The counter itself

Let us first discuss the design of the counter.

• Infrastructure
  • quiescent background
  • first bistable state - ZERO
  • left running glider - CARRY
  • second bistable state - ONE
• Binary arithmetic
  • flip ZERO, absorb CARRY
  • flip ONE, propagate CARRY
• Packing bistable cells
  • Gap between like cells
  • Gap between unlike cells
• Carry generator
  • a glider gun
• Protecting the components
  • protection of phase 22
  • protection of phase 13
  • protection of phase 11
  • some additional protection