ABug Mini, 19/20/21 June, Bolton (Econet/Repairs)

[Arcadian]

We're just three weeks away from the first ABug (Acorn & BBC Micro User Group) meeting at our brand spanking new venue in Bolton!





The main event days will be Sat 20th and Sun 21st June 2015 (10am till late on Saturday, 10am till 5pm on Sunday).

There are a lot of interesting (and in some cases, very rare) items of Acorn/BBC gear currently at the venue. These will generally be packed away for the weekend (to make room for member's own equipment) but if anybody would like to come down on the Friday afternoon to have a tinker/play with some of the bits - we'll be there from 2pm on the 19th. If there are enough people about on the Friday then we could go for the traditional curry on the Friday evening. Edit: Curry night confirmed for 8pm at Spice Valley.

There is no cost for this event!

If you would like to register your attendance, please post in this thread and drop me a PM for location details. If you would like to come but cannot commit 100%, then please state that your interest is tentative.

If you need somewhere to stay, then Holiday Inn Bolton is just around the corner (about half a mile away) and is currently showing double or twin rooms at £57 for each of the Friday and Saturday nights (so to keep costs down you could always share a twin with another member): http://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/gb ... oteldetail

ABug meetups are open to enthusiasts of the BBC Micro, Acorn Electron, Atom and Archimedes/RISC OS machines - and typically 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 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!

** = please ensure that any hardware you bring that features the RIFA/Paper-type capacitors with a tendency to go POP (e.g. Beebs) have had the caps changed!

The room contains ...

Lots of spare monitors/screens (including cables) which members can borrow if they do not have the capability to bring a screen with them:


Super-fast free wireless internet for all visitors, via the dedicated ABug Wifi Network:


Complimentary soft drinks, snacks and most importantly TEA courtesy of our super host, super Gary:


The meet-ups are very informal and are pretty much open-ended, but at some events there may be an additional focus on one or more particular areas. At the June meet we'll be looking to:

• Pick up where we left off at the last meeting in terms of advancing the StarDot archive project by formulating an "Acorn Preservation Team"
• As per jbnbeeb's summary of the Retro Software display at PLAY Blackpool, the pool of community Beebs/Disk drives for general event use is in need of some TLC - so we'll be looking to get some of these fixed up and tested
• Create an Econet network at the venue using the various Econet bits and bobs that we have lying around

We're looking at limiting this first meet to 20 members, so please register your interest now!

CONFIRMED

1. Gar2293 (Gary) Arriving Friday afternoon, leaving Sunday evening
2. Arcadian (Dave) Arriving Friday afternoon, leaving Sunday evening
3. flaxcottage (John) Arriving Saturday, leaving Saturday
4. daveejhitchins (Dave) Arriving Friday afternoon, leaving Sunday evening
5. ukretrogamer (Mark) Arriving Friday afternoon, leaving Sunday evening
6. beebmaster (Ian) Saturday + Sunday?
7. jgharston (Jonathan) Arriving Friday afternoon, leaving Sunday evening
8. danielj (Daniel) Saturday

TENTATIVE

1. leenew (Lee) Saturday
2. billcarr (Michael) Saturday

[flaxcottage]

Hope to be there Saturday. Driving over - how hard can it be?

[daveejhitchins]

I should be there Friday, early, until Sunday, late Accompanied by Nespresso . . . my best mate, in the mornings, these days

Dave H

[ukretrogamer]

Chalk me up for all 3 days. I can recommend a decent curry house too, Spice Valley. We've been there a number of times.

[Arcadian]

Cool, that's the curry night confirmed then!

Ok who else is coming?

[leenew]

I am gonna do my best to be there but it is a difficult day due to work commitments
I will see if I can shuffle things around

Lee.

[BeebMaster]

I'd like to come, but it doesn't look like I'll be able to make it on the Friday.

[Arcadian]

Some more updates made to the Bolton venue thread (snacks/refreshments purchased by Gary and more unusual Acorn bits and bobs dropped off by moi!).

So there's lots of effort being put in at this end ... would be good to see some more interest in the first [entirely free!] meet at the new HQ!! Wakey wakey everyone!!

[Elminster]

If you could just put Bolton on wheels and move it further south.

[daveejhitchins]

If you could just put Bolton on wheels and move it further south.

It's call a car (just kidding)

What you need, to get a free ride . . .

