Search found 487 matches
- Mon Jun 08, 2020 5:28 pm
- Forum: other vintage hardware, software and languages
- Topic: Poly microcomputer.
- Replies: 3
- Views: 558
Re: Poly microcomputer.
Popular with pirates, by any chance?
- Tue May 19, 2020 11:56 am
- Forum: general
- Topic: Today I received.....
- Replies: 6092
- Views: 679001
Re: Today I received.....
I was looking for instructions for doing that to the cost reduced motherboard but haven’t found any yet. The main problem for me would be making the cable - not my skill set. I did see someone used to sell a plug and play mod with a cable (http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?81700-VIC20-VC20-Plug-...
- Tue May 19, 2020 12:51 am
- Forum: general
- Topic: Today I received.....
- Replies: 6092
- Views: 679001
Re: Today I received.....
Is there any other sort? Don’t know why I have such a soft spot for these.
If you haven’t tried it already, the s-video mod works really nicely.
- Fri May 15, 2020 6:15 pm
- Forum: 8-bit acorn hardware
- Topic: Someone's pinched my econet! (Not Mine Any More!)
- Replies: 30
- Views: 2026
Re: Someone's pinched my econet!
I’ve picked up a few boards like that. It seems to be pretty random which chips are fitted, whether they’re soldered or socketed, or whether other blank spaces have empty sockets. Never any resistors etc fitted. Almost as if the factory started making econet-capable boards but changed their minds pa...
- Wed May 13, 2020 8:02 pm
- Forum: 8-bit acorn hardware
- Topic: All the cheese wedges, in order
- Replies: 23
- Views: 1734
Re: All the cheese wedges, in order
From reading old Beebugs and Acorn Users from the period, it would appear that the real reason for delayed release was that Acorn found it rather trickier to get the Tube working properly. Beebug from Sept 1982 lists all three 2Ps, giving provisional production dates of November 1982 for the 6502 an...
- Wed May 13, 2020 7:27 pm
- Forum: 8-bit acorn hardware
- Topic: All the cheese wedges, in order
- Replies: 23
- Views: 1734
Re: All the cheese wedges, in order
There's an article in Beebug Vol 1, Iss 6 (Oct 82) about the Tube. This refers to the 6502, Z80, and a "16 bit NS 16032 based machine", which goes along with what Acorn claimed they would be producing. It would seem there was a common perception that the 16032 was 16-bit, which was why NS ...
- Mon May 11, 2020 6:23 pm
- Forum: 32-bit acorn hardware
- Topic: Setting up multiple partitions on CF card
- Replies: 1
- Views: 262
Setting up multiple partitions on CF card
I’ve got several IDE solutions (Wizzo, Simtec podule etc) that will let me run multiple partitions on one device. I’ve also just got hold of several IDE to CF adapters, so it would be nice to run a few (currently driveless) machines with 4 partitions on one CF card. If it’s possible, the easiest way...
- Mon May 04, 2020 7:29 am
- Forum: general
- Topic: I wonder what this contains?
- Replies: 18
- Views: 1522
Re: I wonder what this contains?
Weird. I never though the answer to What Would Jesus Do would be “Flog dodgy knock-off software on public auction sites”!
- Mon Apr 20, 2020 12:07 pm
- Forum: general
- Topic: Acorn Communicators on TV… in 1996
- Replies: 6
- Views: 711
Re: Acorn Communicators on TV… in 1996
I do remember Acorn having some kind of massive stock clearout in the mid-90s around the time of one of the Acorn User/Acorn World shows at Wembley that I used to go to with my Dad (those were the days). Remember being most intrigued by the "Briefcase Communicator" on the list, but was no...
- Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:27 am
- Forum: general
- Topic: Acorn Communicators on TV… in 1996
- Replies: 6
- Views: 711
Re: Acorn Communicators on TV… in 1996
Bull Electrical were flogging them off, boxed with manuals, for £30 each around 1994/5. As well as cheap night vision and other geeky stuff.
Might be the sort of place a set designer for a geek tv show on a tight budget would look.
Might be the sort of place a set designer for a geek tv show on a tight budget would look.
