- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 02 Mar '19

02 Mar '19

Busy day! Lots of visitors, including two boys around 9 years old who were both smart and inquisitive. One of them knew a lot about computer history and bought a C-64 after attending VCF East last year. Martin and Neil reconfigured our server. Before, it was standard Ubuntu and gave static IPs. Now, it boots to a PFsense firewall and gives dynamic IPs. The next time Martin is free (probably a couple of weeks from now), he's going to replace our access point with a newer model. I thought ours was new but he said nope, it was only new to us -- turns out it's a 12-year-old unit. Also next time, we'll start cabling the security cameras which were installed on the ceiling last time.

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Looking to borrow a miniscribe
by Jason Perkins 02 Mar '19

02 Mar '19

Hello, Does anyone haved a ~40 mb miniscribe hard drive, with the stepper on the side, that isn’t working that well? I’m looking for one with gummy bearings in the stepper for a demonstration. But I’ve fixed all of mine... Thanks! -J -- Jason Perkins 313 355 0085 Sent from my iPhone

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OT: Free Soldering Iron, with a catch
by Chris Fala 28 Feb '19

28 Feb '19

Due to an error by the supplier, I received the wrong item when placing an online order and ended up with two soldering irons that I can't use. I can't use them because they are 220V and have a European plug. https://www.banggood.com/Mustool-MT223-60W-Adjustable-Temperature-Electric-… Is anyone interested in taking them off my hands? If so, I can bring them to VCF East or one of the workshops at InfoAge. I just figured that I would ask before I threw them in the trash (which I hate). Chris

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Saw this on ebay
by Sentry TV 28 Feb '19

28 Feb '19

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 28 Feb '19

28 Feb '19

Only three groups of visitors today, but they were all very interested and stayed for full-ish tours. That's a pleasant surprise for a Wednesday during the school year.

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Anyone in/near Boston coming to the next workshop?
by Ian Primus 27 Feb '19

27 Feb '19

Trying to find an effective way to get something from the Boston area (not a huge thing) - anyone coming from that direction to a future workshop? -Ian

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Need Camera operators for VCF East 2019
by Jeffrey Brace 27 Feb '19

27 Feb '19

I am looking for volunteers to operate the cameras at the Friday classes. Please e-mail me privately if you are interested. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] C64 Replacement chips
by Blatboy 26 Feb '19

26 Feb '19

I have one of those. You can get them on Ebay here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Commodore-64-C64-SX64-U17-PLA-Replacement-906114-0… I still haven't installed it. It's in my studio here...somewhere. Ahem. ++++++++++++++++++++++ https://jwalterhawkes.com like to know where/when I'm playing? Click here <https://jwalterhawkes.com/contact> to sign up for my list, and let the babble begin. > > Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2019 14:55:02 -0500 > From: Bill Dromgoole <drummy(a)comcast.net> > To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] C64 Replacement chips > Message-ID: > <mailman.42.1551114003.26275.vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > Haven?t tried this but it looks interesting. > http://www.melon64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2370 >

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Cool -- Bill Gates...
by Evan Koblentz 26 Feb '19

26 Feb '19

Bill Gates did a Reddit AMA and was asked what TV shows he likes to watch. He said he liked The Americans. Most of the vintage computers on that show came from us. :) https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/aunv58/im_bill_gates_cochair_of_the_… -- 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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MOS LSI chips time frame
by Ben Greenfield 26 Feb '19

26 Feb '19

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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Warehouse fun
by Stephen A Edwards 26 Feb '19

26 Feb '19

Thanks, again, Evan, for the fun at the warehouse last Thursday. As a neat freak with a love of vintage computer stuff, it was nearly perfect for me. There is a *lot* of stuff in the warehouse, but lots of it isn't museum quality and really shouldn't be there (how many broken TI-99/4a's does anybody really need?). It was extremely satisfying sorting out the wheat from the chaff and organizing things into standard boxes on standard shelves and away from the random, waterlogged boxes people donated things in. All in all, this was a great experience. I highly recommend it if you can make the time (I happened to be in the neighborhood, which almost never happens) and enjoy reducing entropy while getting a history lesson. The OCD part of me loved starting with a bunch of teetering piles of mismatched boxes on the floor and ending with all the boxes gone and replaced with newly assembled rolling shelving units. Speaking of which, I just bought a couple for myself. Also: consider what needs to happen when you donate something. Someone needs to sort through it, decide what, if anything, is worth keeping, and then figure out where to file it. If you really want to be generous, do some of that sorting yourself before you donate it. For example, floppies with personal data (e.g., pirated software) on them really aren't something anybody's interested in.

