evank

(sorry I had to delete my reply)

This is just a heads-up to anyone who might be interested: there's now another option for fans of Interface A (1093/9750) to communicate, in the form of a Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/legointerfacea/. The group is not designed to draw anyone away from Eurobricks (I like it here!), just to offer an additional choice for people who tend to linger on social media.

Control Lab also has a DOS version. I know about the serial approach ... "Do you byte, when I knock?" ... "Just a bit, off the block" ... a friend helped make that connection to 9751 in QBASIC. Still, I'd like to know about the underlying software. Maybe it's buried in some Control Lab manual. I will look someday.

I know there are many software choices for operating 9751 Control Lab -- just as there are for 9750 Control Center -- but I wasn't sure which language is underneath the actual Lego Control Lab application. Is it still Logo? The irony of finally obtaining LogoWriter Robotics is that I have no intention of using it! I'm sticking with my favorite, good old BASIC.

That's mostly correct. LWR was introduced by LCSI, not Lego. I should clarify that on my website. I know Control Lab doesn't use Logo, but I'm not sure what it does use. @BatteryPoweredBricks would know best.

I and many other 9750 Interface A hobbyists have spent several years hunting for LCSI's "LogoWriter Robotics" software. There were plenty of false leads. The standard LogoWriter software and TC Logo are widely available, but nobody could find LogoWriter Robotics (which adds back features that were removed from standard LogoWriter.) A few years ago I was in direct contact with the original 1980s software developers from LCSI -- they didn't have it. People have tried reaching Lego corporate historians and many other promising leads, but everything failed -- until this week, when @amine discovered a year-old Reddit thread here: https://www.reddit.com/r/AFOL/comments/1f083cf/got_a_bunch_of_dacta_sets_including_an_apple_iigs/?sort=new Amine is in France, so he deferred to me because the original poster is just a few hours from me (New Jersey / Maryland). We're all incredibly lucky that the previous people who offered to buy it from him didn't pan out, and that the original poster got busy and forgot about it, so he still had it available. I spoke with him by Reddit chat, text message, and finally by phone. We made a deal for me to buy everything but the computer itself (I have enough Apple II gear, and I didn't want to ship a full computer that I didn't even need.) He sent me a couple of 9767 cards, a 9750, etc. -- the usual stuff you find for that generation of Lego robotics -- but most importantly he send me two copies each of the 3.5 and 5.25 disks, plus the LWR manuals. A couple of other 9750 hobbyists helped me fund the acquisition (I'm not naming them; they're free to identify themselves if desired.) A friend not on this forum lives near me and owns an Applesauce archiving system, so he's going to properly archive the software -- I was not going to just fire up a super-rare disk and see what happens. That's too risky; what if my drive ruined it? However one of the 5.25 disks was someone's backup copy, vs. the original, so I felt safe trying that since the original is here too. It booted right up! And of course I immediately copied that backup disk, to have a third copy for a fail-safe. When I have some time, I'm going to put the .dsk files and scans of the manuals into the Vintage Lego Robotics folder on Archive.org: https://archive.org/details/vintagelegorobotics Here's a picture of LWR running on my Apple //e tonight: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1skiB5yMVc_1F-67dh0D19pJiU0GbepI5/view?usp=drive_link.

This needs to be tested. We need to gather 9771 cards and loan them to @Toastie -- I think I've got four or five. Once there are 16 cards committed, then we all mail them on loan to Germany.

My dream would be a version that I can still program in 1980s, line-numbered BASIC. :) #InterfaceAforever

I'll drink to that. LOL I appreciate some friendly competition! Your data is slightly wrong: There are effectively seven available expansion slots on my Apple //e. In daily use, some of them are already taken up. I typically run a serial card and disk controller card. That leaves five slots for Lego 9767 cards. But I * have * run all seven slots full of Lego cards, just to prove the point. :) I demonstrated six in use at Brickworld Chicago and Brickfair DC, both in 2024. When I use my clone (Laser 128), there are only two slots. Oddly they are required to be numbers 5 and 7, thanks to decisions by the Laser engineers. Also you might consider using an IBM 5160 (PC-AT) which has more slots than a 5150. I might know someone who has an extra 9771 card ;) if you need more. I'm still working on "Blocky Kong". I am trying to get it working on six interfaces, so I can keep the disk controller. Worst case, if I need all seven, then I'll use a tape player.

Thank you @Toastie for bringing up the Internet Archive. I found that if you go to Archive.org and just put 'Lego manual' in the search bar, there are already hundreds of results.

I'm lucky to have both. :) I drive a Chevy Equinox EV* for commuting to work and practical trips, and a 30-year-old manual transmission Mazda roadster ("Miata" here in the US) for fun. * It's a strange name, because Chevrolet still makes the regular Equinox with a gas engine. The Eq.-EV is an entirely different car, not just a regular Equinox with a drivetrain swap.

