James Newman has successfully built an enormous computer in the living room of his bungalow in Cambridge. Called the “Megaprocessor,” it has taken him nearly four years and £40,000 to complete this 33ft (10m) wide and 6ft (2m) high behemoth!
Watch James give a full tour of the Megaprocessor!
The computer is essentially a microprocessor blown up thousands of times to the size of an entire room – containing 10,000 LED lights, 40,000 transistors and weighing in at a whopping half a tonne.
And what’s he done so far? Well, he’s managed to play Tetris on this beast, albeit with great difficulty… It is a beast of a computer after all.
Beyond this use, James believes he has built an incredible educational tool – using the massively expanded electronics for a closer look at the inner workings. Each component on this huge device lights up as it carries out a task, demonstrating the fundamentals of computing.
So far, he’s planned a few open days for people to come along and check it out. In fact, we’ll be popping along and filming a live stream on our Facebook page, so tune in on Saturday 16th July!
Alongside the scientists, 50% of the British public and the future health of young people across the nation, I have one simple request: delay Freedom Day, please.