TRIMAT

TRIMAT

A Ternary Educational Computer Model

TRIMAT is an experimental educational computer model — as if the Hungarian MIKROMAT, the Soviet ternary Setun, and an Altair-style front-panel microcomputer met in the same imaginary laboratory.

MIKROMAT was a Hungarian relay-based educational computer model, designed by Piarist teacher Mihály Kovács and his student Ferenc Woynarovich, to demonstrate the basic principles of computing through visible, tangible logic.

Setun was a Soviet computer famous for its use of balanced ternary logic, working not simply with 0 and 1, but with three possible values: negative, zero, and positive.

Early microcomputers of the Altair generation made computing visible through front panels, switches, lamps, and direct manual interaction with memory and data.

In TRIMAT, the three main lamps can glow red, white, or green, representing the ternary states nega, neutral, and positive. In Computer Mode, you can experiment with a 3-trit accumulator, 9 × 3-trit memory, ternary data input, and operations such as ADD, SUB, NEG, MIN, MAX, LOAD, and STORE.

The built-in game, Three Creatures in the Lab, is a sci-fi adaptation of the classic wolf, goat, and cabbage river-crossing puzzle. Move the Ion Wolf, the Light Goat, and the Zeta Moss from the Nega Chamber to the Pozi Chamber. The Technician may cross alone or with one creature — but never leave the Ion Wolf alone with the Light Goat, or the Light Goat alone with the Zeta Moss.

This project is a playful thought experiment and an early prototype rather than a finished product. Some errors may still appear during testing, and even the structure of the model may need further refinement. Suggestions, corrections, and ideas for additional TRIMAT program cards or games are very welcome.

Created by Gábor Képes. 

 AI-assisted development with ChatGPT. 

 License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).