In 1965, when I was 12 years old, I received a Digi-Comp I for Christmas from my parents. It was a perfect gift for a kid interested in “computers”. I learned Boolean logic, octal, hex, and binary number systems, and some programming skills. I'm not saying that was the only reason I ended up studying computer science and having a nice career writing software, but it was certainly a contributing factor.
So, flash forward to the spring of 2018. I was thinking about getting a 3D printer. While I was considering that, I discovered a Yahoo group called “Friends of Digi-Comp.” It had people like me that owned one of these little toy computers in the 60s and, like me, for many of them, it affected their lives. They went on to have careers in engineering and computer science, and so on. One of the things I discovered in that group was that someone had created STL files for the Digi-Comp I making it possible to reproduce one with a 3D printer.
That discovery is not the only reason I bought a 3D printer, but it was a big reason. So after I printed a Benchy and a whistle, I printed the Digi-Comp I reproduction, modeled by Mark Ziemer. He did a wonderful job. In fact, he ended up having to put watermarks on the parts so that people wouldn’t sell them on eBay and make a profit.
My original Digi-Comp I was lost to the ravages of time, but now I have a perfectly good replacement. I realized once I had it together and working, that there was a real connection with that 12-year-old me. I think a big reason was that I was employing multiple senses: touch, sound, and sight. It was being able to physically manipulate the “clock” lever and hear the flip-flops clicking as they went from one state to another. It was visceral. It was a pretty amazing feeling.
The whole process of resurrecting this almost 60 year old toy was so satisfying that I started looking online for similar 60s era reproductions but could not find any. I was new to the 3D printing game and to making physical objects in general (software guy remember), but decided that these vintage marvels deserved to live again. For me then the journey was just beginning.