- Wed Apr 15, 2020 10:24 pm
- Forum: off-topic
- Topic: Obtain an Amiga
- Replies: 32
- Views: 1962
Re: Obtain an Amiga
Ok, so it seems to be worth paying at least a slight premium for one that’s been recapped. Looks like I’ve found my getting-through-hell-at-work present. Up until now, it’d been a decent FFP3 mask. And a free pair of anti-fog goggles, kindly donated by the local Toolstation (they deserve a plug for ...
- Wed Apr 15, 2020 5:02 pm
- Forum: off-topic
- Topic: Obtain an Amiga
- Replies: 32
- Views: 1962
Re: Obtain an Amiga
The A500 is nice for basic retro gaming, playing games via a floppies or a GoTek. But the A1200 is a much easier machine to deal with if you're looking to do more than that. The internal IDE port makes it easy to connect up a CF/SD adaptor or an IDE hard drive if you're feeling oldskool, the PCMCIA...
- Tue Apr 14, 2020 3:56 pm
- Forum: off-topic
- Topic: Obtain an Amiga
- Replies: 32
- Views: 1962
Re: Obtain an Amiga
Please can I also express an interest in an A1200, if Dom doesn’t want first refusal, if anyone’s selling one? So long as it’s usable (ie mouse and psu) and in reasonable condition, I’m not too bothered about add-ons. An Amiga is the main machine I don’t have and particularly want, although I’m some...
- Wed Mar 18, 2020 2:22 pm
- Forum: for sale / freebies
- Topic: FS: Raspberry Pi to 1MHz and Tube bus interfaces
- Replies: 141
- Views: 10214
Re: FS: Raspberry Pi to 1MHz bus interface
Please can I clarify my interest - 1 each of the underside 1MHz and Tube, and 1 remote 1MHz (so same overall total as before).
- Wed Mar 18, 2020 10:42 am
- Forum: general
- Topic: BCPL Keystrip
- Replies: 16
- Views: 1522
Re: BCPL Keystrip
As good as I can get it...
- Wed Mar 18, 2020 8:13 am
- Forum: off-topic
- Topic: Isolating myself - for three months !!!!!!!!!!!
- Replies: 40
- Views: 3684
Re: Isolating myself - for three months !!!!!!!!!!!
Thank goodness at least some people are being sensible about all this! Dave/John - you’re being true role models. As for me, I’m going to be not so much isolated as sequestered on ICU for about the same time period (who’d have thought Director of ICU would be such a bad lifestyle choice?). I’m spend...
- Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:23 pm
- Forum: general
- Topic: BCPL Keystrip
- Replies: 16
- Views: 1522
Re: BCPL Keystrip
I’ve got one.
Will try to scan and upload on Wednesday. It’ll make a nice change from all the covid meetings. And may be the last chance I get for the next few months...
Will try to scan and upload on Wednesday. It’ll make a nice change from all the covid meetings. And may be the last chance I get for the next few months...
- Tue Mar 10, 2020 6:31 pm
- Forum: 32-bit acorn hardware
- Topic: RISC PC Disappearing Memory
- Replies: 30
- Views: 2872
Re: RISC PC Disappearing Memory
At a guess, because the machine is only findng 64Mb, all of which checks out okay? When the RPC was launched, the product literature claimed to take up to 128Mb SIMMs, with the small print to the effect “when this is available”. So it wasn’t ever tested as working with 128Mb during design, because t...
- Tue Mar 03, 2020 4:29 pm
- Forum: 8-bit acorn hardware
- Topic: Finding my old school equipment (Sheffield)
- Replies: 8
- Views: 893
Re: Finding my old school equipment (Sheffield)
From my old school, I got: TRS80 Model III (first computer I ever touched) TRS80 Line Printer VII BBC Model A Filestore E01 & E20 Watford Adder Watford Beeb Video Digitiser Acorn teletext adapter 6502 Second Processor 2 x Music87 2 x Watford ROM boards Acoustic coupler Loads of eproms Acorn Coma...
- Mon Mar 02, 2020 9:51 am
- Forum: 8-bit acorn hardware
- Topic: New SCSI Host Adaptor
- Replies: 121
- Views: 7790
Re: New SCSI Host Adaptor
Plus one for me
- Fri Feb 28, 2020 10:13 pm
- Forum: 32-bit acorn hardware
- Topic: A680s
- Replies: 23
- Views: 3806
Re: A680s
An image of that disc would be phenomenally useful. The original Rodime in mine still works, but was sadly blanked before I inherited it. Whilst I do have multiple copies of 1.21c (running on several other machines), and (allegedly) a copy of A680 vmunix, I can’t get vmunix to boot successfully - al...
