Building a computer from scratch

>>55822871
>from scrath
depends on the materials at hand and the knowledge of the builder.
so yes, but it'd be difficult without the materials.

also children make computers in science class all the time. so it's really not that difficult

>>55822978
>depends on the materials at hand
Any basic electronic component, including blank micro-chips. Nothing pre-programmend tho.

Is there any documentation for this or do I have to figure everything on my own?

>>55823042
grab a book on computer architecture

look into some of the 1970's minicomputers like the PDP-11

read Soul of a New Machine. great book, about making computers in the 70s

get familiar with 74 series logic chips. you can buy em off ebay or digikey

get a scope. $400 4 channel scope at least. you might want a logic analyzer if you're serious about this

easier and more modern approach: get an FPGA evaluation board. learn a hardware description language like verilog or vhdl. program the FPGA to act as your CPU and use the peripherals on the evaluation board for video and uart etc.

get a degree in computer engineering while you're at it because this shit gets you laid for sure

also check out Big Mess Of Wires or whatever the hell it was called. also the magic-7 or magic-11 or something. google for Homebrew CPU and you'll see it. that's made out of 74 series logic chips just like they use in halt & catch fire

>>55824846
>read Soul of a New Machine. great book, about making computers in the 70s
Beat me to it. For me, it was one of those books that got better every time I read it. Shame what happened to the 128/495 tech industry.
I also suggest reading Folklore.org, which is a site about making the first mac.

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>>55822871
Seems to me in in the same boat with this thing. Now if only I knew what it meant to "build" a computer from that time period.

>>55825558
word. i've read it three times now, gets better every time.

If you could get all the shit from back then, or modern equivalents, it should totally be possible. When that show takes place, people were still buying computer kits off mail order.

>>55822871

Yeah it isn't really hard

you can do one in a digital logic simulator pretty easily if you know what you are doing

>>55823042

> blank micro-chips

top jej. That's not really how integrated circuits work

people have done this before with LEDs and discrete parts. google it

>>55824846

-T. doesn't know the difference between a scope and a logic analyzer

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>>55822871
Saying it is easy would be a total fucking lie, but it's not even close to /impossible/. Tons of people build computers from scratch for fun. Check out Magic-1 is you need some help/schematics. It's a full CPU (complete with blinkenlights!) made from just TTL series 7700 series logic. He ported Minix to it and you can telnet in and toy around (just be nice). The whole architecture is CISC, with each instruction opcode being almost a direct location in microcode.

Someone did this not that long ago. Apparently he just finished last month.
http://www.megaprocessor.com/