We Built Our Own Computers

First published in 1966, We Built our own Computers was written to share the skill and enthusiasm of the students with others. At the time of original publication there were already many popular books on the new field of computing, as well as what were highly technical books on the subject. This was, however, the first in which students sought to put on record what they had gained from experimenting with the construction of simple circuits to simulate computers, in the hope that it would make the going easier, whilst equally exciting, for others. The theory is explained in simple terms, and details of circuits are given in a form which the authors believe their contemporaries will be able to understand. This was an introduction to designing and building simple computers for those who wished to learn about the subject in practical terms.

1. A matchbox computer; 2. Symbolic logic; 3. ELCE - a logical computer; 4. Binary arithmetic and electrical circuits; 5. A binary adder; 6. The minitron; 7. JACKIE - an arithmetical computer; 8. A noughts and crosses machine; 9. Analogue computing; 10. Programming; Index.