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Re: The 8bits side of Sporniket
Posted: 10 Jun 2023 14:19
by rubber_jonnie
Interesting stuff, that Multirom looks pretty decent, and I expect the 3 new machines will keep you occupied for a while :)
Re: The 8bits side of Sporniket
Posted: 10 Jun 2023 16:47
by sporniket
Yes, the multi-rom is nice, and there is another version with only games.
Re: The 8bits side of Sporniket
Posted: 04 Jul 2023 21:20
by sporniket
Another device for my MO5 : a floppy drive controller emulator equipped with a sd card. I did a quick unboxing and test to check that there was no problem. Later, that will allow me to load programs from the simulated floppy drive at the speed of light, instead of using a very slow tape reader (real or simulated with an Arduino based device).
I took a full set, with an extension port extender to plug up to 3 extensions (one with the original edge connector, two other using 2x19 pin headers)
2023-07-04--01-sddrive-unboxing.jpg
2023-07-04--02-sddrive-unboxing.jpg
2023-07-04--03-ready-to-install.jpg
2023-07-04--04-installed.jpg
2023-07-04--05-startup-menu.jpg
2023-07-04--06-basic-dos.jpg
Note that some of the provided images (games, mostly) requires a 64k extension in the cartridge port, to load the games inside like if it was a game cartridge.
Anyway it is now stored until the next session...
Re: The 8bits side of Sporniket
Posted: 04 Jul 2023 21:50
by rubber_jonnie
Very nice little add on there :)
Re: The 8bits side of Sporniket
Posted: 05 Jul 2023 05:36
by sporniket
Yes. I have a little project of a program in basic for when I will have time for that, it will help me to test on the real machine.
Re: The 8bits side of Sporniket
Posted: 05 Jul 2023 10:12
by alexh
Interesting stuff. Did you see these as a young person?
I've tried not to stray outside computers not available in the UK. My 8-bit classic computer collection already consumes 1/3rd the volume of a 3-bed house (Acorn, Sinclair, Amstrad, Commodore, Toshiba, Texas Instruments, MGT, Enterprise, etc.) I can't be filling it with stuff I never heard of as a kid. Nostalgia is a large component of my collection. No nostalgia, doesn't get in.
Re: The 8bits side of Sporniket
Posted: 05 Jul 2023 10:31
by sporniket
Yes @alexh, this computer was used at elementary school for a state sponsored program called "Informatique Pour Tous (IPT)", meaning "Computer Science for Everybody".
Those computers would be managed through a custom network protocol and links dubbed "nanoreseau", consisting of a main computer (PC or alike) able to serve softwares.
The few sessions I partook were essentially programming using "LOGO", where one would instruct a "turtle" (a graphic cursor on screen) to move while ploting or not, in order to draw some figures : An introductory course on programming principles.
There was also a lot of educative software. Later in middle-school, there was a "computer club" managed by one of the teacher, and I could try to write little programs with basic.
So my interest in this line of computers is driven by nostalgia too.
Re: The 8bits side of Sporniket
Posted: 05 Jul 2023 10:55
by stephen_usher
Sounds very similar to the scheme the British Government had with the "computers for school". It used BBC Micros networked via Econet to either a research Machines 380Z or 480Z and floppy drives.
Re: The 8bits side of Sporniket
Posted: 05 Jul 2023 11:52
by sporniket
Very similar indeed.
Re: The 8bits side of Sporniket
Posted: 17 Aug 2023 17:36
by sporniket
Recently I won a bid at an almost reasonable price for an "out of order" TO8, a successor of the TO7/TO7-70 models (same tech than the MO line, but incompatible by design : shifted memory map, different encoding scheme for the storage on tape, to name the ones I am aware of). This computer has a drive controller but without a floppy disc drive (like the ST), and there is a TO8D version that has an embedded 3.5" floppy disk drive (like the STF, then).
I took picture after having washed the casing, and thoroughly removed the heavy layer of soot near the blown X2 capacitor
2023-08-14--00--to8-outside.jpg
2023-08-14--01--to8-inside.jpg
The strong smell of ozone when opening the parcel was a telltale of the X2 being blown, so I removed it from the PSU.
2023-08-14--02--x2-blown.jpg
2023-08-14--03--x2-blown-and-soot.jpg
2023-08-14--04--x2-corpse.jpg
Next step will be
- clean the pcbs (lot of dusts)
- get a scart to scart cable (DONE)
- test the computer using the USB power adapter I am using with my STe
- later, test the PSU (not motivated to use it anyway)