Most liked posts in thread: What's new Pussycat too?

I know that one,, because of my knee's and the constant worry of a collapse of the knee's I'm paranoid about people being behind me as if they catch my feet by accident I go down like a sack of spuds and getting back up is very painful. Sadly Cindy has a habit of wandering behind me and not realising how close she is and trips me up on the odd occasion....Its one of the very rare times I get annoyed with her and the air is indeed blue..

Its not deliberate, in fact she's trying to stay close in case I fall..

 

Isn't it all the same now Graham

I'm normally anything for an easy life despite the depression and the pains, fighting with your own head is hard enough as it is, fighting with others, too much of a bother that one..

 

As far as I understand it, the USB is only for flashing new firmware and for 400/800/1200XL machines that boot to quickly for Fujinet to come online, so the USB is used to power the Fujinet and get it ready before turning on the Atari. Plus, you can power-cycle the Atari if need be, without effecting the Fujinet and what has been readied for your current session. Of course it also helps with machines like mine that are already drawing a lot of amperage, as to not put strain on the Atari PSU (especially if you have the original 800/1200XL PSU's raited for only 2 amps). I use the 31VA "universal" PSU that comes with the 1050 on both my 800 and 1200XL, but I'm still using the USB power to the Fujinet just to make sure, especially since neither machine has all their upgrades yet that will be consuming more amperage.

As to my degree vs. you not having one, degrees are just pieces of paper showing that accredited institutions verify your knowledge. Obviously you have learned much more on your own than I did in my tech school stint. I am starting to, and planning in the future (robot project for example) to educate myself further and relearn some stuff that I've forgotten due to lack of using the knowledge. I can safely say that I have learned far more and more important things in this life on my own, than I ever got out of any school. I credit my higher education in traditional liberal arts college of really only teaching me to teach myself and not accept the status-quo.

School is for the mediocre to be pigeon-holed into society, which is why all the smartest and richest in the world, like Bill Gates, and Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerburg and of course Nolan Bushnell, among many, where all drop-outs because those institutions held nothing they couldn't learn for themselves and were just holding back their true genius. That is also why I never went beyond Bachelor's and associate degrees myself. I got those only to get a grasp on the basics of art, English and electronics and further my education myself. Also because I thought the degrees would help me get good jobs, but in the end I just started my own business anyway, as I quickly discovered that my "superiors" at those jobs were in fact not intellectually superior to me, and were in fact the pigeon-holed mediocre's stamped out with educational cookie-cutters and I had to go off on my own. Something I could have done just as well with just my high school diploma.

Of course my problem was that I'm a slacker who never had any ambition or desires beyond making a living for a simple life and enjoying my Atari's.

 

I'll be sending one of these 1MB boards, the PLCC socket and the programmed chip.
https://github.com/revaldinho/cpc_ram_expansion/tree/master/cpc_ram_expansion
Number 4 in the list.
Plus a six way ROM board although with the M4 your unlikely to need it.
plus an MX4 backplane board, Unfortunatly I've used ones that don't pass on the original edge connector .
but there are simple MX4 to edge connector converters if your M4 has this kind of connector.

 

Hi all,

regards the Page 6 issue disks, I now have these. So if anyone wants them, let me know.

Regards

Andy

 

And while the printer was busy printing, I kept myself busy by finally digging out and dusting off the old SDrive Max I built a couple years ago but couldn't program it. I'll be working on getting it working, or another Adruino and screen I bought. But this evening I continued working on the case, adding a nice spiral retaining cable to the stylus and holder so the stylus won't get lost. I still am going to add some brown XL "accents" with paint to the case and add a device name to the faux brushed metal trim.

 

If any Fujinet users are interested in checking out Plato and Platoterm, the latest Fujinet version is on the irata.online TNSF server under the directory "comms" listed as Plato.atr. Just mount it to Fujinet drive 1 and option to boot! Just sign in as member "guest" and group "guest." At the irata.online web site on the normal internet is a page to request membership which I filled out yesterday, and you will receive and email giving you instructions needed for access as a member on Fujinet. The group you choose is solely based on what computer you will be using Plato/Platoterm on; for me, it's Atari, but all other popular 8/16-bit computers have versions now or coming, and if you use Platoterm (or Pterm for some computers, like a modern PC for example) on a C64 or ZX Spectrum, Amiga, ST, Apple II, IBM, even NeXT workstation, etc., you choose the group for your computer.

 

120"...Wow

Great work there Matt...I'm due to join in the decorating but yesterday my left knee gave way and its hurting like hell, think the tissue has gone again and its grinding so just standing up is hard to manage..

Not impressed...

Have fun with the 'toys' Matt..Mind you, I've had a treat, a couple of second hand blu rays, would love to see them on that projector but until I win the lottery my 46(?)" TV will do

 

Avengers End Game on that...Yummmmmmmmmmmmmm

Go for it Matt, sounds great...

 

I always liked the idea idea of subbuteo, I think it was because I like to build models but I was never much good at it despite being a keen footballer as a kid (right wing and goal keeper, odd mix). I was always over flicky

Roy of the Rovers, brings back memories..What was the other comic strip, Tough of the track???