- Fri Feb 28, 2020 1:51 pm
- Forum: 32-bit acorn hardware
- Topic: A3000 repair -- keyboard connectors
- Replies: 9
- Views: 890
Re: A3000 repair -- keyboard connectors
How many do you need - is it just one that’s bad or both?
If it’s only the one, I’ve got one left over from my repairs.
If it’s only the one, I’ve got one left over from my repairs.
- Fri Feb 28, 2020 1:26 pm
- Forum: 32-bit acorn hardware
- Topic: A3000 repair -- keyboard connectors
- Replies: 9
- Views: 890
Re: A3000 repair -- keyboard connectors
Mouser had them in uk stock when I ordered, so carriage was free as part of a bigger order). It would seem Farnell also stock them for £1.03 each (+vat & carriage), which they didn’t when I bought mine. The manufacturer’s (TE Connectivity) part number is 7-520355-0. Google throws up a few possib...
- Fri Feb 28, 2020 12:20 pm
- Forum: 32-bit acorn hardware
- Topic: A3000 repair -- keyboard connectors
- Replies: 9
- Views: 890
Re: A3000 repair -- keyboard connectors
Available from Mouser (or were in November) - part no. 571-7-520355-0.
Worked fine in my A3000
Worked fine in my A3000
- Thu Feb 27, 2020 10:43 am
- Forum: 32-bit acorn hardware
- Topic: Acorn AKA20 We32206 Floating Point Co-Processor
- Replies: 28
- Views: 2017
Re: Acorn AKA20 We32206 Floating Point Co-Processor
Thanks for the explanation. You’ve just saved me from a couple of hours of futility. 

- Thu Feb 27, 2020 9:34 am
- Forum: 32-bit acorn hardware
- Topic: Acorn AKA20 We32206 Floating Point Co-Processor
- Replies: 28
- Views: 2017
Re: Acorn AKA20 We32206 Floating Point Co-Processor
Can the FPU podule not co-exist with the ARM3? I do remember with the RiscPC some software that allowed the x86 cards (assuming not the SX versions) to be used as a pseudo-FPA, but that became obsolete with the StrongARM as the overhead of getting it across the DPOB made the latency greater than ju...
- Wed Feb 26, 2020 9:50 pm
- Forum: archive submissions
- Topic: Floating Point Podule
- Replies: 0
- Views: 559
Floating Point Podule
Software disc and manual (scanned to my usual low standards!) for the original FP Co-Processor Podule
- Wed Feb 26, 2020 3:26 pm
- Forum: 32-bit acorn hardware
- Topic: Acorn AKA20 We32206 Floating Point Co-Processor
- Replies: 28
- Views: 2017
Re: Acorn AKA20 We32206 Floating Point Co-Processor
You don't own an A7000+? :shock: I found that for some tasks - OK, FP-heavy tasks - the A7000+ was at least as good as a StrongARM RPC of the period. Nope. The plus model never came down into what I considered an acceptable price range. The bulk of my collecting was done when the stuff was worth bo...
- Wed Feb 26, 2020 1:06 pm
- Forum: 32-bit acorn hardware
- Topic: Acorn AKA20 We32206 Floating Point Co-Processor
- Replies: 28
- Views: 2017
Re: Acorn AKA20 We32206 Floating Point Co-Processor
Looks like the support disc may be MIA. I’ll upload when I get chance. As for what can be done with it, disappointingly little in practical terms. Given that it’s a choice between the copro (and faster FP) or ARM3 (and faster everything), it’s usually a no-brainer. The only advantage is faster FP in...
- Wed Feb 26, 2020 12:52 pm
- Forum: 32-bit acorn hardware
- Topic: Acorn AKA20 We32206 Floating Point Co-Processor
- Replies: 28
- Views: 2017
Re: Acorn AKA20 We32206 Floating Point Co-Processor
Looking at the respective service manuals, the A300 specifies a 64-way connector in its parts list, the A400 a 96-way.
I thought it’d been officially nobbled in some way, if for no other reason than to polarise the budget and high-end models.
I thought it’d been officially nobbled in some way, if for no other reason than to polarise the budget and high-end models.