- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Cool - Activision developer found us
by Evan Koblentz 17 Apr '19

17 Apr '19

Got a phone call from Dan Kitchen today. Never heard of him, but he pointed me to his website: https://www.dankitchengames.com/game-credits Says he lives here in NJ, heard about VCF East, and is looking forward to attending.

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Exhibit reg- Closed
by Evan Koblentz 17 Apr '19

17 Apr '19

VCF East exhibit registration is closed. For special consideration, procrastinators may grovel to me off-list.

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InfoAge is closed this Sunday - EOM
by Evan Koblentz 16 Apr '19

16 Apr '19

Nothing to read here.

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OT: Re: AMX / Panja Control system
by Evan Koblentz 16 Apr '19

16 Apr '19

Adding "OT:" subject-line prefix. On Tue, Apr 16, 2019, 12:12 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Cleaning out my garage > I found a AMX/Panja control system, including: > Accent 3 Control processor, wired and wireless color touch panels, > RS 232 boxes, > wireless transmitter and receiver boxes, > and relay boxes. > > A catalog and software for programming is included > > Contact me off list if interested can picked up in Edison NJ > Mike Rosen > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. >

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AMX / Panja Control system
by Sentrytv 16 Apr '19

16 Apr '19

Cleaning out my garage I found a AMX/Panja control system, including: Accent 3 Control processor, wired and wireless color touch panels, RS 232 boxes, wireless transmitter and receiver boxes, and relay boxes. A catalog and software for programming is included Contact me off list if interested can picked up in Edison NJ Mike Rosen Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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VCF East - Friday class schedule
by Evan Koblentz 16 Apr '19

16 Apr '19

http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/classes/

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Good workshop!
by Evan Koblentz 15 Apr '19

15 Apr '19

It started out in bizarro world: Ian skipped this one, and Tony worked on Atari, Commodore, and Tandy gear (no Apple II!). :).... Jeff S. tested some of our Tandy hardware. Anthony and Jason worked on getting a Counterpoint system up. Refresher: Counterpoint built a few hundred Unix workstations on contract to AT&T in 1986, AT&T canceled the project, and so these were never released. The ones we have may be the last ones around. It took some brainstorming (and some trial-and-error), but this morning one of the workstations came to life! Drom stopped by, unexpected, and worked on the Univac. There was a Don Casselli sighting, but I didn't have a chance to talk to him (was busy withe museum visitors). I worked on the museum info kiosks. Big accomplishment: I installed Apache as our intranet server. Never installed that before, so I learned something new. Jason provided tech support for a few of my questions. Jameel donated two micro-form-factor PCs for powering the kiosks. I wiped them (they had Windows 10) and put on Linux, of course. :) I installed OpenKiosk on them. Tony's projects were for the VCF East Software Store. Jeff S. worked on his MOBIDIC replica which will someday power our life-size replica. I'm not sure what Dean did. Jeff B. helped out with a little of everything.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Univac repairs at Workshop
by Jeffrey Brace 15 Apr '19

15 Apr '19

Thanks for making the trip Drom! <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> Virus-free. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2> On Sun, Apr 14, 2019 at 7:45 PM Bill Dromgoole via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > I made an emergency trip to the Museum today. > I wanted to make sure the Univac system was operable for VCF-East > > Worked on Univac paper tape reader in the 1532 I/O console.. Rang out all > the wires, measured the capacitors etc. > When done it was working again. Maybe something in the wire harness? > Who knows. It works again. I didn’t replace anything. > > Loaded punch tape we made last time at the six day workshop. Good load, > clear al and au. > Ran program and got bad punch tape. > Replaced the card Duane suggested with a 2014 from the warehouse. > Now it seems to work. > > Loaded the Mk-152 diagnostic program and computer still has same channel > 17 problem. > But the demonstration procedure is still the same for the docents. > It works about 95% > > Didn’t have time to work on ASR-35 teletype but it seemed to work ok. > > A day well spent. > > Bill > > > > > -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Apache question (museum intranet server)
by Evan Koblentz 15 Apr '19

15 Apr '19

Today I picked out an unloved modern PC from our collection (from the ones donated back at Festivus) and turned it into our museum intranet server. It runs Linux and the latest version of Apache. I didn't touch the stock configuration files: it just magically worked after I gave the server a static IP and stuff. Here is the question ... SHOULD any of the stock config files be changed? All this server will do is offer rather primitive .htm files for the info kiosks. It's not going to face anything external, although it does connect through our firewall so its software can be updated. There is no need to remotely manage it. Can/should I just leave the stock config alone, or should anything be changed for security, performance, etc.?

