Retro Computer Museum
 

Hello,
Not sure if this is the right place to post this . . . but here goes anyway . . .

Please visit my website to see what we are trying to do . . .

www.retrocomputermuseum.co.uk

Basically what we are trying to do is set up a retro computer / console museum somewhere in or around Leicestershire. Please visit the website and leave a message or send us an email if you think it is a good idea - or even if you think it is a bad idea. Your messages either way are very valuable.

Regards
Andy Spencer aka DrewPee

What a good idea this is, sounds like it could be very interesting :)

Very nice idea. There are already a few physical computer museums in existence so it could be a great idea for you to visit them first to gain ideas about how your project could be approached.

Are the machines intended to be hands on working examples of each one? Or just static display case examples of the hardware? And what sort of information and displays are you considering?

Did you visit the History of Video Games Exhibition that originally toured a few years ago? I saw it as the Barbican centre in London when it was first on, and it was later a permanent exhibition for a few months at the London Science Museum before beginning a tour around the world. That was a very nicely designed and setup exhibition with working examples of many of the systems on display, with hands on games that visitors could enjoy for many of them. They also handled the timeline of video games very nicely.

There is also an Arcade machine museum near Portsmouth. This has over 100 cabinets and they get cycled regularly to display as many of them as possible. The unique thing with this museum is that all of the cabinets are owned by different people who belong to the museum as a kind of owners club. This could be an interested approach to be able to get as many machines (especially rarer ones) into an exhibition space.

My museum . . .
 

I have seen the museum at Bletchley Park (online only) and wasn't too impressed although I have been told it is very good, my museum will be (hopefully) be more hands on although some of my stuff I wouldn't want a lot of people messing with to be honest. There will be a lot of 8 bit stuff - such as sinclair, commodore, nintendo etc. and a few 16 bit machines.

I hadn't thought of the museum as a club as such but that is a fantastic idea, does anybody have a Dragon 32 or a Sam Coupe in the Leicestershire area that could be donated/on loan/given etc. :).

Thanks for the positiveness so far - good to see that people would/could be interested.

Regards
Andy

@DrewPee790

Hello there,

Welcome to the EAB, theres plenty of mischief around here, so when you get your time have a look around this fair board ;) its a great community :)

I love the idea of a retro-computer museum its a fantastic idea, although there are some in existence already there is sooo much more that could be done, things like

• special events
  • specialist exhibitions around a particular computer, Acorn / Sinclair
  • Games and thier Art work, Productivity, the theme of the era. movies that featured them
  • Actual physical gaming / events (will warn you all I OWN at 3d death chase on the speky)
• Time lines of manufactures and what they do now. include some info on the company that made the innards, where they were produced, even pictures of the factories that would be awesome!
• Recorded interviews of hardware developers / games developers, magazines of the era
• Perhaps imersion rooms, where one could walk back into 1984 with the computer as the focus.

Okay.... imma starting to dribble at the thought of it.

if there is anything you might wanna look for 8bit-classic 16bit... have a look here www.amibay.com :)

I guess you've seen old-computers.com and the like? Cool idea, always nice if you can have some fresh angle on it.

And I hope that huge flashing logo doesn't follow you around on the site... ;) (I know I know, design is maybe not super final yet)

If you have some time to spend on it, make it a community of some sort where info and stories can be submitted and approved.

This is where you could use emulation to great benefit. The problem with running real retro hardware is the fact it will all break down at some point and cost money to repair or find a replacement. If instead the systems were shown running via emulation this would solve that issue as you could just have some cheap PCs serving up the emulated examples of each system.

This was also done at the Video Games Exhibition and worked well.

You could also utilise recent conversion hardware for this. For example it is possible to convert a C64 into a PC keyboard, so you can connect it up to a PC along with working joystick ports to control a PC and with emulation give the feel of the original system. The same is possible for the Amiga, and I expect it is too for many other systems.

Likewise it is quite easy to get hold of USB converters for many retro gaming system controllers, so you can use Megadrive, SNES, NES, N64 etc controllers on a PC, and again with emulation give a good original feel to the gameplay or control of the system in general.

I could also add to Harrison's comment on emulation as its a stupendous idea..

When emulating dont use an LCD, Plasma is nice but CRT or TV would be better! LCD's a really are poor in certain modes CRT's are the better option, 90% of MAME owners sware by it ;)

Thanks for the input guys!
I agree totally with the emulation, I love emulaion personally, especially MAME and stuff like that, I need to get hold of a load of USB Competition Pros but they are suddenly not available anywhere, I love mine! It would be good to use a few of those plugged into PCs and emulate Speccies, Amstrads, Amigas, C64s and Ataris!! Cool!
Thanks again
DrewPee

RCM - An Update . . .
 

