What's New 2025


Please see below for 2025 updates to BeebMaster


1st February 2025 February's update begins with more on the Ecodisc:
I made a new version of my "Count Directory" utility to take into account the space used on LV-ROM discs. Here's the utility before the changes so we can see the difference. This is the enhanced version which can cope with VFS discs.
Version 1.2 of my Read/Write CMOS utility from July 2022 is here. Here's a quick routine I drew up to print out a memory dump.
This was a bit of fun in July 2022 when I made up an ADFS disc full of Pi digits. Shortly after making my Disc of Pi, I devised a way of freeing up even more space on an ADFS disc than is usually available.
Here's a look at the "Bad key" error in BBC BASIC. This is a very irritating problem with the Level 4 file server.
This set shows the ACB4000 series of Adaptec ST506 Winchester Disc controllers in use. This is a look at mode select using the ACB4000 series controllers, from July 2022.
In July 2022, 3 years after first introducing my HTML Generator, I devised a method to use Inter-Word to write the caption files. Please click on the picture links above to learn more. In July 2022, I devised a more automated way of taking Beeb screenshots, using a dictation system footpedal.
A quick set showing how ADFS 2.10 doesn't work with the Master 512. I had a special viewing of "Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D." in July 2022 in memory of local lad Bernard Cribbins, who played PC Tom Campbell in the film.
You can't tell from the pictures, but Wakefield 2023 took place in Bradford. I attended my second retro-computing event of 2024 in April when I made a further return visit to Camberley.
1st January 2025 Help to see in the new year with a special LaserVision and Domesday feature for this first 2025 update:
This is a look at "Helping Your Child To Read" with my Domesday Machine in July 2022.
This is a look at the "maximum" frame number which will be accepted when communicating with the LV-ROM player via SCSI. Another look at maximum frames now, with the LV-ROM player being operated under serial communications.
This is a quick recap of the problem of trying to work out how many CAV frames are on a laserdisc which happens to be an LV-ROM Disc. I worked out a fix for the SCSI communications problem when trying to calculate the maximum disc frame, as used in my LVInfo utility.
A major new section about the AIV Ecodisc starts today:
This is a new picture set of my Ecodisc which I took in July 2022 to coincide with its thirty-fifth anniversary. In July 2022, on the approximate 35th anniversary of the publication of the Ecodisc, I tried it out for the first time. It had been in the wardrobe for over 15 years.
Now a look at the Ecodisc with my LVInfo utility. It shouldn't be too difficult to make a logical backup of the Ecodisc - it will all fit on an ADFS floppy disc.
This is an attempt to see whether the Ecodisc Plan sections will work, even though the Plan files have rotted away. Here's a look at what happens if we try to run the Ecodisc with the Tube off.
To finish this new year update, some bits of programming with functions and procedures:
This is a brief look at a programming technique which allows a Function within a BASIC program to be called by building the name of the function using variables rather than having to hard-code the name of the function each time. This set is a bit of a warning about being careful to use the right arguments in functions, or unexpected results can ... result.


For previous updates, please see here.