Retro & Vintage Computers, old consoles and classic gaming.
Posts tagged bbc
Watching Micro Men via XBMC on the Raspberry Pi
012 months ago
by Andy
in Andys Retro Computers
Its been a while since I have used my Raspberry Pi, so i though I would give XBMC a go. XBMC is a multimedia player for many systems, including the original XBOX and the Raspberry Pi.
Getting XBMC running was really easy – but im not going to tell you how to install it. There are plenty of guides already on the Internet that tell you how to do it.
The only configuration change I had to make was to set the audio to come out via the 3.5″ audio jack. The monitor I use in my study doesn’t have a HDMI socket, so I have to use a HDMI to DVI cable. DVI does not carry a audio signal.
The ultimate test for me was to get a video file playing. The natural choice of program was Micro Men. Most of my video files have subtitles as my wife is deaf.
I really do think that XBMC is going to be one of the most popular uses of the Raspberry Pi in the home.
Acorn Archimedes is 25
01 year ago
by Andy
in Andys Retro Computers
Article taken from The Register - Acorn Archimedes is 25
The Acorn Archimedes is 25 years old this month (June 2012). The first machines based on the company’s ARM (Acorn Risc Machine) processor were announced in June 1987, the year after the 32-bit chip itself was launched.
Four versions of the Archimedes were released in 1987: the A305, A310, A410 and A440. The first two had 512KB and 1MB of memory, respectively. You could upgrade an A305 to an A310 simply by adding in the extra Ram.
The A410 had 1MB of memory too, but the A440 had a (then) whopping 4MB and came with a 20MB hard drive as well as the 800KB 3.5in floppy drive – which also supported 640KB discs for BBC Master compatibility – found on the other three models.
Upgrading the A305 or A310 to A410 level was a matter of adding in a “Podule” backplane circuit board, which contained the hard drive controller. You also had to add, of course, the hard drive. There was room for two Podules on the A300 series.
You can read the rest of the article at Acorn Archimedes is 25
Raspberry Pi running the Fuse ZX Spectrum Emulator
21 year ago
As seen at the Horizons event at the BFI, London in May 2012!
Fuse install guide here! (Added August 2012)
Finally, I have got the Fuse ZX Spectrum emulator running on Raspberry Pi #7. Here is a video of it in action.
Getting the emulator to work was relatively simple. I just has to ‘apt-get’ in a few additional packages from the Debian repository. I didn’t need to modify any C code.
I tried to compile the code under the virtual machine set-up detailed on Russell Davis’s blog http://russelldavis.org, but it would not compile. So in the end, I compiled the code directly on the Pi. This did take about 20 minutes.
You should have seen my face once I got Manic Miner loaded 
I will be taking more photos and video of the Raspberry Pi at the Beeb@30 event this weekend.
This Pi (Number 7) belongs to http://www.computinghistory.org.uk
Beeb@30 – Thirty years of the BBC Micro and Computer Literacy Project
31 year ago
by Andy
in Andys Retro Computers
The Computer Literacy Project was a BBC-led initiative to improve computing education in Britain. A new series entitled The Computer Programme was planned for 1982, and the corporation wanted their own machine to accompany it.
A number of British computing firms were approached to produce a machine to the BBC’s own specification. The contract was awarded to Acorn Computers, whose own Atom replacement machine, the Proton, was adapted to satisfy the criteria.
The resulting BBC Micro became the machine of choice for schools up and down the country, backed by the then Conservative government’s own desire to make Britain lead the world in computer education.
Thirty years on, the BBC Micro is fondly remembered as being the computer that started a generation of careers in IT. It also begs the question – what did the Computer Literacy Project achieve, and how does it compare to how computing is taught now?
Beeb@30 will be a celebration with a twist, with the people who made it happen just over thirty years ago.
For more information and how to order tickets, please visit this page.
My Raspberry Pi delivery delayed until 14th May!!! (UPDATED!)
01 year ago
by Andy
in Andys Retro Computers
The following has been ordered to the Raspberry Pi FAQ on the Farnell website.
Raspberry Pi Delivery Dates
Q: I got an email from Farnell element14 stating that my delivery date for the Raspberry Pi I ordered is now into May or June, is this correct?
A: Sorry! We updated the data in our system so that new customers placing their pre-order would be advised of the delivery date at the end of May or beginning of June. If you originally had an estimated delivery date in March or April, your delivery estimate is still as per the original communication.
Not a happy bunny this morning. Got another email from Farnell saying my Pi will not be shipped until the week commencing 14th May.
Guess I will keep using my BeagleBoard for now then. Need to pick up a USB keyboard first – I cant believe I don’t own any!
Raspberry Pi model B now available to buy (If you are lucky!)
41 year ago
by Andy
in Andys Retro Computers
At 6am on the 29th of February 2012, the Raspberry Pi finally went on sale. These awesome single board computers are/were available to buy from either Farnell or RS Components.
I was up at 6am this morning – was I successful at getting a Pi? … No
However, I have registered my interest at RS Components. I wonder if I will get a call or email back from them today? Fingers cross.
If you were successful at getting your mits on one of these, please drop me a comment below.
The BBC have the following to say about the Raspberry Pi
A credit-card sized computer designed to help teach children to code goes on general sale for the first time today.
The Raspberry Pi is a bare-bones, low-cost computer created by volunteers mostly drawn from academia and the UK tech industry. Sold uncased without keyboard or monitor, the Pi has drawn interest from educators and enthusiasts. Supporters hope the machines could help reverse a lack of programming skills in the UK.
“It has been six years in the making; the number of things that had to go right for this to happen is enormous. I couldn’t be more pleased,” said Eben Upton of the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
You can read the rest of the BBC article at : The Raspberry Pi computer goes on general sale
