Binary Dinosaurs
@binarydinosaurs.co.uk
Collecting, repairing and preserving vintage machines since 1998.
W: https://binarydinosaurs.co.uk
F: https://Facebook.com/binarydinosaurs
M: @binarydinosaurs.oldbytes.space
Favourite COBOL: https://www-users.york.ac.uk/~ss44/joke/cblgold.htm
W: https://binarydinosaurs.co.uk
F: https://Facebook.com/binarydinosaurs
M: @binarydinosaurs.oldbytes.space
Favourite COBOL: https://www-users.york.ac.uk/~ss44/joke/cblgold.htm
Acorn Atom now has a turbo mode, AtomMMC2 SDcard adapter and all the classic games work!
Apart from Chuckie Egg which seems to think it’s in joystick mode 😆 #retroGamingFest25
Arses. It works fine in ‘slow’ mode but there’s a lot of snow on the screen as was the case with most Atom games.
Apart from Chuckie Egg which seems to think it’s in joystick mode 😆 #retroGamingFest25
Arses. It works fine in ‘slow’ mode but there’s a lot of snow on the screen as was the case with most Atom games.
November 11, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Acorn Atom now has a turbo mode, AtomMMC2 SDcard adapter and all the classic games work!
Apart from Chuckie Egg which seems to think it’s in joystick mode 😆 #retroGamingFest25
Arses. It works fine in ‘slow’ mode but there’s a lot of snow on the screen as was the case with most Atom games.
Apart from Chuckie Egg which seems to think it’s in joystick mode 😆 #retroGamingFest25
Arses. It works fine in ‘slow’ mode but there’s a lot of snow on the screen as was the case with most Atom games.
November 11, 2025 at 12:50 PM
I love finding build faults in nearly 50yo machines. This seems to have been like this since new. Good job nobody has tried to get a printer working on this Acorn Atom!
Without a 6522 fitted to the IO socket this won’t upset the machine, but guess who’s just fitted a 6522… 😆
Without a 6522 fitted to the IO socket this won’t upset the machine, but guess who’s just fitted a 6522… 😆
November 10, 2025 at 12:16 PM
I love finding build faults in nearly 50yo machines. This seems to have been like this since new. Good job nobody has tried to get a printer working on this Acorn Atom!
Without a 6522 fitted to the IO socket this won’t upset the machine, but guess who’s just fitted a 6522… 😆
Without a 6522 fitted to the IO socket this won’t upset the machine, but guess who’s just fitted a 6522… 😆
I've seen mentions of this and the occasional project update, but not what the finished form looks like. This looks *great*
Are you ready for #PicoIDE? It seems to be telling me it's ready. Coming soon: ATAPI optical disc emulation and IDE hard drive emulation. picoide.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:51 AM
I've seen mentions of this and the occasional project update, but not what the finished form looks like. This looks *great*
I'll be the one to add the missing word - 'week'. Insert where you see fit, then come and see me exhibiting some Chuckie Eggs on as many machines as I can fit on my table* 😁
Join in to decide which is the best version!
(*4, at a guess)
Join in to decide which is the best version!
(*4, at a guess)
Oh wow, this time next we'll be in full swing! Tickets for the Saturday are close to selling out - www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/74558/Re... - alternatively, Sunday will be quieter, but still the same wonderful exhibitors - www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/74909/re... - see you all next weekend!
November 9, 2025 at 7:58 PM
I'll be the one to add the missing word - 'week'. Insert where you see fit, then come and see me exhibiting some Chuckie Eggs on as many machines as I can fit on my table* 😁
Join in to decide which is the best version!
(*4, at a guess)
Join in to decide which is the best version!
(*4, at a guess)
Result! After a lot of faffing with different TANBUG versions trying to get things to work properly, I discovered the second TANEX board wouldn’t function properly in my working Microtan.
Answer: pull the RS232 chipset!
Suddenly, TANDOS works properly 😁
Answer: pull the RS232 chipset!
Suddenly, TANDOS works properly 😁
November 9, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Result! After a lot of faffing with different TANBUG versions trying to get things to work properly, I discovered the second TANEX board wouldn’t function properly in my working Microtan.
Answer: pull the RS232 chipset!
Suddenly, TANDOS works properly 😁
Answer: pull the RS232 chipset!
Suddenly, TANDOS works properly 😁
Huh. For those following the Microtan saga I pondered that the keyboard I got with the machine wasn’t a Microtan keyboard.
Turns out that if you feed it -12v and its own GND connection it only bloody works fine.
TANDOS board next, in that case.
Turns out that if you feed it -12v and its own GND connection it only bloody works fine.
TANDOS board next, in that case.
November 8, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Huh. For those following the Microtan saga I pondered that the keyboard I got with the machine wasn’t a Microtan keyboard.
Turns out that if you feed it -12v and its own GND connection it only bloody works fine.
TANDOS board next, in that case.
Turns out that if you feed it -12v and its own GND connection it only bloody works fine.
TANDOS board next, in that case.
