I have huge admiration for people who build their own microcomputer using a microprocessor. So imagine the admiration I have for people who build a computer WITHOUT using a microprocessor!

One such guy is Ben Eater.

He has a series of videos on YouTube which show how to build an 8-bit computer on breadboards using TTL logic! The videos cover everything from building the clock, to registers, to the Program Counter, to RAM, to the ALU, etc.

It is really cool and he explains it all very clearly. So if you want to understand how computers work at a very low level, I can’t think of a better resource.

Here is a link to his YouTube channel.

He also has videos which explain lower-level concepts, such as how diodes and transistors work, and how they can be used to build “gates”, etc. work. He explains everything very slowly and calmly. Here is a link to his video on “How Semiconductors Work“. I can honestly say that nothing has helped me to understand this topic as well as this video did.

My hat is off to you, Mr Eater!

And here is a video where the man himself is interviewed: