ABUG SOUTH 24 to 26 January 2020: NOW FULL

[0xC0DE]

I'm interested! (and coming to ABUG)

Right just given the monitor a quick check and it still seems to be working fine.

So if you are still interested I'll bring it with me.

Cheers.

Phill.

Yes please do!

[BigEd]

I will have drive down on Saturday for 1 day and drive back the same night.

There's a Travelodge not too far away, might be about £50 for a room.

[JudgeBeeb]

Also, although the TWIXMAS19 code no longer works, WINSALE19 does and is still very cheap.

I tried the new code no rooms at that promo code.

I have double checked, and I can get a room, using that code, at an inclusive price of £70 for the whole weekend, including breakfast.

[BigEd]

Is that the deal where you book 3 nights even if you only stay two? I did that last time, and it was still a good deal.

[JudgeBeeb]

Is that the deal where you book 3 nights even if you only stay two? I did that last time, and it was still a good deal.

No. Just 2 nights.

[JudgeBeeb]

Try this link: https://booking.greenekinginns.co.uk/bo ... =win19SALE

[gidandridge]

As a newcomer to these events, what time do people usually start to arrive from on the Friday?

[JudgeBeeb]

We have the room form 8am(!) But you won't find anybody there that early. I am aiming to be there from about lunchtime (to have lunch) and then set up. Anybody who wants to arrive early and help set up will be very warmly welcomed. Most people start arriving from late afternoon onwards; with the majority arriving after work. Last time we had enough people by Friday evening to need to have two sitting for dinner.

[MattH]

Bryan ("Helpful" on these forums) and I will both be arriving at Fleet station at 15:18 on Friday. Is there anyone who can give us a lift to the hotel?

Thanks

Matt

[gidandridge]

We have the room form 8am(!) But you won't find anybody there that early. I am aiming to be there from about lunchtime (to have lunch) and then set up. Anybody who wants to arrive early and help set up will be very warmly welcomed. Most people start arriving from late afternoon onwards; with the majority arriving after work. Last time we had enough people by Friday evening to need to have two sitting for dinner.

Thanks Robert. I'm happy to arrive fairly early and help setup if required. I've set the day aside so have no other commitments.

[gidandridge]

Bryan ("Helpful" on these forums) and I will both be arriving at Fleet station at 15:18 on Friday. Is there anyone who can give us a lift to the hotel?

Thanks

Matt

Hi Matt,

We've not met before but I'm happy to pick you both up. If that's helpful (no pun intended) let me know and I'll PM you my details closer the time so you don't end up having to guess which 'random' is your lift.

[JudgeBeeb]

UPDATE

It looks like we are going to have the most heavily attended ABUG for some time (at least since I joined in 2015). At some stage on Saturday there will be (albeit only briefly) 36 official attendees plus a number of partners. So it is going to be packed (but also awesome).

We desperately need additional rectangular tables. If anyone has some they can bring (even if it is just one) I will be enormously grateful. Last time, z0m8ied0g, brought several. However, it is not clear whether his transport this time will be able to accommodate them. If we don't have enough tables, we have access to some round tables - but these are far from ideal. I am still hopeful that we can offer a full table to everyone. But if you are bring limited (or no) kit, I would be grateful if you could be prepared to share.

Also, a quick reminder about food and drink. Your £10 payment covers the cost of tea, coffee, soft drinks and light snacks. There is always too much available; so, don't be shy about helping yourself. You are also welcome to bring your own cold snacks and non-alcoholic beverages. However, if you want hot food or alcoholic drinks you must purchase these from the bar. We are provided with a heavily discounted rate for the room which is given on the expectation that there will be significant funds going through the bar. Please do not abuse this.

This is a dog friendly venue. However, dogs will only be allowed into the event if their name references some form of Acorn trivia. Snakes will not be permitted under any circumstances.

See you all this weekend.

[roland]

This is a dog friendly venue. However, dogs will only be allowed into the event if their name references some form of Acorn trivia.

In that case I need to give my next hardware project the name 'Misty'
Have fun this weekend and for those travelling (a long way) by car, boat or air plane have a good and safe journey!

