Homebuilt machines

Homebuilt computers have been built at home for a long time, starting with the Victorian era pioneer Charles Babbage in the 1820s.

A century later, Konrad Zuse built his own machine when electromechanical relay technology was widely available.

The hobby took off with the early development of microprocessors and, since then, many enthusiasts have constructed their own computers.

[1] These machines may be constructed "from scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.

Outside of the United States (for example in Russia) people wishing to build such complex machinery often have no professional networks to rely on for spare parts, plans, or advice in the matter and therefore have to rely on their ingenuity and intuition in order to build a machine that works.