- Large-scale cardboard ENIAC replica recreates historic computer layout using thousands of hand-crafted parts
- Teacher Recognizes Dyscalculia-Driven Spatial Reasoning as Key Factor in Construction of Massive Classroom Buildings
- Students construct nearly 300 square meters of cardboard structure matching original computer dimensions
A full-scale replica of one of the earliest programmable digital computers now fills an Arizona classroom, built almost entirely out of cardboard and wood by students working under a teacher who credits his own dyscalculia (the mathematical equivalent of dyslexia) for shaping how he develops.
Widely considered to be the world’s first programmable general purpose electronic computer, the natural recreation of ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) spans hundreds of square meters and reflects the layout of the original machine that once weighed around 30 short tons.
Students at PS Academy in Arizona spent nearly six months assembling the structure, producing about 22,000 custom parts and joining them using about 1,600 hot glue sticks, according to In programmer.
The article continues below
Experience, scale and structure of ENIAC
Instead of steel cabinets filled with wires and electronics, the replica uses layered cardboard panels with LED lighting to simulate the look of the original units.
Technology instructor Tom Burick said the project focused on recreating the physical experience of the machine rather than making it run.
“This project was never intended to recreate a working ENIAC. It was designed to recreate the experience, scale and structure of ENIAC – so that students and the public can understand what early computing really looked like and what it required of the people who built and operated it,” he said.
Every major device found in the original system, including accumulators, function tables, and the master programmer, is shown in the correct physical position and matches historic layouts as closely as possible.
Students worked from original patent drawings, military documentation and detailed photographs, while also communicating with historians and museum staff to verify accuracy.
Burick’s path into teaching followed years of building robots and running his own robotics business before turning to education after the company closed during the financial crisis of the late 2000s, according to IEEE spectrum.
He said his own dyscalculia shaped the way he approaches technical challenges, forcing him to develop alternative ways of solving technical problems.
“People tell you what it takes, but they never tell you what it gives,” Burick said. “To me, [it] has always been a superpower.”
The finished replica includes 18,000 simulated vacuum tubes and multiple function tables arranged in the same U-shaped configuration used by the original machine.
When construction was complete, the scale of the project left the classroom filled wall-to-wall with towering panels that recreate how early computing environments once appeared.
The ENIAC system itself was dismantled decades ago, leaving only scattered sections preserved in museums, meaning most people would never see the machine assembled in full form again.
Rebuilding it at full scale gave students a way to engage with computer history physically rather than through textbooks or diagrams alone.
IEEE spectrum notes that past projects led by Burick include an 8-foot drivable Cybertruck replica, and future plans may involve recreating hardware associated with NASA’s Artemis missions, something I’d love to see.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds.
