My shift is done, but there is still a couple of hours to catch #doorsopenday at #roeopen. Last entry at 4:15pm.

New blog post in which I give myself a lot of work combining Z80 code from several sources to build the enhanced Forth ROM for the Minstrel 4th. blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2025/09/revi... An even more extra work by choosing to do it using an archaic assembler that I happen to like.

All set for @lsstuk.bsky.social at #DoorsOpenDay #ROEOpen #lsst

Have been delving into Husband #Forth, a replacement ROM for #ZX81. It would not run out of box on @tynemouthsoftware.co.uk #Minstrel3, so I have set out to find out why. A work in progress, but I now have both H Forth (and its TS100 predecessor, Tree Forth) running on the Mistrel3! #retrogaming

New blog post - a minimal implementation of the compute and display (or slow) mode display for ZX81 or Minstrel 3 hardware. blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2025/08/mini... I got this down to about 200 bytes of Z80, so let's go through all of them and see what they do.

New blog post - blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2025/08/pet-... An update to the PET 2001 6540-010 character ROM replacement board, now with switch on the side to select between the versions for BASIC 2 and 4 or BASIC 1 (which was previously hidden under the chip)

Last day. Don't miss out.

Today is #embraceyourgeekness day, which I will celebrate with a game of #Centipede on the #Minstrel4D; written by Colin Dooley and ported (w/ sound and joystick support) to #Minstrel4D and code for spider finished by me - github.com/markgbeckett... #retrogaming

Bienvenue à Montréal! #poutine

Long shot, but I don't suppose anyone has an IBM Model M they would be willing to part with? Don't fancy risking a random one on ebay. Ideally within the UK to avoid shipping and things.

15 years ago this month, I set up Tynemouth Software. So all this month, there is 15% off everything at my Tindie store. www.tindie.com/stores/tynem...

Share this if this is how you spent Sunday afternoons when you should have been doing homework. #GenZX

New blog post - blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2025/06/zx81... My original attempt at writing a post about porting ZX81 BASIC to the Minstrel 4th. It went on far too long and into far too much detail. I decided to add more diagrams to it and my Patreon supporters seemed to like it, so here it is.

From later this year, @vrubinobs.bsky.social will produce 10M #kafka alerts per night, capturing the dynamics of the night sky. Here in @lsstuk.bsky.social, we're getting ready. The #lasair Alert Broker is being put through its paces with test streams. #capturethecosmos

The first images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will be revealed today. This image of the Virgo cluster, which incudes 2 spiral galaxies and 3 merging galaxies, gives a sneak preview of what we can expect. Read how EPCC is supporting Rubin's Legacy Survey of Space and Time: edin.ac/40f1n2F

Kid-at-xmas levels of excitement (did I wake up at 5am - yes I did!) #RubinFirstLook The Virgo cluster is an inspired choice: three-cheers for Sinclair Smith and his 1936 observations of it which helped Zwicky conclude there must be invisible #darkmatter out there! 🤓 🔭🧪 📷 @vrubinobs.bsky.social

It's the longest day of the year, so let's check the sunrise and sunset times at Edinburgh Castle. #summersolstice #zx81 #minstrel2 #retrogaming github.com/markgbeckett...

On 23 June 2025 the first images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will be revealed to the world in a ‘First Look’ event. A collaboration between EPCC and the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Astronomy will be central to the decade of great science that will follow. edin.ac/40f1n2F

My work here is done. #zx81 Perilous Swamp on @tynemouthsoftware.co.uk #Minstrel4th #retrogaming

This weekend, I took a step back into the 1990s, when my desktop looked at little like this. #retrogaming

Finally. Unmodified Tut-Tut for the ZX81 running on ZX81 BASIC for the Minstrel 4th running on a Jupiter Ace emulator running on a Windows 7 emulator running on a Linux PC. I am sure I will write an excessively long blog post about it. Thanks to @zx81keyboardadventure.com for helping sort this.

New blog post - Hints and tips for building and troubleshooting Minstrel kits. blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2025/05/some... Sorry if it reads a little ranty in places, don't think I was having a very good day when I wrote it. Also, did I mention the Minstrel 4th kits now support ZX80 and ZX81 BASIC?

As @vrubinobs.bsky.social nears completion, we're bracing ourselves for the onslaught of data. The UK is hosting one of Rubin's data facilities, in @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social @lancasteruni.bsky.social and RAL. Find out more about Rubin's data challenges here: rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-d...

