Spectravision Quick Shot 1 Joystick

QuickShot was a line of joysticks and other input devices produced by Spectravideo for video game machines including Atari, Commodore, MSX, Amiga, Nintendo and Sega.

SpectraVision was founded in 1981 by Harry Fox and Oscar Jutzeler as a distributor of computer games, contracting external developers to write the software. Their main products were gaming cartridges for the Atari 2600 VCS, Colecovision and Commodore VIC-20.

The world's first ergonomic joystick, the QuickShot, was developed and patented by Harry Fox and Peter Law in 1982 (U.S. Patent D271220). Relatively famous was its Quickshot Maverick joystick, compatible with multiple consoles and home computers. In the late 1990s they expanded their line of products to PC joysticks and mouse. During the 1990s the company marketed a handheld game console called the Quickshot Supervision, a UK version of an Asian console designed to compete with the Nintendo Game Boy.

It has Standard Atari format compatible with most 8-bit formats, like Atari VCS / 2600, Commodore 64 / Amiga, Atari ST, Spectrum with an interface and many more.

Year: 1983
Manufacturer: Spectravideo (UK)
Original price: £16.95

Our Spectravision  Quickshot 1 is in excellent condition fully boxed and complete with Protek Interface which was kindly donated by A P Norton who purchased the joystick on 30th March 1985

Cumana Floppy Disc Interface

When the Archimedes was launched most users also had BBC Micros or masters with 5.25" floppy discs and wanted to be able to transfer data and programs from their BBC Micro/Master to their Archimedes and back. The office PCs of the time (1988) also used 5.25" floppies. The 5.25" floppy drive interface enabled users to connect a BBC disc drive to the Archimedes floppy disc interface. The card plugs into the floppy interface on the motherboard, the existing 3.5" floppy disc is plugged into the pins at the bottom of the interface and the cable is connected to a socket on the podule blanking plate at the back of the computer. The 5.25" floppy drive plugs into the socket on the back of the Archimedes (NB the 5.25" floppy disc drive will need its own power supply).

Here are the Cumana CA400S Installation Instructions.

ACE MIDI-Connect

The ACE MIDI-Connect is unusual because it is a German made podule with a relatively late date of 1997.
 

Technomatic 5.25" Floppy Disc Interface

When the Archimedes A300 and A400 ranges were launched, many users had 5.25" floppy disc drives for their BBC Bs or Masters. A 5.25" floppy disc interface allowed the old 5.25" drive to be connected to the Archimedes and files and programs transferred to the Archimedes 3.5" discs or hard disc, 
 
The interface plugs into the floppy disc socket on the motherboard, the internal 3.5" floppy connects to the socket on the board and the backplate is fixed to the back of the Archimedes. A 5.25" disc drive can then be plugged into the backplate and the switch selects between the internal and external drive.

HCCS Ultimate A5000 Multipod Version F

HCCS produced the Archimedes Multipod podule with the Ultimate A5000 ROM to support multiple micro-podules. The podule could support 2 micro podules which slotted into the connectors in the middle of the card and cutouts in the backplate.

This card has a version F ROM, a Vision Digitiser micro-podule and a MIDI micro-podule with the sampler daughter board.

Here are the Vision Digitiser micro module and the MIDI micro podule  which are fitted to the version F system.

Sinclair Oxford Scientific White Calculator

Display is 8 digits, green vacuum fluorescent.
Scientific Functions
9v (PP3 battery).
73 x 155 x 34 mm (2.9 x 6.1 x 1.3 ins).
Made in England.



CCH OE 504

Apple IIe Joystick

Official Apple II e joystick, with a wheel underneath for the tension of the stick.

QuickShot Python 5 Joystick

Voltmace 3b Joystick

Fully boxed and  with instructions

Sony Playstation 2 Slim Silver

All the function of a regular PS2, but including ethernet access out of the box (the original needing a network adaptor.

GP2X F200

GP2X First Edition

Grundy NewBrain AD (Transparent Case)

This model is one of only six clear NewBrain Machines to exist, it was used at trade shows to show off the interior features.

