I've just stumbled across the "unofficial retrofest ad" and I'm still chuckling at it now...
Hoping to be visiting again on the Sunday this year fingers crossed!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DScdsdFIP_A
#RetroFest #RetroFest2026
A pair of black potentiometers on the driver board of the CUB monitor. They’re covered in white flakes and what looks like radioactive deposits in hot turquoise. No, I don’t know either.
Another supposedly black potentiometer covered in white flakes and radioactive looking blue deposits. The board it’s soldered to resembles a pair of jeans since it’s the same colour as faded blue Levi’s.
Finally dug out the Microvitec 1441 CUB that Camputers used to use at trade shows back in the day. When I last powered it up in 2018 it had suffered field collapse, so since it’ll be on show at RetroFest (May 30/31, STEAM, Swindon) I’d best fix it eh.
First off, interesting crust on the pots.
Three artworks painted on a #Quantel DPB-7001 Digital Paint Box by Martin Holbrook. These were made during the early period of the DPB Paintbox in the 1980s.
There are only TWO working DPB Paintboxes worldwide, one will be at #Retrofest in Swindon, UK on May 30th and 31st.
bsky.app/profile/shor...
Time to check and test the #quantel DPB-7001 before Retrofest Swindon!
A hardware debugging scene: from left to right, a Tektronix TLA714 logic analyser (a big squat box with an LCD computer display), a PERQ 2T2 workstation with the covers off and the EIO board jutting out from the front (I'm using bus extenders for easier access to the ICs), and an oscilloscope. Wires snake everywhere to connect the test equipment to the guts of the ailing PERQ.
POV: #PERQ hardware debugging, as usual. The #Z80 (serving as an I/O coprocessor) is behaving strangely: fetching instruction bytes without toggling the M1 pin, jumping to random locations at around 47uS after coming out of reset; what's going on here?
RetroFest in six weeks or so...
Shocking! I have no idea why. You are now! 😀
It's the UK's largest such event! 50 exhibitors and over 600 visitors last year. If you want to get a feel for the event, there's some great videos on our home page - www.retrofest.uk - and there's pictures from last year's exhibitors here - www.retrofest.uk/whowhat-2025...
Oh, we love this!
Retrofest 2026 will be held at the wonderful STEAM museum in Swindon on the 30th / 31st May - tickets are selling fast, so get yours now at www.retrofest.uk/tickets.php
Retrofest 2026 is taking shape - we now have an exhibitors list and details for most of the exhibitors, including 13 who'll be new to the event! www.retrofest.uk/whowhat.php
We also have a Bluesky list so you can follow them all, past and present, with one easy click - bsky.app/profile/shor...
We have every confidence in you Tom! Come see the PERQ, and hundreds of other awesome machines, at this year's RetroFest - www.retrofest.uk - just 45 days away! (gulp)
We have every confidence it'll be working! Why not buy a ticket and find out? :) www.retrofest.uk/tickets.php
What a lovely looking shop! And what a good looking extra at 7:07 ...
"As Winter transitions into Spring, it's time to turn our attention to what many would consider to be the event of the year ..." - many thanks to @glasstty.com for this very funny (and unofficial!) advert for this year's RetroFest. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DScd...
Getting ready to entertain / frustrate shoppers with Flagon Bird on the Dragon at ShortCircuit (it's late night shopping and Christmas lights turn on, on Sandgate High Street tonight!)
We're going to do it all over again! Very excited to announce RetroFest 2026 to be held at Swindon's STEAM museum on the 30th/31st May. If you'd like to exhibit, just full in the form - and if you'd like to come, why not buy a ticket! They also make wonderful Christmas presents :) - retrofest.uk
Time for another of my RetroFest 2025 exhibits. Here we have the fantastic COMX 35, in all its gold and black loveliness. A 1983 powerhouse with 35Kb ram and an RCA 1802 CPU. Awful hard plastic keys with an even worse built in joystick. You want to hate it.. but just look at it!
Right, time for another RetroFest exhibit.. here is my vTech Laser 300. Just as much cardboard and hot glue as all the other vTech's! A 1985 Z80 machine with 16k ram, and the 6847 graphics chip 💚
Time for another RetroFest exhibit! Do I need to introduce this Legend?! My Commodore SX-64. What an awesome machine! The world's first colour portable computer! 1983, 6510, SID, 64k in a handy portable 11kg (23lb) package. I'm recovering from backache atm.. I wonder why??!
Congratulations to @morefunmakingit.bsky.social for making us look almost human! This video tells you everything you need to know about who, what and why we are! youtu.be/1tB6czmZBng?...
We're famous at last! 😄
Can't wait to see the video! We tidied up specially and everything 😄
Time for the next exhibit from RetroFest. Here we have quite possibly the worst keyboard of all time! My Casio PV-2000. Absolutely no feedback from this completely flat membrane, but I love it. A 1983 Z80 based 'beast' with 4k of ram and a terrible version of BASIC. Fantastic 😎
Time for my next RetroFest exhibit. Just look at this gorgeous machine!😍Here we have my lovely Matra Alice 90. A 1984 machine with 32k ram and a 6803 CPU. The EF9345 video chip gave the ability to feed in video,and place graphics over the top! Why do all red machines look cool?
Time for another RetroFest exhibit. This time we look at my Bandai RX-78. A 1983 machine with 30K ram and a Z80 running at a blistering 4.1MHz. A definite oddball, with a gorgeous design. Cassette ports were an afterthought, and added to the BASIC cartridge!
Me in my RetroFest 2025 t-shirt in front of a machine used to research North Sea weather, which is controlled by a Commodore PET
Rocking my #retrofest t-shirt at the @sciencemuseum.org.uk today! @shortcircuit.org.uk
So, the next few posts are going to be showing off what I had as my exhibits at the fabulous RetroFest 2025. I HAVE to start with my awesome Aquarius II. An extremely rare beast, sporting the first.. and only game written for this software-less gem. Note the developer 😉😎👍
Finally managed to finish my blog post on RetroFest '25. Looking forward to '26! 😁
crashedfiesta.blogspot.com/2025/06/a-fe...
After I got back from RetroFest I turned on the cameras and went through all the stuff I brought back.
Ah this is a shame. Hopefully he'd have liked that I had his and the Lisa team's work on display last weekend at RetroFest. RIP sir.
