Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Build Your Own Apollo Guidance Computer

Posted by michael on from the some-assembly-required dept.

PingXao writes "Well, if you can't exactly give the Moon you can give the gift of a computer to get you there. Almost a year ago this Slashdot story about the Apollo 11 Guidance Computer referenced a pretty cool Dr. Dobbs Journal article from their History of Computing series. Now there's this guy who built one in his basement! It took him 4 years, $2,980 in cash, 2,500 hours of labor and 15,000 hand-wrapped wire connections with 3,500 feet of wire to build. It might be next Christmas before you could build one of your own to give as a gift, but he promises you can build your own for less and it will be better than his. The perfect gift for the space geek who has everything. This guy is my hero."

2 of 218 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Your Palm Pilot is not radiation hardened. by iamnotacrook · · Score: 0, Troll

    You supply no references and expect us to believe you? Tell the name of the company and the straight guys you know. And Geiger counters have additional means for scaling as you well know.

  2. Re:Your Palm Pilot is not radiation hardened. by iamnotacrook · · Score: 0, Troll
    Your company doesnt not exist in google. I will give you the benefit of the doubt that they dont have a website.

    My credentials are that I am a Java programmer and am also studying accounting. Maybe this can't compare to you but I am sorry, I am trying hard.