Holidays Wishlist with the BBC micro:bit!

The first computer I bought was a Rockwell AIM65 way back around 1979, which was the first single board 6502 computer that included a full keyboard, alphanumeric display and thermal printer. I still have it and it still works - here it is in the fold-out case I built to house it:

As a hobbyist, I used it to interface to build projects like a sound synthesizer and a video display system with color NTSC output:

Sound Generator:

I also used this model of computer for a couple of projects at work. One was a read-write maintenance terminal to program a 50,000 HP gas turbine engine controller. The 24 bit control computer, which occupied a whole room, was traditionally programmed using 24 toggle switches, one instruction at a time, so this interface was a dramatic improvement. The control computer had no electronic clock - the clock was recovered from a clock track on its 25 track drum memory. That control computer could not have a software crash. As long as the drum memory rotated, the computer executed.

The first computer I bought was a Rockwell AIM65 way back around 1979, which was the first single board 6502 computer that included a full keyboard, alphanumeric display and thermal printer. I still have it and it still works - here it is in the fold-out case I built to house it:

As a hobbyist, I used it to interface to build projects like a sound synthesizer and a video display system with color NTSC output:

Sound Generator:

I also used this model of computer for a couple of projects at work. One was a read-write maintenance terminal to program a 50,000 HP gas turbine engine controller. The 24 bit control computer, which occupied a whole room, was traditionally programmed using 24 toggle switches, one instruction at a time, so this interface was a dramatic improvement. The control computer had no electronic clock - the clock was recovered from a clock track on its 25 track drum memory. That control computer could not have a software crash. As long as the drum memory rotated, the computer executed.

I used to see loads of these AIM 65 computers at one of the local technical colleges.

They tended to have a Perspex/Plexiglass cover over them instead of the desktop case.

Some of the labs even used to have them screwed to a wall above lab benches, with the transparent cover over the front of them.

There were a number of plastic cases produced to house them - I could never afford one of them...