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OT: Still available: Chromebook free to good home
by Evan Koblentz 25 Feb '19

25 Feb '19

Nobody claimed this, so I'm posting on Facebook too. Still available until stated otherwise. On Sat, Feb 23, 2019, 7:13 PM Evan Koblentz <evan(a)vcfed.org> wrote: > Two people here in the group chipped in and gifted me a new Chromebook > that can run Linux and Android apps (nifty!), so I'm paying it forward: my > old (2014) Chromebook should go to a good home. It works perfectly; it's > just slightly less capable. Lightweight, awesome battery life, closest > thing that exists today to a Tandy Model 100. One request: I want it to go > to someone who needs it, not just someone who is curious about them but has > plenty of resources. > > Email me off-list. > >

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free: "vintage" Sony Vaio laptop
by William Dudley 25 Feb '19

25 Feb '19

I have a Sony Vaio PCG-818. It's from about 1998, and has the following spec: Pentium II 300MHz 13.3" 1024x768 LCD 192MB RAM (the maximum that it will take) 500MB hard disk (a replacement for the original 6GB drive). 2 PCMCIA slots, one USB port, and modem but no other networking. serial, parallel, and VGA ports DVD-ROM drive. This isn't the original drive; I may have the original drive in my stash. comes with (dead) battery, 19V brick power supply. If you want/need, I can throw in a PCMCIA Ethernet interface. The computer currently boots into a version of "DSL", Damn Small Linux. Unfortunately, it's such old software that the web browser can't view most web sites, as it doesn't support https. I'm offering this as-is in case anyone collects old x86 machines or old laptops. The computer is in Jackson, NJ. I can ship or I can bring it to VCF East. Bill Dudley This email is free of malware because I run Linux.

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C64 Replacement chips
by Jeffrey Brace 24 Feb '19

24 Feb '19

There was some discussion at the last workshop about places to find replacement chips for C64, but no one posted any of them to the workshop wrap-up report thread. So where can I get replacement PLAs? Someone mentioned that there are new ones being made. Also RAM chips for C64. Any other generic chips that can be purchase inexpensively? I already know where to find VIC and SID, which I believe you can only replace with originals. I have gotten some from eBay. Of course I can do my own search through eBay etc., so I'm looking for recommendations for good places and warnings against ordering from bad places. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Looking for “modem lights” program
by Richard Cini 24 Feb '19

24 Feb '19

Guys — I have my 11/23 working with an emulated TU58 connected to a serial port. Does any one know of a port activity indicator program for the Windows system tray? Long ago, you remember, when using a modem there was the little modem icon with red/green LEDs. I’m looking for that to monitor the serial port. I found one shareware program but it only shows the status of the handshaking signals and not RX/TX. Thanks! Rich Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>

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VCF East -- Sunday keynote speaker :)
by Evan Koblentz 24 Feb '19

24 Feb '19

VCF East keynote lineup is all set: - Friday, May 3: Steve Bellovin, whose work led to USENET - Saturday, May 4: Ken Thompson, co-inventor of Unix - Sunday, May 5: Joe Decuir, co-inventor the Atari VCS, Atari 800, and Commodore Amiga <grunt>Evan do good?</grunt? -- 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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Security camera installation underway / Museum report (Saturday)
by Evan Koblentz 24 Feb '19

24 Feb '19

Yesterday was a good one for us. Martin and Neil installed four dome-style security cameras on our museum ceiling. We may install two more to get clearer images of the long aisles. They worked a full day from about 9AM through 5PM. Martin tested the cameras on a bench before installing them. Neil and I put an observation monitor on the side of the network rack facing the docent's desk. Dan J. also helped with the monitor by using CDL's drill press to create some cable management in one of the rack side panels. :) That monitor will display live video from each camera in a separate window. This was part 1 of the camera installation. Part 2 will happen on Saturday, March 2, when we run all the cabling (it's PoE) through the attic. Martin will also revamp our main Cisco switch configuration. (There is a temporary switch sitting on top of the rack. We used it for testing. That's going away.) Part 3, schedule TBD, will be installation of a network video recorder. Our goal is to record whenever we're open to the public and also whenever it senses motion during non-open hours. We also had about 15 visitors in several groups yesterday. They all seemed to be very interested. Jeff B. pointed out today that I didn't sweep up the sawdust from when we drilled holes for the camera mounts ... sorry man. My mistake.

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 24 Feb '19

24 Feb '19

Quiet-ish day at the museum. We had four groups of visitors, all families with moderate interest. I cleaned the workbench and moved some miscellaneous things to the warehouse. -- 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] Last call for Group Unix Exhibit
by Kenneth Seefried 24 Feb '19

24 Feb '19

From: Andrew Diller <dillera(a)gmail.com> > I recall reading that the Atari SVR5 required a special monitor - or am I > mixing that up with the Amiga SVR5 UNIX? There was no Atari or Amiga SVR5. SVR5 was an SCO thing on x86. You're thinking of SVR4. KJ

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OT: Chromebook free to good home
by Evan Koblentz 24 Feb '19

24 Feb '19

Two people here in the group chipped in and gifted me a new Chromebook that can run Linux and Android apps (nifty!), so I'm paying it forward: my old (2014) Chromebook should go to a good home. It works perfectly; it's just slightly less capable. Lightweight, awesome battery life, closest thing that exists today to a Tandy Model 100. One request: I want it to go to someone who needs it, not just someone who is curious about them but has plenty of resources. Email me off-list.