The Grundy NewBrain was a microcomputer sold in the early 1980s by Grundy Business Systems Ltd of Teddington and Cambridge, England.

The NewBrain project was started in 1978 when Sinclair Radionics began design work with Mike Wakefield as the designer and Basil Smith as the software engineer. This project was intended to provide competition for Apple and hardly fitted in with Sinclair's focus on inexpensive consumer-oriented products. When it became obvious to Sinclair that the NewBrain could not be made for the sub-£100 price he envisaged his thoughts turned to the ZX80 that was to be developed by his other company, Science of Cambridge Ltd.

The NewBrain project was moved to Newbury Laboratories by the National Enterprise Board (NEB), the owner of both Sinclair Radionics and Newbury Labs, following the closure of Sinclair Radionics. In 1980 Newbury announced the imminent release of three NewBrain models, including a battery-powered portable computer.

Two main models were released. The model 'A' had display to either a TV or a monitor. The model 'AD' also included a one-line, 16-character, vacuum fluorescent (VF) display on the unit which permitted operation with or without a TV screen or monitor - the VF display responded to the cursor keys and scrolled around the screen display area. One additional model was released, but this was a custom version for a pharmaceutical chain, with no screen display - only the VF display - and was never generally discussed.

Simtec ROM Carrier

The Archimedes A300 computers were only designed to use 1 Mbit ROMs, unlike the A440 and later A410/1 range. RISC OS 3 was supplied in 4 Mbit ROMs so a carrier board was needed to install the ROMs in an A300. Several suppliers produced carrier boards, this one is from Simtec. 

The fitting instructions for the Simtec RM Carrier board are HERE .

Voice 500 Recognition

The Voice 500 Recognition is a prototype unit, that never made it to retail.

Beebug Disc Buffer

The Beebug Archimedes Disc Buffer allows a 5¼" floppy disc drive to be connected to an Archimedes. This was particularly useful for those of us with both BBC Bs or Masters and an Archimedes as it enable you to read BBC ADFS 5¼" discs on the Archimedes.

The ribbon cable connects to the Archimedes 3.5" disc drive and then to the motherboard. The red and black wires are for +5V and 0V and connect to the Archimedes powersupply via a splitter.

Computer Concepts Laser Direct

In 1990 Computer Concepts saw that the ARM2 was one of the fastest CPUs around and that the Archimedes could have enough memory (ca. 2MB) to hold the bitmap page images. The result was the LaserDirect which did away with the laser printers CPU and memory and drove the printing mechanism directly from the Archimedes using the ARM CPU and its memory.

The first LaserDirect printer was based on the Qume CrystalPrint page printer, see QUME on the right had side of the first picture. Risc User magazine estimated that it was 30-50% faster than the normal Qume printer and 4 to 5 times faster than a dot matrix type printer. Later Computer Concepts developed a version using the Canon LBP-4 and LBP-8 printer engine. 

Unfortunate a Laser Direct podule is not much use now unless you still have the LaserDirect printer in working order. 

Here is the Computer Concepts LaserDirect  manual (for a Qume printer).

Wild Vision 242/243A prototype board

A prototype board of uncertain function. 

This card shows in *podules as Wild Vision 243A prototype (single digital channel) and loads a dummy module. The 242A daughterboard has a Triple 8bit 80MHz VIDEODAC, i.e. converts analogue video to digital. There is provision on the podule board for 3 daughterboards. This board included many engineering fixes (green wires) to suggest it is genuinely a prototype. 

Simtec A300/A400 4-8MB Upgrade

This is a Simtec A300/A400 4-8MB RAM Upgrade. Manufactured in 1994. 

Concept A4-128 tablet keyboard

The Concept Keyboard Company made overlay keyboards for Acorn, Research Machines and other computers. The Concept Keyboard was originally designed for use with the BBC Micro.

