Binary Dinosaurs
@binarydinosaurs.co.uk
Collecting, repairing and preserving vintage machines since 1998.
W: https://binarydinosaurs.co.uk
F: https://Facebook.com/binarydinosaurs
M: @binarydinosaurs.oldbytes.space
"The king of old weird stuff" - Fuzzweed.co.uk, Nov '25
W: https://binarydinosaurs.co.uk
F: https://Facebook.com/binarydinosaurs
M: @binarydinosaurs.oldbytes.space
"The king of old weird stuff" - Fuzzweed.co.uk, Nov '25
Anyone interested in the Apple Lisa but either unable to get one or successfully run LisaEm can have a play with this - LisaOS in your browser! (Needs JavaScript)
Https://lisagui.com/info.html
Https://lisagui.com/info.html
November 25, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Anyone interested in the Apple Lisa but either unable to get one or successfully run LisaEm can have a play with this - LisaOS in your browser! (Needs JavaScript)
Https://lisagui.com/info.html
Https://lisagui.com/info.html
This is exactly what happened with the drive in my Acorn R140, and attacking it with a magic eraser obviously didn't occur to me. I just put the top back on with a sigh.
Guess I need to get it out again as Technight is right - I have nothing to lose.
Guess I need to get it out again as Technight is right - I have nothing to lose.
Lithium battery fumes got inside the HDD and oxidized the platter. I actually was able to clean this off with a magic eraser AND IT READS... Plenty of bad sectors, but i am getting an image!
November 24, 2025 at 8:55 AM
This is exactly what happened with the drive in my Acorn R140, and attacking it with a magic eraser obviously didn't occur to me. I just put the top back on with a sigh.
Guess I need to get it out again as Technight is right - I have nothing to lose.
Guess I need to get it out again as Technight is right - I have nothing to lose.
Speaking of RIFA madness, I’ve been collecting every non-exploded one I’ve pulled out of PSUs over the years. Every summer I say I’ll wire some up and slo-mo film the detonation and every summer I fail to do this.
Next year eh.
Next year eh.
November 23, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Speaking of RIFA madness, I’ve been collecting every non-exploded one I’ve pulled out of PSUs over the years. Every summer I say I’ll wire some up and slo-mo film the detonation and every summer I fail to do this.
Next year eh.
Next year eh.
Sorted out the Beeb PSU that smoked during RetroFest last weekend. It blasted the incoming mains cables with its guts, which took a LOT of cleaning up. Tsk.
November 23, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Sorted out the Beeb PSU that smoked during RetroFest last weekend. It blasted the incoming mains cables with its guts, which took a LOT of cleaning up. Tsk.
Something I wanted to test before RetroFest was this Toshiba HX10, aka the only MSX that really sold in the UK. A common complaint about them these days is that the keyboard no longer works and I had a clue as to why when I was refurbishing my Sony HitBit HB75.
First though, the machine.
First though, the machine.
November 23, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Something I wanted to test before RetroFest was this Toshiba HX10, aka the only MSX that really sold in the UK. A common complaint about them these days is that the keyboard no longer works and I had a clue as to why when I was refurbishing my Sony HitBit HB75.
First though, the machine.
First though, the machine.
Post-RetroFest tidying continues, and we dig out the Commodore CHESSmate complete with crimes against plug wiring. I need another bag of 3A fuses now.
History of the CHESSmate is here, from the designer himself. benlo.com/microchess/c...
History of the CHESSmate is here, from the designer himself. benlo.com/microchess/c...
November 23, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Post-RetroFest tidying continues, and we dig out the Commodore CHESSmate complete with crimes against plug wiring. I need another bag of 3A fuses now.
History of the CHESSmate is here, from the designer himself. benlo.com/microchess/c...
History of the CHESSmate is here, from the designer himself. benlo.com/microchess/c...
Oh wow, I've been meaning to do this for literally years!
TIL that there is an open source hard drive emulator for the Atari ST line of machines. How freaking cool!
github.com/retro16/acsi...
OSH/OSS rocks 💖
github.com/retro16/acsi...
OSH/OSS rocks 💖
November 22, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Oh wow, I've been meaning to do this for literally years!
:oD
I wrote about how, in 1982, a physics joke gone wrong sparked the invention of the smiley emoticon
arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025...
arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025...
In 1982, a physics joke gone wrong sparked the invention of the emoticon
A simple proposal on a 1982 electronic bulletin board helped sarcasm flourish online.
arstechnica.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:12 PM
:oD
What a splendid weekend! Thanks to @computinghistory.org.uk for hosting, @heredragons.be for organising and everyone who came to stop and chat! Winner of the Beeb high score was @snuggsy187.bsky.social with a frankly ridiculous 237110, and the Speccy was @morefunmakingit.bsky.social with 23030 😄
November 16, 2025 at 8:19 PM
What a splendid weekend! Thanks to @computinghistory.org.uk for hosting, @heredragons.be for organising and everyone who came to stop and chat! Winner of the Beeb high score was @snuggsy187.bsky.social with a frankly ridiculous 237110, and the Speccy was @morefunmakingit.bsky.social with 23030 😄
Reposted by Binary Dinosaurs
Of course, @binarydinosaurs.co.uk hatched a plan to have most versions of Chuckie Egg on his table.
