- Large-scale cardboard ENIAC replica recreates historic computer layout using thousands of handmade parts
- Teacher credits dyscalculia-driven spatial reasoning as key factor in engineering massive classroom builds
- 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 a classroom space in Arizona, built almost entirely from cardboard and wood by students working under a teacher who credits his own dyscalculia (the math equivalent of dyslexia) for shaping how he engineers.
The life-size recreation of ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), widely regarded as the world’s first general-purpose programmable electronic computer, stretches across hundreds of square feet and mirrors the layout of the original machine that once weighed about 30 short tons.
Students at PS Academy in Arizona spent nearly six months assembling the structure, producing around 22,000 custom parts and joining them using roughly 1,600 hot glue sticks, according to I Programmer.
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Experience, scale, and structure of ENIAC
Instead of steel cabinets packed with wiring and electronics, the replica uses layered cardboard panels with LED lighting to simulate the appearance 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 students and the public can understand what early computing really looked like and what it demanded of the people who built and operated it," he said.
Every major unit found in the original system, including accumulators, function tables, and the master programmer, appears in the correct physical position, matching historical 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 spent building robots and running his own robotics company before turning toward education after the business closed during the financial crisis of the late 2000s, according to IEEE Spectrum.
He said his own dyscalculia shaped the way he approaches engineering 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 completed replica includes 18,000 simulated vacuum tubes and multiple function tables arranged in the same U-shaped configuration used by the original machine.
By the time construction finished, 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, which meant most people would never see the machine assembled in full form again.
Rebuilding it at full scale offered students a way to engage with computing history physically rather than through textbooks or diagrams alone.
IEEE Spectrum notes that previous projects led by Burick include an 8-foot-long drivable Cybertruck replica, and future plans could involve recreating hardware connected to NASA’s Artemis missions, something I'd love to see.
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