Acorn World and ABUG meetup, Cambridge 20-22nd September 2019.

[jbnbeeb]

As of 16th Sept.
Available places:
1 Sunday only no kitter


Hello everyone,
Hot off the (hot) June ABUG meetup I'm happy to announce Acorn World 2019 at the Cambridge Centre for Computing History over the weekend of 20th - 22nd September 2019

Acorn World is a weekend long event featuring an ABUG meetup in the classroom as usual (see below for booking details)

Acorn World

See event page:
http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/ ... mber-2019/

This is the third year that the Acorn World event has taken place at CCfCH. This year we will feature:

In the main hall:
- Acorn history exhibition .. featuring nearly every Acorn machine, displayed in chronological order, accompanied by a (probably too) detailed narrative describing the company's rise and fall.

- Acorn in education: I'm sure Grannie's Garden will make an appearance, as well as a Valiant Turtle..

- Acorn gaming: classic and recent games plus demos if we can squeeze them in

---------------
...and this year.. for the first time, we will have talks from Acorn alumni on the Saturday evening:

Presenters:
Jonathan Griffiths will be giving a talk about his time at Acorn, where he wrote some of the first arcade games for the BBC micro as well as contributing to the BBC Domesday project.

Jonathan spent his A-levels teaching himself Assembler using his Acorn Atom, during which time he wrote (too many) games instead of revising for his A-levels. After failing these he joined Acornsoft in 1981 and wrote some of the early BBC Micro games, such as Snapper & Rocket Raid. He also wrote a book titled “Creative Assembler”

Alex van Someren will talk about his work at Acorn, which began while he was still a schoolboy! He will also talk about starting up his own company which developed add-ons and upgrades for Archimedes and RISC PC machines.

Back in the day, Alex helped deliver the BBC Microcomputer and Electron at Acorn.. and co-wrote the first book on the ARM RISC architecture, also available pirated in Japanese!
--------------

ABUG booking details:
If you wish to attend, please post in this thread clearly stating the days you would like to attend on, if you want a full table to yourself, half a table or not bringing kit (aka a "No-Kitter" ).

Space wise, there will be:
- 11 full tables (1 table per person)
- 12 half-tables (2 people per table, total of 6 tables)
- up to six people with no kit.

Entrance fee
The museum entrance fee is now £9 per person per day for adults.
- If you are attending the event for the entire weekend (two or more days), the fee will be £18 - to be paid as an £9 museum entrance fee on two consecutive days (e.g. on Saturday and Sunday).
- If you are attending for one day, then the fee will be £9.
- Please inform the staff that you are attending as an ABUG attendee.
- Just as any other paying visitor, you're free to wander around the museum and play with all the retro computers they have!

Dates
Friday 20th September - 4.00pm til late (no earlier than 4.00pm please, as we don't get the room until then)
Saturday 21st September - 9.00am til late
Sunday 22nd September - 9.00am-4.00pm

Address
Centre for Computing History
Rene Court
Coldhams Road
Cambridge
CB1 3EW
http://www.computinghistory.org.uk


Acorn & BBC Micro User Group (ABug) meet-ups are open to enthusiasts of the BBC Micro, Acorn Electron, Atom and Archimedes/RISC OS machines.

Attendees will typically stay for two if not all three days. The meets are always very informal and can involve:
- members bringing their own hardware to set up and show off
- time spent working on hardware and programming/games projects
- exchange of ideas/knowledge
- upgrade and repair of poorly Acorn machines
- collaborative work on community projects, such as software preservation, preparation/planning for displays at other events etc.
- sale of items by members (not guaranteed, but there are often opportunities to buy bits)
- general socialising, food/drink and the odd hi-score competition!


Accommodation
These are the hotels that people stayed at in previous years:

Oakley Lodge hotel
627-631 Newmarket Rd, Cambridge CB5 8PA
It's just over a mile away from the museum.

Travelodge Cambridge Newmarket Road Hotel
180-190 Newmarket Road
Cambridge
Cambridgeshire
CB5 8HF

If you have any other recommendations, please let me know so that I can post the details here.

Food and drink
As there will be talks on the Saturday evening (see above).. suggest we go out for dinner on Friday night, and on Saturday night, we could order pizza (or whatever takeout you fancy) in to have after the talks have finished, and hopefully mingle with Jonathan and Alex.

For lunch: the museum has a snack bar for tea, coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, crisps etc . There are a couple of fast food places nearby as well as an M&S (and I *think* an ASDA) for sandwiches etc.

Parking
Parking is available at the museum. Note that hotels may charge additional fees for parking. In previous years, some folks have left their cars overnight in the museum car park (including me) at their own risk.

