In this picture, you can see Econet Station 1 on my main network, which is a BBC Master 128. I have had this machine since May 2002. It was very kindly donated by my old School and was by far the best preserved BBC I have ever seen.

It took up its present position as Station 1 as soon as I got it, replacing another Master 128 I had been using for the previous eighteen months, which has now gone on to even greater things as the main component in BeebMaster's Domesday Machine.

The picture above is in fact a little bit out of date, as it does not show the ROMBox which is now connected to Station 1, and it is showing my home-made double-disc drive, which I made by using a Watford Electronics drive and a User Friendly drive and taking a ribbon cable from a broken double drive and attaching it to each of the drives. I then did the same with a double drive power lead to attach it to Station 1. I changed the drive number link in the Watford Electronics drive to 1.

This double drive no longer exists as it was dismantled in about 2005 when the User Friendly drive was re-used to make a dual 3½"/5¼" with an old Watford 3½" drive. Station 1 now has a "proper" Technomatic dual 5¼" drive attached.

In keeping with the general 1980s feel of the room, you will see my telephone seated on top of the double drive. I have had this telephone since about 1983 although the design is much earlier. However, this edition is the very first telephone BT produced with the removable plug which is so familiar nowadays. Previously telephones were wired straight into a box on the wall and could not be removed!

The spring in the dial gave up in late 2002 so when I am dialling, I have to return to zero with my finger. One of my ongoing "projects" is to programme the BBC sound chip to generate the correct frequencies for tone dialling so I can use Station 1 as a telephone dialler.

Click here to learn more about the BBC Master Series