Econet LAN Party 2026

Now in its fourth year, The National Museum of Computing’s annual Econet LAN Party is the go-to event for Acorn enthusiasts! Join us on the 16th and 17th May to create 2026’s biggest Econet network.

For one weekend only, we want to see just how big we can make our Econet network!

If you have any BBC or Archimedes machines with an Econet interface, please bring them along. We’d be very interested to see any other machines too, so if you have a rare System rack or an Atom, you’ll definitely attract our attention!

15-Minute Stand-Up Talks

As part of the event, we’re planning some short talks with an Econet theme. These will be very informal stand-up talks, and visitors can expect to hear from a variety of figures in the Acorn community. We’re anticipating a couple of talks on each day, exploring the past and present of Econet (further details will be announced in due course).

Details

Doors open 9:30am on both days. Clear up by 5pm on Sunday. The room will be locked overnight, so your equipment will be secure. On Saturday night, we will be decamping to a local pub, so please book a free ticket if you’d like to join us so we have an idea of numbers.

We will provide chairs and tables, a nearby mains socket, and an Econet point(s). Please bring your own Econet cable and mains leads. To avoid confusion, we recommend you label your kit. Don't worry about Econet station numbers, we've got plenty of experience with resolving clashes. There will be several sub-nets, linked by bridges.

Admission

The Museum will be open to normal visitors too, and you are welcome to look around. Lunch is included in the ticket price.

Getting to The National Museum of Computing

The Sat-Nav postcode is MK3 6DS. Free parking is available very close to the room. There is an electric car charging point on site, although this is a short walk from TNMOC’s building. Bletchley train station is a 5-10 minute walk away with two direct trains per hour to London and Birmingham.

Schedule for the Day*:

Saturday

0930; Arrival and welcome

1000 - 1200; Machine/network set-up

1200 - 1300; Lunch

1600 - 1700; Pack down

Sunday

0930; Arrival and welcome

1000 - 1030; Machine/network set-up

1200 - 1300; Lunch

1400 - 1700; Machines/network tear down

*Schedule is subject to change, updates will be shared. Timings/order may vary on the day.

The Boring Bits

We require you to take responsibility for the safety of any equipment you bring in. Please do not plug in any equipment that is damaged or electrically unsafe. In particular, please check the mains lead and plug. We will inspect equipment on the day and if it has a defect it will have to be taken out of use. If it is just faulty capacitors, we may be able to work together to repair the power supply on the day.

Please do not have covers open on any equipment which runs at more than 12V. i.e. you can run your Beeb or Arc with its cover off, but not a monitor or partly dismantled power supply unit.

Some people have asked about monitors. We may be able to loan some monitors, so please get in touch with [email protected] to discuss your needs.

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