For this project, you will show that you can make a computer by liberating it from its box. The most crude form of the wooden computer is what is made by slapping together the parts and hooking them together. While this may be functional, it lacks aesthetics, and having an extraordinarily temporary assembly will lead to troubles as time goes by. What we will be making is a computer that is easy to maintain, upgrade and build.

The box does not have to matter!

For this project, you should do the following:

Keep a daily written log of your efforts, it can be handwritten, then later typed onto the computer
Make some drawings showing what you want your layout to be
Digitize the drawings by photographing or scanning them
Make layout drawings that accurately show the sizes and relationships of the parts
You may want to use loose parts and move them around the board to see how they will fit.
Plan out how you will assemble the components
Gather the components and put them on the board (check with your teacher on parts sources)
Secure the parts of the computer to the base with care and attention to detail
Parts should be grounded when appropriate
Parts should be separated from the wooden board when appropriate
Make the computer work, load an operating system
Use the computer to do diagnostic work on parts or for other tasks

Below are some photos that show the spirit of the project:

Spring 2007 photos - http://flickr.com/photos/connors934/sets/72157600032577564/

Below each photo is a link to the picture page on flickr. Some of them have notes.

http://flickr.com/photos/connors934/344804635/

http://flickr.com/photos/connors934/344808770/