Eat your heart out amateur computer builders. Meet the Megaprocessor!
Heater.
Posts: 21,230
Check this puppy out http://www.megaprocessor.com/
A whole computer built from discrete transistors. About 45 thousand of them!
A whole computer built from discrete transistors. About 45 thousand of them!
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As an aside, he has done me a personal favor...he has successfully dissuaded me from ever making a CPU out of discrete transistors. I used to dream of it all the time. But as one's mortality looms large, one has to pick and chose wisely how he/she spends precious time.
I once got as far as building 4 stages of JK master-slave flip flop out of BC108 transistors with some red LEDs to show the state of each stage. Driven by a multi-vibrator.
Definitely discussed from building one of those
I think it's brilliant!
I've watched the first two videos and I'm very impressed. I look forward to watching more of them.
Here's his first video about transistors.
I really like how he has both current meters and volt meters in his display.
Thanks for the original link Heater. Great stuff!
Modedit: YouTube link.
500W not to bad.
I think the video download was a prize.
Wow, I saw a SMD one a while ago, but this is awe-inspiring in every sense of the word..
Truly Impressive and Simply Nuts at the same time.
I'll stick with my sub-40c MCUs that run at 16-25MHz....
Edited to add:
Some discussion of the creation here:
http://tubetime.us/index.php/2016/05/15/placeholder/
And, in the flesh, even more impressive than that and even nuttier.
I went along to the open day I mentioned above and spent several hours being amazed at James' creation and wondering what I could build.
It now has a permanent home in Cambridge and I'd recommend a trip to see it to anyone with any interest in computers.
The discrete 6502 is made by the same guy(s) that made the discrete, "dis-integrated", 555 timer that I could not resist buying from the shop at the Computer History Museum last weekend.
It's described on the "tubetime" web site, which appeals to me of course.
The discrete 6502 will be on show at the Bay Area Maker Fair which I hope to make it to whilst I'm in these parts.
http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/tinykitlist/652
You can actually go to their small retail location in Sunnyvale, but I would call ahead.
http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/about
I must say that 555 kit is beautifully made and presented. It's a good thick PCB.
Only shame is that you can't use it's "pins" for connection, but that is fair enough.
No idea what I will do with it but I start thinking it needs to be surrounded by scaled up capacitors, resistors and a giant LED. Just for show.
While the circuit board is nice and thick, I'm wondering what legs actually come with it. What looks like some kind of foam legs, or the heavy bent aluminum.
Isn't that the whole point?
The data sheet states: Two-piece “IC Legs” stand, anodized aluminum
Otherwise it's a work of art. Just for show. A curio.
Those legs are beautifully made from sturdy aluminium. This is a quality item.
The only downer is that they are constructed as two pieces of aluminium, 4 legs connected together each side, rather than 8 separate legs. They are not electrically connected to their respective 555 pins. So you cannot use the legs as connections when building a circuit.
Still, I can see why they have done it that way and the terminals provided to make connections are good quality.
Yesterday I picked up an extra big blue LED panel lamp from Frys to go with it.
All in all I love it. I might have to get the dis-integrated 741 op amp to go with it.
What I meant is it's big for a board with only discreet transistors. A board half the size and half the price, would still make a nice curio that is easy to display.
Didn't see that, Thanks. I guess the PDF was made before the parts were ready.
I gotta see a panel lamp that would be on the same scale as this. And if the legs(pins) were connected to the circuit, are you going to need a giant breadboard to use it with.
I'm sorry, it is a beautiful piece of work or art, just thought it was too big for what it is.
The Monster 6502 is awesome, a crammed PCB with all those blinkys. That would be wall mountable behind a glass frame. If it's ever in kit form, I bet you can't buy it for less than few hundred.
Looking at the board now I think it is big with purpose. All the component outlines, names and values are clearly silk screened on there. Including the E,C,B labeling of the transistor pins. All nicely spaced out so that it's still readable after the components are mounted. The different blocks of the circuit are clearly separated and outlined, Threshold Comparator, Trigger Comparator, Flip-Flop, Output, Reset/Discharge. Then you need a nice space for those screw terminals.
It's a thing of beauty. Would have loved it when I was 11 years old as an educational experience.
The Monster 6502 is indeed awesome. I did wonder if they might be crazy enough to offer that as a kit. That's a lot of soldering required! I hope I get to see the Monster at the Maker Fair.