November 16, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Of course, @binarydinosaurs.co.uk hatched a plan to have most versions of Chuckie Egg on his table.
Reposted by Binary Dinosaurs
Well, those scores have increased a bit! And the shock of the weekend was Nicholas getting 64 on Flagon Bird - which we think is the highest possible score! Come see us tomorrow at @computinghistory.org.uk and see if you can do better ...
November 15, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Well, those scores have increased a bit! And the shock of the weekend was Nicholas getting 64 on Flagon Bird - which we think is the highest possible score! Come see us tomorrow at @computinghistory.org.uk and see if you can do better ...
Hell's teeth, one of my favourite ever games. Hard to believe it's 26 years old!
UNSTOPPABLE!
UNSTOPPABLE!
Unreal Tournament can now be played IN A BROWSER
dos.zone/mp/?lobby=ut
Along with other late 90s PC FPS classics but yeah. UT99 in a browser window... just fantastic. Thanks to the r/LGR subreddit for letting me know about it!
dos.zone/mp/?lobby=ut
Along with other late 90s PC FPS classics but yeah. UT99 in a browser window... just fantastic. Thanks to the r/LGR subreddit for letting me know about it!
Multiplayer Hub | DOS.Zone
Multiplayer Portal - is a best place to play classic DOS and Windows games online with your friends. No registration needed, no advertisment, just play! Quake, Half-Life, Heroes of Might and Magic, Wo...
dos.zone
November 14, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Hell's teeth, one of my favourite ever games. Hard to believe it's 26 years old!
UNSTOPPABLE!
UNSTOPPABLE!
Ready to röck your Chuckie Eggs at @computinghistory.org.uk this weekend. That poor little Spectrum being dwarfed by the bigger machines is my original machine so be nice to it 😄
November 14, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Ready to röck your Chuckie Eggs at @computinghistory.org.uk this weekend. That poor little Spectrum being dwarfed by the bigger machines is my original machine so be nice to it 😄
Just for lols I’ve added the Toshiba HX-22 as a backup to the Sony because it has a great picture in, surprisingly, RF mode.
The LG monitor shown here is not in RF mode, it’s composite.
The LG monitor shown here is not in RF mode, it’s composite.
November 12, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Just for lols I’ve added the Toshiba HX-22 as a backup to the Sony because it has a great picture in, surprisingly, RF mode.
The LG monitor shown here is not in RF mode, it’s composite.
The LG monitor shown here is not in RF mode, it’s composite.
Any MSXperts about? Is there such a thing?
I’ve tried three (3) different machines (Sony, Sanyo, Toshiba) and they all have the picture slightly offset to the left.
Not an issue for the weekend, I’m just puzzled cos it’s clearly either a) LCD issue or b) VDP issue.
I’ve tried three (3) different machines (Sony, Sanyo, Toshiba) and they all have the picture slightly offset to the left.
Not an issue for the weekend, I’m just puzzled cos it’s clearly either a) LCD issue or b) VDP issue.
November 12, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Any MSXperts about? Is there such a thing?
I’ve tried three (3) different machines (Sony, Sanyo, Toshiba) and they all have the picture slightly offset to the left.
Not an issue for the weekend, I’m just puzzled cos it’s clearly either a) LCD issue or b) VDP issue.
I’ve tried three (3) different machines (Sony, Sanyo, Toshiba) and they all have the picture slightly offset to the left.
Not an issue for the weekend, I’m just puzzled cos it’s clearly either a) LCD issue or b) VDP issue.
I still have my original 48K Speccy that I saved up for ages to buy this SAGA 1 Emperor keyboard for. Today it fell to bits. At speed I grabbed my other Emperor keyboard to find it too has fallen apart.
Curse these manufacturers not thinking their products might still be used 40 years later 😆
Curse these manufacturers not thinking their products might still be used 40 years later 😆
November 12, 2025 at 1:11 PM
I still have my original 48K Speccy that I saved up for ages to buy this SAGA 1 Emperor keyboard for. Today it fell to bits. At speed I grabbed my other Emperor keyboard to find it too has fallen apart.
Curse these manufacturers not thinking their products might still be used 40 years later 😆
Curse these manufacturers not thinking their products might still be used 40 years later 😆
Sony HitBit HB75 reporting for Chuckie Egg duty now it has a refurbished keyboard.
November 12, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Sony HitBit HB75 reporting for Chuckie Egg duty now it has a refurbished keyboard.
Acorn Atom now has a turbo mode, AtomMMC2 SDcard adapter and all the classic games work!
