Homemade CPU

[m35]

This is older, but still interesting:
http://www.homebrewcpu.com/

Takes homemade OSs to a new level!

[OSwhatever]

It's great to see that you can make computers like that. After WW3 when all the nukes has gone off in a mad max scenario, this is how we will create computers from scavenged parts that aren't too damaged.

[piranha]

It's great to see that you can make computers like that. After WW3 when all the nukes has gone off in a mad max scenario, this is how we will create computers from scavenged parts that aren't too damaged.

We'll need to find gas to power the generators that power the computer though.

-JL

[Solar]

What would we need computers for?

I mean, seriously?

[Combuster]

Anyone familiar with the ancient greek methods of geometry? If you still get stuck you can always go emulate a computer with pen and paper (which on another note qualifies as the best debugging exercise ever even without doomsday looming).

After the real doomsday I'd thank <insert deity here> that my parents own a farm

[Thomas]

Hi m35,

Thanks for posting this, I would like to take a good look at its schematics when i get time . Sounds fun mate ! .

--Thomas

[Love4Boobies]

Here's the alternative.

[Brynet-Inc]

It's an old project, it gets reposted every few years.. his "New Stuff" page is usually quiet, but it looks like he's working on adding a native Ethernet interface to the Magic-1.

The guy is nice as hell though, sent a few emails to him before about his Minix port.

Hard to believe he's working on Google's Dalvik VM, well, not really.. just a shame, the world doesn't need any more Java phones.

[eddyb]

Here's the alternative.

Here is the alternative interpretation of the alternative.

[TylerH]

Wouldn't the EMP from the nukes fry all the electronics anyway?

[DavidCooper]

Wouldn't the EMP from the nukes fry all the electronics anyway?

I had heard that keeping old processors and other chips in a tin might protect them, but that might not be true. We could always make water computers, and I'd like to build one anyway just to make the workings of a computer more visible. It would be easy enough to design logic gates with coloured water running through tubes, and although it would be slow it might still be able to do a lot of useful work for us if we get sent back to the Stone Age.

[Owen]

...if our technology got destroyed, we would have much more important concerns. Like food.

I strongly hope this never happens. If we lose our technology (that is, that developed since the industrial revolution), we can never get it back.

[Darwin]

Wouldn't the EMP from the nukes fry all the electronics anyway?

I had heard that keeping old processors and other chips in a tin might protect them

It's true.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage

[Karlosoft]

Wouldn't the EMP from the nukes fry all the electronics anyway?

I had heard that keeping old processors and other chips in a tin might protect them, but that might not be true. We could always make water computers, and I'd like to build one anyway just to make the workings of a computer more visible. It would be easy enough to design logic gates with coloured water running through tubes, and although it would be slow it might still be able to do a lot of useful work for us if we get sent back to the Stone Age.

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/0 ... -full.html
There is already one

[DavidCooper]

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/09/claims-of-pnuematic-processor-full.html
There is already one

There probably is, but that isn't it. Looks like a nice piece of kit though, and it should be a lot faster than a water computer as the air can be forced through at speed rather than relying on gravity - the water computer would also run into problems if you try to make it small as the water would stick to the tube walls and slow it down. I suppose it would be easy enough to pressurise the air just by using a bellows, and the flow of air in tubes could be shown using little flags if you want to be able to see it working. Not relying on gravity would also make it easier to get the outputs back to the start to use as inputs.