In Dietrich Leithner's original pseudo-p14 gun, and in Karel Suhajda's reduced version, the insertion mechanism is period 5 -- two sparked LWSSes colliding at 90 degrees are able to insert a glider between two other gliders that are 28 ticks apart. Because the sparkers are p5, the base period of the pseudo-period gun has to be a multiple of 14*5 = 70:
p5N glider injection gate:
Code: Select all
x = 56, y = 60, rule = LifeHistory
40.ABA2B$40.3BAB$40.3BAB$40.A2BAB$40.B3AB$40.5B$40.5B$8.B31.5B$7.ABA
30.5B$7.B2AB29.5B$8.A3B28.5B$9.2BAB27.5B$10.2B2A26.5B$11.2A2B25.5B$
12.4B24.5B$13.BABA23.5B$14.B2AB22.5B$15.A3B21.5B$16.2BAB20.5B$17.2B2A
19.5B$18.2A2B18.5B$19.4B17.5B$20.4B16.5B$21.4B15.5B$22.4B14.5B$23.2BA
B13.5B$24.2B2A12.5B$25.2A2B11.5B$26.4B10.5B$27.BABA9.5B$28.B2AB8.5B$
29.A3B7.5B$30.2BAB6.5B$31.2B2A5.5B$32.2A2B4.5B$33.4B3.2BABA$34.BABA2.
BA3B$35.B2AB.BA3BA.2B.AB$36.A4BA2BA.B4AB$37.4B3AB2.BAB.AB$38.7B4.A.A
2.A$39.6B3.2A.4A$B2A42B5.A$4A33B2A3BABA5.A.A$2AB2A30B2AB2AB.B2AB5.2A$
2B2A31B4A2B2.A3B$36B2A3B3.2BAB$39.2B4.2B2A$38.B3AB3.2A2B$38.5A4.4B$
37.AB3ABA4.BABA$35.3A.3B.3A3.B2AB$34.A3.A3BA3.A3.A3B$35.4A.A.3A.A4.2B
AB$39.3A3.A6.2B2A$34.A.2A.A.A.A9.2A$34.2A.A.BAB.2A$38.A2.A.A$39.2A2.A
$43.2A!
I don't remember if anyone ever arranged p6 sparkers to do the same trick, but now there might be an advantage to using 6*14 = p84 as the base period, because that would allow syringes to be used as well as Snarks and p6-pipsquirter color-changing reflectors, and the new p6 bumpers. And still only three sets of p84 LWSS collisions would be needed to fill in the three gaps in a period-28 stream, so that wouldn't be any worse than the current pseudo-p14 gun.
Unfortunately Kazyan's H-to-MWSS reaction bottoms out just barely above p70 (p72 is the minimum), if the glider that suppresses the extra beehive is routed in from somewhere else. So G-to-H-to-MWSS-to-G might be available starting at p84 also, to send signals longer distances orthogonally instead of diagonally and avoid the need for a whole separate p84 gun at the target location, or long chains of Snarks or other reflectors to bring a signal in.
Anyway, if we stick with a p70 base period, we do still have a lot more technology than we did a dozen years ago -- especially Snarks, and now bumpers. So it should be possible to pack the circuitry a
lot tighter. But do we have anything better at p70 than this glider-to-Herschel converter?
p70 G-to-H:
Code: Select all
x = 100, y = 94, rule = LifeHistory
3B$3BA$BABAB$2.2A2B$3.4B$4.4B$5.4B$6.4B$7.4B$8.4B$9.4B24.2A$10.4B22.B
2AB$11.4B22.2B$12.4B16.B3.2B$13.4B14.2AB.4B15.5B$14.4B13.2A8B11.7B$
15.4B13.B.B2A6B2.2B2.10B$16.5B14.2A15BD6B$17.3BA14.6BA10BDBD4B$18.3BA
9.10BA10B3D4B$19.3AB8.23BD4B$20.4B6.2A26B$21.4B5.2A14B.B.2B$22.4B5.B.
11B5.3B$23.4B6.10B7.A2B.2A$24.4B6.12B3.A.A2B.A$25.4B4.14B2.2AB2.A$26.
4B4.13B6.A$27.4B3.13B2.5A.A$28.4B4.2B.8B2.A4.2A$29.4B7.4BA2B3.3A$30.
4B6.3BABAB5.A.2A$31.4B6.B2AB2A6.A.A$32.4B5.BA2BA2B$33.4B4.A3BA3B$34.
4B4.3BA4B$35.3BA3.9B$36.ABAB.6B.4B$37.2A9B.4B$38.10B2.4B$39.9B3.BABA$
40.8B4.B2AB$41.8B4.A3B$40.8B6.4B$40.9B6.4B$40.9B7.4B$39.10B8.4B$39.4B
A5B9.4B$38.4B2A5B10.4B$38.11B11.4B$33.2A.A13B11.4B$33.A.2A2.12B11.4B$
40.6B2.3BA11.4B$49.B2AB11.4B$50.ABAB11.4B$51.4B11.4B$52.4B11.4B$53.4B
11.2BAB$54.4B11.2B2A$55.4B11.2A2B$56.4B11.4B$57.4B11.4B4.2A5.2A$58.4B
11.4B.2B2A5.A$59.4B11.7B3.BA.A$60.4B11.8B.B2A$61.4B11.5B2A2B$62.4B10.
