Most liked posts in thread: VINTAGE BEEB HARDWARE PROJECTS... DISCUSSED...

Oh the explanation was good, I'm just too thick to understand most of it

 

Yes indeed, consider yourself a teacher as it were, I mean I jest re the understanding, I understand little bits but I don't profess to be an electronics guru so there's stuff I have no clue about, you put a circuit in from of me with chips etc in the I'll look at you with that dumb look. I'm no nand gates person, hell I never used that sort of coding when I did code, it was all very basic assembler ie LDA #05 STA $D019, I was stumbling with setting bits but I could do some stuff.

I think my time may have passed to go back and try to improve my understanding, pain and stress are less than wonderful for memory and like others on here I'm in pain 24/7, I do what you guys do, smile and bite my lip.

What can you do..Get meds to put you in zombie mode, NO THANKS, I'm still moving and talking..That will do..

So Graham, you carry on quoting the details, they are dead useful for others and hey, maybe one day my one brain cell will look at stuff and get a better understanding...

Caveman Paul out...

 

Graham, you be as tech as you like me old mate, just because a dozy sod like me can't understand some of what you mention only reflects on me, your tech is greatly appreciated and clearly by the people you work(ed) for. Solved the Numen demo issue, crap free micro SD that came with a C64 SD adaptor for free. Made in taiwan unbadged rubbish, went to get some data of it in the PC and it has weird files with pathing errors galore...

My nice genuine Sans Disk SD works perfectly.

All I need is a cure for my neighbours...Bazooka anyone?

Just came back in from dropping my daughter to the station (Dad's a Cab) and I could hear the moron woman talking to a friend saying "Oh, the reason I live here is" as if the place is a much wanted area full of wealth and niceness. She came here because Southall was way too annoying for her (which it is, too busy, too loud) and now she's on an estate infested with gangs and drug dealers, a convicted rapist mere metre's from where I sit and the haunt of many child molestors. Hell we even had the first two british convicted of preparing for for acts or terror. The white ginger headed moron and his Pakistani mate who also happened to be a drug dealer. They lived here and walked past my window daily...

Does all that not make you want to up sticks and move here.....What do you mean NO...

 

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!

 

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.

 

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.

 

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..

 

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.

 

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

 

Hi Paul , Richie

Thought Added
There is 5V, however if you look at the circuit diagram of the analog port it shows three diodes, from ground via a 2.7K Ohm resistor to 5V, with a 1uF cap across its afairly cheap method of getting 1.8V, due to the voltage drop across the three diodes, and it is this thats used as a referance for the ADC chip on pin 8. hence max reading at 1.8V..
so a reading of 1.8V would give a value of 255 as data on the ADC. Therefore each value from 0-255 equals 0.00703125V so for a reading of say 100 the voltage equals 0.00703125 x100 = 0.703125V for 120 0.00703125 x120 = 0.84375V
all thats needed is a divider network to reduce the maximum 1.8V input, and that from the Methane sensor of 5V at its maximum ( I presume not checked sensor info.)
See below


Above we see Vin in our case from the Sensor to Vout the input to the Beeb ..


The relationship stays the same i.e. 1.8V is 0.36 of 5V our resistor network must match this so should we plug into the formula 0.36 = R2 divided by the Sum of R1 + R2 so 564 / 1000+564 = 0.3606 so close enough.

1000 Ohm and 564 Ohm; realistically we don't want to 'load' the sensor output with a low resistive value, and would want standard value resistors ...
Trying to find values that would work that are standard resistor values try R1 as 4700ohm or 4K7 / 4.7K and R2 as 2700
or 2K7 / 2.7K for 5v input this give 1.82 V output so very close relationship 0.3648
But we can get closer by adding a third resistor
For something exact add a 100 Ohm resistor in series with R1 so 4700+100(R3) = 4800 and R2 at 2700 this give exactly 1.80V for 5V input relationship 0.36 exact ..
I await Richie's results ..

 

I was right with you Graham up to about word 10 and then it all looked like gibberish

 

O.k but I was trying to explain ... maybe not very well !!!! just use three resistors wire to analog port and enjoy ...

 

I guess we all have our own problems as we aren’t getting any younger, I'm thankfully not in constant pain, but I have some idea of what living on pain killers is like. I had a succession of three back operations about 11 years ago, and thankfully; there are no nerve endings in titanium.
However the preceding 3 to 4 years weren’t great, especially as my family were younger and all lived at home, I was holding down a decent job, etc Again I was lucky as I ended up practically free of pain, I was paid in full during the 6 months I needed to recuperate off work, and supported when returning, I guess they just wanted me back where I could be of use. Certainly I headed a number of successful projects when back, and apparently saved millions so I guess it must have been worth paying for my time off. Funny how it felt more like a family rather than what became a huge company, I guess about 300-350 people swelling to more like 16,000 employee’s during the time I was there.
Currently having good and bad days, sometime lucid and have good understanding and get up and go, the next day nothing I seem to do, read or watch makes sence. so more frustration than pain as I'm aware of it.

 

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.

 

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

 

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..

 

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.

 

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

 

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.