It occurred to me this morning that @amine's work should not be in this thread -- because he did not have to hack anything -- as the Thomson computer is supported by Lego. @Toastie, you and I just didn't know this until now! Amine sent me a picture and links to scans of official Lego hardware and documentation for the Thomson computer. It's still great to know about this!! But I will move the information to the right place on my website, not the challenge section.

Very nice work! @Toastie you have a new challenger. :)

I was just in Boston a couple of weeks ago. Feel free to reach out to me anytime you have questions about the 1980s eight-bit Lego electronics. My schedule is pretty flexible.

Divide and conquer! :) I'm still rushing to get Blocky Kong finished soon, which will require six or seven Interface A devices on a single Apple II.

I'm wondering how many Eurobricks members are from the US. I live in New Jersey.

I exhibited there in 2022 (huge V8 car engine), 2023 (the V8 plus a transmission), and 2024 (four 1980s computers controlling Lego robotics). This year I have to miss it :( because my newest model -- "Blocky Kong" -- is not ready. My goal is to have it ready and debut it the first weekend in August, at Brickfair in Chantilly Virginia. I'm hoping to bring that same model to Chicago next year.

Trojan rabbit!

Reviving this thread because here's some university research about new Lego AI software! https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/legogpt-creates-stable-lego-designs-using-ai-and-text-inputs-tool-now-available-to-the-public Unfortunately the university that did this is a competitor to the one where I work. 😒 Lol kudos to them.

Hello @DadScientist and welcome to the rabbit hole of 1980s computer-Lego control! Where in the US are you located? I'm in NJ. Toastie knows more than me about the modern stuff; my specialties are 1. teaching people how to use the original system and 2. actually building cool stuff based around it.

Excellent job! -Other Evan

Thank you. I'm extremely motivated by my nostalgia for the 1970s-1980s "Expert Builder" theme. I love showing what was possible, if only you could've acquired enough parts back then.

I made a new thread for it.

Hi everyone, Evan here, from NJ, US. @Toastie asked me to share some updates on my unfinished "Blocky Kong" game. I started building this about a year ago, and my goal is to finish by the end of July, in order to display at Brickfair (Chantilly, Virginia, which is in the Washington DC metro area.) Context: Almost everything I build is based around "Interface A" which is the mid-1980s Lego computing system. It's available for the Apple II, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, and PC, and you program in languages such as assembly, BASIC, LOGO, or the proprietary Lego Lines. My preference is an Apple II and Applesoft BASIC. Read all about this system on my personal site (www.brickhacks.com) or in the Interface A reference thread here on Eurobricks. More context: I only build with parts from the 1970s-1980s, or older. I do not use any parts that debuted in 1990 or newer. Still more context: my best creation thus far is a life-size Chevy 454 big block, which you can read all about at www.brickhacks.com/v8.php. It took me the whole pandemic to build! Anyway, back to Blocky Kong. The model is shaped like a suitcase, standing on its short edge, with the wide side facing you. It's about 25 inches tall, 18 inches wide, and 12" deep (I know, "inches" ... I'm American, don't hold it against me!) :) I designed the whole thing to fit inside my largest luggage. Mario will start at the bottom left and your goal will be to reach the top left, where Blocky Kong and the princess will be located, just like in the real game. You'll jump over moving barrels and climb ladders. There will not be a hammer: it's way to complicated to build that process. The machine will also have a functional .25-cent coin slot and lots of lights, decorations, etc. The best part is, I built the entire rear gantry frame separately from the front game board frame. They attach to each other modularly. That means I can snap off the Blocky Kong game and re-use the gantry frame for other things! It could be various 2-D sprite games ... Breakout, Frogger, Night Driver, and Pong are on my ideas list. It could also be a kick-megablocks vertical pen plotter. Here is a short video (20 seconds) showing the frame and gantry, as controlled by a joystick on my Apple II in good old BASIC, via Interface A. You'll notice the frame is wobbly: that will change when I build a back panel, entirely in black. I also post smaller updates in my Facebook group called "Square Pistons".

If anyone is interested, I am almost finished with the engineering of my "Blocky Kong" machine -- a nearly life-sized, fully playable Donkey Kong-inspired game, controlled by several Interface A attached to a single Apple //e. :) My goal is to have the whole thing done by the end of July, and then to debut the model at Brickfair (Chantilly, Virginia) which is the first weekend of August. I've been posting frequent updates in my "Square Pistons" group on Facebook. Blocky Kong moves sideways and vertically, controlled by a joystick; he jumps over barrels; he climbs ladders; and ultimately he rescues the princess. I am using touch sensor for collision detection with barrels; to control the limits of the jumps; and to detect when a ladder is present, etc.