OK, so this week's tale of woe was a non-booting Microtan65 + TANEX expansion. Zero activity and the mysterious case of a clock signal being flattened. Voltages at the header looked good, yet the thermal camera showed a very dead looking board. This was backed up by scope traces showing nowt. /n
November 8, 2025 at 9:14 AM
OK, so this week's tale of woe was a non-booting Microtan65 + TANEX expansion. Zero activity and the mysterious case of a clock signal being flattened. Voltages at the header looked good, yet the thermal camera showed a very dead looking board. This was backed up by scope traces showing nowt. /n
Reposted by Binary Dinosaurs
Nintendo Gamma Boy
November 8, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Nintendo Gamma Boy
Repost for the morning and day crew 😁
Puzzle time. Microtan65 and TANEX expansion. In yellow is a CLK pin going to its only destination. In red is /RESET going to 1 of 4. Both come from the CPU underneath which I know works. No shorts are present.
With both connected, CLK is mushed to nothing and /RESET almost mirrors it.
How? /2
With both connected, CLK is mushed to nothing and /RESET almost mirrors it.
How? /2
November 7, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Repost for the morning and day crew 😁
Puzzle time. Microtan65 and TANEX expansion. In yellow is a CLK pin going to its only destination. In red is /RESET going to 1 of 4. Both come from the CPU underneath which I know works. No shorts are present.
With both connected, CLK is mushed to nothing and /RESET almost mirrors it.
How? /2
With both connected, CLK is mushed to nothing and /RESET almost mirrors it.
How? /2
November 6, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Puzzle time. Microtan65 and TANEX expansion. In yellow is a CLK pin going to its only destination. In red is /RESET going to 1 of 4. Both come from the CPU underneath which I know works. No shorts are present.
With both connected, CLK is mushed to nothing and /RESET almost mirrors it.
How? /2
With both connected, CLK is mushed to nothing and /RESET almost mirrors it.
How? /2
Reposted by Binary Dinosaurs
Did an Einstein TC-01 replica board with @peepouk.bsky.social. All good and well, except the keyboard plays a tune - on the boot screen. 🤷 😅
July 13, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Did an Einstein TC-01 replica board with @peepouk.bsky.social. All good and well, except the keyboard plays a tune - on the boot screen. 🤷 😅
For 20 years I’ve thought this was the keyboard for my rack mount Microtan 65, but now I’m not so sure, purely because the SMC controller needs -12v and nothing is feeding it that voltage. Also +5v is right down to 4.4v so maybe it needs an external PSU.
November 1, 2025 at 7:10 PM
For 20 years I’ve thought this was the keyboard for my rack mount Microtan 65, but now I’m not so sure, purely because the SMC controller needs -12v and nothing is feeding it that voltage. Also +5v is right down to 4.4v so maybe it needs an external PSU.
November 1, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Start the week with a unicorn! No, not the Torch Unicorn though I'd quite like one of those too.
No, there'll be two camps for this one. You'll either instantly know what it is or, more likely, you'll never have heard of it because it never sold.
This is the HH Tiger, aka the Tangerine Microtan 2.
No, there'll be two camps for this one. You'll either instantly know what it is or, more likely, you'll never have heard of it because it never sold.
This is the HH Tiger, aka the Tangerine Microtan 2.
October 27, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Start the week with a unicorn! No, not the Torch Unicorn though I'd quite like one of those too.
No, there'll be two camps for this one. You'll either instantly know what it is or, more likely, you'll never have heard of it because it never sold.
This is the HH Tiger, aka the Tangerine Microtan 2.
No, there'll be two camps for this one. You'll either instantly know what it is or, more likely, you'll never have heard of it because it never sold.
This is the HH Tiger, aka the Tangerine Microtan 2.
Recent Acorn A3000 japes made me dig out my A3020 to check for battery woes, I remember it being stored upside down and this was verified when I checked if I’d snipped the battery - I had, phew - and the damage was on the metalwork under the floppy drive.
October 26, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Recent Acorn A3000 japes made me dig out my A3020 to check for battery woes, I remember it being stored upside down and this was verified when I checked if I’d snipped the battery - I had, phew - and the damage was on the metalwork under the floppy drive.
Reposted by Binary Dinosaurs
Happy birthday, MS Word; released today 1983!
Word was the first software officially confirmed by the Vatican as haunted.
Despite several exorcisms, users around the world still suffer fonts mysteriously changing in the night & paragraph spacing moving with a life of its own! 😱
#TillysGameversary
Word was the first software officially confirmed by the Vatican as haunted.
Despite several exorcisms, users around the world still suffer fonts mysteriously changing in the night & paragraph spacing moving with a life of its own! 😱
#TillysGameversary
October 25, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Happy birthday, MS Word; released today 1983!
Word was the first software officially confirmed by the Vatican as haunted.
Despite several exorcisms, users around the world still suffer fonts mysteriously changing in the night & paragraph spacing moving with a life of its own! 😱
#TillysGameversary
Word was the first software officially confirmed by the Vatican as haunted.
