Internet Goes Wild After Man Builds Fully Functional 8-Bit Computer Entirely Out Of K’Nex

A man has gone viral after building a fully functional 8-bit computer out of K’Nex.

In a video that has now amassed over 112,000 views, Kyle, known online as Shadowman39, debuted the Arithmetic and Logic Unit, or ALU, and showed how it processes and computes information in 8-bit binary.

Now, in an exclusive interview with Bored Panda, the enthusiast has provided detailed insight into the computer’s construction and the future of the project.

The computer can add numbers from 0 to 255

As an 8-bit computer, Kyle’s invention processes information in strings of eight binary values. Digitally, this means a 1 or a 0, but in this case, a pulled-out K’Nex rod is a 1, while a pushed-in rod is a 0.

In other words, eight pulled-out rods is the equivalent of 11111111, or 255 in decimal notation.