We visited Dear ol' Dad, last week, for his 92nd birthday - Still fit as a fiddle - And, while we were in that neck of the woods, we decided to visit sister-in-law who was hosting a get-together with farther-in-law and an auntie from Birmingham. This was in a small village, near Cobham, called Sole Street. All went well on the trip down and we had a good day. On the way back, we filled up, with diesel, at a local garage. About half way back, I noticed that we seemed to using a lot of fuel! Just after that we noticed that we were issuing white smoke from the rear of the car As we we on the M25 we decided to continue, as the car was still running OK. I guessed that we had a leak that was spraying on to the exhaust pipe. OK diesel . . . No problem! Just glad we didn't have a petrol car

Got back to Bosham, Yve's son and family, OK. Saturday morning called Green flag who were there within the hour . . . This is where it started to go wrong

Although we couldn't 'see' the leak, we decided that my guess (actually, my neighbour's diagnosis, from 300 miles away!) was correct. They decided that they would fix it there, as it would be cheaper than taking us home! Turned out that the 'specialist' was busy so they decided to take the car to Basingstoke (??) to fix it that day, so they said . . .

Sunday morning - A call to Green Flag - Found out that the garage closed at mid day Saturday, so it would be Monday before they started and Wednesday before it was fixed

No, no, no, said I. So, at 09:45 they decided to take us home . . . Which took over 16 hours . . . Because they used three transports, in a relay, not organising the next stage until we landed at each destination - Grrrrrrr! First pick-up took nearly three hours to reach us as it had a puncture on the way! 02:15 when we landed home. Worst thing was: no communications! We were 'dumped' at Newport Pagnell and then Wooley Edge with no indication when the next truck would be arriving. I had to do the phoning!

Nice call, on Monday, full of apologies, and compensation that will cover the cost of the repairs

The second pick-up was the best . . . The guy knew what he was about and wasn't sure that the diagnosis was accurate. He had all that was necessary to take a look at the injector pipes that were at the back of the engine e.g. a mirror! But, confirmed that it was #4 injector pipe spraying diesel out of two places So, diagnoses confirmed. My neighbour's cock-a-hoop

So there you go . . . Free transport! Just need to order it in time

Dave H

[paulv]

If you could just put Bolton on wheels and move it further south.

Or if you could Bolt-on wheels and move it....

Paul

[Elminster]

If you could just put Bolton on wheels and move it further south.

Or if you could Bolt-on wheels and move it....

Paul

Very Good

[jgharston]

Planning on being there, just looking at hotels last night. There's a Travelodge at what looks like ten minutes' walk away. Planning to do Friday to Sunday.

[Arcadian]

Even more updates on the venue thread.

We now have an arcade cab with hundreds of classic games!

[jgharston]

Argh! I've lost the post telling me the top secret meeting location. Can somebody send a carrier pigeon with the required info.

[Arcadian]

Emailed!

[daveejhitchins]

@Arcadian

Dave: is there a good hotel nearby - Cheap Low Cost, I mean

Thanks - Dave H

[Arcadian]

Holiday Inn 0.5 miles round the corner, was £57 per night when I last checked for a double or twin.

Looks like JGH is looking at a Travelodge, which I assume is cheaper (Jonathan?).

As twins are usually the same price as singles/doubles, maybe you two could share a twin and go halves on the cost?

[jgharston]

Looks like JGH is looking at a Travelodge, which I assume is cheaper (Jonathan?).

The Travel Lodge is 1.0mi away, but the Holiday Inn is 0.5mi away, so I'll probably use the Holiday Inn.

Will there be anybody running an Acorn file server (Level2FS, Level3FS or FileStore) so I can do some testing with TreeCopy?

Edit: If you're a non-smoker do you want to go halves on a twin room?

[danielj]

I should be able to pop over Saturday during the day

d.

[Arcadian]

W00t!

Can you bring your Kryoflux?

[flaxcottage]

Will there be anybody running an Acorn file server (Level2FS, Level3FS or FileStore) so I can do some testing with TreeCopy?

I shall bring my Level 4 along if that is OK.

@Arcadian
Will I need to bring along a clock, boxes, etc. or does the new venue have it all?

[Arcadian]

It does, but all untested so for the first meet at least, I'd bring the extra bits just in case!

[flaxcottage]

I shall bring some, then.

[danielj]

W00t!

Can you bring your Kryoflux?

Certainly - if someone tells me where it is

d.

[richardtoohey]

How are we supposed to know where your Kryoflux is?

Or maybe you mean where the venue is?

What? Nit-pickers not welcome? [ Exit right ]

[sydney]

W00t!

Can you bring your Kryoflux?

Certainly - if someone tells me where it is

d.

It's definitely in the last box you look in.

[1024MAK]

W00t!

Can you bring your Kryoflux?

Certainly - if someone tells me where it is

d.

It's definitely in the last box you look in.

Na, it's in the box you finally look in after deciding that it can't possibly be in that box, and spend ages searching through all the others...

Mark

[billcarr2005]

I shall - tentatively - attempt to drive down (+ right) to the venue on the Saturday.

[danielj]

- the venue!

d.