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High school grad builds 8-bit computer from scratch

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Re: High school grad builds 8-bit computer from scratch

#31

Post by sehugg »

redthrowaway wrote: post #19
Almaviva wrote: post #14

Connecting this with the article about the person who smelted his own sword, I wonder if it's possible for one person to single-handedly build a computer starting from Stone Age technology and raw materials?

Sure it is, but you have to define it better. He could build a difference engine much easier than he could build a system-on-chip. The difference engine would require metalworking and precision tools; the SoC would require a working digital computer to design, which requires lasers and other production technologies that in turn require advanced production technologies to make. Even if you just wanted to make a basic…

For an electronic computer you also need a source of electricty -- and debugging is going to suck without a voltmeter, oscilloscope, logic analyzer or even LEDs.

I'd go mechanical any day. I recall the Soviets had a computer based on liquid that could compute certain differential equations.

Re: High school grad builds 8-bit computer from scratch

#32

Post by redthrowaway »

noonespecial wrote: post #22
redthrowaway wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure it is, but you have to define it better. He could build a difference engine much easier than he could build a system-on-chip. The difference engine would require metalworking and precision tools; the SoC would require a working digital computer to design, which requires lasers and other production technologies that in turn require advanced production technologies to make. Even if you just wanted to make a basic…

This french HAM just about has it covered. He makes his tubes from nearly scratch. http://boingboing.net/2008/09/18/video-of-a-guy-who-m.html

That's hardly from scratch, though. Just look at all the different tools he uses. We didn't even have glasswork precise enough to use until the 18th century. Add arc welders, all of the chemicals (and chemistry, mining, etc) needed to make filaments, and everything else required and I doubt a person with full knowledge and access to all of the base materials, as they exist in nature, would be able to build a computer in their lifetime.

Re: High school grad builds 8-bit computer from scratch

#33

Post by chris11 »

sehugg wrote: post #31
redthrowaway wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure it is, but you have to define it better. He could build a difference engine much easier than he could build a system-on-chip. The difference engine would require metalworking and precision tools; the SoC would require a working digital computer to design, which requires lasers and other production technologies that in turn require advanced production technologies to make. Even if you just wanted to make a basic…

For an electronic computer you also need a source of electricty -- and debugging is going to suck without a voltmeter, oscilloscope, logic analyzer or even LEDs. I'd go mechanical any day. I recall the Soviets had a computer based on liquid that could compute certain differential equations.

There was a mechanical Turing machine shown at Makers Faire UK. Supposedly it was built only using hand tools and scrap parts. I'd say that's close enough to a hand-built computer.

http://hackaday.com/2011/03/25/mechanical-turing-machine-can...

Re: High school grad builds 8-bit computer from scratch

#35

Post by tetrarchy »

Wow, tough crowd here. When I was in high school, the extent of my computer knowledge was a little visual basic. After watching all of his videos, I'm extremely impressed - it looks like he designed (or at least integrated) a lot of the hardware, operating systems, and applications himself. After a BS and now almost a MS in computer engineering I think I could (...eventually) pull something like this off, but this guy clearly spent a lot of time and effort on learning the ins and outs of computer architecture on his own, in high school no less.

To those complaining that this could be done on a fpga in verilog or something, I think that might be kind of missing the point. There is just something about building the logic up from the ground that is very satisfying. Hooking up the physical wires makes it all that much more real. A huge time investment, but i got the feeling the kid spent a good deal of his free time on it.

So again, mad props. Hope it gets him into a sweet school.

Re: High school grad builds 8-bit computer from scratch

#36

Post by palish »

SwellJoe wrote: post #24
palish wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you watch the video? This is inspiring to me on many levels. This probably earned him a salaried job at essentially any place he wants to work. Or at the very least an internship. I hope he considers skipping college. There's no reason for him to be driven into ~$50k worth of debt, and I've certainly been happy with my decision not to go.

While I think the kid is awesome, I don't think it follows that skipping college is the best choice. If he's as brilliant as he seems, he ought to be able to get scholarships to some pretty good schools...where he can learn to go well beyond this, probably faster than he could on his own; even if it's just for the resources a good technical university (like MIT, Caltech, Stanford, etc.) provides. He could be working…

This is an excellent and important point. If your ambitions lie along the lines of "supercomputing, nanotech, quantum computing, Internet-scale problems," etc, then skipping college is a terrible mistake, obviously.

It comes down to what he wants. Personally, I wanted freedom from debt, freedom from high school, and the freedom to work with creative people. Those factors made me decide to drop out of high school (after I had landed a game development internship, i.e. a solid job and therefore a solid resume for the future).

Re: High school grad builds 8-bit computer from scratch

#37

Post by palish »

brianobush wrote: post #23
palish wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you watch the video? This is inspiring to me on many levels. This probably earned him a salaried job at essentially any place he wants to work. Or at the very least an internship. I hope he considers skipping college. There's no reason for him to be driven into ~$50k worth of debt, and I've certainly been happy with my decision not to go.

Agreed, save the skipping college part. The debt incurred from college was paid off more than a decade ago. The gain from my education opened my mind and doors of opportunity. Even if you are smart, sometimes those doors will stay shut.

I'd like to know (for my own education), what were the benefits to you of going to college?

Re: High school grad builds 8-bit computer from scratch

#38

Post by jquery »

redthrowaway wrote: post #32
noonespecial wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This french HAM just about has it covered. He makes his tubes from nearly scratch. http://boingboing.net/2008/09/18/video-of-a-guy-who-m.html

That's hardly from scratch, though. Just look at all the different tools he uses. We didn't even have glasswork precise enough to use until the 18th century. Add arc welders, all of the chemicals (and chemi stry , mining, etc) needed to make filaments, and everything else required and I doubt a person with full knowledge and access to all of the base materials, as they exist in nature, would be able to build a comput…

> full knowledge and access to all of the base materials, as they exist in nature, would be able to build a computer in their lifetime.

Even that's a huge head start over having to mine the raw materials.

It would probably take several lifetimes to build even the most basic computer from complete scratch even with all the manufacturing knowledge available.

Re: High school grad builds 8-bit computer from scratch

#39

Post by ralfd »

tetrarchy wrote: post #35

Wow, tough crowd here. When I was in high school, the extent of my computer knowledge was a little visual basic. After watching all of his videos, I'm extremely impressed - it looks like he designed (or at least integrated) a lot of the hardware, operating systems, and applications himself. After a BS and now almost a MS in computer engineering I think I could (...eventually) pull something like this off, but this gu…

Don't forget that most people here are insanely brilliant and either work for Apple or Google and contributing to an Open Source project which implements VMWare In Node.js while planning their startup.

So the stuff this teenager hacked together is just a steady soldering hand and a lazy saturday afternoon.

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