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Univac repairs at Workshop
by Bill Dromgoole 14 Apr '19

14 Apr '19

I made an emergency trip to the Museum today. I wanted to make sure the Univac system was operable for VCF-East Worked on Univac paper tape reader in the 1532 I/O console.. Rang out all the wires, measured the capacitors etc. When done it was working again. Maybe something in the wire harness? Who knows. It works again. I didn’t replace anything. Loaded punch tape we made last time at the six day workshop. Good load, clear al and au. Ran program and got bad punch tape. Replaced the card Duane suggested with a 2014 from the warehouse. Now it seems to work. Loaded the Mk-152 diagnostic program and computer still has same channel 17 problem. But the demonstration procedure is still the same for the docents. It works about 95% Didn’t have time to work on ASR-35 teletype but it seemed to work ok. A day well spent. Bill

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Sunday Breakfast for repair workshop 9am
by Jeffrey Brace 14 Apr '19

14 Apr '19

We will meet tomorrow at 9am at OB Diner in Point Pleasant Beach. Let me know if you are coming. 1519 Richmond Ave, Point Pleasant, NJ 08742 -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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OT - Strong backs (not necessarily weak minds) needed for a few minutes on Saturday afternoon 04/13/2019
by Martin Flynn 14 Apr '19

14 Apr '19

OT Warning! CDL has a project underway that will require lifting an aluminum lighting truss to near ceiling height in the CDL studio. The CDL team will get the brackets hung, we need a few bodies to lift the aluminum truss into place. End result will look like this, we are lifting the bare truss. Total weight is around 50 pounds, truss is 4 meters long. I don't see this taking more than 15 minutes around 3:00 PM Off list replies please to keep the noise down martin flynn

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FS: Atari XEGS system + books + games
by Andy Meyer 13 Apr '19

13 Apr '19

For sale Atari XEGS deluxe system XEGS console XEGS keyboard XG-1 light gun Atari C061982 power supply XE cartridge: Bug Hunt XE cartridge: Flight Simulator II XE cartridge: GATO Built-in game: Missile Command Atari XE System owner's manual Atari XE System Keyboard owner's manual Book: Basic Atari BASIC, ISBN 0-8104-6526-4 Book: Atari Games and Recreations, ISBN 0-8359-0242-0 Tested and working Reply off-list Thanks Andy

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5965 tubes
by Sentrytv 13 Apr '19

13 Apr '19

Found some NOS 5965 tubes in a lot of tubes I purchased Are these needed by anyone in the group? Mike Rosen Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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Hard drive art
by Herb Johnson 13 Apr '19

13 Apr '19

Brian Brubaker posts about use of hard-drive parts to create art, for our appreciation. Well, this use of vintage electronics as art, gives me pause. I thought about it; I wrote a lecture; I decided a lecture would not be read or appreciated. So here's my straightforward considerations. Brian: I restore vintage computers to operation. So I see in parts of your art, computers that can't be restored because they were demolished. That's not an abstraction, for me - that is a fact. This situation is not your fault. However, you have posted in a group of vintage-computer restorers; so my point is relevant in this forum. So: Brian, I encourage you to make available, such ancient drives and parts as might be useful to restore ancient computers. I'm sure you can get guidance about doing so. I don't mean to spoil your fun or interests. Do not go back to "lurking" because some old-guy doesn't like your work - that is not what I said, that's not how I said it. Art evokes responses; the artist can't determine all those responses. This is part of my response. And certainly, there's art today which is FAR more controversial than a bunch of old computer parts. I'm making a point, not cursing your works, which have artistic merit. Brian, thanks for showing your works in this forum. Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Hackaday - Paper Tape Reader Badge
by Neil Cherry 12 Apr '19

12 Apr '19

I've only skimmed this https://hackaday.com/2019/04/12/cyphercon-badge-has-a-paper-tape-reader-bui… Now I wonder if I can get that to talk to my PiDP8? PS: I skimmed because I have about 2 minutes between calls and Qs. I might actually get to read it this weekend. :( -- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry(a)linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] MOS LSI chips time frame
by Evan Koblentz 12 Apr '19

12 Apr '19

Ben, Sorry if I already ask you this: are you planning to exhibit at VCF East again? Or at least to attend? If you're exhibiting, then we need you to register by this Saturday at 11:59pm. Hard deadline. Running joke: still got hoodies and Legos with your name on it. It's time to rectify that.... -- Evan Koblentz, executive director Vintage Computer Federation www.vcfed.org evan(a)vcfed.org (646) 546-9999 VCF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] MOS LSI chips time frame
by Ben Greenfield 11 Apr '19

11 Apr '19

Hello Herb, Thanks for the framing. My follow-up email should have 2 links one from a paper written by C.F. O’Donnel and presented at the Fall Joint Computer Conference, 1968 This paper describe the fabrication process and the obvious need for computer assisted design to manage the complexity of the masks. It describes moving the manual process they were using pre-MOS-LSI to computer process. An excellent paper. The second link was to this paper written by Ken Shirriff discussing intel and the first microprocessor. This paper is also a good read. Which touches on the Autonetics D200 https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-history/silicon-revolution/the-surprising-st… I have now found a second paper presented at the Fall Joint Computer Conference, 1968 this one by R.K. Booher Describing autonetics sudy of potential and the problems associated with direct coupled and 2-pahse MOS circuits and devised the 4-phase system which solved many problems. https://www.computer.org/csdl/pds/api/csdl/proceedings/download-article/507… > On Apr 11, 2019, at 3:24 PM, Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > From: Herb Johnson <hjohnson(a)retrotechnology.info> > Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] MOS LSI chips time frame > Date: April 11, 2019 at 3:24:38 PM EDT > To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > > > Ben Greenfield posted: "I’m doing some research on North American Aviation/Autonetics artifacts and while researching simply Metal Oxide Semiconductor or MOS." > > He pointed to some photos of some NAA objects with labels "Autonetics MOS/SOS" from Rockwell/Autonetics. Apparent dates 1968 or so. > > My interest is in COSMOS products from RCA, particularly the 1802 COSMAC microprocessor. A Web search of my site will be informative about that. > > RCA produced an LSI chip-pair version later known as the 1801, sometime in 1975; followed by the 1802 single-chip. But RCA produced SOS (Silicon on Sapphire) COS (complimentary silicon) logic in the early 1970's and possibly earlier. > > I've not traced the history of RCA's CMOS work but it's likely of the same era as the Autonetics/Rockwell work. Ben, I don't know your goals or interests. But if I were researching this, I'd look back at the electronic trade journals and the IEEE conference journals of the period. Those would have names and dates and products and prototypes and functionality. > > I'd like to be told, if RCA's CMOS work was preceded by work from Rockwell slash Autonetics; or if there's some relationship. > > Another subtext appears to be "the first microprocessor". I'm not overly interested in arguing "firsts", or arguing ABOUT arguing "firsts". The RCA COSMAC 1802 is interesting for many reasons. > > herb johnson > > > -- > Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA > http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net > > >