[MattH]

Bryan ("Helpful" on these forums) and I will both be arriving at Fleet station at 15:18 on Friday. Is there anyone who can give us a lift to the hotel?

Thanks

Matt

Hi Matt,

We've not met before but I'm happy to pick you both up. If that's helpful (no pun intended) let me know and I'll PM you my details closer the time so you don't end up having to guess which 'random' is your lift.

Thank you - I'd like to accept this offer, if it's not too much trouble for you. Feel free to PM your details. I'll PM you my mobile number in case there's any last-minute communication needs.

[JudgeBeeb]

[n that case I need to give my next hardware project the name 'Misty'

I think the name of MiSTy would have a sufficient nexus with the Beeb (and other retro-hardware).

[1024MAK]

[n that case I need to give my next hardware project the name 'Misty'

I think the name of MiSTy would have a sufficient nexus with the Beeb (and other retro-hardware).

Umm...

Mark

[SimonSideburns]

It looks like we are going to have the most heavily attended ABUG for some time (at least since I joined in 2015). At some stage on Saturday there will be (albeit only briefly) 36 official attendees plus a number of partners. So it is going to be packed (but also awesome).

With regard to partners, my wife who isn't particularly interested in BBC Micros and associated chat may be at a bit of a loose end this weekend. She was going to stay cooped up in our hotel room (and might still do), but if any other partners feel like a spare part too, it might be worthwhile introducing them and they might go off and entertain themselves here and there.

We desperately need additional rectangular tables. If anyone has some they can bring (even if it is just one) I will be enormously grateful. Last time, z0m8ied0g, brought several. However, it is not clear whether his transport this time will be able to accommodate them. If we don't have enough tables, we have access to some round tables - but these are far from ideal. I am still hopeful that we can offer a full table to everyone. But if you are bring limited (or no) kit, I would be grateful if you could be prepared to share.

I do have a number (around 10) of pasting tables which may be available (if I dig them out of a shed at the bottom of the garden) and I do have a drop leaf dining table (which I was going to use myself) and a fold up aluminium picnic table that I can bring. If you want me to bring some/all of the pasting tables, please let me know today or tomorrow. We're hoping to leave early(ish) on Friday to be there around lunchtime.

This is a dog friendly venue. However, dogs will only be allowed into the event if their name references some form of Acorn trivia. Snakes will not be permitted under any circumstances.

Our dog (I was going to say puppy but she's 9 months old now) Phoebe will fit right in then (she's not bright yellow however). Hopefully she will not be too much bother and after her initial excitement when meeting new people, she should calm down and hopefully be quite happy under the table or on my lap or even sitting/laying on the table. Hopefully I won't be too consumed by all things Acorn to remember to take her out for 'potty' (she doesn't let us know when she needs to go so I must remember to take her out every few hours to make sure).

Oh, while I remember it, if anyone has a spare BBC to CUB monitor cable handy, could you bring one for me to borrow from you for the whole weekend. I might connect up the Chameleon colour board and have only got one cable to hand (and since I put the Christmas decorations back in the loft which was already bursting to full, I've buried all my 'nerdy stuff' as the wife calls it.

I'm also bringing two A3020s. I've not been able to test if they work or not as I've tried two different VGA monitors and get OUT OF RANGE messages on both (even though I've tried pressing and holding down R, Delete, 4 on the keypad, etc.).

I wonder if anyone is bringing (or can bring) a VGA monitor that does work well, and we can see if it's my machines. They do seem to beep at all the right places, and I sometimes get the initial startup screen displayed, but I don't seem to be getting much further.

Thanks in advance, and looking forward to another great weekend.

[BeebMaster]

Oh, while I remember it, if anyone has a spare BBC to CUB monitor cable handy, could you bring one for me to borrow from you for the whole weekend. I might connect up the Chameleon colour board and have only got one cable to hand (and since I put the Christmas decorations back in the loft which was already bursting to full, I've buried all my 'nerdy stuff' as the wife calls it.