The keyboards were A4 and A3 sized with 128 keys. application specific overlays were placed on the keyboard. The company was originally called STAR Microterminals and changed name in the 1990s. In 1990 it was purchased by Bowthorpe plc and appears to no longer exist.

The CONCEPT Keyboard is an original data input device offering many advantages over other keyboard systems. The programmer has complete flexibility in simply assigning the fixed codes generated from the Concept keyboard matrix to characters, words, shapes, objects etc., set out on an overlay - thereby giving the user the most efficient keyboard layout for a particular apploication. The underlying principle is a touch sensitive membrane keyboard, sensitive over the entire matrix area, each touch cell producing its own unique output code.

This unit is a Concept keyboard Model with a Serial No.121335

Acorn AKA05 2X ROM Podule

On of the first upgrades for the new Archimedes range was the AKA05 ROM podules. Not that this was really surprising given how popular ROM-based software was for the BBC. The ROM podule can take upto 5 ROM/EPROMs, the ROMs can be 16K, 32K, 64K or 128K. It can also hold up to 2 x 32K RAM with optional battery backup (not fitted to this example but the space is visible in the top right of the first picture.

The ROMs can be in native ARM code (for example Aconsoft released an Archimedes version of View and Computer Concpets released an Archimedes version of Wordwise Plus). Alternatively BBC ROMs can be used with the 6502 Emulator. ROM images can be loaded into RAM (if fitted).

The ROM Podule Guide  is available in the Document section.

Acorn ACA42 PC Card

Sun Fire V490

Wild Vision Chroma 300 (Issue 2)

Wild Vision Chroma 300 Series Issue 2 from 1991, serial number CL0709. The issue 2 board is a redesign and includes an RGB out plug and the RGB in socket is now a cable with the plug on the end

The Wild Vision Chroma 300 is a genlock and overlay system which allows the video output from the computer to be superimposed, in full colour, on a PAL video signal from an external source. Graphics, text or captions can be overlaid onto video pictures from cameras, camcorders or VCRs.

Here is the Wild Vision Chroma-Genlock User Guide Issue 3.4 .

The following documents came with the CG4 Chroma Genlock board:
Wild Vision Chroma-Genlock User Guide Issue 4.1 .
Wild Vision Welcome Letter .
Wild Vision Meet the Multimedia Professionals leaflet.
Computer Concepts Technical Support leaflet.
Computer Concepts Sideshow Release 2 Instructions .

The following applications were included with the CG4 Chroma Genlock:
Computer Concepts !SlideShow Issue 2.00 Titling software for Wild Vision's Chroma-Genlock.
X-Ample Technology !Overlay Issue 1.00 Desktop Video Overlay Control.

Sinclair ZX80

The Sinclair ZX80 was a home computer brought to market in 1980 by Sinclair Research of Cambridge, England. It was notable for being the first computer available in the UK for under a hundred pounds (a price tag of £99.95, to be exact). It was available in kit form, where purchasers had to assemble and solder it together, and as a ready-built version at a slightly higher cost for those without the skill or inclination to build their own unit. The ZX80 was very popular straight away, and for some time there was a waiting list of several months for either version of the machine.

This model is an earlier version and has a white power unit.

Acorn 6502 Issue F Second Processor

This unit connects via the Tube second processor interface and converts a BBC Micro into a dual-processor system.

This is the uncommon Issue F Board

Apple iMac G3 DV (Slot Loading Flower Power)

The iMac G3 was the first model of the iMac line of personal computers made byApple Inc. (formerly Apple Computer, Inc.). The iMac G3 is an all-in-one, luggable personal computer, encompassing both the monitor and the CPU in a single enclosure. Originally released in striking bondi blue and later a range of brightly colored, translucent plastic, casings shipped with a keyboard and mouse in matching tints.