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Silverball Arcade - VCF East 2019 after Saturday dinner
by Jeffrey Brace 22 Feb '19

22 Feb '19

I'm organizing a group that want to go to the silverball arcade for an hour after the Saturday dinner. I've arranged for a 20% discount if we get a group of 10 or more people. We will meet at around 9:15pm on 5/4 after the Saturday dinner. If you are interested, then send me a private email. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Last call for Group Unix Exhibit
by dillera＠gmail.com 22 Feb '19

22 Feb '19

Hello - if you are interested in being part of a group Unix Exhibit with linked tables please put some info in this sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1A1z62SaxF6IrwkiFUVIxcjxWOmWrcvLxDJK… <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1A1z62SaxF6IrwkiFUVIxcjxWOmWrcvLxDJK…> I'll be getting tables at the end of this week and we'll need your info if you want to be involved in this group. thanks, -andy diller

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Warehouse report
by Evan Koblentz 22 Feb '19

22 Feb '19

Steve Edwards and I did warehouse work for about 4 solid hours this afternoon/evening. We continued the book-paring project. We cleared off two or three full pallets of book boxes, divided the contents into keep vs. sell piles, and tossed a few that were in poor condition. The sell pile is for VCF East, but workshop attendees are welcome to first dibs. (These are different than the books that remained after Festivus: we recently sold those in bulk to a single party.) We consolidated the 'keep' books into standard-size boxes and put them all onto the usual warehouse shelving. Results: lots of newly cleared floor space!!! For the next book-sorting session, it will be much easier to work without a bunch of stuff in the way. All told, I estimate that we pared the book collection by about 30-40 boxes since we started this project a while ago, and there's still a lot more to go. -- 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] Last call for Group Unix Exhibit
by Ethan Dicks 22 Feb '19

22 Feb '19

On Thu, Feb 21, 2019 at 12:29 PM Brian L. Stuart via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > I haven't really decided for sure about what I want to > exhibit this year. One option I've been considering is > to set up one of Oscar's PiDP-11 model PDP-11/70s > running 6ed UNIX to show some about early UNIX. > Would there be interest in such an exhibit and would > it be welcome in the group UNIX Exhibi Let me preface my answer by saying that I've been Oscar's neighbor at VCF East and VCF Midwest, I built a PiDP-8, I helped with refining the toggle switch design on the PiDP-11, and I have a PiDP-11 enroute right now. That said, I think an early UNIX is a good idea but I'm less sold on doing it by means of simulation. Here's a list of supported hardware for 5th ed forward https://minnie.tuhs.org/PUPS/pupsfaq.html#pdp_versions If I had a known-good Unibus PDP-11, I'd seriously consider putting together my own 1970s UNIX box, but I'm still in the middle of going through a pile of PDP-11/04 and PDP-11/34 hardware and haven't yet gotten past what seems to be a slightly-broken BA-11L/front panel situation. I don't happen to have an 11/40 or 11/45 and an 11/70 won't fit in my Saturn wagon (newer stuff like an 11/23 is much easier to put together) My own goal has been for a while to show PDP-11 UNIX on early hardware for the 50th anniversary of UNIX on the PDP-11 (this year is the anniversary on the PDP-7). My target is 1st ed/2nd ed UNIX (as preserved by Warren Toomey) on an 11/20, which will take some additional time to restore and is out of scope for this year. The biggest hurdle for anything pre-7th ed is disk. Later UNIX editions (v7, 2.9BSD, 2.11BSD...) support 1980s disks like the RL02 or MSCP which are far, far easier to keep running. If someone wanted to put together an 11/34 w/128Kw (preferably with FP11-A floating point) and an RK11/RK05, that might make a viable v6 platform. I have all that gear but am hesitant to promise I can ensure it's all 100% functional by May. I can do it down the road but the time is tight right now. Keeping desktop-sized stuff running is a lot easier than big boxes. The time required does not scale linearly. So, yes, I think it would be great to have early UNIX but I'm in it for the hardware. -ethan

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Exhibit ideas - help needed to choose
by Andrew Diller 22 Feb '19

22 Feb '19

> On Feb 21, 2019, at 3:26 PM, W. Bryan Caudle via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > From: "W. Bryan Caudle" <bcaudle(a)ctsi.net> > Subject: Exhibit ideas - help needed to choose > Date: February 21, 2019 at 3:26:25 PM EST > To: "vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org" <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > > > Another idea was a separate display highlighting some games running on business machines. Imagine 2 or 3 terminals (maybe even a Decwriter) connected to VAX, PDP11, Xenix, etc running some text adventures and such. > I am also working on this- getting a MUD working on my SGI Personal Iris with a few terminals connected to it so people can login and play in the mud together. If you have a cool terminal to bring put it on the list if you can bring it. I'm also planning on having some early unixs running via SIMH emulation on a mac and try connecting them to as many serial terminals as I can- having a display on the evoltion of unix will be of interest I think this year. -andy

