Retro Computing Day at Falkirk Business Hub – January 17th, 2026
On Saturday, January 17th, 2026, members of the I.T. Crowd (Scotland) gathered once again for a full day of hands-on retro computing at Falkirk Business Hub.
Although I was organising remotely from Spain this time, the day itself ran exactly as hoped: relaxed, sociable, and packed with interesting hardware, ongoing projects, and good conversation. A big thank-you goes to everyone who came along and helped make the day such a success — and especially to Dave for keeping everyone supplied with tea and taking some photos.
A Day of Tinkering, Testing, and Talking Tech
As ever, not everything went entirely to plan — which is half the fun. One attendee (Steve) arrived having not intended to bring any machines at all, only to wake up with a sudden urge to rebuild an A7000 that morning and test a long-neglected SSD and IDE/SATA adapter. Despite valiant efforts (and a newly replaced VGA cable), it stubbornly refused to cooperate.
Elsewhere in the room, there was no shortage of fascinating kit to see and hear:
- Gary brought along a prototype sound cartridge for the Acorn Electron, with plans for a Master version too — filling the space with what can only be described as bangin’ choons.
- Derek showcased mark IV of his heavily upgraded Electron, while Ken was seen proudly surveying his newly acquired, fully-loaded Risc PC, which later apparently made it into his house unnoticed.
- Steve spent time upgrading his A7000, while Dave’s Master Compact received some well-deserved attention.
- Chris demonstrated a particularly intriguing project: a re-creation of the Game Boy Mobile Adapter, restoring online-style functionality that was once exclusive to Japan — all running locally for demo purposes.
Alongside the hardware, the world was thoroughly put to rights. Topics ranged from why war is a bad idea, why AI is… questionable at best, and why Acorn was simultaneously brilliant and bonkers — with the added mystery of why no one ever ordered those fries.
Good Company, As Always
Perhaps most importantly, the atmosphere was exactly what these meet-ups are about: friendly, inclusive, and pressure-free. Some people brought tables full of kit, others brought very little, and everyone brought good humour. Shoes were remembered. Trousers too.
The feedback afterwards said it all — another enjoyable, worthwhile day spent among people who genuinely enjoy retro computing and the conversations that come with it.
Given how well this new arrangement worked, we’ll be looking at running similar days again — possibly every other month. A poll will be shared soon to find a suitable Saturday.
Thanks again to everyone who attended, contributed, chatted, fixed things, broke things, and made the day what it was. More soon.
— Paul (Tosk)