Just thought I would update you with a couple of additions and a nice long list of what I have . . . so far . . .

Amstrad CPC464
Amstrad MegaPC (Megadrive built into a PC!)
Atari STe
Atari Lynx (v2)
Atari 2600 (6 switch)
Atari 2600 (4 switch black (darth))
Atari 2600 (new version)
Atari Jaguar
Commodore Vic20
Commodore +4
Commodore 16
Commodore 64
Commodore 64c
Commodore 128
Commodore Amiga 500
Commodore Amiga 600
Commodore Amiga 1200
Commodore Amiga 2000
Commodore CD32
Sinclair ZX80
Sinclair ZX81
Sinclair Spectrum 16k
Sinclair Spectrum 48k
Sinclair Spectrum 48k+
Sinclair Spectrum 128k
Sinclair Spectrum +2A
Sinclair Spectrum +2B
Sinclair Spectrum +3
Sinclair QL
Memotech MTX512
Acetronic Games System
Gamepark GP32
Nintendo NES
Nintendo SNES
Nintendo N64
Nintendo Gameboy
Nintendo Gameboy Pocket
Nintendo Gameboy Color
Nintendo Gameboy Advance
Nintendo Gamecube
Mattel Intellivision + Loads of hardware!
Acorn Electron
Acorn BBC Model B
Sega Mastersystem 1
Sega MegaDrive
Sega Saturn
Sega Dreamcast
Sega Gamegear
Sega Genesis Nomad
Sony PSOne
Apple Mac II Classic
Apple Mac 4400
Apple Mac 7200
Apple Mac G3
Apple Mac G4

+ different versions of the above . . . and quite a few I have missed!!

Still looking for loads of stuff . . . Sam Coupe, Dragon 32 or 64 and loads of Atari machines as well as a couple of Commodores (Pet, CDTV, Amiga 300 and Amiga 4000) . . . I can dream!

Anyway - still looking for premises . . . I will keep you updated!

Regards
DrewPee

This sounds cool! Looking forward to more updates :great

Hi DrawPee70,

really impressive list of retro hardware :great
Must see this collection in your museum one day with my own eyes, but till then how about some kind of 'online' version? Maybe just a 'teaser' picture gallery. :)
Keep up your work and I wish you the best of luck with finding more retro stuff!

CyberDruid,
My website is currently being re-done and the new version should be up and running for the middle to end of july, it will feature pictures and information about ALL (hopefully) of my collection.
Thanks for the support.
Regards
Andy

@ DrewPee

If you need any software for the Memotech MTX or The Acorn / BBC machines just drop us a PM.

Also If you get hardware that needs repairing, Feel free to ask

TC :D

Great news Andy :great
I'm really looking forward to see the new site. Maybe you could post a kind of 'wishlist' here, so people can offer you rare and wanted machines.

CyberDruid,
well . . . the machines I would like are . . . most of the Atari 8 bit machines (400, 800, 600XL,XE), a sam coupe, a dragon 32 or 64, any amigas (especially A3000 an A4000 but really would love a A4000T), Commodore Pet, Commodore C64GS, Commodore CDTV, Jupiter Ace, A fully working Sega Genesis Nomad! (Mine is poorly!), Sega 32x, Sega MegaCD, any megadrive games as I don't have many!, Acorn Atom, Amstrad CPC664, Amstrad CPC6128, Amstrad GX4000, Apple II, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Atari Jaguar CD + Games (and any cartridges), Atari ST (Mine has a poorly keyboard), colecovision, Oric 1, Oric Atmos, MSX 1, MSX 2, Phillips Videopac G7000, any Neo-Geo stuff! phew I think that is about it! lol!
Regards
Andy

Hello again,
Just to let you know my website is now up and running with forums and everything! I have now put 8 consoles/computers online with relevant details and accompanying pictures.

Regards

DrewPee (Andy)

ps www.retrocomputermuseum.co.uk

Do you have the oric 1 yet ?

Thanks for the pictures Andy :great
Really nice new site you have made there. Maybe you could add some photos of the museum building. That would be really interesting.

hello
 

We dont have a buidling yet - still looking for premises!

Unfortunately we don't have an Oric 1 yet?!?!?

Thanks

Andy