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MOS LSI chips time frame
by Herb Johnson 11 Apr '19

11 Apr '19

Ben Greenfield posted: "I’m doing some research on North American Aviation/Autonetics artifacts and while researching simply Metal Oxide Semiconductor or MOS." He pointed to some photos of some NAA objects with labels "Autonetics MOS/SOS" from Rockwell/Autonetics. Apparent dates 1968 or so. My interest is in COSMOS products from RCA, particularly the 1802 COSMAC microprocessor. A Web search of my site will be informative about that. RCA produced an LSI chip-pair version later known as the 1801, sometime in 1975; followed by the 1802 single-chip. But RCA produced SOS (Silicon on Sapphire) COS (complimentary silicon) logic in the early 1970's and possibly earlier. I've not traced the history of RCA's CMOS work but it's likely of the same era as the Autonetics/Rockwell work. Ben, I don't know your goals or interests. But if I were researching this, I'd look back at the electronic trade journals and the IEEE conference journals of the period. Those would have names and dates and products and prototypes and functionality. I'd like to be told, if RCA's CMOS work was preceded by work from Rockwell slash Autonetics; or if there's some relationship. Another subtext appears to be "the first microprocessor". I'm not overly interested in arguing "firsts", or arguing ABOUT arguing "firsts". The RCA COSMAC 1802 is interesting for many reasons. herb johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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museum report
by Evan Koblentz 11 Apr '19

11 Apr '19

Productive day at the museum today. - Big group of local high school students visited for a thorough tour - Senior citizen's group also visited for a tour - Steve A. stopped by to relocate our new(er) access point onto the ceiling, replacing the old(er) Cisco unit - I ordered the table rental for VCF East -- Evan Koblentz, executive director Vintage Computer Federation www.vcfed.org evan(a)vcfed.org (646) 546-9999 VCF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] MOS LSI chips time frame
by Ben Greenfield 10 Apr '19

10 Apr '19

To answer my own question MOS-LSI process was a big jump in processing power. The integrated circuit as the main building block for complex systems could manage about 30 elements where this new process jumped to between 600 to 6000 elements on a chip. If that sounds wrong to anyone I grabbed it from this paper which actually describes the process change in the context of trying to produce an Autonetics D200. https://www.computer.org/csdl/pds/api/csdl/proceedings/download-article/507… <https://www.computer.org/csdl/pds/api/csdl/proceedings/download-article/507…> I also found this reference The Surprising Story of the First Microprocessors - IEEE Spectrum <https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-history/silicon-revolution/the-surprising-st…> Sorry about the use of First in the head line… So far those have been the best sources of information on this process and the Autonetics D200. What I find interesting is that I’m starting to suppose that Silicon Valley is really the home of personal computing and venture capital but it is far from the center of technology. Hope someone finds this interesting, Ben > On Feb 26, 2019, at 8:08 AM, Ben Greenfield via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > From: Ben Greenfield <ben(a)cogs.com> > Subject: MOS LSI chips time frame > Date: February 26, 2019 at 8:08:03 AM EST > To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > > > Hey All, > > I’m doing some research on North American Aviation/Autonetics artifacts and while researching simply Metal Oxide Semiconductor or MOS. > > Here are some image artifacts > > https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0YG4TcsmGWIVSf <https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0YG4TcsmGWIVSf> > > So the text on the back of the sales package clearly references anticipating the possibilities 1968 will bring. > > I was searching MOS LSI and of course I find exhibit “A” for the problems of claiming first in technology development. > > http://firstmicroprocessor.com > > I was hoping some one could comment on the development of MOS processeses in general to give me context. > > I also wanted to share what I think are some pretty cool artifacts. > > Thanks, > > Ben > > > > > >

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Workshop Info Important VCF Repair & Signup April 13 & 14, 2019
by Jeffrey Brace 10 Apr '19