Acorn BBC Master Compact Prototype

Elonex LT-320X

British Telecom M5210 Series PC

A badged Zenith machine

Apple iBook G4

This was one in a series of notebooks, called the ''snow'' machine, Apple added a PowerPC G4 chip to the iBook line on October 23, 2003, finally ending Apple’s use of the PowerPC G3 chip. A slot-loading optical drive replaced the disc tray. The iBook G4 also features an opaque white case finish and keyboard and a plastic display hinge. This is also the last iBook laptop released before Macbooks replaced the iBook line in 2006.

The keyboard lifts up, allowing the user to upgrade the memory and the airport wireless card.

This machine is a 1.33GHz G4.

Songbook Beatles Music Maker

Beatles edition of the MusicMaker Keyboard Overlay with CD-Rom allows you to play along with your favourite Beatles songs on your PC. Gives you the choice from ten instrument voices; piano, guitar, harmonica, saxophone, flute, trumpet, electric piano, Hammond organ, vibraphone and synthesizer.

Simtec VRAM Upgrade 1/2 MB

Simtec RiscPC VRAM modules. The first from 1996 is a 1MB module upgradeable to 2MB by adding memory to the sockets on the back. The second from 2000 is a 2MB module. with just 4 chips instead of the 8 or 16 on older models.

Aleph One Cyrix Cx486 DX2-80

Like the Acorn ACA42, the Aleph1 486DX2-80 card is a Gemini I card (serial number 4561). It has a Cyrix Cx486 DX2-80 CPU with a 40 MHz clock. The DX2 CPU use clock doubling to increase the speed of the CPU core.so the bus runs at 40MHz but the Processor runs at 80MHz. The cx486 has 8KB level 1 cache on chip and comes complete with its own cooler. (the green pointy bit in the picture).

For further details about RiscPC PCcards see Acorn Cybervillage X86.

Here is the Aleph1 PC Cards User Guide .

Here is the Aleph1 !PCPro  software to configure and run the PC expansion card. Further details are available from the RISC OS Info  site.

Acorn A540 26MHz ARM3 CPU

This a CPU card from an A540 or an R260. It has a 26 MHz ARM 3, but no socket for a FPA10.

Acorn ACA53 PC Card

CJE Micros AMD586 133MHz PC Card

The CJE59 PCcard is a PCcard which CJE Micro's has upgraded to an AMD586 133MHz CPU. The card is based on an Acorn Gemini II card part no 1111,050 Issue 1 and has 512K of Level 2 cache in 4 x CY7C109 (128K x 8bit) SRAMs, 2 on the front and 2 on the back of the card.

For further details about RiscPC PCcards see Acorn Cybervillage X86 cards 

Here is the Aleph1 PCPro r3.06  software to configure and run this PCcards. Aleph1 have made the PC and PCPro software open source under the GPL, for further details see RISCOS.info .

Acorn ART StrongARM CPU Prototype

From 1996, a prototype StrongARM CPU for the RiscPC. The main difference between the prototype and the production card is the bank of switches in the top left which set the CPU clock.

Net Products V.34 Modem

Net Products Modem, V.34. Originally from a Netstation. But may work with other RISC OS computers.

Computer Concepts ColourCard (A3000)

The Computer Concepts ColourCard (A3000) provides improved graphics capability for  an A3000 computer. This ColourCard has the A3000 adaptor which fits over the top of the VIDC on the A3000 motherboard. The ColourCard fits on the external podule socket on the back of the A3000 with the cable extending out to the ColourCard.

The ColourCard manual describes how to instal, configure and use a ColourCard. How to fit a Colourcard to an A3000 is described in Fitting a Colourcard to an A3000. The Monitors Known to work with Colourcard  document lists suitable monitors for use with a Colourcard (in 1993).

  The ColourCard  support disc containt the !FlipTop application and other software for the Colourcard. The ColourCard Gold Disc 1  disc contains the same applications for a Colourcard Gold and the ColourCard Gold Disc 2 (Replay)  disc contains the Acorn Replay application.

Power-tec SCSI-1/2/3 Host Adapter

The Power-tec SCSI host adapter is designed for the RiscPC and uses DMS to maximise data transfer, the card should be installed into one of the bottom 2 podule slots.

