wanted

[Jon Dallimore]

Hi.
Im hoping someone can either direct me to, or sell (or give!!) me a
couple of expansion cards...

Im looking for a network card which MUST have a user port on it for an
A3010. Im not too sure if such a thing exists, but if it does, Im sure
someone on here knows where to get one!

Also, Im looking for an expansion card of any kind for an A7000 which
has a user port. I dont care what it is, all I want to use it for is
the user port.

If anyones interested, the reason for this request is that I have a
control box which connects to an Acorn machine via the parallel and
user ports. I currently have an expansion card with a user port on the
A3010, but running the software from floppy disc is slow, and Id rather
run it on my A7000 and get rid of the A3010. Alternatively, if I cant
find a card for the A7000, Id like to run the box connected to the
A3010, and run the software from the A7000 hard drive over a network
cable. Not too sure if this option will work, but Im sure I can beat it
with a hammer til it does!

Im more than happy to pay postage within the UK, and im open to any
cost within reason. Obviously the best cost is FREE tho! Especially for
a poor skivvy student like me. So if someone wants to take pity.... :-)

Anyone can get hold of me at the following emails:

***@hotmail.com
***@coventry.ac.uk

I would suggest sending any message to both emails since the second one
will change soon.

Many thanks
Jon Dallimore

[Brian Howlett]

Hi.

[snip]

I currently have an expansion card with a user port on the A3010, but
running the software from floppy disc is slow, and Id rather run it on
my A7000 and get rid of the A3010. Alternatively, if I cant find a
card for the A7000, Id like to run the box connected to the A3010, and
run the software from the A7000 hard drive over a network cable. Not
too sure if this option will work, but Im sure I can beat it with a
hammer til it does!

[snip]
I take it from the above that your A3010 does not have a HDD? APDL do
a HDD interface for the A30x0 series, which has a user port, so you
can run the software from HDD instead of floppy.

Of course, it may be outwith your budget, unless someone has a (no
longer) used one they are prepared to part with for next to nothing.

From the APDL site:

Special offer

A3000 or A3010 drives complete with interface.

120 Mb - £49

1.8 Gb - £69

Note that these 'special offer' drives have an interface
with a User Port instead of an external IDE connector. They
therefore cannot have external drives or CD ROMs connected
but otherwise have all the features of our normal A3IN IDE
interfaces.

Link - <http://www.apdl.co.uk/drives.htm> - scroll to the bottom of
the page.

I suspect the "Mb" and "Gb" quoted should be MB and GB...

[Jon Dallimore]

that may well be an option later, but at the moment I cant afford it...
anyone got one they dont want???

[Jon Dallimore]

also, on balance I think Id prefer to find a card for the A7000 since
my A3010 is literally falling to bits. (held together with gaffer tape.
Great stuff is gaffer tape)

[Jon Dallimore]

also, on balance I think Id prefer to find a card for the A7000 since
my A3010 is literally falling to bits. (held together with gaffer tape.
Great stuff is gaffer tape)

[Elaine Jones]

Quoting from message
<***@u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com>
posted on 16 Apr 2006 by Jon Dallimore

Post by Jon Dallimore
also, on balance I think Id prefer to find a card for the A7000 since
my A3010 is literally falling to bits. (held together with gaffer tape.
Great stuff is gaffer tape)

Would an A5000 (with keyboard and mouse but probably no monitor) be of
any use to you? - I could arrange for it to be somewhere around
Coventry next weekend.

[Jon Dallimore]

if it has a user port that would be excellent!! Ive got a monitor, and
Im actually in uni in coventry as well so I could pick it up hopefully.

How much would you be wanting for it? or would you just be wanting to
get rid of it??

Please drop me an email with more details:

***@coventry.ac.uk
***@hotmail.com

Either email is good.
Many thanks

[Theo Markettos]

Post by Jon Dallimore
Im looking for a network card which MUST have a user port on it for an
A3010. Im not too sure if such a thing exists, but if it does, Im sure
someone on here knows where to get one!

