VINTAGE BEEB HARDWARE PROJECTS... DISCUSSED...

Evening, fellas.

Before I call it a day, tonight, at the Baz Biome, I do recall mentioning to Vyper Richie, Klyde Manu and a few other folks that it might be nice to "lift the lid" on some old retro hardware add-ons which appeared as electronic DIY projects in various publications "back in the day" which might make for ripe discussion in terms of possibly adapting some of these materials for use on other micros...

 

Project #1 - Using Light Dependant Resistors (LDRs) - resistors which decrease in resistance as the light shining on them increases.

A couple of suggestions to follow (taken from Practical Hardware Projects for the BBC Micro by J Telford), ie. build a

LIGHT METER​

featuring one or more of these capabilities:

Night Light

Dusk/Dawn Light

People/Object Detector

and Light to Sound

Clearly this first project to be discussed is not a million miles dissimilar to the project kit which you can get pre-built for 8bit Ataris in the AtariLab (Dickinson College) series but hopefully, discussing such DIY electronics topics here might well lead to hardware home-brew construction "spin offs" for other micros, eg. Amstrad, Sinclair and Oric machines.


Atarians - look no further than here for your ready-built electronics fun with light module:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ATARILAB-LIGHT-MODULE-W-Cartridge-NEW-NEW-IN-BOX-800-XL-XE-/140966936238

 

My old lot Maplin did loads of rather dodgy kits for various British micro's including the Atari (well we were an official dealer). For me the most fun was the SP0256 speech kit but as S.A.M. was about it wasn't as popular as it could have been. Sadly I felt that most of the kits we did for various micros's were more just to have an item for them than as actually being that useful.

 

Just a reminder that the Atari Light module isn't of much use without the Atarilab Interface which comes with the Starter Set, or individually from B&C Computervisions (MyAtari on eBay). Though it's about half the price to buy it separate than with the starter kit, you'll have to label the RCA ports yourself. I've got a new blog here about my Interfaces; I edited my "random thoughts" blog into my own DIY project blog, the mods to my interfaces being the first so far.

The Atarilab Interface is a perfect peripheral for all kinds of DIY projects to use with the Atari, and my DIY blog will include projects separate from the interface as well as projects I'll do that use the interfaces. And, in fact, instead of buying another Atari Interface, now that I know all about it and have modified some, I intend to build a 4th from scratch myself. And if the BEEB has compatible controller ports the Atari Interface could be used with a BEEB too, even if it's not 100% pin compatible, the interface is a simple 9-pin break-out-box that can be used with other computers too!

 

Thanks for those "inputs" from Paul & Matt there... if you'll excuse the pun?!

Some good points raised as bolt-on speech synthesis modules were always a source of heaps of fun (get your micro to talk like a dalek and then ring grandma up and put "Auntie Beeb" on to talk to her... endless japes, I'll be bound.

As Matt points out, the AtariLab comes in several modules too and you'll need the basic interface one as well as these light and sound add-on packs in order to be properly set-up to rock and roll with your Atari classic but they're a great way in to trying out "projects" which are ready to use "out the box" with a guide on suitable experiments to try out. Again, as suggested, we might hear from folks who have successfully used their AtariLabs with other micros using a compatible 9 pin Atari joystick type interface.

Anyway, here goes with the first set of notes on parts, coding and projects using light/sensors on the Beeb and I hope to go on to discuss other possible applications such as: DIY burglar alarms, robots, buggies, light pens and the like so please do chip in if you've got some ideas/veroboards/projects to share with the rest of the forum...

 

I like this idea, I might need to find that book and read up on the Beebs Analog port. Sadly it’s not Atari compatible out of the box. It may be possible to make a converter ( I think I have seen one somewhere ) Normal Beeb joysticks were a metal rod connected to potentiometers with a single fire button similar to Dragon/Tandy joysticks. The Beeb has a built-in ADC chip so it’s ideal for Interfacing with external bits and bobs.

