Stephen Usher
@srusher.bsky.social
Retro-computers, model railways, playing Elite: Dangerous...
What else do you need to know? :-)
What else do you need to know? :-)
Oh, and to prove that you were there.... Here's from the other direction...
November 11, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Oh, and to prove that you were there.... Here's from the other direction...
Just a lowly Toshiba for me in the mid-80s.
November 9, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Just a lowly Toshiba for me in the mid-80s.
What did science PhD students get up to when they weren't doing science on their UNIX workstations in the 1990s?
Well, gaming of course!
Come and play some networked (and non-networked) games on a couple of old Sun Microsystems gaming rigs!
(Gaming rigs need lights inside, right?)
Well, gaming of course!
Come and play some networked (and non-networked) games on a couple of old Sun Microsystems gaming rigs!
(Gaming rigs need lights inside, right?)
November 5, 2025 at 6:56 PM
What did science PhD students get up to when they weren't doing science on their UNIX workstations in the 1990s?
Well, gaming of course!
Come and play some networked (and non-networked) games on a couple of old Sun Microsystems gaming rigs!
(Gaming rigs need lights inside, right?)
Well, gaming of course!
Come and play some networked (and non-networked) games on a couple of old Sun Microsystems gaming rigs!
(Gaming rigs need lights inside, right?)
Seeing as the Sun Ultra 45 is going to the games themed Retro Computing Festival in Cambridge next month to play 1990s UNIX games and it has a transparent side, it needed to be pimped out with some coloured lights inside... Had to, right?
Well, £5 for five sets of battery LED strings was cheap. :-)
Well, £5 for five sets of battery LED strings was cheap. :-)
October 30, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Seeing as the Sun Ultra 45 is going to the games themed Retro Computing Festival in Cambridge next month to play 1990s UNIX games and it has a transparent side, it needed to be pimped out with some coloured lights inside... Had to, right?
Well, £5 for five sets of battery LED strings was cheap. :-)
Well, £5 for five sets of battery LED strings was cheap. :-)
Yep, here’s my spect with two microdrives (with my Memotech) in 1985.
I used the set-up with Tasword II to write all my essays during the first two years of my degree.
I used the set-up with Tasword II to write all my essays during the first two years of my degree.
October 30, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Yep, here’s my spect with two microdrives (with my Memotech) in 1985.
I used the set-up with Tasword II to write all my essays during the first two years of my degree.
I used the set-up with Tasword II to write all my essays during the first two years of my degree.
Working on the 5th(?) replacement display for the games themed RetroFest in Cambridge next month.
So my last best hope for a display, my Babylon 5 as it were, is a couple of Sun workstations with xpilot, netrek & maybe Quake & Quake II on them.
Much installing & upgrading today. Just like work.
So my last best hope for a display, my Babylon 5 as it were, is a couple of Sun workstations with xpilot, netrek & maybe Quake & Quake II on them.
Much installing & upgrading today. Just like work.
October 27, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Working on the 5th(?) replacement display for the games themed RetroFest in Cambridge next month.
So my last best hope for a display, my Babylon 5 as it were, is a couple of Sun workstations with xpilot, netrek & maybe Quake & Quake II on them.
Much installing & upgrading today. Just like work.
So my last best hope for a display, my Babylon 5 as it were, is a couple of Sun workstations with xpilot, netrek & maybe Quake & Quake II on them.
Much installing & upgrading today. Just like work.
Getting things ready for this weekend’s Cyber Legends 2025.
Testing the projector… Maybe a retro enough video source?
Testing the projector… Maybe a retro enough video source?
October 8, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Getting things ready for this weekend’s Cyber Legends 2025.
Testing the projector… Maybe a retro enough video source?
Testing the projector… Maybe a retro enough video source?
Slip-sliding away...
On the fault line between two moons.
(Note how night vision on "current moon" is blue but on the sliding moon it's green?)
#EliteDangerous
On the fault line between two moons.
(Note how night vision on "current moon" is blue but on the sliding moon it's green?)
#EliteDangerous
September 30, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Slip-sliding away...
On the fault line between two moons.
(Note how night vision on "current moon" is blue but on the sliding moon it's green?)
#EliteDangerous
On the fault line between two moons.
(Note how night vision on "current moon" is blue but on the sliding moon it's green?)
#EliteDangerous
There were quite a few “cover disks” on the front of magazines at the time, such as “Your Computer”.
September 25, 2025 at 5:56 PM
There were quite a few “cover disks” on the front of magazines at the time, such as “Your Computer”.
My RML 380Z.
Fell for a sob story and gave it away for free along with all the documentation, inc. sales slip from 1978, and compilers & other software on floppy.
Fell for a sob story and gave it away for free along with all the documentation, inc. sales slip from 1978, and compilers & other software on floppy.
September 19, 2025 at 3:58 PM
My RML 380Z.
Fell for a sob story and gave it away for free along with all the documentation, inc. sales slip from 1978, and compilers & other software on floppy.
Fell for a sob story and gave it away for free along with all the documentation, inc. sales slip from 1978, and compilers & other software on floppy.
The same here…
A 1973 Elizabethan portable telly we’d bought for the caravan.
A 1973 Elizabethan portable telly we’d bought for the caravan.
September 3, 2025 at 8:42 AM
The same here…
A 1973 Elizabethan portable telly we’d bought for the caravan.
A 1973 Elizabethan portable telly we’d bought for the caravan.
I do prefer the later, light coloured case though.
August 30, 2025 at 9:46 PM
I do prefer the later, light coloured case though.
You will need a floppy emulator of some kind at the moment, such as a CFX or MFX as it’s a .RUN file.
