I’m a hobbyist in the US. Some of you may know me from the Apple II world or from the VCF events, which I led until 2019.
Adrian suggested that I post here and tag @ChickenMan with my MicroBee question. I also posted in the MSPP forum.
My main interest is 1980s Lego robotics. I run a website all about this, it’s called Brickhacks.com. I have worked with several Australian hobbyists such as Michael Mulhern and Alex Lukacz.
Lego made an 8-bit system for the Apple II, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, IBM PC, and Philips P-2000. The computers connected to Lego parts (4.5-volt lights, motors, optical sensors, and touch sensors) through a piece of hardware called “Interface A”, which was Lego set #9750. You could program the interface with your choice of languages, such as assembly, BASIC, or LOGO. Lego also had a propriety language called Lego Lines.
Some people hacked the system to work on other computers. Microbee/Honeysoft had a program called “Microbee Lines” that was a clone, perhaps with small improvements, of Lego Lines. I found the user manual on the MSPP website.
That leads to my question: did Microbee/Honeysoft have permission from Lego, or did Lego tacitly allow it? I’d like to know anything at all about the development of MicroBee Lines. Not so much on the technical side, but mostly on the historical side.
Well you joined the wrong Microbee forum to start with, may I suggest https://microbeetechnology.com.au/forum which is owned and run by a past Microbee employee at the time of the Lego connection. He has a lego unit also running on the Microbee and I’m sure he will be able to help you out. Ewan Wordsworth is his name and goes by the handle of MbeeTech. The copy of Lego Lines manual & software were archived by me when I was a member of the mspp and also in our Repository as well, of course.
Ewan also still has stock of the Microbee to Lego control units.
Cheers, Alan
I wouldn’t say its the wrong forum @ChickenMan - just another.
Owen Hill - Inventor of MicroBee provided the following;
Harvey Cohen wrote LOGO for Microbee and had discussions with LEGO Denmark who were interested in the product. (link Harvey Cohen
Microbee Honeysoft LOGO.
I recall LEGO approached Harvey Cohen to trial the program. LEGO had introduced Lego technis (I think) which involved electric motors combined with Lego bricks. Their logic was that older generations understood how a bimetallic strip controlled a toaster and how washing machines operated. With modern microcontrollers kids had no understanding how these devices operated.
Lego found kids built, for example, a Ferris wheel using bricks and a motor they did not understand how to control the speed. They designed a centrifuge until the speed was controlled.
I believe they developed Lego logo as a result
LOGO https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seymour_Papert
This guy was the father of LOGO at MIT and worked with Harvey Cohen. This is now recognised the origin of AI as mentioned in the attached article.
Seymour Papert developed Mindstorms and this was the original name of the Lego product.
These guys were at the centre of the theory of learning and basis for the use of computers in schools!