10 Apr '19

As a reminder the workshop is $10 *per* person, *per* day. Sorry this is InfoAge's rule and not our decision. So that means for two days it is $20. Sign up quickly to guarantee a table. DATE: April 13 & 14, 2019 LOCATION: InfoAge Building 9032A - (2201 Marconi Road, Wall Township, NJ) TIME: Start about 10 A.M. on Saturday and ends whenever we go to sleep. End about 5 P.M. on Sunday. (Starts around 10 A.M. Sunday morning) SIGNUP: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XTEGeYkzqrmGL_X5OdyFbjoy4QtLMBDoX5r… > COST: - $10 per person, PER day. This is required by InfoAge for us to pay for renting the space. - $25 for those wanting to stay overnight (Money goes to InfoAge). Please pay me when you get there so that I don't forget and then have to spend time chasing you down. Credit cards accepted. I will be using VCF's PayPal Here tablet with bluetooth credit card machine. OVERNIGHT: Bring your own pillow, blankets, soap etc. We provide a bed frame and an uncovered mattress. There are showers and a kitchen for your use. - You can pay via PayPal to paypal(a)vcfed.org. or to me via cash or credit card in person. EQUIPMENT: - VCF will provide a table and you can use any available electrical outlet. - Bring your own tools, power strips, power cords, and supplies etc. - If you need particular tools that you don't know or particular parts, please post to the list for those going. They may have what you need. Let them know ahead of time. - Please bring an extra one or two power cords as these are often forgotten by people. DRINKS: You should bring your own. I would recommend bringing a cooler of some type. FOOD: You provide your own. We usually order pizza, subs or go out to a dinner and everyone pays their own way. Usually, we make a decision when everyone gets hungry. GATE: During the hours from 1 pm to 5 pm close the front gate behind you. We want museum visitors to go to the front lobby and not wander through the middle of the campus. Outside of those times, you can feel free to leave the gate open. PARKING: Park across from 9032 or 9010A on any blacktop area. InfoAge doesn't like us parking on the lawn anymore. QUESTIONS? Contact Evan : 646-546-9999 or evan(a)vcfed.org or myself (Jeff) : 732-759-1783 or jeffrey(a)vcfed.org Have fun everyone! -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Unix demo @ Bell Labs - June 5
by Lou 09 Apr '19

09 Apr '19

Oh man if there is any way I can be part of this please, please let me know. I might even have a wonderful system for such an exhibit coming my way soon.

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Sun Voyager - Best Solaris?
by Ethan O'Toole 09 Apr '19

09 Apr '19

Broke out the Sun Voyager. LCD is slow to come on, after it warms up it is fine. Seems like bad caps. Any thoughts on best Solaris to run? 2.6? 2.7? Sparcstation 5 class machine - Ethan

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] A fragment of early British computer history is up for sale.
by W2HX 09 Apr '19

09 Apr '19

?that price seems a little, shall we say, optimistic? ________________________________ From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic-bounces(a)lists.vcfed.org> on behalf of Stephen via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> Sent: Tuesday, April 9, 2019 1:26 PM To: vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org Cc: Stephen Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] A fragment of early British computer history is up for sale.

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A fragment of early British computer history is up for sale.
by Stephen 09 Apr '19

09 Apr '19

A fragment of early British computer history is up for sale. https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/flintsauction/catalog… A Ferranti Pegasus Computer Plug-In Package Unit, English, c.1960, with an aluminium label for ‘FERRANTI 07-p-00730’, wired pre-printed electronic circuit board (module) with components to one side and wiring to the other, with 3 glass valves to the top below the handle to unplug the board Note: The Ferranti Pegasus mark 1 (first named the FPC I -Ferranti Package Computer) was developed in the early 1950s and is still considered one of the outstanding feats of electrical engineering for its time. It was a valve operated mainframe with a 48 register immediate access store which used nickel delay lines. It had a magnetic drum store initially with a 4K word capacity which was later increased to 7K . Pegasus was considered the first “user-friendly” computer, and about forty Pegasus systems were sold, between 1956 and 1962, with scores of programmers and users of the machine commenting on the ease of programming and operation, in spite of the fact that data input and output is via 5-track punched-paper tape. There was no typewriter keyboard or display screen Stephen Walters Professional Celebrity Photographer / G7VFY www.facebook.com/mister35mm Tel 07956-544202

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HP Plotter for sale in Harrisburg, PA
by jsalzman＠gmail.com 09 Apr '19

09 Apr '19

Saw this and just passing it on. For those who may be interested in an page plotter. Looks like it has a lot of pens with it. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1020752601444561/

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FS: 17" CRT monitor AcerView 78c
by Andy Meyer 09 Apr '19

09 Apr '19

I am selling a clean, working AcerView 78c 17" CRT monitor. Specifications: https://www.cnet.com/products/acer-acerview-78c-crt-monitor-17/ I can bring it to an InfoAge repair workshop. I will NOT ship this beast. Reply off-list Andy

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April 13: VCF East exhibit deadline - FIRM
by Evan Koblentz 09 Apr '19

09 Apr '19

Everyone, The exhibit registration deadline for VCF East 2019 is 11:59pm on Saturday, April 13. I'll hate doing this, but we must: any exhibit application received after that time will be declined. -- Evan Koblentz, executive director Vintage Computer Federation www.vcfed.org evan(a)vcfed.org (646) 546-9999 VCF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

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VCF East 2019 Workshop Project: CF and CP/M for the 8085 SBC!
by systems_glitch 08 Apr '19