Aleph One 486 PC Expansion Card

The Aleph1 PC Expansion card (revision 1) provided a comple PC on a podule card complete with 1MB or 4MB RAM and an optional 387 FPU which is fitted in the socket on the 486 card, in the middle on the bottom of top picture. The 486 Expansion card has a Cyrix 486SLC25 and a 1MB or 4 MB SIMM It has its own serial and parallel ports. The PC Expansion card enabled an Archimedes to run MSDOS or Windows 3.1 in a RISC OS window.

This Aleph1's datasheet for the PC Expansion Card . It describes both the 386 and the 486 PC Expansion card.

The Aleph1 PC Expansion Cards User Guide (Issue5) is available HERE .

Here is the Aleph1 !PC r2.06sf  software to configure and run the PC expansion card.

Sanyo Data Recorder DR 202

Magnetic tape data recorder.

• Built-in fast-forward/rewind switch.
• Speaker monitor at loading and saving.
• 2-way LED indicator.
• Save/Mute button
• Monitor On Off
• Phase Nor/Rev
• AD
  
• Mode switch (normal/data).
• Tape counter.

Radio Shack TRS-80 Printer Cassette Interface

Adds printer capabilities to the Radio Shack TRS-80 PC-1

Imation Travan Network Series 20GB Tape Cartridge

These were developed by 3M for computer backups and mass storage.

Panasonic Lens Cleaning Cartridge LF-K008

Greengate DS:4

The DS:4 is a sampler for use with a custom card with the Apple IIGS.

Nakamichi MBR-7 7 Disc CD-Rom Changer

Panasonic LF-3000 Magneto Optical Disk Drive

The LF-3000 is an external magneto optical disk drive connected via SCSI. This drive will read and write to 3.5 inch magneto optical disks.

The magento optical disk format would eventually become obselete when mini-disks became more popular.

Palm Wireless Keyboard

YellowStone Educational Service RapIDE32

RapIDE32 Features include:

• Up to 400% performance compared with RISC PC IDE controller.
•  ATA-2 compatible, including enhanced PIO modes 3 & 4. Compatible with all drives and data transfer rates of up to 16.67Mb/s. Supports FOUR drives (ATA/ATA-2/ATAPI) in any mix as 2x master and 2x slave.
•  RapIDE 32 is a DEB1 expansion card achieving data rates of up to 8Mb/s, using a unique custom designed intelligent hardware controller. In use, transfer rates of typically 5Mb/s are achievable from any expansion slot when used with fast devices such as Quantum Fireball.
•  The existing RISC PC IDE port can still be used (under ADFS).
•  Enhanced ATAPS filing system using block mode transfers.
•  New File Core supported.
•  Flash memory device for easy firmware updates. Intelligent Hardware
•  Syquest and Removable Media Support - allowing these drives to be used on RapIDE32 making backup easier.
•  Partitioning- up to 8 logical drives can be used on the RapIDE32. This has the advantage of allowing users of Risc OS3.5 to partition a large drive into 512Mb sectors and also keeping the file allocation unit of a large drive down, wasting less space.
•  Desktop Configuration- using the Rapier programme, allowing the user to control the application of RapIDE32 from the desktop.

The software drives automatically setup the hardware access speed according to the information provided by each IDE device. If you have a fast Hard Drive and a slow CD-ROM, the Hard Drive does not have to work at the lower speed. Compare this with the RISC PC motherboard IDE controller that always uses the slowest access speed.

Data from the IDE device is transferred in 32-bit words, twice as wide as the motherboard controller. Not only does this double the transfer rate, but the software involved to convert the native 32-bit data to 16-bit is eliminated. The use of 32-bit access achieves over a 100% performance improvement.

Cumana 16/32 Bit SCSI II Issue 4

Cumana launched the 16/32bit SCSI II interface for RiscPCs in 1994, although it may work in older models, it was one of the first SCSI II interfaces.

