iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 8h

DO remember to turn around capacitor C9 because it was incorrectly inserted in the factory and your second floppy drive will kill the machine's performance 😆

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 21h

They certainly existed; I've never heard of them either. arvutimuuseum.ut.ee/index.php?m=...

arvutimuuseum.ut.ee

TÜ arvutimuuseum: Labtam 3015-V32

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 29/09/2026

Hahaha, I enjoyed that. Proper 'white haired professor' mode when the answer is staring you in the face. I've been there SO many times 😆

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 29/09/2026

I read a pretty good analysis last week that basically said the fraudsters and shysters are coming up with this 'oo it'll kill us all' schtick because it's still burning several forests' worth of money with no profit so they need 'time' to 'tame it' and 'please give us more cash.'

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 29/09/2026

I've lost many things in the last 30 years including some of my marbles, but at all times I know where my Cyclone adapter is. Bit like a towel to hoopy froods.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 28/09/2026

The tapes are just standard 60 min mini cassettes, new ones are still available. What doesn’t seem to be common are the write enable plugs for them. I have the code that generates new tapes but I haven’t worked out how it actually ran yet. The MAME code is based off my ROMs 😄

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 28/09/2026

I have the source code for the Posi so I know how the MMUs are done. The board does (or did) run, it just fails to complete boot. If I tell the Fluke to run the UUT (as it’s known) from FFFE it says ‘may need a reset’ like it’s not seeing the board correctly. More learning needed 😄

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 28/09/2026

It’s more of a function selector with hex keypad. Excellent action too.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 28/09/2026

Hm. Because the Posi uses MMUs for RAM access the Fluke can't deal with this - the OS initialises the MMUs at boot. This means there isn't an easy way to drive the CAS/RAS signals without some life in the machine. I know it initialises though, so I need to learn how to drive it from the Fluke.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 28/09/2026

Also, the Philips P2000T tape archive project knows of someone who's hooking a digital transport up to a RasPi to try and dump the tape contents, which could be interesting. I have complete schematics and source for the Executel tape controller so I might be able to help.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 28/09/2026

I did buy some dictaphones to try and make audio copies of the tapes, but both of them needed some restoring themselves and I never got things quite right. I need to buy some new tapes at some point though, so I can duplicate one for you. Is that running in MAME?

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 27/09/2026

That little stand it's on is well cute.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 27/09/2026

(*I know there’s another one, it sold the year before I got this one and seemingly disappeared. Hopefully the owner is working on it and is going to burst forth with a working machine going ‘tadaaaa’ any day soon)

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 27/09/2026

New toy! This is a 1981-ish Fluke 9010A troubleshooter that I’ve borrowed; since it has a 6809/6809E pod you might be able to guess what the next machine on the bench is. Yep, the Positron 9000 that I’ve had for years but still not managed to fix because this is the only one left*

The Fluke 9010A with its single line VFD and function keys grouped into handy clumps of tests like ROM and RAM tests, troubleshooting like writing to RAM, learning I/O addresses and generally entering hex codes.

Fortunately I remembered it’s a 120v system 😁

This isn’t a cassette recorder, it’s a 6809/6809E ‘pod’ which replaces the primary CPU and can drive the machine. It’s currently sitting on the Positron 9000 multi-user machine.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 27/09/2026

Aha, I should’ve thought of that. There’s a windows version, might have to seek it out and have a virtual poodle around the castle.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 27/09/2026

FH4? I’m guessing that’s a game 😄

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 27/09/2026

Obvs Bamburgh Castle is my favourite 😍

Bamburgh Castle in the sun yesterday, sat atop its rocky outcrop being an imposing thing. What a sight with the sun beaming down on it from a blue sky, dozens of people on the big beach below it. My favourite view.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 27/09/2026

There was a few on that bit of beach, but everyone else was in the other direction.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 27/09/2026

@snuggsy187.bsky.social @0xc0de.bsky.social Managed my own bit of Stag on the way back from Orkney yesterday, but since it was over 500 miles to drive AND I needed a pee this was the only pic I could take. Since the weather was splendid the place was rammed.