Was about a guy who lived off the land and did mad stuff like bathe in ice cold streams but was a sporting genius....Used to like that, can't remember what comic it was in..

Edit: One google later, Alf Tupper, Tough of the track...Great memories

 

Quick response as Unforgotten about to start on telly and a brew on with a tiramisu (dust free version).

Subbuteo - loved it as a kid - still got some old goals, a creased pitch and about 2-3 teams with about 5-6 players left (the rest got trod on/kneeled on). Got a pic of me somewhere playing it with my cousin back in the late 70s. Flick to kick wasn't it and I even had a the ruddy floodlights though I seem to remember the battery didn't last long in there. All the accessories cost a packet, eg. 4 crowd figures = £5 (a LOT of money back then), so if you wanted to recreate a crowd with stands and scoreboards etc, it would probably be cheaper to buy the REAL THING! PMSL - great toy, super memories. My cousins had dozens of the teams - they might still have Darlo somewhere hidden in the depths of their wardrobes with their old ouija board too - they had a reet scary encounter "playing" with that one night...

Al making his way to E Yorkshire early May? Count us in for a meet and if you can stomach building site dust (rather than retro gear dust) then come over and see us/stay for a day or two if you fancy, Al.

All that Commodore stuff is whetting my whistle too - can't wait to explore further with my 64 using some of Richie's great add ons - just the ticket!

Reet, telly n Bev calling - catch you fellas, later.

 

That's a long way to travel Andy, must have been lovely to see them though.

Will definitely need to try and squeeze in a meetup when I'm down Filey way in May.

 

Absolutely, Al.
Awful shame as they've had both their jabs and we've had our 1st but none of us can take any chances so that was that.
Yes, do give us a heads-up on your dates down in this neck of the woods next month, Al.
We'll see what we can do to get a meet arranged.

 

Heading down on Monday 3rd May then back up the road again on Friday 7th. Have booked a caravan in Filey so just going to go for walks on beaches and drink plenty of Yorkshire Tea while eating plates of scones

Can't beat the North Yorkshire coast for a lovely wee break. Already got a long weekend booked for August 14-17th as well so either are good for me Andy. Fingers crossed planning to also visit Richie on the way back home to pick up a little Arnold...

 

Bridlington would be good, I'm yet to try the fish and chps there! We'll see how things transpire over the next couple of weeks matey

 

Me, I'd move to Cornwall or nearby, again like your choice it's all coastal walks and little villages, went there as a kid and didn't appreciate it properly (no fun fairs around me) but when I see it now on TV it looks idyllic but then again I lived in the countryside a fair part of my life and then the city for another chunk, prefer the countryside..

 

The next step in my diabolical mad-scientist project to create a mad robot has begun. Since I received the dual-PIA boards from @Graham , I decided it was time to order the first part of my robot; the arm. Though it must be coming from China (ordered off of Amazon) as the delivery date isn't until the last half of June.

So I have plenty of time to install the upgrade in my 800 in preparation and anticipation. It's a 6DOF (degrees of freedom) robot arm that stands just over 18 inches or about 47 centimeters tall. It's equivalent to robot arms averaging $150-200, but I paid less than a $100 since it comes in kit form. It is compatible with Uno Arduino's if I choose to use one or more of those in the project.

The 800 will be the core brain, but I may need some modern hardware for the 800 to "manage" Arduino's and other stuff, though I don't think I'll go as far as Rasberry Pi, etc., but if I do the 800/6502 will manage them at least, to allow the robot to go beyond what the 800 can do itself, even with all the new I/O. I'll use as little support hardware as possible though, and would like it all to remain 8-bit if I can manage it.(overlooking the fact that Fujinet, Incognito and other upgrades technically, IIRC, use 32-bit IC's)

Eventually, along with an 800 board and other sensors, it will be mounted on a chassis which will most likely be "tank" tread style, and to get a decent sized chassis it looks like it will cost at least several hundred dollars. All lower priced ones are far to small. You know it's a small toy and not for a practical-sized robot when dimensions are given in millimeters instead of centimeters or inches...

I'll also be using my 3D printer for small bits and enhancements. For example I've already decided from looking at the picture, that I'll have to design some better and larger surface area grips for the grabber. I'm sure I'll think of other adapters and enhancements I can print as I go along with the whole project. I'll probably print a case for a 400 keyboard I'll get to interface to the 800 board, it will be a detachable keyboard (from the robot), I'm not sure if it will have a cable, or maybe I can make it blue-tooth capable like SIO2BT. Though with the advent of Fujinet since my plans to build a robot, it will most likely have Fujinet, so then I'll have both Wi-fi and BT for communication possibilities and may decide not to have an on-board keyboard at all, and all I/O will be from my 800/1200XL to the robot wire-lessly.

At this point I'm just excited that my project plan is moving on from all talk to actual fruition with Graham's boards and major amounts of technical info to help me learn to use and program the new PIA/SIA I/O to make it all much less a learning curve and a higher quality upgrade than my own DIY board efforts would have been.