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Last call for Group Unix Exhibit
by Ethan O'Toole 22 Feb '19

22 Feb '19

> > > [NON-Text Body part not included] Hmp for some reason your message doesn't quote. Okay, so that board seems cool but not willing to spend $165+ on it. I just found this one: https://shop.inventronik.de/index.php?id_product=28&controller=product&id_l… That is about $50 USD shipped from Germany. That should do the same? If so I will order that and probably buy a SCSI2SD for the TT030 as well. - Ethan

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Last call for Group Unix Exhibit
by David Gesswein 21 Feb '19

21 Feb '19

> > Having said that, I could pull out a 3b1, but I'm pretty sure > someone else is already doing that, and the early research > UNIX is a lot more interesting to me than the commercial. > It was one of the machines I offered to bring but I've brought it before. Since I will also have a PDP-8 exhibit this year so if anybody else wants to bring something I have offered they can bring it instead. > The truth is the part that I would find most interesting is > a deep dive into Lions' commentary on the 6th ed kernel, > but I don't know how to make an exhibit of that where > it wouldn't just be a poster session. > But could go along with the emulation where you go over the implementation choices and how it differs from later Unix's and people can see the differences. Its hard to be both educational and a crowd pleaser. I sort of alternate those types of exhibits.

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Exhibit ideas - help needed to choose
by W. Bryan Caudle 21 Feb '19

21 Feb '19

Good afternoon! I had recently joined this list and was interested in making some contribution to the exhibits at the upcoming VCF-East event. I had a few ideas, and was hoping to get some feedback before applying. One thought was that I could contribute to the group Unix exhibit. It looks like there are a large variety of systems already on the list, but I could contribute my Tandy 12/6000 running Xenix and an SGI O2 running Irix. I could also contribute a Wyse 60 and VT-220 terminal, some software, and publications (I have some of those giant SCO boxes full of books and stuff). Another idea was a separate display highlighting some games running on business machines. Imagine 2 or 3 terminals (maybe even a Decwriter) connected to VAX, PDP11, Xenix, etc running some text adventures and such. Finally, I was thinking about a display centered around the 68000 CPU (40 years since introduction). It would include many classic systems, and I have a whole library of 68000 family data books and developer materials. Suggestions welcome, and if none of these ideas sound good I'm ok with that too :-)

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Last call for Group Unix Exhibit
by Evan Koblentz 21 Feb '19

21 Feb '19

>> Hence my question whether there would be interest in early UNIX on a simulated 11. Yes. Also as I told others, you're welcome to come up here and see if any of the VCF collection hardware suits you. On Thu, Feb 21, 2019, 1:56 PM Brian L. Stuart via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > On Thu, 2/21/19, Ethan Dicks <ethan.dicks(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > >... That said, I think an early UNIX > > is a good idea but I'm less sold on > > doing it by means of simulation. > > > > If I had a known-good Unibus > > PDP-11, I'd seriously consider putting > > ... > > So, yes, I think > > it would be great to have early UNIX but I'm in it > > for the hardware. > > This has in fact been my biggest hesitation about this as > an exhibit for this year. However, I don't actually have > any Unibus gear at all. Between that and the fact that > I usually have the same exhibit at East and Southeast > and as you point out transportation of the real thing is > challenging if not prohibitive, simulation is my best option. > > Having said that, I could pull out a 3b1, but I'm pretty sure > someone else is already doing that, and the early research > UNIX is a lot more interesting to me than the commercial. > > The truth is the part that I would find most interesting is > a deep dive into Lions' commentary on the 6th ed kernel, > but I don't know how to make an exhibit of that where > it wouldn't just be a poster session. > > The other option is that I could do another ENIAC > exhibit. It just seems a shame to miss the opportunity > to revisit my early UNIX experience in the 50th > anniversary year. Hence my question whether there > would be interest in early UNIX on a simulated 11. > > BLS >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Last call for Group Unix Exhibit
by Brian L. Stuart 21 Feb '19

21 Feb '19

On Thu, 2/21/19, Ethan Dicks <ethan.dicks(a)gmail.com> wrote: >... That said, I think an early UNIX > is a good idea but I'm less sold on > doing it by means of simulation. > > If I had a known-good Unibus > PDP-11, I'd seriously consider putting > ... > So, yes, I think > it would be great to have early UNIX but I'm in it > for the hardware. This has in fact been my biggest hesitation about this as an exhibit for this year. However, I don't actually have any Unibus gear at all. Between that and the fact that I usually have the same exhibit at East and Southeast and as you point out transportation of the real thing is challenging if not prohibitive, simulation is my best option. Having said that, I could pull out a 3b1, but I'm pretty sure someone else is already doing that, and the early research UNIX is a lot more interesting to me than the commercial. The truth is the part that I would find most interesting is a deep dive into Lions' commentary on the 6th ed kernel, but I don't know how to make an exhibit of that where it wouldn't just be a poster session. The other option is that I could do another ENIAC exhibit. It just seems a shame to miss the opportunity to revisit my early UNIX experience in the 50th anniversary year. Hence my question whether there would be interest in early UNIX on a simulated 11. BLS

