A place to learn about coding, making things, and stuff that strikes my fancy.
So, as promised, about a month later, the second video in my series of videos explaining how computers work from the ground up. And I mean truly, the ground up; on a breadboard next to me I have a working 1-bit adder circuit made entirely out of 10KΩ resistors, 2N3904 transistors, a few LEDs and... Continue Reading →
Of course one of the purposes of the "Introduction to Digital Computers" video series is to create a series of videos which describe how computers work from a transistor level--and starting with NPN transistors so in theory you could build this yourself. Because the idea is that I want computers not to be this strange... Continue Reading →
We've been having problems with our Internet connection, and I also maintain an e-commerce web site which I'd like to make sure is working correctly. This quick little hack uses the following parts to periodically check that your web site is running: Arduino-compatible Adafruit Metro 328 Ethernet Shield for Arduino 9 VDC power adapter Arduino-compatible... Continue Reading →
So one downside of the superglue arbor is that you really need to clean up the end of the arbor holding your gear--and you need to apply enough glue to get the gear to stick to the arbor. More than once today I had wheels fall off the arbor--and that led to... well, complications. I... Continue Reading →
So I drew and cut out several blanks from the 1/8th inch aluminum (and I confess I had to do this several times, by the last blank I was very close to the line) using a scroll saw and a jeweler's blade. I then perfected them on the Sherline Lathe to the correct diameter of... Continue Reading →
First, let me observe that I'm fascinated by all things which calculate. That means computers, of course--from a desktop computer to mobile devices to Arduinos and other 8-bit computers. But that also means wiring transistors which can calculate things, and that means mechanical calculators: Orreries, Tellurions, mechanical adders--all of these things fascinate me as well.... Continue Reading →
Here's the thing. I started with NPN transistors because my intent is not to start with some sort of weird theoretical "see these diagrams, that's why it works" nonsense. I think one thing that is sorely missing from computer science is the hands-on part: the part where you actually touch something tangible and see it... Continue Reading →
I did some minor tweaks and reshot the opening sequence. This first in a series of videos will attempt, over the next few months, illustrate the design of a basic 8-bit computer built from transistors on up. The entire series can be found on YouTube, and linked to the new Videos section of this blog.... Continue Reading →
Okay, I confess I've left the gear cutting stuff on the back burner while I recover from a bug I picked up while in Mexico. During my spare time I've been working towards a series of videos which I hope to post on this site that discuss various topics in computer science. The goal of... Continue Reading →