I'm fairly sure such a thing doesn't exist. The only likely contender would
be HCCS' (or PRES'?) micropodules system which enabled fitting of multiple
modules on a single minipodule. I don't remember an Ethernet card being
available for either of these. Serial or Econet probably aren't what you
want.

Post by Jon Dallimore
Also, Im looking for an expansion card of any kind for an A7000 which
has a user port. I dont care what it is, all I want to use it for is
the user port.

Does the A7000 have a backplane? If so I see no reason why a user port
podule wouldn't fit (except the ancient double width ones).

Post by Jon Dallimore
If anyones interested, the reason for this request is that I have a
control box which connects to an Acorn machine via the parallel and
user ports. I currently have an expansion card with a user port on the
A3010, but running the software from floppy disc is slow, and Id rather
run it on my A7000 and get rid of the A3010. Alternatively, if I cant
find a card for the A7000, Id like to run the box connected to the
A3010, and run the software from the A7000 hard drive over a network
cable. Not too sure if this option will work, but Im sure I can beat it
with a hammer til it does!

If you already have a user port podule in the A3010 and don't mind a bit of
soldering you can 'convert' it to fit in the A7000 once you have a
backplane. There's some details for a MIDI podule in Run The Risc 9 at:
http://www.drobe.co.uk/archives//www.docm.mmu.ac.uk/STAFF/A.Wiseman/Acorn/RTR95.html
Your podule will be different so I don't know how the mechanics will work
but electrically it should be the same.

If you don't need a modern machine, an A5000 is probably the best bet for
expansion and ease of fitting. They all come with backplanes which would
take a converted minipodule.

Theo

[James Scholes]

Post by Theo Markettos

Post by Jon Dallimore
Im looking for a network card which MUST have a user port on it for an
A3010. Im not too sure if such a thing exists, but if it does, Im sure
someone on here knows where to get one!

Could you not get a card that uses the network slot on the A3010 with
an adaptor? I know I've got one of these for an A4000, and I'm pretty
sure it doesn't stop the inclusion of another minipodule.

Post by Theo Markettos
I'm fairly sure such a thing doesn't exist. The only likely contender would
be HCCS' (or PRES'?) micropodules system which enabled fitting of multiple
modules on a single minipodule. I don't remember an Ethernet card being
available for either of these. Serial or Econet probably aren't what you
want.

Ah, micropodules. Despite hunting through hundreds of boxes of old
acorn kit, I've never come across a micropodule of any kind, although
I have several minipodules with the connectors for them in place. I'd
be interested to know what micropodules actually existed, and how
popular they ever became, but that's completely unrelated to the above
query (unless, as you say, someone were to have an ethernet one)

James

[snip A7000 stuff]

[Theo Markettos]

Post by James Scholes
Could you not get a card that uses the network slot on the A3010 with
an adaptor? I know I've got one of these for an A4000, and I'm pretty
sure it doesn't stop the inclusion of another minipodule.

I've never seen an A30x0 motherboard, but my understanding is that the space
for the network slot is occupied by the UHF modulator and joystick ports
(which I'd guess also recycle the 15 pin D network socket). I think
electrically you might be able to fit a network card in there, it just won't
fit mechanically.

Post by James Scholes
Ah, micropodules. Despite hunting through hundreds of boxes of old
acorn kit, I've never come across a micropodule of any kind, although
I have several minipodules with the connectors for them in place. I'd
be interested to know what micropodules actually existed, and how
popular they ever became, but that's completely unrelated to the above
query (unless, as you say, someone were to have an ethernet one)

I suspect they weren't very popular except in schools who bought classrooms
full of A30x0 machines which were cheaper than A400/A5000s but wanted to fit
Concept Keyboards etc to them.

Micropodules I vaguely remember reading about:
User port
SCSI
Analogue
1MHz bus?
MIDI?
Serial port?

...mostly the sort of interfaces you'd expect from a date around 1993.
Things like IDE and Ethernet had only started growing in popularity.