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Last call for Group Unix Exhibit
by Brian L. Stuart 21 Feb '19

21 Feb '19

On Wed, 2/20/19, andy diller via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Hello - if you are interested in being part > of a group Unix Exhibit with linked tables please put some > info in this sheet: I haven't really decided for sure about what I want to exhibit this year. One option I've been considering is to set up one of Oscar's PiDP-11 model PDP-11/70s running 6ed UNIX to show some about early UNIX. Would there be interest in such an exhibit and would it be welcome in the group UNIX Exhibit? BLS

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Need to Borrow IBM VGA CRTs for VCF East (8512, 8513, or 8514)
by J. Alexander Jacocks 21 Feb '19

21 Feb '19

All, Does anyone have 2 IBM PS/2 VGA CRTs (8512, 8513, or 8514) that I could borrow to use with my exhibit for VCF East? I could also use 1 Model M, as I only have two, and 3 IBM two-button early PS/2 mice (like this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:IBM_PS2_hiiri.jpg) Not looking to buy, as I’m only keeping one machine, afterwards, so that my collection doesn’t grow beyond bounds. Thanks! - Alex

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Fwd: PC Collection
by Evan Koblentz 21 Feb '19

21 Feb '19

Mid-Atlantic folks: have at this! (We're declining for the VCFed collection.) CC:ing Alan H. so he can bring this to AHCS attention too. Maybe it's the kind of collection that people can do as a group haul. THE OWNER IS NOT ON THIS LIST, so don't be the person who replies on-list and makes me roll my eyes. :) On 2/19/19 6:26 PM, Erik Klein wrote: > ---------- Forwarded message --------- > From: *Gene D. Robinson* <robinsgd(a)wctel.net <mailto:robinsgd@wctel.net>> > Date: Mon, Feb 18, 2019 at 10:45 AM > Subject: PC Collection > To: <webmaster(a)vintage-computer.com > <mailto:webmaster@vintage-computer.com>> > > > Erik, > > The purpose of this letter is to see if you might have any interest in > acquiring my collection of approximately 100 old PC computer systems. > There are also approximately 20 early laptops going back to the early > 1980s > > I am nearly 76 years old and can no longer adequately curate my > collection gathered over the past 25 years. Although some are quite > valuable, such as a very low serial number original IBM PC and the > Columbia PC (the first PC clone) and an early Eagle PC, I would like > to keep the collection together rather than sell them individually on > eBay. I hope you might be interest in acquiring the collection, or if > not, you might offer advice as to how I should proceed. > > The heart of my collection is perhaps unique and is based on a > realization that hit me when in the late 90s while pricing out that > the original IBM PC would have cost about $3,500, adequately equipped > to be useful and productive in 1981-’82. I realized that was still > what a high end, well equipped PC would cost. As I investigated, I > soon saw that $3,000-$3,600 had remained constant down through the > years as the cost of a high-end PC. Thus, the idea for my collection > was born: > > A high-end PC each year, priced in mid-year, with software installed > appropriate to the year. > > Below is a list: > > *YEAR* > > > > *SYSTEM NAME* > > > > *PRICE $* > > > > *CPU & SPEED* > > ** > > > > ** > > > > ** > > > > ** > > *1981* > > > > *IBM PC Model 5150* > > > > 3,480** > > > > *80088-4.77 Mhz* > > *1982* > > > > *Columbia MPC* > > > > 3,195** > > > > *80088-4.77 Mhz* > > *1983* > > > > *Eagle PC-2* > > > > 3,613** > > > > *8088-4.77 Mhz* > > *1984* > > > > *XPC-XT* > > > > 3,515 > > > > *8088-4.77 Mhz* > > *1985* > > > > *Conquest PC Turbo* > > > > 2,900 > > > > *8088-8 mhz* > > *1986* > > > > *PC's Limited AT* > > > > 3,122 > > > > *80286-8 Mhz* > > *1987* > > > > *PC Limited 286-12* > > > > 3,499 > > > > *80286-12 Mhz* > > *1988* > > > > *DMP 386* > > > > 2,907 > > > > *80386-20 Mhz* > > *1989* > > > > *Home Smart 386* > > > > 3,117 > > > > *80386-25 Mhz* > > *1990* > > > > *Comtrade* > > > > 3,370 > > > > *80386-33 Mhz* > > *1991* > > > > *Computer World 486-33* > > > > 3,520 > > > > *80486-33 Mhz* > > *1992* > > > > *Strobe MPC* > > > > 3,416 > > > > *80486-50 Mhz* > > *1993* > > > > *Gateway 2000 4DX2-66V* > > > > 3,345 > > > > *80486-66 Mhz* > > *1994* > > > > *Gateway 2000* > > > > 3,446 > > > > *Pentium-90 Mhz* > > *1995* > > > > *MidWest Micro P5-133 PCI* > > > > 3,494 > > > > *Pent-133 Mhz* > > *1996* > > > > *Dell Dimension XPS P200S * > > > > 3,287 > > > > *Pent-200 Mhz* > > *1997* > > > > *Unicent Titana II266XLA* > > > > 3,263 > > > > *Pent II-266 Mhz* > > *1998* > > > > *Quantex QP6/400 SM-4x* > > > > 2,899 > > > > *Pent II-400 Mhz* > > *1999* > > > > *Compaq Presario 5700t * > > > > 2,828 > > > > *Pent III-550 Mhz* > > *2000* > > > > *Tiger TM71A* > > > > 3,149 > > > > *Athlon 1 Ghz* > > *2001* > > > > *Gateway 1800* > > > > 3,160 > > > > *Pent IV 1.8 Ghz* > > *2002* > > > > *ABS Digital 8* > > > > 3,100 > > > > *Pent IV 2.53 Ghz* > > *2003* > > > > *Gateway 710XL* > > > > 3,090 > > > > *Pent IV 3.2 Ghz* > > *2004* > > > > *Cyberpower * > > > > 3,411 > > > > *Pent IV 3.6 Ghz* > > *2005* > > > > *Cyberpower* > > > > 3,389 > > > > *Athlon 64 FX 57* > > *2006* > > > > ** > > > > > > ** > > *2007* > > > > ** > > > > > > ** > > *2008* > > > > ** > > > > > > ** > > The only non-PCs in the collection are the three original home > computers that came on the market in 1977 within a few months of each > other: Apple II, Commodore PET 8k, and Tandy TRS-80. There is also an > original Mac from the fifth week of production in February 1984 that > comes with all the original disks, manuals and accessories. At last > check these all worked properly including the cassette tape drives on > the Tandy and PET. There is also a large selection of original > software cassettes for the PET, extremely rare. > > I also have a hundred feet of shelf space filled with old software > going back to VisCalc, Lotus 123, and DOS 1.1 and numerous games going > back to the early 80s. The first of these computers to have a hard > disk drive (Zenith Z-100 in 1984) plus each subsequent computer has > the correct software installed on it for its year including Windows > 1.0. Some of the computers are the actual brands shown in the table, > and some are generic versions patterned after brand name machines. > > In addition, I got interested in how a high-end machine would compare > to a low-priced PC ($400-$500 including monitor) and started > accumulating those machines (or building generic versions). I found > that generally these low-cost machines had the performance of the > hig-end PCs from about three years earlier. > > I have some other machines of particular interest such as the a new, > never removed from the box, IBM PCAT, an IBM PCXT with the original 10 > MB hard drive that boots and runs programs just fine. There’a a Tandy > 2000 (80186 cpu and its own unique operating system), and the first > 386 PC (Compaq Deskpro). There’s also a complete collection of /PC > Magazines/ from Vol 1-No.1 up to fairly recent plus many old /Byte/ > magazines and /PC World/. > > I’m hoping you might have some interest in this collection or, if not, > that you can advise me what to do. Perhaps you might know of an > auction company that could sell the collection. I can send images if > you want to have a better idea of the scope. > > Gene D. Robinson > > Abbeville, SC > -- 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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Warehouse work tomorrow or Friday?
by Evan Koblentz 20 Feb '19

