Building a Breadboard Computer
One of my best friends was there when it all started and has instigated the idea for this project — somehow I had gotten the idea in my head to develop an operating system from scratch and he suggested a build my first operating system on a homemade computer "to make things easier". Valentin, you absolute brilliant nerd, you're making me do more work! Not that I can complain about it, because it is super interesting and I want to know all the things. Almost as if he knows how to push my buttons.
However, there are ways to limit to complexity ever so slightly, and one of the ways is by limiting the hardware. The easiest of all, limiting the Processor. By using an 8-bit CPU, I'm limited to 8-bit capabilities. It gives me a little playground to test and practice my code before.. I don't know, throwing it out there in the wild. Building in Operating System is not an easy task by any means, but giving myself a limited workspace should help to contain things a little bit.
Oh, and Bug? Yeah, he will multiply like crazy during this project and the OS project, that is as certain as a human breathing oxygen.
Of course, this project is the least easy way of building a computer. What's the fun in buying full fletched computer parts and sticking them together? No, no, no, no, no, we're going to do this the hard way: chip by chip, wire by wire, building an 8-bit computer on breadboards.
A Full Computer on a Breadboard?!
For those who know me personally, it probably doesn't come as a surprise that I like to take on these slightly mad projects — diving head first into these unknown and complex technical situations is where I thrive, and this project will likely be no different. Even though Valentin suggested this project somewhat jokingly, he knew full well that I would run away with it as fast as my little legs could carry me. I like to gain an understanding of how things work from the bottom up, especially when I already have a vague top-down idea due to my experience with the subject. I think, if you know how something works on the inside, you can better create things to work with the thing, rather than against it. Furthermore, it makes it easier to debug problems, because it gives you an idea of where a problem might have occurred. It's the same in my job, whenever I'm hunting down a particular bug and you see me running through an IT landscape, trying to find the root cause of the problem. So, why not do something similar with a computer? <An Image of a Breadboard will appear here sometime soon(tm)!>Bug? Where are you Hiding?
Aside from understanding how a computer works on the lowest level, building this computer will serve another purpose. As I said before, I want to develop an operating system. Current hardware is.. complicated, let's leave it at that. You need to be a specialist to make something useful and working. I, on the other hand, am far from a specialist; I am a baby when it comes to this.So, am I an insane person to take on this challenge with my very limited knowledge?
Why yes, yes I am.
Why yes, yes I am.
Project Code Name
Chips
Wires
Resistors
Capacitors
Breadboards
Major Tasks
Building a CPU Clock
Building the Computer
Write some Assembly
Scream and Cry
Write some more Assembly
Have Fun!
Related Project
Itchy Chips
Processor Major InspirationIf you want to do this project yourself, definitely look at my inspiration and guide Ben Eater who has all this covered with fantastic explanations!
Main ComponentsBelow, you will find the articles I've written on this project so far.
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