Man builds giant computer at home

1 min read Original article ↗

For many tech companies the race is on to build ever smaller computer processors, but one British man has gone in the opposite direction.

James Newman is building a 14m (45ft) computer processor in the lounge of his bungalow in Cambridge.

Mr Newman's 16-bit "mega processor", external will contain 14,000 individual transistors and 3,500 LED Lights.

So far the project had taken him three years and cost about £20,000, he told the BBC.

Mr Newman said he hoped it would have educational value but it would be hard to transport as it was likely to weigh about half a tonne once finished.

Bits of the processor light up as they operate, but other than that the entire machine operates just the same as a standard chip-sized microprocessor found in all computers.

"I was taken with the idea of being able to see how the thing works," Mr Newman, a digital electronics engineer, said.

"I have a visual way of thinking about things, I wanted to be able to see how a computer works and how things flow around within it.

"I intended it as a learning exercise, and I have learned a lot."