20 Feb '19

Can I get one person to help me all day in the warehouse, either tomorrow or Friday? There are 206 people on this list ... let's hear from somebody new for a change. :)

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InfoAge is closed today
by Evan Koblentz 20 Feb '19

20 Feb '19

InfoAge is closed today due to the weather. Evan Koblentz Executive Director, Vintage Computer Federation evan(a)vcfed.org / (646) 546-9999 www.vcfed.org @vcfederation

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Atari exhibit(s) at VCF East
by Peter Cetinski 20 Feb '19

20 Feb '19

> On Feb 20, 2019, at 10:37 AM, Peter Fletcher via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Just wanted to let people know that the Atari Exhibit is a group effort. Dean Notarnicola, Bill Lange, Anthony Becker, Bill Winters and I will all be participating. We will be covering the 400/800 through to the Falcon030. We will also have a tribute to Jay Miner as he was instrumental in the creation of the 2600,400/800, as well as the Amiga 1000. > Nice! A Jay Miner tribute is classy.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Atari exhibit(s) at VCF East
by Evan Koblentz 20 Feb '19

20 Feb '19

>> Just wanted to let people know that the Atari Exhibit is a group effort. Dean Notarnicola, Bill Lange, Anthony Becker, Bill Winters and I will all be participating. My fault for not fully reading your exhibit registration. Dean told me last night. I need to update the webpage. Was going to reply to my own comment here but you beat me to it. On Wed, Feb 20, 2019, 10:38 AM Peter Fletcher via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Just wanted to let people know that the Atari Exhibit is a group effort. > Dean Notarnicola, Bill Lange, Anthony Becker, Bill Winters and I will all > be participating. We will be covering the 400/800 through to the > Falcon030. We will also have a tribute to Jay Miner as he was instrumental > in the creation of the 2600,400/800, as well as the Amiga 1000. > >

