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Homebrew 8-Bit Computer Packs in 16 Cores, Multitasks Like a Champ

Posted June 25, 2013 10:25 AM

From Engadget RSS Feed:

It looks like Jake Eisenmann has done it again. A couple of years after the hobbyist hacker built his first 8-bit computer, he's cobbled together yet another one, but this time with a whopping 16 cores. Appropriately dubbed the DUO Mega, the multicore wonder is made with 16 ATMega328p microcontrollers, each connected to an 8-bit data bus and designed to interpret a custom bytecode that runs the software. Compiled inside a nondescript plastic bin, the machine is also comprised of 16MHz crystal oscillators attached to each of the aforementioned cores, three Arduino UNO boards, 32kb of SRAM, 512kb of flash memory, eight breadboards, an Ethernet shield, a VGA out port and a multitude of components that combine to look like that mess of wires seen above. Because of all that processing power, this relatively primitive machine multitasks beautifully and can perform complicated calculations at an impressive clip.

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Guru

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#1

Re: Homebrew 8-Bit Computer Packs in 16 Cores, Multitasks Like a Champ

06/25/2013 3:08 PM

This must make people who strap together LED arrays feel all giddy inside!

A 16 core 8-bit processor...

My old VAX 11/780 is looking for a mate

...but this one appears to be too immature.

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#2

Re: Homebrew 8-Bit Computer Packs in 16 Cores, Multitasks Like a Champ

06/25/2013 8:14 PM

I'm not sure how to take this article. One part of me wants to claim that this is a late April Fool's joke. Another part of me wants to claim the reporter cannot explain why this should properly be considered news worthy in an engineering news feed. Another part of me believes the reporter wouldn't know a good engineering feed story if it bit them on the...

As I said, I'm not sure how to take this article.

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#3

Re: Homebrew 8-Bit Computer Packs in 16 Cores, Multitasks Like a Champ

06/26/2013 2:29 AM

Multicore on a breadboard for speed?!?

Not on your life!

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#4

Re: Homebrew 8-Bit Computer Packs in 16 Cores, Multitasks Like a Champ

06/26/2013 12:22 PM

They still make 8-bit processors?

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Guru

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#5
In reply to #4

Re: Homebrew 8-Bit Computer Packs in 16 Cores, Multitasks Like a Champ

06/26/2013 8:00 PM

Atmel...atmega328, individual pins programable as bit in, bit out, analog in, analog out, pwm out...programs in a subset of 'c' and can be used with as little as a battery and a couple of wires...makes a good controller for a quadrotor drone. YUP, they still make 8 bit processors, and you would not believe what you can do with them.

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Commentator

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#6
In reply to #4

Re: Homebrew 8-Bit Computer Packs in 16 Cores, Multitasks Like a Champ

06/27/2013 8:14 AM

Time for you Ladies and Gentlemen appreciate what you can buy with a good old fashioned American C-Note...

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/adapteva/parallella-a-supercomputer-for-everyone

While I know this is not 8-bit, it still represents a great deal of power for under $100. This type of accessible power coupled with software for image processing, dynamic stabalization, etc. will make for some very interesting "backyard" projects. Stay tuned...

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