The Amp Hour

An Interview with Ben Eater


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Welcome, Ben Eater! You may know Ben from his YouTube videos showing how to build a breadboard 8 bit computer

  • Ben's background is in software/networking
    • 0h 0m 33s
    • He has been an electronics hobbyist for a long time
      • 0h 1m 21s
      • Digital electronics - Albert Paul Malvino
        • 0h 3m 0s
        • The 8 bit computer started for a hackathon
          • 0h 3m 54s
          • Bottom up learning
            • 0h 12m 59s
            • We depend upon abstractions
              • 0h 15m 19s
              • We have leaky abstractions
                • 0h 15m 36s
                • Micro instruction
                  • 0h 17m 54s
                  • 16B of memory
                    • 0h 18m 25s
                    • Instruction or data
                      • 0h 18m 33s
                      • Program with dip switches
                        • 0h 18m 41s
                        • Program in and then switch into run mode
                          • 0h 19m 17s
                          • 4 registers
                            • 0h 21m 37s
                            • ALU
                              • 0h 23m 24s
                              • Output register
                                • 0h 23m 26s
                                • Can go a couple hundred hertz
                                  • 0h 24m 26s
                                  • Instructions and microinstructions
                                    • 0h 25m 50s
                                    • Combinationatorial logic circuit
                                      • 0h 28m 0s
                                      • Control word
                                        • 0h 28m 7s
                                        • Assembly programming and register model
                                          • 0h 32m 46s
                                          • Optimizations
                                            • 0h 33m 39s
                                            • every instruction takes 6 clock cycles
                                              • 0h 34m 24s
                                              • What does the community look like?
                                                • 0h 35m 6s
                                                • 14 breadboards
                                                  • 0h 36m 5s
                                                  • Accessibility
                                                    • 0h 36m 55s
                                                    • Using TTL logic chips
                                                      • 0h 37m 30s
                                                      • Can stick an LED on an LS output
                                                        • 0h 37m 47s
                                                        • The community is mostly on the subreddit /r/beneater
                                                          • 0h 39m 37s
                                                          • Ben is now selling a kit
                                                            • 0h 39m 43sTTL
                                                            • Comes with the LS chips
                                                              • 0h 41m 1s
                                                              • Seeing how people struggle
                                                                • 0h 44m 21s
                                                                • microcosm of the education system
                                                                  • 0h 45m 44s
                                                                  • Extrinsic motivation
                                                                    • 0h 47m 43s
                                                                    • Dopamine loops
                                                                      • 0h 48m 7s
                                                                      • Ben previously worked at Khan Academy (KA)
                                                                        • 0h 48m 35s
                                                                        • In his student days he didn't like math
                                                                          • 0h 50m 48s
                                                                          • Stumbled on a bug when checking out KA.
                                                                            • 0h 51m 44s
                                                                            • Volunteered time to KA.
                                                                              • 0h 52m 3s
                                                                              • Hired on in 2011
                                                                                • 0h 55m 19s
                                                                                • They are a non-profit tech company
                                                                                  • 0h 57m 37s
                                                                                  • Taught classes in the networking space
                                                                                    • 0h 59m 7s
                                                                                    • Books on education
                                                                                      • 1h 1m 16s
                                                                                      • Mindstorms by Seymour Papert
                                                                                        • 1h 1m 45s
                                                                                        • Logo programming language
                                                                                          • 1h 2m 31s
                                                                                          • Turtle
                                                                                            • 1h 2m 49s
                                                                                            • Mindset by Carol Dweck
                                                                                                • 1h 6m 4s
                                                                                                • Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset
                                                                                                  • 1h 6m 34s
                                                                                                  • Metacognition at Khan
                                                                                                    • 1h 8m 6s
                                                                                                    • Game designers have figured this out
                                                                                                      • 1h 9m 8s
                                                                                                      • Mario level 1
                                                                                                        • 1h 9m 28s
                                                                                                        • RSA animate of Dan Pink
                                                                                                          • 1h 13m 33s
                                                                                                          • Mastery Autonomy Purpose
                                                                                                            • 1h 15m 15s
                                                                                                            • Making more videos, there is a newer one about CRCs
                                                                                                              • 1h 19m 28s
                                                                                                              • Find Ben on Reddit, YouTube, or Twitter
                                                                                                                • 1h 20m 38s
                                                                                                                • ...more
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                                                                                                                  The Amp HourBy The Amp Hour (Chris Gammell and David L Jones)

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