Yes, I'll bring one for you. I have one handy as I was in the garage last night and discovered a whole box of Beeb things which I didn't know was there - including a 6-pin DIN lead - and the extension cable reel I always used to bring (and long declared missing, presumed wiped) plus a Canon MDD220 bare floppy disc drive which I swear I've never seen before! It was quite a good find really, there were also a few hundred (more) floppy discs including some Granada TV titles!

[1024MAK]

This is a dog friendly venue. However, dogs will only be allowed into the event if their name references some form of Acorn trivia. Snakes will not be permitted under any circumstances.

Hopefully I won't be too consumed by all things Acorn to remember to take her out for 'potty' (she doesn't let us know when she needs to go so I must remember to take her out every few hours to make sure).

Our two dogs (the youngest is now three) have got me well trained to let them out when they want to do their business. They tell me by coming and finding me, then pestering me (including barking) until I get the message!

Mark

[hoglet]

I have a small request for attendees....

BigEd and I were intending to do some testing of the next release of PiTubeDirect, which is called Fer-De-Lance (a Snake )

If anyone has one of the following Pi Models we could borrow for a couple of hours, that would be much appreciated.

• Pi 1 Model A or B revision 2.0 (26 pin header) (HW revision 0004 ..000F)
• Pi 2 Model B (later model with the BCM2837) (HW revision a22042)
• Pi 3 Model B (HW revision a02082, a22082 or a32082)

To help you identify which model you have, there is a list of all HW revisions here:
https://elinux.org/RPi_HardwareHistory

If you have Raspbian (or a similar OS) running, you can get the HW revision on the command line:

Code: Select all

grep Revision /proc/cpuinfo

Dave

[SimonSideburns]

I have a small request for attendees....

BigEd and I were intending to do some testing of the next release of PiTubeDirect, which is called Fer-De-Lance (a Snake )

If anyone has one of the following Pi Models we could borrow for a couple of hours, that would be much appreciated.

• Pi 1 Model A or B revision 2.0 (26 pin header) (HW revision 0004 ..000F)
• Pi 2 Model B (later model with the BCM2837) (HW revision a22042)
• Pi 3 Model B (HW revision a02082, a22082 or a32082)

To help you identify which model you have, there is a list of all HW revisions here:
https://elinux.org/RPi_HardwareHistory

If you have Raspbian (or a similar OS) running, you can get the HW revision on the command line:

Code: Select all

grep Revision /proc/cpuinfo

Dave

I do have a couple of Raspberry Pi models in our house, but uncertain which ones. If I find them I can bring them with me no problem, then if they're any good at least that helps you out.

[JudgeBeeb]

With regard to wives and girlfriends, my wife who isn't particularly interested in BBC Micros and associated chat may be at a bit of a loose end this weekend. She was going to stay cooped up in our hotel room (and might still do), but if any other friends/partners feel like a spare part too, it might be worthwhile introducing them and they might go off and entertain themselves here and there.

Partners do tend to seek each other out at these events and entertain themselves. But bear in mind that whilst we all share a common interest, that is by no means a given for partners.

I do have a number (around 10) of pasting tables which may be available (if I dig them out of a shed at the bottom of the garden) and I do have a drop leaf dining table (which I was going to use myself) and a fold up aluminium picnic table that I can bring. If you want me to bring some/all of the pasting tables, please let me know today or tomorrow. We're hoping to leave early(ish) on Friday to be there around lunchtime.

Pasting tables would be ideal. If you can bring some these that would be awesome (and would certainly entitle you to a pint or other tipple of your choosing). I don't think there would be a need to bring any other tables.

Our dog (I was going to say puppy but she's 9 months old now) Phoebe will fit right in then (she's not bright yellow however). Hopefully she will not be too much bother and after her initial excitement when meeting new people, she should calm down and hopefully be quite happy under the table or on my lap or even sitting/laying on the table. Hopefully I won't be too consumed by all things Acorn to remember to take her out for 'potty' (she doesn't let us know when she needs to go so I must remember to take her out every few hours to make sure).

I am sure she will fit right in. Just bear in mind what was said in the initial post regarding children. Hot soldering irons, toxic IPA, long cables, potentially exposed mains voltage and rare/valuable/delicate equipment is a troubling combo. You will be responsible that she is kept safe, either with a leash or otherwise.