Theo

[ChrisW]

<snip>

Post by Theo Markettos

Post by James Scholes
Ah, micropodules. Despite hunting through hundreds of boxes of old
acorn kit, I've never come across a micropodule of any kind, although
I have several minipodules with the connectors for them in place. I'd
be interested to know what micropodules actually existed, and how
popular they ever became, but that's completely unrelated to the above
query (unless, as you say, someone were to have an ethernet one)

I suspect they weren't very popular except in schools who bought classrooms
full of A30x0 machines which were cheaper than A400/A5000s but wanted to fit
Concept Keyboards etc to them.
User port
SCSI
Analogue
1MHz bus?
MIDI?
Serial port?

If you want to see what the look like have a look here for HCCS:
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades.html#HCCS

and Here for Cumana:
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades.html#Cumana

micro podules illustrated are:
User Port
SCSI
Digitiser
MIDI

Post by Theo Markettos
...mostly the sort of interfaces you'd expect from a date around 1993.
Things like IDE and Ethernet had only started growing in popularity.

All date from early 1990's.

Chris

[Theo Markettos]

Post by ChrisW
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades.html#HCCS
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades.html#Cumana

Thanks Chris, very comprehensive part of your site!

BTW the Zeridajh Video Digitiser shown here:
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades/Zeridajh_Digitiser.html
was published in Elektor Electronics magazine by our very own John Kortink:
http://web.inter.nl.net/users/J.Kortink/home/articles/eelec/index.htm

Theo

[ChrisW]

Post by Theo Markettos

Post by ChrisW
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades.html#HCCS
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades.html#Cumana

Thanks Chris, very comprehensive part of your site!

I am sure there are more, but I haven't found them yet!

Post by Theo Markettos
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades/Zeridajh_Digitiser.html
http://web.inter.nl.net/users/J.Kortink/home/articles/eelec/index.htm

Strange you should mention it, but I had just added the link this morning! I
was googling Zeridajh to add a thumbnail sketch about John and saw the
description on his site so added the link.

Chris

[John Kortink]

Post by ChrisW

Post by Theo Markettos

Post by ChrisW
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades.html#HCCS
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades.html#Cumana

Thanks Chris, very comprehensive part of your site!

I am sure there are more, but I haven't found them yet!

Great site though. It's nice to see so much together.

Post by ChrisW

Post by Theo Markettos
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades/Zeridajh_Digitiser.html
http://web.inter.nl.net/users/J.Kortink/home/articles/eelec/index.htm

Strange you should mention it, but I had just added the link this morning! I
was googling Zeridajh to add a thumbnail sketch about John

Nothing too embarassing I hope.

Post by ChrisW
and saw the description on his site so added the link.

I've a pic of an 'older' ICS IDE interface as well :

http://web.inter.nl.net/users/J.Kortink/home/software/zidefs/index.htm

(didn't design that, mind)


John Kortink

[Chris Evans]

Post by John Kortink

Post by ChrisW

Post by Theo Markettos

Post by ChrisW
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades.html#HCCS
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades.html#Cumana

Thanks Chris, very comprehensive part of your site!

I am sure there are more, but I haven't found them yet!

Great site though. It's nice to see so much together.

Post by ChrisW

Post by Theo Markettos
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades/Zeridajh_Digitiser.html
http://web.inter.nl.net/users/J.Kortink/home/articles/eelec/index.htm

Strange you should mention it, but I had just added the link this morning! I
was googling Zeridajh to add a thumbnail sketch about John

Nothing too embarassing I hope.

Post by ChrisW
and saw the description on his site so added the link.

http://web.inter.nl.net/users/J.Kortink/home/software/zidefs/index.htm
(didn't design that, mind)

The first IDE ICS used was designed by someone on the continent, for some
reason I thought it was you John! Do you know who it was?

IIRC when ICS ceased I started negotiating with the designer for the
rights.


Chris Evans

[John Kortink]

On Wed, 19 Apr 2006 12:12:35 +0100, Chris Evans

Post by Chris Evans
The first IDE ICS used was designed by someone on the continent, for some
reason I thought it was you John! Do you know who it was?

