Want to know how a CPU really works? Here is how to take a walk inside one.

Consumer electronics, from laptops to mobile phones, are powered by microprocessors that shrink in size at a yearly cadence, to fit the minimalist requirements of a technology that we can access on our wrists, in our pockets, and on our laps. Most consumers have no clue how a CPU works, and it’s perfectly fine, as long as our calendars keep us on tracks, emails are received, and facebook posts are sent, all within the span of a Skype call.

With that said, some may wonder just what makes a CPU tick (and quite literally “tock“). Up until four years ago, getting a close glance at a microprocessor at work would have required a high-powered electronic microscope, and even then, all the little processes and passage of information from one termination to the next, would be invisible anyway, as electricity is not a visible thing, much like energy, is only apparent when it triggers an effect in other elements around it, like causing a combustible material to catch fire, or a igniting the phosphors inside a CFL lightbulb.

Four years ago, James Newman, an engineer from Cambridge (UK), began working on a computer processor the size of a living room, in which one could literally walk in, and watch as the processor executes commands, with a live feed provided by LED lights, which tells observers what components of the CPU are active, in real time.

Newman’s “Megaprocessor” runs at about 10kHz, which may just be powerful enough to play Tetris, and few other simple computational tasks, so don’t expect it to power a 129-foot iPad Pro anytime soon, but it does provide a good illustration of what happens in many other miniaturized chips powering consumer smartphones and laptops, which is extremely educational for aspiring engineers and programmers.

Creating the Megaprocessor set Newman back over $51,000, but the value of being able to interact and learn from it, is priceless, and makes those with an interest in understanding the inner workings of microprocessors, appreciate the work behind the development of smaller, faster and increasingly powerful CPUs, as well as the cost necessary to manufacture them.

Those fortunate enough to be in Cambridge England this weekend, Saturday July 9th, the Megaprocessor can be visited, during Newman’s Open Day, from 1:00pm to 7:00pm