08 Apr '19

See here for pictures: http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.php?69219-VCF-East-2019-Project-CF-an… ! This year's project will be a follow-on to the 8085 SBC from last year: we'll be building a CompactFlash interface and getting CP/M 2.2 up and going! If you built an 8085 SBC last year, bring it along and get an interface going for it! If not, I'll have some more 8085 SBC kits with me this year. See the above link for details, there's a poll so I can try to gauge actual interest. Thanks, Jonathan

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Repair Workshop Signup for March 30 & 31, 2019
by Jeffrey Brace 07 Apr '19

07 Apr '19

There is still room to sign up for the VCF repair workshop. Signup now to guarantee a table: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qisU7Goz7_QQVOtuCEg8PsDfh7-adv0zNXI… > -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 07 Apr '19

07 Apr '19

Good day! Two groups of visitors: an older couple who both worked at Bell Labs in the 1960s-1980s, and two college women who wanted to learn about programming. They all got full tours. Martin, his son, and yours truly all worked on our security cameras and related networking upgrades. All four cameras work now, and their live video is displayed on a monitor near our office desk. The monitor changes cameras every 30 seconds; Martin will try to get us a newer system showing all the cameras simultaneously in different windows. We will also install two more cameras at some point -- maybe as soon as two weeks from now. A longer-term project is to actually record video, not just have live streams. Sometime before VCF East I'm going to put up a prominent "You're on camera" sign. Martin also gave us a newer Ubiquiti wireless access point to replace our older Cisco unit. Where the Cisco one was a big hassle to install, even for experienced IT folks, the Ubiquiti device was super easy: did it myself in a few mouse clicks. It's on top of our network rack. Steve A. is coming by next Wednesday to relocate it to the ceiling where the Cisco one currently resides. I don't do ladders. :) With the new AP up-and-running, I disabled the wifi section of our Internet modem. That device now ONLY gives us Internet access and connects directly to our firewall. That's how it should be!

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Funny
by Chris Fala 07 Apr '19

07 Apr '19

I wonder if this is just their attempt at a clever pun, or if they are aware of and referring to our favorite podcast. https://shirt.woot.com/offers/trash-talk

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Museum Report 2019-04-06
by Jeffrey Brace 07 Apr '19

07 Apr '19

Tony did the first shift from 1 to 3. He had 4 highly interested visitors. I tool from 3 to 5 because I had leadership training at Taekwondo. I also had 2 groups of 2 highly interested people. A nice day. More people coming now that the weather is getting warmer. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Anyone have any info on the Sun 511 box?
by Ethan Dicks 07 Apr '19

07 Apr '19

Hi, All, I'm dusting off old Sun gear for VCF East and I ran across a shell of a Sun 511 box on my shelf. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any docs online about what would have been stuffed into it back in the day. Lots of Sun info still out there but the 511 box is not well represented. I suspect that's because I think it's a late Sun 2/early Sun 3 device. The best description is here: http://www.obsolyte.com/sunFAQ/X11_case/ Better photos at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SunShoebox_Front.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun-2#/media/File:SunShoebox_Rear.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun-3#/media/File:Sun3_60_Disk_Tape.jpg Mostly I'm curious about mounting plates/brackets, etc. I don't have the original PSU so if I use this box, I'll have to find something modern anyway. I also have some more modern (late Sun 3/early Sun 4) tape/disk shoeboxes. I haven't found any pictures online but they are tall enough to hold a full-heigh 5.25" disk over a 5.25" half-height tape drive on a half-height bracket with the PSU to the rear. Those are ready to stuff with disks so I'll probably start there. If only I had more than one DD50-P Sun SCSI cable... Alas, the "joy" of vintage machines, when it's hard to find parts that fit. -ethan

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The Grey Wall
by Jameel Akari 06 Apr '19

06 Apr '19

https://hartford.craigslist.org/zip/d/colchester-open-vms-manuals/685800286… If there is SERIOUS interest I can arrange a rescue mission. Chances are it's all on Bitsavers or archive.org but there's something to be said for a legit Grey Wall O' VMS. -- Jameel Akari

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Repair Workshop Wrap-up 3/30 & 3/31
by Herb Johnson 06 Apr '19

06 Apr '19

... and it's a two-fer of appreciation, with Bill Dromgoole's report on how the Univac repairs "get done". Some of the failures you describe - gradual loss of function across cards - suggests to me general problems like power-supply voltages. YOu found a suspect supply, I see. There's some really cheap little DC digital voltmeter boards from China for a few dollars. Putting a bunch of those on your DC lines may allow you to monitor them as you do repairs, look for sagging DC. Your "real" voltmeter can confirm the voltage; these widgets aren't that accurate but don't have to be. YOu might also 'scope out the DC, look for noise and glitches. As you know you need a lot of bandwidth to see DC spikes and dips which can trigger logic incorrectly. Also, chemical changes occur in board contacts as current flows. Corrosion over decades may create a bit of chemistry. Then when current is applied, chemistry (corrosion) may increase resistance between boards and their edge-sockets. Removal/insertion will fix that, for awhile. I've had good results with DeOxIt chemicals - even with those IC's with "black leads". A swipe of the DeOxIt brush across the board edge may work. I often follow that with some scrubbing with a white papertowel, to remove the oxide while maintaining that chemical coating. You can see dark-stuff come off. If there are pin contacts, a soft used toothbrush is a good scrubber. YOu don't want to "scrape", that removes gold and nickel! But you know these things. Point being: never underestimate the problems with "contacts". Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Repair Workshop Wrap-up 3/30 & 3/31
by Herb Johnson 06 Apr '19