Stefan Fröhling and Peter Szymanski. Matching the
'SF and PS' scribble on the PCB.


John Kortink

[Chris Evans]

Post by ChrisW
<snip>

Post by Theo Markettos

Post by James Scholes
Ah, micropodules. Despite hunting through hundreds of boxes of old
acorn kit, I've never come across a micropodule of any kind, although
I have several minipodules with the connectors for them in place. I'd
be interested to know what micropodules actually existed, and how
popular they ever became, but that's completely unrelated to the above
query (unless, as you say, someone were to have an ethernet one)

I suspect they weren't very popular except in schools who bought classrooms
full of A30x0 machines which were cheaper than A400/A5000s but wanted to fit
Concept Keyboards etc to them.
User port
SCSI
Analogue
1MHz bus?
MIDI?
Serial port?

http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades.html#HCCS

Very interesting pages. We have various Ultimate minpodules and micropodules
in stock! I will have to get them put on to our website.

Post by ChrisW
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades.html#Cumana
User Port
SCSI
Digitiser
MIDI

I can only see the User port unit illustrated there.
I didn't think they ever got round to releasing the other planned units, I
don't recall ever seeing them.

Post by ChrisW

Post by Theo Markettos
...mostly the sort of interfaces you'd expect from a date around 1993.
Things like IDE and Ethernet had only started growing in popularity.

All date from early 1990's.
Chris

Chris Evans

[ChrisW]

<snip>

Post by Chris Evans

Post by ChrisW
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades.html#HCCS

Very interesting pages. We have various Ultimate minpodules and micropodules
in stock! I will have to get them put on to our website.

There are also pictures of most of the HCCS Ultimate podules : A3000,
Archimedes/A5000 and A3020

Post by Chris Evans

Post by ChrisW
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades.html#Cumana
User Port
SCSI
Digitiser
MIDI

I should have made clear that these are HCCS micro-podules. I only have the
user port micro-podule for the Cumana EMU.

Post by Chris Evans
I can only see the User port unit illustrated there.
I didn't think they ever got round to releasing the other planned units, I
don't recall ever seeing them.

Regards
Chris

[Peter Naulls]

Post by ChrisW
<snip>

Post by ChrisW
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades.html#HCCS

That's quite an extensive list. But I can already name 5-6 upgrades
which are missing from this list. The problem with such a thing
is that of course it's tedious HTML to maintain, and only
you can do it. Can I talk you into moving this to the riscos.info
Wiki? http://www.ricsos.info/ - then everyone could update it, and
add pictures that they have, etc.

[Peter Naulls]

Post by Peter Naulls
That's quite an extensive list. But I can already name 5-6 upgrades
which are missing from this list. The problem with such a thing
is that of course it's tedious HTML to maintain, and only
you can do it. Can I talk you into moving this to the riscos.info
Wiki? http://www.ricsos.info/ - then everyone could update it, and
add pictures that they have, etc.

http://www.riscos.info/ of course.

[ChrisW]

Post by Peter Naulls

Post by ChrisW
<snip>

Post by ChrisW
http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/32bit_Upgrades.html#HCCS

That's quite an extensive list. But I can already name 5-6 upgrades
which are missing from this list. The problem with such a thing
is that of course it's tedious HTML to maintain, and only
you can do it. Can I talk you into moving this to the riscos.info
Wiki? http://www.ricsos.info/ - then everyone could update it, and
add pictures that they have, etc.

Peter,

I had 6 objectives when I started the Chris's Acorns web site:
1. to document my collection of Acorn, RISC OS and 3rd party hardware,
software and manuals.

2. to be added to Chris's Acorns, I decided I have to have the hardware
sitting in my back bedroom. I also have a copy of the manual and the
configuration or driver software, if they appear on Chris's Acorns. Almost
all the pictures are photgraphs I have taken (the exceptions are a few Acorn
publicity photographs of prototypes and technology demonstrators.

3. If someone has a question, I can go get the original out of its box, fire
up the right computer and test it or send a link to the relevant section of
Chris's Acorns (as in this case).

