Dragon 32 PSX interface

Not much else done, but I've cleaned up the box and added some authentic early 80's style labels

Dragon 32 Again

Inspired by my own cocktail cabinet and all the electronic work I've got to do on that I had a sudden flash of inspiration about modding a proper Dragon 32 joystick, using the internals of a PSX dual shock pad. I've won a couple of ropey looking Dragon joysticks on eBay, hopefully they should be here in the next couple of days so I can rip them open and see what I can do. Photos will appear here as the project progresses

Cocktail Cabinet - In Action!

I've connected up all the basics now, and given the cabinet it's first test. All works well, although the lack of a proper control panel is quite a disappointment.

Here it is playing Space Invaders, which seemed fitting for a first game.

Cocktail Cabinet

I'm not intending to use this with a dedicated pc at this stage, the wires are going to trail out the back and connect to my desktop. I'm using AdvanceCD to boot and with a custom control scheme the whole thing 'just works'

I've started construction of the cabinet, the basic cutting and screwing took me about 4 hours this morning. It's built from 12mm MDF in a bid to keep costs and weight down.

I've yet to order the parts for the control panel; at the moment I'm testing with an Asciiware PSX pad which is doing the trick nicely

Arcade Cocktail Cabinet

I have a new project in mind, a MAME arcade cocktail cabinet.

I don't have the space for an upright cabinet in my games room, but I could make use of a cocktail style one. Today I picked up the first part, an LG 17" lcd monitor, for the princely sum of £40. I've ordered some cheap Logic 3 psx pads to dismantle and form the basis of the controllers. Next I'm going to order some Happ parts and start constructing the cabinet

Insulin Pump

I picked up my insulin pump yesterday, and underwent the training session for it. The whole process was fantastic, the pump is a joy to use, although having it attached to me is a bit weird at the moment. I woke up this morning with Jane lying on it, which made getting out of bed a little difficult.

The pump is attached to me via a canular that I need to replace every 2-3 days. The process of fitting this canular looks incredibly vicious, but was totally pain-free (at least the first one was, we'll see about subsequent ones!) . Connecting up the tubing and filling the cartridge are pretty straightforward, as is the operation of the pump itself. I can now specify to the nearest gram how many carbs I've eaten with a given meal, input my current blood sugar reading, and it automatically calculates the dose of insulin I need to hit my current target (8 mmol/l). And I no longer need 4 injections per day

Diabetes and Blood Sugar Control

I've been struggling for some months now, trying to get my blood sugars under some kind of control. I had my latest review with the hospital today, and they've decided that I'm a candidate for an insulin pump. I don't know all the ins and outs of how it works yet, but it certainaly sounds like the ideal solution to my problem. I go for instruction on Weds.

Diabetes and Me

I've been for my 6 monthly check up today, and as I expected my diabetes control is not what it should be. This is not for a lack of effort on my part, simply that my body doesn't currently tolerate the regime I'm on. I've been given a routine to try, but I'm under instruction to come back in 2 months because it looks like I need to be fitted out with an insulin pump. And I've also got to be tested for coeliac disease, which is a gluten intolerance, managed by diet.