North west Computer Museum

[duncanlowe]

Looks great. And looks like I need to do some loft emptying. Microprofessor. Vic20 and cartridges. Microvitec cub monitor. Oh and a Wren. Bet they don't have one of those.....

[Phil__G]

Does anyone know what happens if say a museum was to fail as a business, are the collection items 'assetts' to be sold by the receiver?
If I was to donate something unique, I would want to know that if one museum closes, its collection is passed to another... but I have no idea if this is feasible

[Mark1960]

Not sure about computer museums but I have seen notes on exhibits at some other museums that exhibits are on loan to the museum. This may be a way of protecting those exhibits from being sold by any receiver.

[SiriusHardware]

Conversely, I have seen words on some museum websites that they don't accept items on loan, and that if items are given to the museum there can be no conditions placed upon what happens to them after that - the implication being that said museum (but not necessarily this one of course) can display the item, keep it in a dusty box where nobody will ever see it or sell it to make space or raise funds as they see fit.

I can see why some museums would take this approach, because keeping track of where all of the loaned items' hopefully still living owners were would be a complete nightmare.

You'd have to carefully read the terms and conditions of any museum you were considering giving or loaning an item to.

[electronicskip]

They have just had a feature on the BBC news about the museum.interviews etc . The place looks fab on the film.

[duncanlowe]

I've loaned items to a museum, short term for a 1990s exhibition. They were able to take items on loan that remained mine, but the same agreement form could be used to transfer ownership, with all that implies.

[SiriusHardware]

They have just had a feature on the BBC news

Can you be more specific? What time, news programme and channel? (May be able to catch it on iplayer).

[Nuvistor]

Leigh Spinners mill as lots of activities.
https://www.leighspinnersmill.co.uk/

Facebook page for the computer museum.
https://www.facebook.com/northwestcomputermuseum/

I live about 3 miles away so no excuse not to take a look.

[electronicskip]

Originally Posted by SiriusHardware

Can you be more specific? What time, news programme and channel? (May be able to catch it on iplayer).

Yes was on the BBC News about 8.30/9.00 this morning when i was on a break at work .
BBC1

[SiriusHardware]

Cheers, I will try to take a look later.

[electronicskip]

Originally Posted by SiriusHardware

Cheers, I will try to take a look later.

Actually it was 8.58 when i was watching it , i posted on here at the same time as i was watching.

[SiriusHardware]

I had deduced that from the time stamp on your post #29 but it was good to have it narrowed down to one channel / programme. I can see that the 'BBC Breakfast' programme (3 hours) will be available on iPlayer until shortly after tomorrow's programme so I will try to catch it tonight - I.T. here at work doesn't allow us to have fun (won't let me go to the iplayer site).

[Buzby123]

On iPlayer now. 06:54 was the first live broadcast, with a second live at 08:54.

The presenter didn't show any of the other rooms.

[SiriusHardware]

I've seen both segments from the programme now (Thanks to 'Skip for flagging it up and Buzby for making them easy to find).

Yes, I thought it was a reasonably sympathetic presentation although Sally Nugent's memory of it 'taking about an hour to play a game on the Spectrum' did make me roll my eyes a bit. It's always the Sinclairs which come in for exaggerated criticism - although the on site presenter did describe the ZX80 as 'the first affordable home computer' which was a fair comment.

I was amused to see an Xbox 360 in the museum because that is the newest games console I have, still used very regularly.

The museum looks good, I will definitely try to visit.

[DrStrangelove]

Originally Posted by Buzby123

From our Vintage Computers on-the-spot reporter at North West Computer Museum ...

That reel of half inch tape brought back memories of 700GP and 777 magnetic tape produced by 3M long long ago.

You haven't lived until you've experienced a reel falling off the tape tester at 100ips.

Fortunately it was night shift.

More pure unobtainium from early in my "career".

[Realtime]

Originally Posted by Buzby123

EDIT : I could donate Vicky now. I've got almost enough parts to build another, just need PCB and ROMs

I have a new blue Rev VI PCB if you want to PM me. Possibly roms, but I’d need to check.

[Nuvistor]

Visited this afternoon, a good number of people there but not packed so easy to look at the exhibits. I didn’t try any although many were switched on and working with people using them.
I wanted to take my partners grandson aged 10, no not interested, wanted to play on his switch or PS4 or whatever it is. He was a bit put out when I told him about the virtual reality head sets that other children were playing with, something for another day perhaps.

[M0FYA Andy]

Originally Posted by mark_in_manc

(Leigh spinners mill is an unusual building. The original company survived, just, and makes astroturf in the basement which probably used to be the cardroom when it was cotton spinning. The rest of the mill was vacant for decades, and when it started to fall down they got a load of funding to try to re-purpose it - looks like this is one of the new tenants. The engine house and big cross-compound mill engine survives, and a group has been working to preserve the engine. Whether it will ever rotate again, I don't know! So all this could be an interesting angle to any visit).

I can confirm that the engine will and does rotate, but presently only when turned over by the totally refurbished 'donkey engine' (run on compressed air). The team restoring the engine hope to have a source of steam in the long-term to run it properly, the original boilers having been removed.

Andy