Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/02/04/766826.html
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Can anybody here recommend a resource for learning about how to build a Turing-complete computer starting with basic NOT/AND or NOT/OR logic gates?
I have found this and it seems pretty good, but something even a little more summarized and less practically-oriented would suit my purposes well:
Web-based resources would be great as well as books. 
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That looks like a good general overview of computer architecture. There are plenty of CS text books, but from what I’ve seen they’re (like a lot of text books) poorly written and edited. They go into more detail and drill into individual topics rather than a general survey as that book appears to be, but without a classroom to guide you through lectures and discussion sections, I wouldn’t recommend starting with them. I’d start with that one you linked to instead.
I will recommend this book as an overview of programming.
But before you begin either book, to get the most out of them, I’d learn the basics of an object-oriented programming language such as Python, Java or C++ if you’re not already familiar with one, as it will make both subjects easier to grasp.
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Appreciate the tip! Goal is to learn more about how basic Boolean logic gates can be assembled into a computationally complete system, vs learning a skill like programming.
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I know what you need: Turing Tumble!
It’s a ‘board game’, where you can assemble logic gates on a peg board and demonstrate how to string them together to compute something. Very hands on!
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Oh I love it, thanks! 
You might want to look into Redstone computers in Minecraft. They are built from basic logic gates and have been scaled up to quite large contraptions. It’s a bit goofy looking but the logic is exactly the same.
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For me as a kid it was transistors → gates-> flip flop → counters → comparator (gates again) and we’re off.
It was the flip-flop’s ability to retain state and then have that compared, and the counter’s ability to sequence operations that was my 
moment.
Clearly, there are other approaches, and this one is way over-wired, however…
It was that sequence of devices, which I could build from transistors at home and cheap 74xx series chips, which was the germ of my understanding.
Having a Dad who had programmed the CDC-6600 at AECL in Chalk River, and who managed a “straight-8” transistor-based PDP-8 as well, was a big help too…
(Edit:) And having, in Grade 6 
a school library with The Scientific American Book of Projects for the Amateur Scientist (oooh… PDF here…) which had some computer projects to get me thinking (as well as how-to’s for a home made atom-smasher and X-ray machine).
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I used Digital Circuit Design by Niklaus Wirth to learn how to do this. I found it very simple and approachable, so it might be what you are looking for.
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This is a really cool project; I’m sure you’ll enjoy it a lot. I built one in a class in college 20 years ago. It’s really worthwhile because you really learn how a CPU works when you have to build it from scratch!
We started with smaller projects like counters and adding devices, then went on to a full 4-bit computer. Honestly, if you have the time and the interest, doing this may help you understand it better too!
I couldn’t find any good books on Amazon, which surprised me. I did find a blog article about it on the EE Website, I put the link below.
Good Luck! This is going to be so much fun for you!
https://www.eeweb.com/profile/max-maxfield/articles/building-a-4-bit-computer-from-the-ground-up
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Really appreciate all the great tips, folks! It will help me tremendously in further developing my theory that the multiverse is a self-programming computer. 
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