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Atari exhibit(s) at VCF East
by Peter Fletcher 20 Feb '19

20 Feb '19

Just wanted to let people know that the Atari Exhibit is a group effort. Dean Notarnicola, Bill Lange, Anthony Becker, Bill Winters and I will all be participating. We will be covering the 400/800 through to the Falcon030. We will also have a tribute to Jay Miner as he was instrumental in the creation of the 2600,400/800, as well as the Amiga 1000.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] [OT] Early Kodak Photographic Copying Device?
by Jeffrey Jonas 20 Feb '19

20 Feb '19

Before photocopiers & laser printers were ubiquitious, there were many curious methods of duplication. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_duplicating_processes 1) if you have a paper copy that's a B&W negative, it is probably a Photostat. I found several photostats in my dad's papers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photostat_machine Description Both Rectigraph and Photostat machines consisted of a large camera ... After a 10-second exposure, the paper was directed to developing and fixing baths, then either air- or machine-dried. Since the print was directly exposed, without the use of an intermediate film, the result was a negative print. 2) I once salvaged a Thermofax machine. It was a box of BRIGHT lamps and a heated roller. No chemicals required. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermofax 3) I once had a little darkroom kit with a contact printer which was a tin box with a light bulb inside, a glass top with hinged top. The paper was developed by inserting it into a plastic gadget where a crank turned rollers (via gears) dunking the paper into 3 consecutive chemical trays. 4) The way these relate to computers & electronics: several of these processes were used for chart recorders and "oscillographs" (oscilloscope where a light beam was bounced by moving mirrors onto a screen, or film). High resolution charter recorders avoided pen lag & overshoot by using a galvanometer and light beam onto light sensitive paper. I think HP used IR onto heat-sensitive paper similar to today's receipt paper. -- jeff jonas

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Someone needs an empty PDP-11 rack
by Evan Koblentz 20 Feb '19

20 Feb '19

Someone here in central NJ (who gave us an interesting homemade portable VAXstation) is looking for an empty PDP-11 rack. If anybody has one for sale then please contact him directly at joe.dempster(a)gmail.com.

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Atari exhibit(s) at VCF East
by Evan Koblentz 20 Feb '19

20 Feb '19

Since there will be a huge UNIX exhibit anniversary exhibit, there should also be a huge Atari computer anniversary exhibit. Pete opened the door by registering his Atari exhibit just now: http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/vcf-east-exhib… I encourage all Atari exhibitors to work with Pete and to perhaps make your own off-list discussion method for coordination. It would be fun if, in one of the exhibit rooms, we have a whole long row of Atari facing a whole long row of UNIX systems.

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VCF East exhibit registration
by Evan Koblentz 19 Feb '19

19 Feb '19

It's open and there are already three exhibits including someone from the Netherlands: http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/vcf-east-exhib… Sign up now. Don't make me chase you down. :) -- 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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Upcoming Repair workshops VCF
by Jeffrey Brace 18 Feb '19

18 Feb '19

Besides *March 30 & 31*: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qisU7Goz7_QQVOtuCEg8PsDfh7-adv0zNXI… > There is: *April 13 & 14*: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XTEGeYkzqrmGL_X5OdyFbjoy4QtLMBDoX5r… > *June 1 & 2*: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cdRaUOarYmLe0c7Veddzl4HhOqB1BXTgTCQ… > *August 24 & 25*: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13Gmvr2ZEtEXouN0oB7Y_UtCRabbwhLTi4E_… > -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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CNN story about Apple IIe found in attic
by Christopher Gioconda 18 Feb '19

18 Feb '19

Touching, nostalgic story about a man finding his (working) Apple IIe in his parents' attic after 30 years, along with a letter that his deceased father wrote him: https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/17/tech/30-year-old-apple-computer-work-trnd/in… Some great comments in the twitter feed, too. Chris Gioconda

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[OT] Early Kodak Photographic Copying Device?
by J. Alexander Jacocks 17 Feb '19

17 Feb '19

All, Do any of y’all have any idea what this is? https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2F… It looks like a direct contact plate exposer, to me, but I’m not sure. Very pretty. - Alex

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Parts available / FS
by David Hoelzer 15 Feb '19

