
Build an 8-bit computer from scratch - necrodome
https://eater.net/8bit/
======
matthewwiese
I've been following Ben's videos on YouTube ever since he started this project
and have been totally transfixed. His approach to building an 8-bit computer
on a breadboard has also spawned a bunch of interest from the community.

Just search "my ben eater" on YouTube and you'll find many other people
following his steps and making their own computers; some even going as far as
to improve upon the original. It's really quite awesome to see.

Hats off to Ben. His succinct videos have done much more for my understanding
of low level computing than any computer science professor I've had -- and all
through only video.

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mevile
This is really neat! Also if you want to learn to build a computer from
scratch without hardware, just to learn how computers work, The Elements of
Computing Systems is a great book to check out. It's used as a text in some CS
programs but it is very readable and easy to follow and the software is free
and online.

[https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Computing-Systems-
Building-P...](https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Computing-Systems-Building-
Principles/dp/0262640686/)

[http://www.nand2tetris.org/](http://www.nand2tetris.org/) is the website for
it.

~~~
userbinator
I'd recommend Petzold's [https://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-
Hardware-Softw...](https://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-
Software/dp/0735611319) too.

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jfktrey
Watching Ben's inspired me to finish my Brainfuck-based CPU designed a few
years ago: [https://hackaday.io/project/4237-mental-1-a-brainfuck-
cpu](https://hackaday.io/project/4237-mental-1-a-brainfuck-cpu)

Right now it has PS/2 keyboard input, and a 40x2 character display output.

The biggest help was his sensible clock design. I modified it a bit in my
design, but the techniques he demonstrates in his videos are incredibly
helpful and provide a good base to build off of.

~~~
KGIII
You are insane.

I mean that as a compliment of the highest order. That project is brilliant.

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dboreham
Always love to see these projects because if I had made a clone of myself to
to the other work, I'd be doing things like this.

Somewhat surprised that you can still buy LS TTL. I'd have thought it'd be
replaced by some 1.5V supply ultraBiCMOSwhatever by now. Or a single die that
you program to be whatever last-century TTL function you want, via its WiFi
interface...

Time was I has the entire 74xxx series memorized. Long since paged out to make
way for more important stuff in my brain.

~~~
cjsuk
You can still get pre-LS TTL as well! Gets a bit warm that stuff.

~~~
dboreham
Wow. There wasn't much reason to use that in the 80s once LS and F appeared.
Perhaps for Iout(max), which I seem to remember is higher for the non-LS?

~~~
cjsuk
Yes fan out is ~25 as opposed to ~10.

Early TTL is still used for building oscillators, timing circuits and
monostables because lots of long run products were designed with those in and
the LS/HC parts aren't equivalent due to bias current etc.

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orionblastar
[http://www.brielcomputers.com/wordpress/?cat=17](http://www.brielcomputers.com/wordpress/?cat=17)

A Replica 1 is an Apple 1 clone made with permission from Steve Wozniak that
people can build from a kit. It is an 8 bit microcomputer with Apple Integer
BASIC and optional casette tape interface.

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kyllikki
I enjoyed building this computer a lot. But Ben has not yet done a schematic
set. so I made my own in kicad and published them
[https://github.com/kyllikki/eda-designs/tree/master/SAP-
BE](https://github.com/kyllikki/eda-designs/tree/master/SAP-BE)

The PDF is also there if you do not want to install kicad

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GmeSalazar
I highly recommend Ben Eater's YouTube channel; great video tutorials. He
manages to cover a lot in short videos. (Also, consider supporting him on
Patreon :)

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dagss
This would have been so cool as a book! (Any recommendations?) I lack the
patience to watch YouTube videos though...

~~~
zerd
There's the From Nand to Tetris [1] course which has a book. It skips a few
steps though. I love Ben Eater's series because it is so thorough. Whenever
I'm like "how did x work again" he explains it in detail. If you know most of
it by heart it will be slow since it's meant to be able to follow with fairly
little prior knowledge of digital electronics.

[1] [http://nand2tetris.org](http://nand2tetris.org)

~~~
vram22
With fairly little, or even with none?

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madez
This is a great step for trusted computing for individuals.

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jacquesm
two months ago on HN:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14450945](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14450945)

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throwaway7645
When I saw he wrote his own Assembly language for it...I was then all chips
in!

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bsaul
i'd love to see a real "from scratch", that is building your own electronical
components ( or something that substitutes, such as the lamp or anything else
they used back in the time).

~~~
Koshkin
Not sure about home-made integrated circuits or even transistors, but one can
definitely make an electronic tube, as shown in this cool video:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzyXMEpq4qw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzyXMEpq4qw).

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peter_retief
I love what you have done here, I cant wait to get some time to try out your
"instructions"

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aifreedom
I built something like this with the 74 series IC chips when I was in college.
It was really fun!

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DesiLurker
Ah.. this brings back memories. 7400 nand TTL chip with Low power schotky
transistors.

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anon4728
Earlier today I looked up that the fastest 74-series are the TI 74AUC line.

Add some nixie tubes, and you have a steampunk wet dream.

Find ye parts:

[http://octopart.com](http://octopart.com)
[http://findchips.com](http://findchips.com)