Classroom
Total of ELEVEN full tables available:

1. sPhilMainwaring Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon
2. cmorley (Chris) Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon
3. kieranhj (Kieran) Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon.
4. VectorEyes (Adrian) Arriving Saturday morning. Leaving Sunday afternoon.
5. Paul Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon.
6. SimonSideburns (Simon) Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon
7. Prime (Phill) Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon
8. sbadger (Stewart) Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon
9. tom_seddon Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon
10. 1024MAK (Mark) Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon
11. JimRussell Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon

Classroom
Total of TWELVE half-tables (two people per table) available:

12. JudgeBeeb (Robert) Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon.
13. Elminster (+daughter) (Duncan) Sunday only
14. markdryan Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon.
15. flibble (Peter) Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon.
16. anightin (Andy) Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon.
17. wolfgang ‪ Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon.
18. MattH Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon.
19. daveejhitchins Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon
20. roland Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon
21. diminished (Ali) Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon
22. groot (Mark) Arriving /leaving Saturday.
23. Arcadian (Dave) Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon
24. Dave Footitt Saturday only
25. riscman (James) Sunday

People coming along that don't require a table
Total of SIX places for people with NO KIT available:

26. IanS Arriving Saturday afternoon. Leaving Saturday evening
27. pernod (Nigel) Arriving Saturday afternoon. Leaving Saturday evening
28. helpful (Bryan) Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon
29. scarybeasts (Chris) Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon
30. (Lesley) Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Sunday afternoon
31. firthmj (Michael) Arriving/leaving Saturday
32. pelago (John) and friend Sam. Sunday only

Somewhere in the main hall...

33. tricky (Richard) Arriving Saturday morning, leaving Sunday afternoon /quote]

[Elminster]

As I did a full weekend already, this month (edit: I mean in June of course), I am just going to do a Saturday this time. I only really need a half table but plan to bring my daughter, as she wants to go around museum (not been for a while). When you were bringing a ‘guest’ last time we needed a full table.

Either way put me down for ‘something’ Saturday only.

[JudgeBeeb]

I, sadly, don't think I can make this one.

[jgharston]

All three days, with kit, full table - econetted please.

I'm also going through more Econet demo-ish programs that I didn't have time to do last month, or that I had brought non-Filestore-compatible versions with me.

I put *TALK and BeebMail simple email system on, and an uninitialised version of MUGINS. BeebMail is very simple and assumes you read and write your email "raw" with View. I've got NelsonMail which is hand-holdy and has a front end designed for primary schools, but I took the wrong version with me. I was also planning on installing MailMan for RISC OS as well. The useful thing is that all the above can interact on different machines, you can *TALK between Beebs and Arcs, MUGINS runs on both Beebs and RISC OS, and BeebMail/NelsonMail/MailMan use the same mail format so can email each other.

[markdryan]

Could you put me down for a half table for all three days?

[kieranhj]

\o/ Yay, Acorn World! Thanks for organising again Jason. Please can you put me down for a full table for all three days. Might as well bring my Master for POP and SCR action.

[SarahWalker]

Can't make this one unfortunately

[IanS]

Saturday only, probably just the afternoon/evening, no kit. Hopefully stick around for the talks and Pizza.

Do we have any idea what time the talks are likely to start?

[tricky]

... Might as well bring my Master for POP and SCR action.

What is required for head to head SCR?

[flibble]

Half table for me please, all three days.

And yes, I will get on and rewrite the blurb for the exhibits

[VectorEyes]

Could I have a full table for Saturday and Sunday? I have too few holiday days left this year to justify the Friday!

[Paul]

Full table, all three days please

Also, let me know if youd like me to do a lottery machine from the BBC TV with latest project update.
Thanks,
Paul.

[sydney]

... Might as well bring my Master for POP and SCR action.

What is required for head to head SCR?

At a guess - more memory and another developer!
Are you volunteering, Tricky?

[tricky]

I was unreasonably hoping "a null modem cable"

[z0m8ied0g]

Full table for me all 3 days.
Thanks

[kieranhj]

I was unreasonably hoping "a null modem cable"

A bit optimistic. Sadly head-to-head play wasn’t added until the 16-bit version of the game so you’re limited to turn-based multiplayer I’m afraid.

[SpaceFlightOrange]

Yay!

1/2 Table for me please. 3 days

Not sure what I'll be bringing along. My Model A/B has a poorly tape interface, so that's a must. Hopefully I'll have my robot arm working with I2C4U.

I'll head down in the afternoon. not sure what time i'll get there on the friday.

[anightin]

Please can I have half a table Friday afternoon/eve and Saturday please.

Many thanks

Andy

[wolfgang]

Could you please put me also down for a half table for all three days?

[MattH]

Can you sign me up for a half table for the whole weekend please?

Many thanks.

MattH

[jbnbeeb]

Booking list updated..

