Retired man turns spare room into Soviet-era supercomputer

A retired UK man named "Mike" has transformed a spare room into a functioning Soviet-era supercomputer, using 75-year-old recycled components. His creation primarily consists of 460 recycled 6N3P vacuum tubes, which were common in their time and readily available online. The tubes, many of which have been used and stored for over 50 years, present a challenge due to their unknown current condition and manufacturing inconsistencies.

Mike built a test rig to find a range of component values that work effectively, as the theory often does not match the actual practice. The computer, with its 920 thermionic triodes, uses heat to release electrons for computing tasks. It includes a control console that Mike admits is "far too simple" and requires a redesign to better handle logic level variations.

The system takes 10-15 minutes to stabilize when powered on, resulting in a "warm and cozy computer room." Mike's computer can perform 16-bit math and other tasks using limited 16 instructions on a 4-bit instruction register. He has it configured to output a 64-bit Fibonacci sequence and plans to use it for a simple flight simulator once its I/O system is finished.

His fascination with tube computers is described as an "addiction," with this being his third such system since 2021. Mike emphasizes the importance of a fire extinguisher due to the heat generated by the tubes. He describes his creation as one of the few computers requiring both a small tweak and a big step ladder for maintenance.