Recently, a netizen named Mike unveiled his self-made vacuum tube-powered 8-bit computer, dubbed 'The Tube Computer (MK3),' on the Hackaday platform. This device incorporates 460 6N3P dual triodes, which were manufactured in the Soviet Union during the 1950s. It also uses germanium diodes from the same period to construct computational logic, effectively recreating computing forms from the Cold War era. The MK3 is enormous, taking up an entire wall. Before it can be operated, it requires a warm-up period of 10 to 15 minutes, and all electron tubes need to be manually reset. Owing to its purely analog circuitry, it generates a substantial amount of heat during operation. As a result, a fire extinguisher must be kept nearby to mitigate the risks of short circuits. Moreover, the device is prone to a high failure rate, with electron tubes having a lifespan of only approximately 500 hours, leading to high maintenance costs. Currently, it is capable of executing only basic logical instructions and is not suitable for productivity tasks.
