Re: Revealing a new project (non-VCF)

[Tony Duell via cctalk]

On Mon, Jul 2, 2018 at 11:09 PM, Evan Koblentz via cctalk
 wrote:
> Time to reveal a personal project related to vintage computing and unrelated
> to my role at VCFed.
>
> In the past two years, while getting neck-deep in the historic Lego 9700
> "Technic Control Center" set, I learned that there is a TON of information
> about this set (and about various related sets) -- but most of that
> information is missing from the web or at best scattered.
>
> What these programmable robotic sets all have in common is they're all from
> the 10 years BEFORE the modern Mindstorms series, and they run on vintage
> computers!
>
> I decided a few months ago to make a web site about it. I call the site
> www.mindsbeforethestorm.com. The site is under construction but you can
> visit now and see where it is going.

One thing struck me from looking at your schematic of the Apple ][ interface
card (you know me, always looking at the schematics first...)

That card is essentally a 6522 VIA with port B linked to a 20 pin header. The
BBC micro has a user port which is port B of a 6522 linked to a 20 pin header,
and I've just checked the 'Advanced User Guide' and the connections are
essentially a superset of those on your Apple ][ board (pns 2 and 4 would be
the CB1 and CB2 lines on a BBC).

It is my guess that the BBC micro version of this system used the Lego
interface box, but connected it straight to the user port on the BBC.

-tony

Revealing a new project (non-VCF)

[Evan Koblentz via cctalk]

Time to reveal a personal project related to vintage computing and 
unrelated to my role at VCFed.


In the past two years, while getting neck-deep in the historic Lego 9700 
"Technic Control Center" set, I learned that there is a TON of 
information about this set (and about various related sets) -- but most 
of that information is missing from the web or at best scattered.


What these programmable robotic sets all have in common is they're all 
from the 10 years BEFORE the modern Mindstorms series, and they run on 
vintage computers!


I decided a few months ago to make a web site about it. I call the site 
www.mindsbeforethestorm.com. The site is under construction but you can 
visit now and see where it is going.


I'm asking for contributions to the project.

I make a very modest living through my work as a freelance tech 
journalist and additionally through VCFed fundraising. Many of you will 
also recall that a personal fundraiser is what enabled publishing of my 
computer history book in 2015. That was a positive experience.


I do not plan to sell anything on this new site, only to offer helpful 
information that isn't currently available or is very difficult to find. 
As such, I cannot promise any Kickstarter-style rewards: I don't have 
any ideas about what a good reward for this might be (open to 
suggestions). Instead, I appeal to your altruism: fund this project 
because it is a good thing.


Please visit my new site. If you think it exemplifies how the web should 
be used, if you'd like to see it get finished, and if you would like me 
to continue to be able to pay my rent and eat food, then please make a 
contribution via https://fundrazr.com/61N3ef?ref=ab_74VRia.


Thanks,
-Evan