Apart from Chuckie Egg which seems to think it’s in joystick mode 😆 #retroGamingFest25
Arses. It works fine in ‘slow’ mode but there’s a lot of snow on the screen as was the case with most Atom games.
Apart from Chuckie Egg which seems to think it’s in joystick mode 😆 #retroGamingFest25
Arses. It works fine in ‘slow’ mode but there’s a lot of snow on the screen as was the case with most Atom games.
November 11, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Acorn Atom now has a turbo mode, AtomMMC2 SDcard adapter and all the classic games work!
Apart from Chuckie Egg which seems to think it’s in joystick mode 😆 #retroGamingFest25
Arses. It works fine in ‘slow’ mode but there’s a lot of snow on the screen as was the case with most Atom games.
Apart from Chuckie Egg which seems to think it’s in joystick mode 😆 #retroGamingFest25
Arses. It works fine in ‘slow’ mode but there’s a lot of snow on the screen as was the case with most Atom games.
November 11, 2025 at 12:50 PM
I love finding build faults in nearly 50yo machines. This seems to have been like this since new. Good job nobody has tried to get a printer working on this Acorn Atom!
Without a 6522 fitted to the IO socket this won’t upset the machine, but guess who’s just fitted a 6522… 😆
Without a 6522 fitted to the IO socket this won’t upset the machine, but guess who’s just fitted a 6522… 😆
November 10, 2025 at 12:16 PM
I love finding build faults in nearly 50yo machines. This seems to have been like this since new. Good job nobody has tried to get a printer working on this Acorn Atom!
Without a 6522 fitted to the IO socket this won’t upset the machine, but guess who’s just fitted a 6522… 😆
Without a 6522 fitted to the IO socket this won’t upset the machine, but guess who’s just fitted a 6522… 😆
I've seen mentions of this and the occasional project update, but not what the finished form looks like. This looks *great*
Are you ready for #PicoIDE? It seems to be telling me it's ready. Coming soon: ATAPI optical disc emulation and IDE hard drive emulation. picoide.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:51 AM
I've seen mentions of this and the occasional project update, but not what the finished form looks like. This looks *great*
I'll be the one to add the missing word - 'week'. Insert where you see fit, then come and see me exhibiting some Chuckie Eggs on as many machines as I can fit on my table* 😁
Join in to decide which is the best version!
(*4, at a guess)
Join in to decide which is the best version!
(*4, at a guess)
Oh wow, this time next we'll be in full swing! Tickets for the Saturday are close to selling out - www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/74558/Re... - alternatively, Sunday will be quieter, but still the same wonderful exhibitors - www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/74909/re... - see you all next weekend!
November 9, 2025 at 7:58 PM
I'll be the one to add the missing word - 'week'. Insert where you see fit, then come and see me exhibiting some Chuckie Eggs on as many machines as I can fit on my table* 😁
Join in to decide which is the best version!
(*4, at a guess)
Join in to decide which is the best version!
(*4, at a guess)
Result! After a lot of faffing with different TANBUG versions trying to get things to work properly, I discovered the second TANEX board wouldn’t function properly in my working Microtan.
Answer: pull the RS232 chipset!
Suddenly, TANDOS works properly 😁
Answer: pull the RS232 chipset!
Suddenly, TANDOS works properly 😁
November 9, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Result! After a lot of faffing with different TANBUG versions trying to get things to work properly, I discovered the second TANEX board wouldn’t function properly in my working Microtan.
Answer: pull the RS232 chipset!
Suddenly, TANDOS works properly 😁
Answer: pull the RS232 chipset!
Suddenly, TANDOS works properly 😁
Huh. For those following the Microtan saga I pondered that the keyboard I got with the machine wasn’t a Microtan keyboard.
Turns out that if you feed it -12v and its own GND connection it only bloody works fine.
TANDOS board next, in that case.
Turns out that if you feed it -12v and its own GND connection it only bloody works fine.
TANDOS board next, in that case.
November 8, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Huh. For those following the Microtan saga I pondered that the keyboard I got with the machine wasn’t a Microtan keyboard.
Turns out that if you feed it -12v and its own GND connection it only bloody works fine.
TANDOS board next, in that case.
Turns out that if you feed it -12v and its own GND connection it only bloody works fine.
TANDOS board next, in that case.
OK, so this week's tale of woe was a non-booting Microtan65 + TANEX expansion. Zero activity and the mysterious case of a clock signal being flattened. Voltages at the header looked good, yet the thermal camera showed a very dead looking board. This was backed up by scope traces showing nowt. /n
November 8, 2025 at 9:14 AM
OK, so this week's tale of woe was a non-booting Microtan65 + TANEX expansion. Zero activity and the mysterious case of a clock signal being flattened. Voltages at the header looked good, yet the thermal camera showed a very dead looking board. This was backed up by scope traces showing nowt. /n