The Issue 1 card (serial number 998) shows patch wires on both the front and back, suggesting it is a early release and had to have an number of post-manufacture fixes applied. By way of contrast the issue 4 (serial number 4038) card shows no patches. 

The SCSI support disc is available from the Software page here .
The latest version of the SCSI drivers is in the SCSIFlash application from the software page here .

Risc Developments IDE Controller

Lingenuity SCSI With 25 Pin Interface

The Lingenuity SCSI interface is a SCSI I interface dated 1989. There appear to be 2 versions of the interface, both dated 1989. This version was manufactured by Avie Electronics with a 25pin D external socket. It has an AM5380PC SCSI-1 8bit controller and a Lingenuity SCSI ROM Issue 1.8

The Lingenuity SCSI Interface software is available HERE. 
The Installation instructions for the Lingenuity SCSI Interface card are available HERE .

Disney's Aladdin LCD Hand held

Intelligent Interfaces Dual RS423 Serial Interface

Intelligent Interfaces Dual Rs423 Serial Interface is an expansion card for any RISC OS computer running RISC OS 3.1 or above. It provides 2 additional RS423 serial ports with the same pin assignements as the internal port. The ports can input and output data at up to 38,400 baud. Futher details are on the Intelligent Interfaces web site.

Computer Concepts ROM-RAM Podule

This is a very early podule from 1988, at the time much of Computer Concepts BBC software was ROM based. and they may have assumed that ROM software was the way forward on the Archimedes. The Acorn ROM podule can be used to run BBC ROM software under the 6502 emulator. Many people upgraded to native Archimedes disc based software as soon as it became available.

The Computer Concepts ROM/RAM Podule manual is available HERE .

Watford Electronics IDE Interface

The first IDE interface was made in 1991 and has 3 connectors:

1. An Internal interface for a 2.5" disc installed on the card
2. An interal 39 pin connector for a second device installed in the computer
3. An external 39pin DB socet for an external device

The second IDE interface was bought on ebay from IFEL in 2008, not sure how old it is. There are no identifying marks on the PCB, but the podule identifies itself as a Watford Electronics Archimedes IDE Interface. The connectors are the same but the circuit board has be modernised to use surface mounted componenets. The hard disc is a 170MB Seagate ST9190AG.

An archive of the Watford Electronics IDE Utilities disc  is in the software section.

TI Little Professor (LED)

Little Professor

The Little Professor is a backwards calculator designed for children ages 5 to 9. Instead of providing the answer to a mathematical expression entered by the user, it generates unsolved expressions and prompts the user for the answer

When the user turns the Little Professor on and selects a difficulty level, an incomplete equation such as "3 x 6 =" appears on the LED screen. The user has three chances to enter the correct number. If the answer is incorrect, the screen displays "EEE". After the third wrong answer, the correct answer is displayed. If the answer supplied is correct, the Little Professor goes to the next equation. The Little Professor displays the number of correct first answers after each set of 10 problems. 

This is the early Little Professor with the LED display later ones used a LCD to ask the child one of thousands pre-programmed math questions. 

Instead of the membrane keys introduced few years ago with the Little Professor (1982) in the United States, this one followed the Little Professor (UK) developed in Europe and uses again normal keys. The technology of the keyboard is identical to well known scientific calculator. Compare it with the TI-30.

Date of introduction: 1985
Display technology: LCD
Size: 5.3" x 3.3" x 1.3"  
Weight: 2.3 ounces
Batteries: 2*LR44

CCH OE 490

Grandstand Scramble

This portable game console requires the player to fly from left to right, dropping bombs on missiles and ground targets, and firing lasers to destroy enemy missiles and aircraft.

It uses an VFD (Vacuum fluorescent display) which is able to display multiple colours.

Through clever trickery, the game is able to display multiple images in one square, so a bullet one moment and a spaceship the next.

Instead of the scenery of the arcade version, there is an industrial landscape laminate under the screen.

A proper joystick, and decent on off switch, select, start, missile and bullet buttons make this one of the more luxurious table top games from the era.