06 Apr '19

David, thank you for your repair work and reportage on the VCFed straight-8. Beyond the value of your efforts, reporting on details of failure, diagnostics and repair provides essential information for other's restoration of PDP-8's, and in repair techniques in general for transistor/diode logic of the 1960's. Thanks for showing us how it's done. Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Supercomputers, revisited
by Matt Patoray 05 Apr '19

05 Apr '19

Evan, How about a complete "Never Obsolete" E-Machines Celeron for that old VAX :) I'll get you the address, just don't send it Estes freight :) On Mon, Apr 1, 2019 at 2:41 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > NICE ONE! > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > On Apr 1, 2019, at 2:07 PM, Ian Primus via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > I'll make you a deal - I'll trade you a *working* Packard Bell Pentium > > 1 system, with the matching monitor, keyboard and mouse for it. I know > > that's the machine you really wanted all along. > > > > -Ian > > > > On Mon, Apr 1, 2019 at 11:25 AM Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic > > <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >> > >> I'm starting to have buyer's remorse about the VAX 9000. Maybe we should > >> offer it as the mother of all surplus items at VCF East. Thoughts? > > -- Matt Patoray Owner, MSP Productions KD8AMG

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Supercomputers, revisited
by Evan Koblentz 05 Apr '19

05 Apr '19

I'm starting to have buyer's remorse about the VAX 9000. Maybe we should offer it as the mother of all surplus items at VCF East. Thoughts?

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Slightly OT - Favorite computer movie
by Ken 05 Apr '19

05 Apr '19

At 4/1/2019 12:07 AM, Jeffrey Golas via vcf-midatlantic wrote: >Whats your favorite "computer" movie? Can be current or ancient, modern or mainframe. A one liner about why you chose it would be cool too. Electric Dreams (1984). Here, the 80's computer store scene to drool over: https://youtu.be/rcLcxAwdjmo?t=4m23s - Ken

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] VCF East consignment - anybody interested in these items?
by Evan Koblentz 05 Apr '19