 

It doesn't have to be pin-compatible with Atari, all Atarilab Interface is, is a simple box with RCA jacks wired up to the pins on the 9-pin connector, as long as it can plug in, the only difference would be the assignment of the RCA I/O jacks would not follow what the Atarilab Interface label markings are, but you can re-label what pin is designated for what RCA jack. If you buy the "extra" Atarilab Interfaces from B&C (MyAtari on eBay US) they don't even come with the RCA jacks labeled. All you have to do is a bit of experimentation and comparison with Atari pin-out vs. Beeb pin-out and figure out where each pin of the BEEB controller port comes out to which RCA jack, and label accordingly. I wouldn't even bother with the AtariLab starter kit and light modules since the cartridges won't work, unless you want the plug in temperature and light sensor cables. You just have to program your own software to use the BEEB controller jack I/O to the interface. Just by the Interfaces sold separately.

 

This is the circuit diagram from the manual.

 

I think this would work for the LDR...

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/362134212140

 

The only thing that matters there, regarding the Atarilab Interface, is it's a 15-pin port instead of 9-pin, which is what I wondered to begin with and the replies from you and Andy seemed, to me, to confirm it had a 9-pin port. Now that I know it's 15-pin that changes everything I said, and you would need an adapter. It's probably easier to just build your own RCA "break-out-box" Interface with a 15-pin cable connecting each line to an RCA jack in your own DIY box.

 

What do you think about interfacing one of these to a Beeb??

https://www.cricklewoodelectronics.com/Methane-gas-sensor-module-for-Arduino-MQ-4.html

 

It would most likely find me pretty quickly..

 

LOL!

Carbon monoxide detector available too, Rich?

 

Yep mate!
https://www.cricklewoodelectronics.com/Carbon-Monoxide-gas-sensor-module-for-Arduino-MQ-7.html

 

All joking aside it should be possible to turn the Beeb into a Gas alarm in theory. The Methane is more for a confined space tester for working in a sewage works ( in a past life I did this ) The Monoxide tester would be more useful in the home as a lot of us have Gas fired boilers in the UK.

 

That's exactly what I'm thinking and even today, CO detectors are always way more expensive than smoke detectors to buy so it might pay to have your Beeb doing the job near your fire/boiler... on the other hand Beebs aint small so you might trip over the bugger and end up breaking your neck which could prove even more expensive in the long run...

How the hell did you end up in a sewage works, Richie?

I smell a rat here...


ABOVE: Richie may well have been involved in the play testing and production of this Oric "release"

Whatever, it must have been quite a gas, Rich...??!!

 

Visions of a large bloke with a huge battery and a BEEB strapped to him wandering around a sewer muttering "it right stinks in here" while the BEEB bleeps once in a blue moon..

And then he shouts "eh feck, is that that bastard Monty Mole over there..."

 

I used to work for a waste disposal company back in the 90’s and one of many smelly jobs was cleaning a decommissioned sewage works in Hartlepool. Full PPE,Breathing Apparatus, Gas Testers, Waders, Jetting years of accumulated gunk of the walls. It is odd though it doesn’t smell of poop by then just foisty damp.

 

Could have been worse, you could have been one of the guys who deep cleans the bin lorries..

Apparently there's the 'odd' maggot and the smell is vile..

Makes following me in to the bog after I've been almost delightful..

 

You see, Rich, every cloud (of mustard gas) has a silver lining - Paul's parfum!

 

Yeah but try emptying a septic tank at a Dog kennel that is a whole new level of whiff

 

In this Top Trumps of smell I have no card to beat that...


But to return slightly towards the basis of the topic, I love the idea of these old machines doing something useful, they have enough computing power to do tasks so why not use them as well. Ok, mainstream won't supply the kits or very little if they do but we have armchair electronics people more than capable of making some kit to use with these old machines.

So be it smelling my arse or Carbon monoxide, lets use our wonderful old kit.

 

I am pretty sure they were using Beebs to control Astronomy telescopes until recently. If they can do the job well and reliably why spend the money on a PC?
So I am very interested in marrying the old to the new to produce something useful.

 

Brilliant, fellas.

We'll get our heads (and asses) together and see what interesting project we can come up with for our old workhorses to perform in today's Brave New World...

 

Does this mean you are getting a Thai bride and making a sprog to clean up after you?