4. To save the information on ex-Acorn and RISC OS suppliers' sites before
their domains or hosting expires to save and make the information available
to other RISC OS users.

5. to learn a bit about HTLM and how to build a web site. I am still
learning ;-)

It is also to help those returning to the RISC OS (or BBC) computing as a
hobby, buying a computer of ebay or elsewhere and wondering what they have,
how it fits together and what extras are available and what they need to get
their new Acorn to do what they want. I have seen many messages on the
c.s.a.* newsgroups asking for information on product x or software for
product y. So if I have it I am trying to make it available to them.

You mention that you can think of 5 or 6 upgrades that I am missing, well I
am currently only about 40-50% through cataloging what I have. I think I
have at least another 30 podules to add. I also have a whole lot of BBC
parts to add. I have lots of manuals to scan and some software to add. I
have i think about another 2 years work, ignoring what I buy or otherwise
obtain over the next 2 years. Some of the early pages could do with
re-working to match the style of later pages.

Because it is my catalogue of my collection, I am declining your offer to
support it on the riscos.info Wiki for the moment. However if I get bored or
am forced to give up maintenance of the site, I will get back in touch and
see what can be arranged, as I would hate to lose the RISC OS information I
have collected to date. I would also have to look for a home for most of the
collection ... But that day has not yet arrived.

Chris

[Jon Dallimore]

just had a look at the Run the Risc site you gave above, and bugger me.
It actually deals with the MIDI card Im currently using on the A3010.

Theo you are a god! Now all I need is a solder iron and a big
hammer.....

[Graeme Wall]

Theo you are a god! Now all I need is a solder iron and a big hammer.....

That's Thor, not Theo...

[Michael Harding]

Post by Graeme Wall

Theo you are a god! Now all I need is a solder iron and a big hammer.....

That's Thor, not Theo...

But I thought theo(s) was the Greek for god?

Michael Harding

[Elaine Jones]

Quoting from message
<***@z34g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>
posted on 18 Apr 2006 by Jon Dallimore

Post by Jon Dallimore
just had a look at the Run the Risc site you gave above, and bugger me.
It actually deals with the MIDI card Im currently using on the A3010.
Theo you are a god! Now all I need is a solder iron and a big
hammer.....

I sent an email to your coventry address - but have had a "timed out"
message, I'll try the other.

[Chris Evans]

Post by Jon Dallimore
Hi.
Im hoping someone can either direct me to, or sell (or give!!) me a
couple of expansion cards...
Im looking for a network card which MUST have a user port on it for an
A3010. Im not too sure if such a thing exists, but if it does, Im sure
someone on here knows where to get one!
Also, Im looking for an expansion card of any kind for an A7000 which
has a user port. I dont care what it is, all I want to use it for is
the user port.
If anyones interested, the reason for this request is that I have a
control box which connects to an Acorn machine via the parallel and
user ports. I currently have an expansion card with a user port on the
A3010, but running the software from floppy disc is slow, and Id rather
run it on my A7000 and get rid of the A3010. Alternatively, if I cant
find a card for the A7000, Id like to run the box connected to the
A3010, and run the software from the A7000 hard drive over a network
cable. Not too sure if this option will work, but Im sure I can beat it
with a hammer til it does!

AFAIK The only way to get a USER port on an A7000 is using a podule.

We have the podules on special offer until Friday!
The only downside is you need a backplane, A7000 backplanes are very very
rare and therefore if you find one, expensive. You could use a RiscPC 2 slot
back plane (Also on special offer until Friday) but then you can't put the
A7000's lid on!

For the special offers see http://www.cjemicros.co.uk/25years
(you get a free concept keyboard with the User port podule!)

Post by Jon Dallimore
Im more than happy to pay postage within the UK, and im open to any
cost within reason. Obviously the best cost is FREE tho! Especially for
a poor skivvy student like me. So if someone wants to take pity.... :-)
I would suggest sending any message to both emails since the second one
will change soon.
Many thanks
Jon Dallimore

Chris Evans