clock having an "analogue-style" clock-face presentation.  It displays the time with vector graphics drawn on a small electrostatic-deflection "scope tube" CRT.

Old Time Radio The chance re-discovery of a favorite childhood book rekindled my interest in this oldest of electronic hobbies. Here are some projects adapted from the book, along with a useful "battery eliminator" power supply for old time radio experimenting.

The TimeFracture Laboratory Here's where I built these projects.  Alas, in July of 2007 I moved to significantly smaller quarters, and this installation is no more... Information on the new TimeFracture Laboratory to follow!