I’ll look into whether it can be converted to an audio file format.
I’ll look into whether it can be converted to an audio file format.
August 20, 2025 at 8:22 PM
You will need a floppy emulator of some kind at the moment, such as a CFX or MFX as it’s a .RUN file.
I’ll look into whether it can be converted to an audio file format.
I’ll look into whether it can be converted to an audio file format.
I’ve been back trying to work out why the ZX81 AY-3-8910 based sound card won’t work.
All checks with a logic analyser show all the signals to be correct and all data lines hold their correct values for over double the required 100ns after the control signals change.
I’ stumped.
All checks with a logic analyser show all the signals to be correct and all data lines hold their correct values for over double the required 100ns after the control signals change.
I’ stumped.
August 18, 2025 at 8:39 PM
I’ve been back trying to work out why the ZX81 AY-3-8910 based sound card won’t work.
All checks with a logic analyser show all the signals to be correct and all data lines hold their correct values for over double the required 100ns after the control signals change.
I’ stumped.
All checks with a logic analyser show all the signals to be correct and all data lines hold their correct values for over double the required 100ns after the control signals change.
I’ stumped.
Trying out the new cvplay ColecoVision game compatibility program for the Memotech MTX Series machines.
Zaxxon anyone?
Zaxxon anyone?
August 12, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Trying out the new cvplay ColecoVision game compatibility program for the Memotech MTX Series machines.
Zaxxon anyone?
Zaxxon anyone?
Sinclair QL without a keyboard?
No problem, use a USB one instead. 😊
I’ve just created a @raspberrypi.com pico board which can act as if it’s a keyboard matrix.
With correct software should be able to be used on any machine with 8 scan and up to 12 sense lines.
No problem, use a USB one instead. 😊
I’ve just created a @raspberrypi.com pico board which can act as if it’s a keyboard matrix.
With correct software should be able to be used on any machine with 8 scan and up to 12 sense lines.
August 4, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Sinclair QL without a keyboard?
No problem, use a USB one instead. 😊
I’ve just created a @raspberrypi.com pico board which can act as if it’s a keyboard matrix.
With correct software should be able to be used on any machine with 8 scan and up to 12 sense lines.
No problem, use a USB one instead. 😊
I’ve just created a @raspberrypi.com pico board which can act as if it’s a keyboard matrix.
With correct software should be able to be used on any machine with 8 scan and up to 12 sense lines.
#retrocomputing #hardware people... Well those of you who know about the AY-3-8910 anyway... I need some help.
I've built a recreation of the William Stuart sound card and I can't get the AY chip to do anything.
I've worked out the addressing and this is what the chip sees.
/1
I've built a recreation of the William Stuart sound card and I can't get the AY chip to do anything.
I've worked out the addressing and this is what the chip sees.
/1
July 16, 2025 at 4:59 PM
#retrocomputing #hardware people... Well those of you who know about the AY-3-8910 anyway... I need some help.
I've built a recreation of the William Stuart sound card and I can't get the AY chip to do anything.
I've worked out the addressing and this is what the chip sees.
/1
I've built a recreation of the William Stuart sound card and I can't get the AY chip to do anything.
I've worked out the addressing and this is what the chip sees.
/1
The record deck would slide out from underneath, like the SM-101
It would also have a lot more LEDs
It would also have a lot more LEDs
July 10, 2025 at 9:57 PM
The record deck would slide out from underneath, like the SM-101
It would also have a lot more LEDs
It would also have a lot more LEDs
Toshiba boombox for the win!
June 30, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Toshiba boombox for the win!
This was our family's replacement for the Ferguson "music centre".
The record player try stopped opening without help pretty quickly.
The record player try stopped opening without help pretty quickly.
June 30, 2025 at 7:29 PM
This was our family's replacement for the Ferguson "music centre".
The record player try stopped opening without help pretty quickly.
The record player try stopped opening without help pretty quickly.
Almost as good as this... :-)
June 30, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Almost as good as this... :-)
Looks nicer with a twiddly knob and a red LED in the right place. :-)
June 26, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Looks nicer with a twiddly knob and a red LED in the right place. :-)
I've spent the morning completely replacing the base memory error reporting for the #sinclair QL diag ROM.
It now actually produces something useful and usable.
Serial port gets fault address and bad bit mask.
Screen gets colour bars, first denoting which RAM bank plus 8 more for the bits 7 -> 0.
It now actually produces something useful and usable.
Serial port gets fault address and bad bit mask.
Screen gets colour bars, first denoting which RAM bank plus 8 more for the bits 7 -> 0.
June 12, 2025 at 2:39 PM
I've spent the morning completely replacing the base memory error reporting for the #sinclair QL diag ROM.
It now actually produces something useful and usable.
Serial port gets fault address and bad bit mask.
Screen gets colour bars, first denoting which RAM bank plus 8 more for the bits 7 -> 0.
It now actually produces something useful and usable.
Serial port gets fault address and bad bit mask.
Screen gets colour bars, first denoting which RAM bank plus 8 more for the bits 7 -> 0.
Now working on original hardware, with serial output captured by a terminal.
This means that you can check a QL's hardware status even if the video output part of the ULA has died.
This means that you can check a QL's hardware status even if the video output part of the ULA has died.
June 8, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Now working on original hardware, with serial output captured by a terminal.
This means that you can check a QL's hardware status even if the video output part of the ULA has died.
This means that you can check a QL's hardware status even if the video output part of the ULA has died.
This is what it currently looks like in an emulator. The serial port output is being sent to the terminal.
June 7, 2025 at 8:18 PM
This is what it currently looks like in an emulator. The serial port output is being sent to the terminal.