Really enjoyed chairing this afternoon's #Archer2 #CelebrationOfScience session with three amazing early-career researchers modelling ocean spray, Antarctic ice sheet, and new metal-organic materials, plus talk about helping UNHCR predict migration of refugees. #supercomputing @epcc.bsky.social

Retro hack of the week, thanks to @tynemouthsoftware.co.uk. I've been struggling to load WAV files into my Minstrel 4th from my current laptop, so had to keep pulling out old (circa. 2015) laptop. Turns out all I needed was cheap, simple USB audio interface (£6.99 from local electronics shop)!

Final #forth game is an odd one. I think, based on opening screen, it is called A-mouze-in-mase: a maze game for #JupiterAce with very little provenance, including an unknown author. github.com/markgbeckett...

The second #forth game for today is 4D Monster Maze, a port of Malcolm Evan's classic maze game to @tynemouthsoftware.co.uk #Minstrel4th. For purists, there is a 100% Forth version, though display routine defaults to using m/code to make game more responsive. #retrogaming

Seems an appropriate day to revisit some #forth -based games on #Minstrel4th, starting with #Tut-tut, which @zx81keyboardadventure.com inspired me to port to 100% Forth on #Ace / #Minstrel4th, here loaded from cassette tape cronosoft.fwscart.com/product/tut-...

New blog post - Minstrel 4th is back, with some new tricks blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2025/05/mins... * Z80 based kit, 49K RAM, 2K video RAM. * Jupiter Ace Compatible Forth * Z80 machine code monitor * ZX80 BASIC * RC2014 expansion slot May the 4th be with you. www.tindie.com/products/tyn...

Wild garlic! A heady smell you either love or hate. #spring

Some #spring #bluebells to brighten up your Saturday #dalkeithcountrypark

Happy birthday to #sinclair's #ZXSpectrum. Forty three today. #retrogaming

Finally got around to building my @tynemouthsw.bsky.social ZXpand card, having bought it nearly six months ago! Needed for project I am working on. Sadly, I didn't notice soldering iron was scuffing plastic case of edge connector when finishing board 🤬. Hasn't helped me beat Rex though! #retrogaming

@planetrockradio.bsky.social Sitting here in Edinburgh, I think you've got your regions wrong tonight. Enjoyed the show though. 🎸

Work on Colin Dooley's #JupiterAce port of #Centipede is complete. #retrogaming github.com/markgbeckett...

Odd request, but I am looking for something which is a sort of "USB stick emulator". Something that I can plug into a piece of equipment that normally writes files to USB stick, but instead have those files appear directly in a folder on my PC. Sort of like the FlashAir SD, but in reverse, and USB.

Happy 44th birthday to the #ZX81. I am fortunate enough to own two, though don't spend nearly enough time with them. #retrogaming

Some #snowdrops heralding imminent arrival of spring.

Nicely written exploration of some good games for #JupiterAce, including mention of a couple of my own ports. youtu.be/DRMLR1nhe2g?... #retrogaming

Having disassembled Colin Dooley's port of #centipede for the #JupiterAce (and #Minstrel4D), and discovered an unused spider graphic, I've been working to restore the spider feature and (hopefully) fulfil Colin's vision for this great game! I will share a TAP version soon. #retrogaming

Sun is out for my final day in Lyon.

Some Lego dinosaurs to brighten up your Sunday! #DalkeithDinoTrail

Here are some #snowdrops to brighten up your Saturday.

A day late to say happy birthday to the #zx80. Sadly, I have never owned a ZX80, though do have a modern-day compatible #Minstrel2 – the power of a ZX80 without the #rampackwobble!

Does anyone in the UK have a tatty 1541 drive for free or cheap? Doesn't matter about the condition, yellowed, marked, switch holes, bit missing, not working, anything, I just need a case to rehome a 1551 that has cracks all over the case. I would plan to fill the holes, spray it dark grey etc.

Okay BlueSky Hive Mind - I'm looking for a Z80 I/O port map list for the Tatung Einstein TC-01 and am drawing a blank. Going to hit the Tatung forums later as well. Does anyone know where I can find one?

I have now finished my disassembly of Colin Dooley's version of Centipede for the #JupiterAce - github.com/markgbeckett.... I have made some interesting discoveries, as detailed in the README (see section on "Disassembling Centipede" for more info.

New blog post - first of the Mini VIC development logs. blog.tynemouthsoftware.co.uk/2025/01/mini... Part one covers the story so far and the plans for the revisited design.

Great to see new games being produced for the #JupiterAce. GLDM Games has produced several ports of 80s classics, including this version of Tetriz [sic.] which supports the @tynemouthsw.bsky.social Minstrel 4th/ 4D joystick interface! gldm.itch.io/tetriz/

First run of #RunTheMonth for PCUK in the bag, despite some treacherous ice. runthemonthme.prostatecanceruk.org/fundraising/...