 

It came from the Netherlands where the MSX was very popular.... but they must have imported it from the U.K. so it’s come back home.

 

There was a point in the early 90’s when I owned a MTX512. I think I bought it from an advertisement in MicroMart. Back then you couldn’t give them away and it wasn’t too expensive. So thinking back now it was an interesting machine, the case was extruded aluminium with end plates fixed by little Allen key bolts. If you removed the end plates the case hinged open to reveal the PCB. The keyboard was very good, like a black version of the old C64 breadbins keyboard.
The main problem back then was a chronic lack of software. There was a few conversions of spectrum games like Manic Miner and Panic but not a massive amount. The display was pretty much identical to the MSX which given it’s using the same VDP is not surprising. I don’t think the MTX had dedicated VRAM for the video chip but it’s been so long since I owned one I cannot remember.
So once my curiosity was satisfied it went into the cupboard and stayed there until I sold it a year or two later. It was a really nice machine but once Memotech went under it was doomed, like so many other computer companies.

 

I am now bidding on a Panasonic FS-A1F MSX2 computer on Yahoo Japan so I’ll let you all know how that goes
If that doesn’t work out then I’m looking at some PC Engine Core Grafx consoles

 

The Japanese do love a computer and amazing what they got out of them, the arcade ports on the 68000 series are stunning (apart from the horrible FM sound).

 

It's strange how different computers are attractive or not to different people, I for instance don't really have any interest in the C64, and I don't really know why, as it's certainly well supported, and you can build one from scratch if you so wanted, just doesn’t appeal. Spectrum's I've somewhere about, one I think is an original may even be a 16K, the other is in a plastic square case guessing a Plus. no idea if they work or not, at one point I did use a Spectrum to send slow speed Morse code, this was keying a very powerful transmitter to bounce radio signals off the moon. I also remember being involved with one being used to control a Amateur TV repeater based on the Enfield civic centre. I'm guessing it's still there but haven’t checked in many years.

Computers I like ... Atari 8 Bits, BBC 'B', Oric Atmos and the CPC6128's and early IBM's such as the XT I have.

I do fancy an MSX2 based computer, the Phillips ones in preference NMS8250 or better still the 8280

Some of the makers dressed them up in what I would only call crap shaped plastic cases .. At least Richie’s HX-10 is in a nice sensible case, unlike say the Sanyo Wavy or AX range with their weird shaped cases

In regard documentation, four of these choices are very well documented, especially so of the Atari, but the BBC would come next then the CPC .. Not sure where to put the IBM, as in effect the BIOS is well documented but DOS, isn't due to Microsoft’s hold over this..

I guess the Oric is documented but not to the same extent, perhaps I should learn French, I maybe better off..

I know I've had an Amiga A1200, and genlock re that TV Repeater.. I've found a few old bills for an internal IDE cable upgrade, and still have the Amiga DOS books. However it was used as a means to an end with the genlock and a paint program (deluxe paint) for overlaying video (also a video title program of some sort can't really remember much more than that.

Of any of the later 16 Bit computers it's the only one that would be of real interest to purchase

However I think the MSX2 Phillips 8250 would be 1st .. saying that I can’t read Japanese either !!

More power to Richie on his endevours into reading Japanese with it's 3 different alphabets hiragana, katakana and kanji

 

Here, here to all that, Matt.

As you say, you can easily end up with too much and it's just great to enjoy a newbie or two but we must be grateful for the great machines we already own and cherish.

Any road, you mention building, house stuff / home improvements / real estate and here's just a couple of pics of recent developments here that we're chuffed to bits with:

BEFORE out the front:



NOW:



BEFORE (hallway - landing and area under the stairs also got plastered):



AFTER (still needs painting - waiting for the ruddy plaster to completely dry the carpet the lot):




BEFORE...



FRIDAY...





TODAY...



Chris is a helluva good mate, one man team and he also fitted our kitchen. Here he is assembling the frame for the decking.

Things are definitely improving and we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Hope you guys are also beginning to see the difference thanks to any of your home DIY and improvements you've been tackling of late.

 

I picked up a paperback copy of Once Upon Atari to read on holiday next week. It's been on my wanted list for a while so really looking forward to reading it.

On the non computer, but still retro, front I also landed a nice bundle of vintage Subbuteo brochures from a little vintage shop. I haven't been this excited about catalogues since I picked up my Silica Shop ones from EBay. Oh and the 1983 Kays Catalogue but that may have been for other reasons...

g

 

LOL!
Nice one, Al.
Sounds like your lively literature collection from days of yore is really... coming together!
Enjoy, mate.
Next week, starting from Monday, is going to be mad for me as there's barely a day that will be "normal".
Mam's 2nd Covid jab so that's me to and from Brid, then hopefully pop and meet you Tues/Wednesday tea in Brid after work; Thurs I've to leave here at stupid o'clock to set up the polling station out at the coast for the local election, a by-election and Police & Crime Commissioner election / man it all day til 10pm then Fri back to work (knackered), Sat'day back to Brid to help with the poll count... anyone got any of those Red Bull drinks on offer or maybe Pro Plus??