05 Apr '19

You can save time by downloading and completing the form. It's on the VCF East website. "Friday night" depends on the availability of our specific volunteers who are running the consignment booth. Nothing can be dropped off until it's processed/recorded, which is a people-intensive job. On Fri, Apr 5, 2019, 9:28 AM Peter Fletcher via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > I have some stuff I am considering taking to the consignment. Do I just > bring it on Friday night or is there some sort of pre-registration > procedure? > > > > On Apr 5, 2019, at 9:23 AM, Andy Diller via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > Sell or trade these at the repair days. It's a great way to get people > to attend and it's an easy way to get rid of stuff. > > > > > > - andy diller > > > > > >> On Apr 5, 2019, at 7:50 AM, Glenn Roberts via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >> > >> Very useful. Thanks Corey. This will help me plan the weekend. Sure > wish I could just be there the whole time! > >> > >> > >> > >> Hope I can make something happen (and hope I can attend some of VCF!). > I’ve got a lot of stuff in the storage unit and would like to lighten my > load, and give some VCF’ers new “toys”! Of course, I understand the need > to pick up any unsold items by the end of the event… thanks again! > >> > >> > >> > >> * Glenn > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> From: corey cohen <coreyvcf(a)gmail.com> > >> Sent: Friday, April 05, 2019 6:14 AM > >> To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > >> Cc: Glenn Roberts <glenn.f.roberts(a)gmail.com> > >> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] VCF East consignment - anybody > interested in these items? > >> > >> > >> > >> Glenn, > >> > >> > >> > >> I’m not sure consignment will be ready for drop off on Friday > morning, we can wait for Evan to chime in, but by Friday at 5:00pm people > will be dropping off. You don’t have to be here all weekend for > consignment, but if your unsold stuff isn’t out by 7:00pm on Sunday it will > go in the dumpster (unless it’s a Cray or PDP-10, which will be given away > to the person who offers the most beer). VCF does not want to keep > people’s unsold items. > >> > >> > >> > >> For pricing, you set your price at the beginning, VCF takes 15%, but > covers all credit card/PayPal fees which allows people not to carry so much > cash. If your onsite, you can change your prices on Sunday morning and at > 3:00pm Sunday. This keeps people from going crazy changing prices all > weekend. If your exhibiting or leave your mobile on your consignment > sheet, we can let people call your mobile to ask questions, but for if they > bargain with you and you want to change the price for them, VCF would like > you onsite to confirm in person the price was changed. > >> > >> > >> > >> I hope that explains it all, > >> > >> Cheers, > >> > >> Corey > >> > >> > >> > >> corey cohen > >> uǝɥoɔ ʎǝɹoɔ > >> > >> Sent from my iPhone > >> > >> > >> On Apr 4, 2019, at 8:55 AM, Glenn Roberts via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org <mailto:vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> > > wrote: > >> > >> Can someone say a bit about the rules for the consignment area? As > luck would have it, I need to go get my son from college that weekend so I > may miss much (nearly all?) of VCF but I have some items that I'd like to > put out at consignment if that could work. It would literally be a > drive-by/drop-off on the way north (e.g. Friday AM?). I am hoping I could > at least salvage part of Sunday as a day to attend VCF (plan details still > TBD) on the way back home. > >> > >> Is it pretty much a requirement that the seller be on premises during > the whole event? People post fixed prices? No negotiation? I'm sure > there's a requirement to be there at the end to reclaim any unsold > merchandise of course. Would it even be workable for me to have > merchandise in consignment and not be there Friday and Saturday? > >> > >> Any other rules of the consignment area would be most useful to know. > Sorry, last year was my first at VCF and I didn't get to experience much > at the consignment area. > >> > >> Thanks > >> > >> - Glenn > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> > >> From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic-bounces(a)lists.vcfed.org <mailto: > vcf-midatlantic-bounces(a)lists.vcfed.org> > On Behalf > >> > >> Of corey cohen via vcf-midatlantic > >> > >> Sent: Thursday, April 04, 2019 8:09 AM > >> > >> To: vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org <mailto: > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > >> > >> Cc: corey cohen <coreyvcf(a)gmail.com <mailto:coreyvcf@gmail.com> > > >> > >> Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] VCF East consignment - anybody interested in > >> > >> these items? > >> > >> > >> > >> So I’m starting to think what I’d like to get rid of to make more room > at > >> > >> home. > >> > >> > >> > >> Would anyone be interested in the following items? > >> > >> > >> > >> BTW: I know people will say, depends on price, well that part I will > think > >> > >> about so it’s fair not fire-sale pricing, this is more of should I drag > this stuff > >> > >> down question. Some of you know I recently broke my shoulder blade > falling > >> > >> off a ladder so I will have to have someone bring these items for me > since I > >> > >> can’t carry a lot, so I don’t want to drag them down for nothing. > >> > >> > >> > >> - Sony 42” plasma computer monitor (no screen burn) circa 1999 with Dual > >> > >> VGA input, composite and component/BNC composite input Actually works > >> > >> with Apple II+. No stand since it never had one, only included wall > mount. > >> > >> > >> > >> - ADM 5 terminal with service manual. Fully working. > >> > >> > >> > >> - Decitek high speed paper tape reader (parallel interface), works also > as > >> > >> normal reader without reels, I had this connected to my ALTAIR Parallel > card > >> > >> using a latch of simple TTL chips to handle the strobe and data lines. > >> > >> > >> > >> - Vectrex with multi-cart cartridge (cartridge has every vectrex game > they > >> > >> made and also has a really good asteroids arcade knock off which also > gets > >> > >> the audio right) > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> Let me know what/if I should bring down to VCF East. > >> > >> > >> > >> Thanks, > >> > >> Cheers, > >> > >> Corey > >> > >> > >> > >> corey cohen > >> > >> uǝɥoɔ ʎǝɹoɔ > >> > >> Sent from my iPhone > >> > >> > >> > >

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VCF East consignment - anybody interested in these items?
by corey cohen 05 Apr '19

05 Apr '19

So I’m starting to think what I’d like to get rid of to make more room at home. Would anyone be interested in the following items? BTW: I know people will say, depends on price, well that part I will think about so it’s fair not fire-sale pricing, this is more of should I drag this stuff down question. Some of you know I recently broke my shoulder blade falling off a ladder so I will have to have someone bring these items for me since I can’t carry a lot, so I don’t want to drag them down for nothing. - Sony 42” plasma computer monitor (no screen burn) circa 1999 with Dual VGA input, composite and component/BNC composite input Actually works with Apple II+. No stand since it never had one, only included wall mount. - ADM 5 terminal with service manual. Fully working. - Decitek high speed paper tape reader (parallel interface), works also as normal reader without reels, I had this connected to my ALTAIR Parallel card using a latch of simple TTL chips to handle the strobe and data lines. - Vectrex with multi-cart cartridge (cartridge has every vectrex game they made and also has a really good asteroids arcade knock off which also gets the audio right) Let me know what/if I should bring down to VCF East. Thanks, Cheers, Corey corey cohen uǝɥoɔ ʎǝɹoɔ Sent from my iPhone

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Repair Workshop Wrap-up 3/30 & 3/31
by Jeffrey Brace 04 Apr '19

