Building an 8-Bit Computer from Scratch
Have you ever wondered what actually happens inside a computer when you run a program? Most of us interact with sleek, modern devices daily, but few truly understand what’s going on under the hood. Our research sets out to change that – at least for a small group of curious students.
We designed a hands-on workshop centered around our 8-bit computer learning kit that participants build from the ground up. It’s a breadboard-based kit, complete with chips, wires, resistors, and capacitors, plus a step-by-step manual that guides learners through the process of constructing a fully working computer. This isn’t a Raspberry Pi or an Arduino. There’s no operating system, no screen, no abstraction. Just raw electronics and logic. And that’s exactly the point.
The Research Goal
The aim of this paper is to evaluate the didactic effectiveness of this kit: Can students really learn how computers work by building one themselves? Does physical, hands-on interaction with digital components enhance understanding compared to traditional theoretical courses? To answer these questions, we ran a multi-week workshop with participants of varying technical backgrounds. After each module, students completed short quizzes designed to measure knowledge retention and conceptual clarity.
What Makes Assemlab Special?
There are plenty of educational kits out there, but most either oversimplify the process or hide too much of the underlying logic. Assemlab is different. It walks you through the foundational modules of a classic CPU: the clock, registers, ALU, RAM, instruction set, and control logic. Step by step, students build each component and understand how they interact. For example, they don’t just use a 555 timer — they learn how it works internally. They don’t just see data move on an LED bar – they first have to setup the control flags themselves.
The manual accompanying the kit is designed to be accessible yet thorough. I used analogies, visual diagrams, and a friendly, approachable tone to ensure even students with only basic electronics knowledge can follow along.
It was inspired by LEGO manuals, by introducing small incremental advancements in each step, without overwhelming the user
Key Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, participants can:
- Identify and use key electronic components
- Understand Boolean logic and how it drives computation
- Grasp the role of each CPU component and how data flows between them
- Write and manually execute a program using binary instruction codes
- See what Turing-completeness means in practice
And perhaps most importantly: they leave with a sense of awe and confidence. Because they didn’t just learn how computers work. They built one.