Despite several exorcisms, users around the world still suffer fonts mysteriously changing in the night & paragraph spacing moving with a life of its own! 😱
#TillysGameversary
This is QUITE the achievement 😁
Well @binarydinosaurs.co.uk you wouldn't happen to have images of Unix disks 16, 17 and 18 would you? I might need them. 😁😁😁😁
Just on a hunch I copied your latest image to the BlueSCSI and the Gotek (just in case) and it ONLY WENT AND BLOODY BOOTED!!
GET IN! 🥳
Just on a hunch I copied your latest image to the BlueSCSI and the Gotek (just in case) and it ONLY WENT AND BLOODY BOOTED!!
GET IN! 🥳
October 21, 2025 at 7:22 PM
This is QUITE the achievement 😁
Yep, I’m sure there’ll be no issues seen at all wiring some power into two of these tiny pins, seen here next to a regular 7805 (deceased) because a banana would be ridiculous.
October 21, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Yep, I’m sure there’ll be no issues seen at all wiring some power into two of these tiny pins, seen here next to a regular 7805 (deceased) because a banana would be ridiculous.
Power plug for my little Husky turned up this morning. What an excellent little sci-fi type thing it is, I’m sure I’ll have no issue at all soldering wires to the contacts.
October 21, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Power plug for my little Husky turned up this morning. What an excellent little sci-fi type thing it is, I’m sure I’ll have no issue at all soldering wires to the contacts.
This is amazing. Any progress is good no matter how small. Currently I think this is the only working Torch TripleX in existence, if you know different let us know!
Hey @binarydinosaurs.co.uk we're taking baby steps.
Managed to mount the limpet test disk on the bootable hard disk image. First time I've managed to mount anything in the floppy!
And I found the limpet test program! 😁 It crashes in OpenTop though (not a big surprise there).
Managed to mount the limpet test disk on the bootable hard disk image. First time I've managed to mount anything in the floppy!
And I found the limpet test program! 😁 It crashes in OpenTop though (not a big surprise there).
October 20, 2025 at 7:46 PM
This is amazing. Any progress is good no matter how small. Currently I think this is the only working Torch TripleX in existence, if you know different let us know!
AWS earlier today.
October 20, 2025 at 11:38 AM
AWS earlier today.
Dug out some Torch TripleX Workstation floppies for @crashedfiesta.bsky.social earlier. They took some reading over 3 drives, but hopefully they’ll be useful for booting his WORKING machine.
Unfortunately the Unix V1.0 disk is physically damaged but there may be enough to boot successfully.
Unfortunately the Unix V1.0 disk is physically damaged but there may be enough to boot successfully.
October 19, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Dug out some Torch TripleX Workstation floppies for @crashedfiesta.bsky.social earlier. They took some reading over 3 drives, but hopefully they’ll be useful for booting his WORKING machine.
Unfortunately the Unix V1.0 disk is physically damaged but there may be enough to boot successfully.
Unfortunately the Unix V1.0 disk is physically damaged but there may be enough to boot successfully.
Reposted by Binary Dinosaurs
I keep trying to tell people about #FujiNet.
That it is a WiFi adapter for your favorite #Atari8bit, #Apple2, #ColecoAdam, #TRS80CoCo, #Commodore, #Atari2600, #AtariLynx, and #MSDOS machines, with more to come.
But word isn't getting out.
Can u help?
fujinet.online
That it is a WiFi adapter for your favorite #Atari8bit, #Apple2, #ColecoAdam, #TRS80CoCo, #Commodore, #Atari2600, #AtariLynx, and #MSDOS machines, with more to come.
But word isn't getting out.
Can u help?
fujinet.online
FujiNet - The Future of Retro Computing
The Future of Retro Computing
fujinet.online
October 18, 2025 at 7:17 PM
I keep trying to tell people about #FujiNet.
That it is a WiFi adapter for your favorite #Atari8bit, #Apple2, #ColecoAdam, #TRS80CoCo, #Commodore, #Atari2600, #AtariLynx, and #MSDOS machines, with more to come.
But word isn't getting out.
Can u help?
fujinet.online
That it is a WiFi adapter for your favorite #Atari8bit, #Apple2, #ColecoAdam, #TRS80CoCo, #Commodore, #Atari2600, #AtariLynx, and #MSDOS machines, with more to come.
But word isn't getting out.
Can u help?
fujinet.online
BBC Teletext test page rendered on the Philips P2000T in BASIC. Took me an hour to type in this listing and I can only see a couple of typos so well done me.
Can I find a microcassette to save the bloody thing? I have STC Executels galore and have bought multiple tapes. Loads.
Nope.
Can I find a microcassette to save the bloody thing? I have STC Executels galore and have bought multiple tapes. Loads.
Nope.
October 18, 2025 at 3:07 PM
BBC Teletext test page rendered on the Philips P2000T in BASIC. Took me an hour to type in this listing and I can only see a couple of typos so well done me.
Can I find a microcassette to save the bloody thing? I have STC Executels galore and have bought multiple tapes. Loads.
Nope.
Can I find a microcassette to save the bloody thing? I have STC Executels galore and have bought multiple tapes. Loads.
Nope.