04 Apr '19

Bill and Duane, Thanks for all your work. Please let me know if there is any way to support you further. On Thu, Apr 4, 2019 at 1:01 PM Bill Dromgoole via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Univac Workshop Report > > > Duane and I arrived at the museum on Tuesday afternoon. > After getting settled at the on campus lodging, we started evaluating the > condition of the Univac equipment. > The 1219B computer was working as usual with a small problem in the upper > I/O channels. > The 1540 digital data recorder is in poor shape. Lower handler will not > move at all. > No communication with 1219B computer. The 1532 I/O console appears to be > working fine. > > Duane built a USB to 1219B interface(MIL-STD 1397 type A) device using an > arduino chip which he brought with him to test. > After playing around for a while we were able to upload files from a > laptop computer to the Univac. > We spent most of the next day copying files to the computer and dumping > them to the paper tape punch in the 1532 I/O console. > We also spent time trouble shooting the 1540 DDR concurrently with the > file copying. > > The first problem on the DDR turned out to be a bad logic translator card > in the handler electronics itself. > Fortunately we were able to find one in the spares at the warehouse. > This corrected the signal to the pinch rollers but the tape kept jamming > in the tape head area. > Turned out to be a bad roll of tape with poor oxide retention. > > Over the next couple of days we found a lot of bad cards in the 1540 DDR > with a lot of trips to the warehouse for parts. > Most of the failures were intermittent and took a while to locate. > At one time we were able to copy a program from memory to magnetic tape > and then reload it to memory, although the handshaking was not proper. > Things kid of went downhill from there. > More card failures in the DDR. Not communicating with the 1219B, clocks > not running bits in various registers always set, etc. > We were able to find most of these and get some of the communications back. > Meanwhile after editing some programs on the laptop and trying to punch > new tapes the paper tape punch started to not work properly. > Next, the keyboard on the teletype started jamming and after that the > paper tape reader stopped working. > > Found that the tape reader power supply is failing. Plus and minus 15 > volts slowly drifts down to 8 to 10 volts. > Was unable to repair before the weekend was over. > The keyboard is probably just not lubricated properly. > One of the new programs we copied uses the keyboard a lot. > We hardly used it before this trip. So that highlighted this problem. > The punch problem may be related to the reader power supply? Who knows. > Was able to use the time left after clean up on Sunday to scan another one > of the Univac pubs to a PDF file for bit-savers. > > Final status: > Computer working fine. > Digital data recorder is mostly working. Still needs possible alignments. > I/O console almost completely inop except for printer. > > > > From: Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic > Sent: Sunday, March 31, 2019 4:08 PM > To: vcf-midatlantic > Cc: Jeffrey Brace > Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] Repair Workshop Wrap-up 3/30 & 3/31 > > We had about a dozen members working on their machines and VCF machines > Saturday and Sunday. Most did two days while some did one day. > Bill Dromgoole and Duana Craps had worked on the Univac 1219B in the museum > for the past week. They can give an update later as to their progress. > David Gesswein worked on the museum's PDP-8. He will send a report later. > There were others working on various projects. > I got there midday and wasn't able to work on anything Saturday. > Sunday I took VCF's turn at the InfoAge front desk. > Evan can fill you in on what he was working on as well as the others. > > This time we went to a new place: MJ's for Saturday dinner. Everyone liked > it. > Afterwards we played Cards Against Humanity which is always a fun time. > Sunday morning we went to a new place: Mariner's Cove for breakfast. Also > great food! > > The next workshop is April 13 & 14. > > -- > ========================================= > Jeff Brace > Vice President > Vintage Computer Federation > > -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Repair Workshop Wrap-up 3/30 & 3/31
by Jeffrey Brace 04 Apr '19

04 Apr '19

We had about a dozen members working on their machines and VCF machines Saturday and Sunday. Most did two days while some did one day. Bill Dromgoole and Duana Craps had worked on the Univac 1219B in the museum for the past week. They can give an update later as to their progress. David Gesswein worked on the museum's PDP-8. He will send a report later. There were others working on various projects. I got there midday and wasn't able to work on anything Saturday. Sunday I took VCF's turn at the InfoAge front desk. Evan can fill you in on what he was working on as well as the others. This time we went to a new place: MJ's for Saturday dinner. Everyone liked it. Afterwards we played Cards Against Humanity which is always a fun time. Sunday morning we went to a new place: Mariner's Cove for breakfast. Also great food! The next workshop is April 13 & 14. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 04 Apr '19

04 Apr '19

We had two groups of high school students visit today. Each group was about 15-20 kids. They were smart and well-behaved. I gave them full tours. A new IA volunteer also came for a tour. I used the in-between time to work on VCF East stuff.

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OT: selling (unopened) Galaxy S10 earbuds
by Evan Koblentz 02 Apr '19

02 Apr '19

Recently upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy S10. They sent me wireless earbuds. I don't need those. Posted for $120 on eBay (they usually go for $130-$160), but I will take $100 from any friends. Need payment quickly. Here are a couple of pictures. I'm not opening the box; presumably the earbuds are inside and not rocks. :) https://photos.app.goo.gl/PEbFBGXMrzC2DkfP6

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Slightly OT - Favorite computer movie
by Christian Liendo 02 Apr '19

02 Apr '19

On Mon, Apr 1, 2019 at 12:07 AM Jeffrey Golas via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Whats your favorite “computer” movie? Can be current or ancient, modern or mainframe. A one liner about why you chose it would be cool too. TRON

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Slightly OT - Favorite computer movie
by Chris Fala 01 Apr '19

01 Apr '19

Good ones. Sandra Bullock, The Net On Apr 1, 2019, at 11:11 AM, Sentrytv <sentrytv(a)yahoo.com> wrote: Antitrust Ryan Phillip Tim Robbins (as Bill Gates type leader) Hackers Who can't resist Angelina Jolie Weird science Always gets a laugh Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > On Apr 1, 2019, at 12:07 AM, Jeffrey Golas via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > <mime-attachment>

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PDP "straight" 8 Progress
by Bill Degnan 01 Apr '19

01 Apr '19

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQn7TpgnVrw So far so good, working on PDP 8 picked up from Mexico. Bill

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