The "BAS micro"

Kevin O'Rourke:

I was just wondering if you or any of your Z-fids contacts have any photos or information about the old BAS Micros?  I've recently started a new job, and I have to do a presentation about various things I've worked on before. The BAS Micro is probably the most 'special' computer system I've worked with, so I'd like to mention it.

As I remember it they were based on Acorn processor cards, with various custom I/O cards, used for the met AWS, geologger/maggy/rio and as general-purpose computers.

I'm guessing that none of the hardware exists any more, there wasn't much working hardware left in 1999, except in the maggy tunnel.
[16 May 2008]

It does not seem all that long ago that the Halley magnetometers and riometers were still running on BAS micro based systems. . . . the BAS micro impinged on quite a few people's working lives.
[16 May 2008]

Sorry, I remembering thinking that the BAS Micro was anachronistic when I wintered in 89/90 so I tried to have as little to do with it as possible - I have purged my memory off everything I knew of it. The Slave units in the maggy tunnel did have an impressively long life though.
[19 May 2008]

The last BAS Micro in the Magnetometer shaft was switched off in September 2007. It recently arrived back in Cambridge with the rest of the 07/08 cargo from Halley. We sorted through the items last week and the BAS Micros and spare cards were sent for disposal. No-one wanted them at BAS. Service from mid 1980's until 2007 isn't bad. [19 May 2008]