5BABAB$63.4B8.7BAB$64.4B6.8B$65.4B4.4B3.B.2B$66.2B2A2.4B6.3B$67.2A6B
7.3A3.2A7.2A$62.A5.BA4B7.ABABA2.A2.A.2A.A2.A$61.A.A4.7B4.3A.B.3A2.2A.
A3.A.A$61.A.A4.7B3.A4.AB3.2A3.A.2A.A$59.A.A.2A2.7B2A3.4A.ABAB2.AB2AB.
A$58.A.2A2.A2B.2B2AB.2A6.A.A.2B2AB3.B.A$58.A3.A5B.ABAB8.A2.A.A2.B.2AB
A.2A$56.A.4AB.A2B2.BAB10.3A.4A.A2.A.A$55.A.A3.A.2A5.4B11.A4.A2.A2.A$
55.A2.3AB.A8.2A10.A2.2A5.2A$56.A.A.2A.A8.A12.2A.2A$55.2A.A.B.A.2A7.3A
$55.A2.A2B.A2.A9.A$57.A2.2A.A$58.2A.B.2A$59.A.A$57.A.B.AB2A$56.A.2ABA
2.A$56.A5.A$57.6A.A$59.A3.A.A$62.A2.A$63.2A!
I'm drawing a blank on replacement technology at the moment. Bumpers don't fit together
quite closely enough, or a pair of p5 or p7 bumpers could conceivably replace the pipsquirter reflectors. Really this isn't too bad, though, considering that a syringe can't do G-to-H conversions quite this fast.
Similarly, is there an improvement on the p70 Herschel-to-LWSS converter used in the current pseudo-period-14 gun?
p70 H-to-LWSS:
Code: Select all
x = 69, y = 71, rule = LifeHistory
16.2A$16.A$13.BA.A$9.3B.B2A$3.2B2.7B$.13B$.12B$2A12B$2A14B$.18B2.2B3.
B$2.13BA11B$2.6B.4BABA11B$2.5B2.4B3A11B$2.5B2.4BA13B$2.5B3.17B$2.6B9.
4B.5B$2.7B9.4B4.B$2.8B9.4B$2.9B9.4B$2.5B.4B9.4B$2.5B2.4B9.4B$2.5B3.4B
9.4B$2.2BABA4.4B9.BABA$2.BA3B5.4B9.B2AB$2.BA3B6.3BA9.A3B$2.BA2BA7.B2A
B9.4B$2.B3AB8.ABAB9.4B$2.5B9.4B9.4B$2.5B10.4B9.4B$2.5B11.4B9.4B$2.5B
12.4B9.4B$2.5B13.4B9.4B$2.5B14.4B9.4B$2.5B15.4B9.4B$2.5B16.4B9.4B$2.
5B17.4B9.4B$2.5B18.4B9.4B$2.5B19.4B9.4B$2.5B20.4B9.4B$2.5B21.4B9.2BAB
4.2A5.2A$2.5B22.4B9.2B2A.2B2A5.A$2.5B23.4B9.2A5B3.BA.A$2.5B24.2B2A9.
8B.B2A$2.5B25.2A2B9.5B2A2B$2.5B26.BA2B8.5BABAB$2.5B27.4B6.7BAB$2.5B
28.4B4.8B$2.5B29.4B2.4B3.B.2B$2.5B30.8B6.3A$2.5B25.A5.6B7.3B3.2A7.2A$
2.5B24.A.A4.7B5.ABABA2.A2.A.2A.A2.A$2.5B24.A.A4.7B3.3A.A.3A2.2A.A3.A.
A$2.5B22.A.A.2A2.7B2A.A4.AB3.2A3.B.2A.A$2.5B21.A.2A2.3B.2B2AB.2A.A.3A
.B3A2.5A.A$2.5B21.A3.2A2B2A.ABAB5.A2.A.A.B4A3.A.A$2.5B19.A.4AB.3B2.BA
B8.A2.A.A2.B.3AB.2A$2.5B18.A.A3.A.2A5.4B7.3A.4A.A2.A.A$2.ABA2B18.A2.
2ABA.A8.2A10.A4.A2.A2.A$2.3BAB19.A.A.2B.A8.A10.A2.2A5.2A$2.3BAB18.2A.
A.A.A.2A7.3A8.2A.2A$2.A2BAB18.A2.ABA.A2.A9.A$2.B3AB20.A2.2B.A$2.5B21.
2A.A.2A$2.5B22.A.A$2.5B20.A.A.AB2A$2.5B19.A.4A2.A$2.5B19.A5.A$2.5B20.
6A.A$2.5B22.A3.A.A$2.5B25.A2.A$2.5B26.2A!
In some cases it may be easier to bring in the glider from somewhere else instead of recycling the one from the Herschel conduit -- but again this is really fairly compact and self-contained, so unless there's some new oscillator with a spark that can turn a Herschel into an LWSS, I think these pieces should be good to assemble into a much smaller p14 gun.