IanS - the talks on Saturday will start at 6 and go to 8pm approx , including Q&A and an interval in the middle. We'll have takeout afterwards (I think we should try to order it perhaps in the interval.. or perhaps that's a recipe for disaster! Either way, talks @6pm.

I'm quite excited about the talks. I loved Snapper as a kid and I'm very interested to find out about Jonathan Griffiths's involvement with Domesday, and the games he wrote for Archimedes. Re Alex van Someren - I don't know so much about his later company but I think he produced kits like CPU upgrades for Arch/Risc PC, with product names like Aleph One. I aim to get in touch with them both again in the next few days so I will report back as I find out more.

Paul - YES PLEASE I had lost your contact details. Please do bring along your BBC TV graphics demonstration set up. Thanks so much for offering ; this really will be a standout part of the Acorn World exhibition in the main hall.

[daveejhitchins]

Please put me down for the whole weekend and a half table.

Thanks - Dave H

[SimonSideburns]

One full table for me please for all weekend (Friday to Sunday). I had so much fun at the last one I wouldn't want to be away knowing you guys are there enjoying yourselves. If I haven't replaced the caps in two PSUs by then I hope to bring them to get done, and if the RamFS has been revised or the DC needs new firmware then hopefully it can be done during the weekend. I'll also have my BeebZIF by then and can start archiving the ROMs I have floating around.

I have my original Beeb from back in the day (around 1989 when I bought it) that I have to put back in its case too, and a couple of A3020s that will need batteries snipped (if I have found them in the attic by then). I also have an EPROM programmer that plugs into the Beeb (again if I find it) that I've never tested that would be good to try. As ever, many projects with so little time to do them.

Hopefully Belinda will come in and be a bit more sociable, but no worry if she doesn't (all depends on how well she is on the day) and hopefully it will be a whole lot cooler sleeping in the van.

Simon

[Elminster]

One full table for me please for all weekend (Friday to Sunday). I had so much fun at the last one I wouldn't want to be away knowing you guys are there enjoying yourselves. If I haven't replaced the caps in two PSUs by then I hope to bring them to get done, and if the RamFS has been revised or the DC needs new firmware then hopefully it can be done during the weekend. I'll also have my BeebZIF by then and can start archiving the ROMs I have floating around.

Not sure what I am bringing yet, but will try to remember to bring programmer just in case.

Did you mean you were replacing you psu caps yourself, or looking for someone to do it? Either way, I would be interested in testing the ESR reading of the new caps and the old caps with the £5 ESR bay tester I got a week or so ago.

[SimonSideburns]

One full table for me please for all weekend (Friday to Sunday). I had so much fun at the last one I wouldn't want to be away knowing you guys are there enjoying yourselves. If I haven't replaced the caps in two PSUs by then I hope to bring them to get done, and if the RamFS has been revised or the DC needs new firmware then hopefully it can be done during the weekend. I'll also have my BeebZIF by then and can start archiving the ROMs I have floating around.

Not sure what I am bringing yet, but will try to remember to bring programmer just in case.

Did you mean you were replacing you psu caps yourself, or looking for someone to do it? Either way, I would be interested in testing the ESR reading of the new caps and the old caps with the £5 ESR bay tester I got a week or so ago.

I had the idea of doing it myself (I have two kits of caps I bought a while ago - one from retroclinic and one from another ebay seller) but I'm probably quite slow at it (the actual soldering is for me only a very small part of the whole process - the actual getting into the PSU etc. is what takes up most of the time. If anyone volunteered to assist, however, that'd be much appreciated.

[SimonSideburns]

I might also bring this book I have:

I might hand it back to Alex, but if he doesn't want it I might get it signed by him

[roland]

Please put me down for a half table for three days. I will bring my new FPGAtom.

Added: I have booked my flight en a room at the Acorn Guest House (suitable name ) Looking forward to meet you.

Can anybody bring me a VGA monitor?

[Prime]

Hi all,

I'll try and make it to this one, put me (provisionally, need to check dates) down for this one, full table for the full weekend.

Cheers.

Phill.

[Diminished]

I would like a half table for the whole weekend, please.

Last time I only stayed for the Saturday, and I chatted and took photos (and bought an oscilloscope), but I think I'll bring a machine or two along this time.

Not sure what I'm going to get up to, but a few ideas come to mind.

[jbnbeeb]

Booking list updated..

Phill (Prime) .. there are only a couple of full tables left.. I'll PM you if you haven't comfirmed and a couple more people request full tables.

Very cool SimonSideBurns re the AUG being Alex van Someren's copy! I had no idea he was credited in the book. I'm slowly learning more bits about him - he's an intriguing chap.

roland - I'm pretty sure I can arrange for the museum to supply a VGA monitor .. would a flatpanel suffice or a CRT?