In April 2003 the Computer Museum received a long awaited book called "How to build a Digital Computer" by Edward Alcosser, James P. Phillips and Allen M. Wolk. The book was published in 1967. It describes how to build a digital computer with items one can find around the house. It is an amazing book. The result is the so called "Paperclip Computer", which is mentioned on the "Blinkenlights" website.

There is a really neat article about the Paperclip Computer on the web:
http://www.apparent-wind.com/mbr/emmerack.html

The Computer Museum Of Nova Scotia is attempting to (re)construct this "Paperclip Computer" within the next year or so. (If time is on our side :) The Progress of the project will be published here on the web. In the process I want to stay as close to the book as possible. I hope all the parts described in the book are still available.

Here the progress in diary form:

4/23/2003: The Book ""How to build a Digital Computer" by Edward Alcosser, James P. Phillips and Allen M. Wolk arrives in the mail. I bought the book for $60 on ebay. Expensive, but worth every penny to me.

4/25/2003: I start to gather all the parts. Unfortunately our little town is a place where you only can get a few parts at a time. Iwill write more when I have everything together.

4/28/2003: I estimate the price for the parts to build the computer to be around $300. In 1972 the parts where around $150. I will give the final numbers when I have everything together.

4/30/2003: I started to cut out the wooden panels for the computer. Pictures will follow soon.