Stag Rock on St Aiden's beach in Bamburgh, Northumberland. Note to self: get a better phone with more than 3x optical zoom.

Stag FACT: it gets repainted regularly and nobody knows why it's there in the first place.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 20/09/2026

❤️ My stamping ground! First @0xc0de.bsky.social goes up there and now you. Enjoy 😍

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 20/09/2026

I was never allowed any of these so any time we were near them in shops I'd play with them until the staff told me to stop 😁 Now of course I have them all apart from Logic 5 which I never really saw in the wild.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 18/09/2026

Splendid, Cat distribution System strikes again.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 16/09/2026

Tick in the box to say ‘yep, the 64 is CP/M compatible’ I suppose.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 16/09/2026

I built one for the recent Z80 at 50 exhibition at @computinghistory.org.uk and wasn't surprised when it didn't work at all 😆

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 14/09/2026

Me: hm, this Executel PSU is dead, let’s investigate. *sucks air in through teeth* yer big end’s gone, mate. Flame on indeed. It actually blew the lid of that choke coil off and embedded some of itself in the plastic.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 14/09/2026

That was a hells of a burst, splendid.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 14/09/2026

First home video game I ever played I think, Space Invaders on a PET at a mate's house one lunchtime from school. 1978?

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 13/09/2026

It will indeed. I just need to decide what to take 😆

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 13/09/2026

I shall be exhibiting... something. Not sure what yet, but it will definitely involve Space. See you there!

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 13/09/2026

Lawks. Given the number of green LEDs is that a 12 channel controller?

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 12/09/2026

Depends. The 8100 uses a different controller scheme. CPT ‘did an Apple’ and designed their own disk controller board for the drive mechs. You won’t be able to use the 8100’s drives but a Shugart-based 8” drive will work for writing, then hopefully the 8100 can read the disks.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 12/09/2026

It SHOULD do, they were all supposed to be compatible. The 8500 is the same circuit design as the 8000/8100 but the boards were redesigned to be more compact and the disk interface was vastly improved. I’m not sure the 8100 can drive a gotek though, because of the floppy controller.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 12/09/2026

Stand down everyone. I didn’t read the datasheet correctly. The second input must be high, and in this case it isn’t. Fault is further back in the circuit. Bugger.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 12/09/2026

Got an odd one today. A 74LS08 AND gate connected to a 74LS92 decade counter. Gate 3 of the AND outputs to pin 14 of the counter. One of the inputs to gate 3 is a clock signal, the other is low. Therefore the output MUST be a clock. But it isn't. I've swapped both chips to no avail. Trace time!

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 12/09/2026

Indeed, and I'm going to use Eric's schematic to try and revive both of my 16712A cards. Different layout but the underlying theory of operation must be the same.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 11/09/2026

Same with the flyers and posters, it's an instant indicator of slop. Not to mention that EVERYTHING is just ever so slightly... brown.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 10/09/2026

Ah splendid. Say hello from a little corner of the UK for me please. The 8520 keyboard is excellent.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 10/09/2026

I was chatting regularly with one of my page contributors for a long while as he was digging his 8000 series parts/disks/books out. He was going to send me disk images of his collection but everything went quiet a year last June so I hope he's just too busy.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 10/09/2026

Pity the poor barkeep who has to bring 10kg of unhygienic log to you while also stopping the slop from falling off.

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 10/09/2026

It's always good to be able to keep memories of this stuff alive. There must be loads of garages and lofts containing documentation about these machines but so far not much has surfaced apart from what people can remember. Hope my pages have been of use!

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 10/09/2026

I always get Minnesota and Minneapolis mixed up. I'm slowly documenting the history of CPT through emails from ex-staffers. binarydinosaurs.co.uk/Museum/cpt

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 09/09/2026

I hope you did the same dance I did when I got my 8520 booting over xmas 2024 😁 Awesome work. Also, did you get it from Sweden?

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Binary Dinosaurs @binarydinosaurs.co.uk · 09/09/2026

I only know of two of these, and only 1 worker - this one. Awesome stuff!

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