New Computer Science lab

Sammy is moving into a new lab next year. She’s had it repainted as an all-white cube and we’re going to fit new desks around the perimeter. There’s also a little space for displaying stuff…

  1. Any ideas for things we could buy? Need to be reasonably cheap and useful or inspirational. For example, I’ve just ordered a big RGB LED matrix that we can hook up to a Raspberry Pi that students can write software for - tfl countdown api, that sort of thing. We’ll probably get some rgb led strips connected to a networked arduino as well.

  2. Does anyone have any vintage computer gear we could display? I’m thinking of things like a BBC Micro, C64, that sort of thing.

Thanks for reading!

RichM.

A little avant-garde perhaps, but some DMX stage lighting can be surprisingly cheap, gives a lot of impact and leads to thoughts of use outside of a lab environment.

I’ve got a Commodore Pet.

DMX lights do start quite cheap, don’t they? And there’s lots of info on using DMX with Arduino too. Good call @tobyspark

Hi Matt,

Is it available for long term loan or donation? Literally the first computer I ever touched was a Commodore Pet…

@Matthew_Stannard Commodore Pet 2001 with the cassette tape drive was the first computer I ever bought to learn to program on. I had to repair the display memory first and it came with all the old manuals.

Wish I still had it.

Gordon

I can dig it out of my attic. It was working when I put it up there. I remember I found it on the street many years ago - someone was chucking it out, would you believe? Am happy to loan it to SLMS.

That pet is now worth over £600.

This is one of my favorite ebay bookmarks.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Vintage-Computing-/11189/i.html

If you want set dressing one of these would look great.
I remember pc world magazine raving over it when it came out.
A portable personel computer.
Osbourne executive personel computer
Look at tjose floppies.

I feel as though I’m on Antiques Roadshow, Gordon. I’ll be in London on Friday, but I don’t know how to get into the Makerspace if there’s no one there.

Check the members area category. There’s access instructions there.

https://discourse.southlondonmakerspace.org/c/members-area

Mathew, look in the members section of this discourse forum.
Full instructions for acccess.

Is it still worth bringing my Commodore Pet in, @RichM ? I could drop it off at the arch next time I’m in Town.

Hi Matthew,

Sammy and I would be very happy to have it as a long-term loan in her new CS lab.