I'm also bringing two A3020s. I've not been able to test if they work or not as I've tried two different VGA monitors and get OUT OF RANGE messages on both (even though I've tried pressing and holding down R, Delete, 4 on the keypad, etc.).

I wonder if anyone is bringing (or can bring) a VGA monitor that does work well, and we can see if it's my machines. They do seem to beep at all the right places, and I sometimes get the initial startup screen displayed, but I don't seem to be getting much further.

I believe that A3020s used a slower sync rate (approx 15kHZ) than that available on modern VGA monitors. You need to find an old multi sync monitor or use a scan doubler.

[sbadger]

I have a small request for attendees....

BigEd and I were intending to do some testing of the next release of PiTubeDirect, which is called Fer-De-Lance (a Snake )

If anyone has one of the following Pi Models we could borrow for a couple of hours, that would be much appreciated.

• Pi 1 Model A or B revision 2.0 (26 pin header) (HW revision 0004 ..000F)
• Pi 2 Model B (later model with the BCM2837) (HW revision a22042)
• Pi 3 Model B (HW revision a02082, a22082 or a32082)

To help you identify which model you have, there is a list of all HW revisions here:
https://elinux.org/RPi_HardwareHistory

If you have Raspbian (or a similar OS) running, you can get the HW revision on the command line:

Code: Select all

grep Revision /proc/cpuinfo

Dave

not in a position to boot them to check revision, but can bring a pi 1 B, (a pi 2 b if i can find it), Pi 3 B, (and pi 4 4gb)

[hoglet]

Thanks Stewart and Simon. Yes please!

Dave

[1024MAK]

My A3020 is connected to a VGA LCD monitor and works fine (unless a game wants to use a TV frequency line/frame rate).

I’ll bring it and the VGA cable as well as my A3020. It should be noted that some machines don’t like some VGA cable / monitor combinations.

I have various Rasp. Pi’s. I don’t have time to check which hardware versions they are, so, as they’re small, I just put them in the car.

Mark

[SimonSideburns]

I'm also bringing two A3020s. I've not been able to test if they work or not as I've tried two different VGA monitors and get OUT OF RANGE messages on both (even though I've tried pressing and holding down R, Delete, 4 on the keypad, etc.).

I wonder if anyone is bringing (or can bring) a VGA monitor that does work well, and we can see if it's my machines. They do seem to beep at all the right places, and I sometimes get the initial startup screen displayed, but I don't seem to be getting much further.

I believe that A3020s used a slower sync rate (approx 15kHZ) than that available on modern VGA monitors. You need to find an old multi sync monitor or use a scan doubler.

I added that last paragraph while no doubt you were replying. It would appear to be the case. Which does lend itself to another question regarding the A3020. Bearing in mind that it does have a VGA connector on it, does that mean that there have been a number of different standards pertaining to that style of interface over the years? Seems like I have some reading to do on the subject. My VGA monitors are flat screen models and as far as I know they aren't multisync, so I guess that's the issue. Alas I have no scan doubler.

[1024MAK]

Simon, read my reply just above your latest post...

Mark

[1024MAK]

The monitor that is currently connected to my A3020...

(Sorry about the poor quality photos, the iPad mini camera does not like the light output from the CFL in this room when there is a bright glowing square in the middle of the picture... ).

Monitor specs available here.

Mark

[SimonSideburns]

Simon, read my reply just above your latest post...

Mark

Sorry about that, I'm not with it today. A wife that wasn't so well today, trying to prepare for coming so I don't forget anything, and personal health issues which I probably should keep personal, and so on has left my mind not knowing whether it's coming or going the last few days.

It's interesting you are using an LG Flatron monitor (which isn't far off what I tried first). It does show the initial screen of the A3020 booting, but that's all it does. I do hear the soft beeb the machine gives out, but then I cannot see anything onscreen. I'll save messing about with that machine until the weekend, but I will try to bring that particular monitor with me as well and we can see if it's the monitor or the A3020.

[gidandridge]

Simon,

I have a Benq monitor that I use with my A3010. That works great with all modes. You can test on that too if you fancy.