15 Feb '19

Hello there- I'm continuing my ambitious cleaning out project and have the following available for reasonable offers, if anyone is interested: SGI O2 plastic body. If you've owned an SGI, you know the plastic is notoriously fragile. This is the complete greenish/bluish body that fits over the chassis. Pile of about 100 SSDD, DSDD, DSHD 5.25 floppies. Could be a few more, could be a few less. I'm just guestimating. Box full of 3.5 DSDD and DSHD floppies.. Looks to be approximately 60+ disks. 8" soft sectored double density floppy. I put Pickles & Trout CPM on this in 2015 for a TRS-80 Model II that has since found a new home. Fully functional (at last powerup, which is about 2 years now) Apple IIc with internal 5.25 and a very rare external high density 3.5 drive. There are many, many 3.5 drives out there that work with most IIc computers, but this one took me years to find and sells for 100+ when you can find it. The power supply for the IIc is not original and, in fact, is sort of a frankenstein's monster, so you'll want to replace that. I'm pretty sure there are a variety of IIc programmer books in the box with it, but it's tucked away at the moment, so I'm working from memory. I don't think they have value, they're just a couple of nice additional pieces that come with it. Commodore Pet 8032. This is in complete but not currently functional condition. I did a great deal of work on this a few years ago, got it up and running and then found some shorts, which turned out to be from acid core solder that someone used previously to work on it. I didn't have the energy to work on it again, which will require desoldering the SRAM and ROM chips, cleaning the board, repairing one trace, and putting everything back in. There is also a 1001 floppy drive (I might have that number wrong.. .It's the IEEE bus high density 5.25 drive that was pretty rare back in the day, though there were enough that a few survived.. definitely less common than the 4040 and the 8050 drives). That drive was fully functioning when I packed it up about 3 years ago. No reasonable offers refused. I've sold/given stuff to a few of you in the past, so they can vouch for me always wanting to be fair about the value of stuff. I'm on the very far eastern end of Long Island (Shelter Island, in fact), though I am willing to drive a (reasonable) distance to meet anyone who is interested. The distance I will travel is commensurate with the number of things you want to obtain. :) -- ---- David Hoelzer Chief of Operations Enclave Forensics, Inc.

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VCF East 2019 Saturday Dinner
by Jeffrey Brace 15 Feb '19

15 Feb '19

WHAT: VCF East XIII Saturday Buffet Dinner DATE: May 4 TIME: 7:30 PM LOCATION: Clancy's Tavern (West Grove Plaza) ADDRESS: 25 South Main Street, Neptune, NJ 07753 COST: $35 This is this same place that we had it the last few years. We organize this dinner so that the whole large group of us could chat in a casual place and have a quality meal after a weekend of fast food. This is the best available option to balance price, quality of food, parking, distance from VCF East, large group, etc. This is the best that we can do for such a large group. The menu is more flexible than other places for a large group of people. My research of places in the areas shows that this is the best option to balance all of our needs. We reserved the place for 40 people. So if you want to go, then make sure you pay ahead of time to secure your spot. You can prepay to paypal(a)vcfed.org and include a note that it is for VCF East 2019 Saturday Dinner and how many people. The VCF East organizers decided together along with feedback from my survey that the following will be the new unlimited buffet menu: COLD Caesar Salad Cold Cut Platter Fresh Fruit WARM Nachos Beef Stroganoff with egg noodles Chicken Parmesan Penne Vodka DESSERT Carvel Ice Cream Cake BAR Cash Bar After dinner some of us are going to visit the nearby SilverBall Arcade in Asbury Park. Anyone is free to meet us there. I'm not sure of the exact time. Probably 9:30pm. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Next Repair Workshop March 30 & 31, 2019
by Jeffrey Brace 15 Feb '19

15 Feb '19

The next VCF Repair workshop will be March 30 & 31, 2019. Signup here: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qisU7Goz7_QQVOtuCEg8PsDfh7-adv0zNXI… > -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Funny
by Evan Koblentz 12 Feb '19

12 Feb '19

Geek vs. nerd: https://youtu.be/LYE3GtXqDV0 -- 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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Workshop Wrap-up - 2/9/19 & 2/10/19
by Jeffrey Brace 12 Feb '19

12 Feb '19

I counted about 15 to 20 people at the workshop this past weekend at the VCF repair workshop. A very successful workshop. We tried a new diner for the Sunday breakfast: The Americana Diner in Shrewsbury. Even though it is 20 minutes from the museum, everyone loved it and felt it was worth the trip. Next time we will try Mariner's Cove in Brielle. Tony Bogan recommended this one. For the Saturday dinner, we weren't able to go Asbury Biergarten and Festhalle because of reservation restrictions, so I will try again next time now that I know the restrictions. The backup place will be Main Street Grill. We went to Brick House Tap and Tavern in Neptune City instead. Ian won the first to smoke award for a blown capacitor in a monitor. I was very happy that I found the time to work on repairing my C64. Over the years, I have had little time to work on them because of running the workshop, grad school etc. It was nice to be able to finally work on them for a decent amount of time. Thanks to Doug and Chris for helping me diagnose the first one and great thanks to Jeff Salzman for troubleshooting, soldering and desoldering two other boards. He spent a lot of time with me to get two of them working. I tagged all of them as to their condition and will continue working on them next workshop. I have made a list of things that need like thermal paste, heat sinks, ram chips, PLA chips. Everyone else please share what you worked on and did at the workshop and a link to any photos that you took. The next workshop is: March 30 & 31. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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