- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

HOPE
by Evan Koblentz 23 Jul '18

23 Jul '18

HOPE was great! Chris F., Mouse, Dmitry (a newish member), and I all worked the VCFed booth -- huge thanks to them!! Many other members were at the show. Jim, Rolf, Jason P., Kenzo, Brian Stuart, Jason Scott, Connor, Jonathan, Amy .... sorry to anyone I forget to mention. Chris L. didn't make it but he joined some of us for Saturday night dinner. My talk this morning went pretty well. Unfortunately it started 10 minutes late due to elevator problems (for everyone, all weekend long!) and so I had to stop before the audience Q&A. But the robot performed well and I was happy with all the recent code improvements. Next stop, Maker Faire! I'll start a thread about it this week. (Please don't fork this thread.)

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F/S ALTAIR Complete starter kit
by johnp＠exhilaronics.com 23 Jul '18

23 Jul '18

F/S Original Altair, many MITS boards, more than 50 (fifty) other s-100 boards, OEM 8"disk drives, Lab equipment, large selection of chips and other parts, selection of Cromemco Cyclops parts including S100 interface pair and original camera boards and cases. Cleaning out all my stock because of illness. MUST BE PICKED UP IN SOUTHERN NH AND CANNOT BE BROKEN UP OR SHIPPED! Will sell to best reasonable offer. For complete inventory email jparsonsnh at gmail dot com

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Arrival ETA tomorrow
by Evan Koblentz 21 Jul '18

21 Jul '18

Looks like Chris F. and I won't be there to set up the VCF table until around 10:00-10:30 tomorrow. We planned to be there by 9ish, but my 20-pin female/female ribbon cable broke tonight. I have to stop at the local electronics shop here and get a replacement made. They open at 9am.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Discounted HOPE ticket for partial sale (Friday & Saturday)
by Evan Koblentz 19 Jul '18

19 Jul '18

>> (This could be by you giving it to an i.e. vcf-midatlantic friend when you leave on Saturday who'll still be there on Sunday, and I call the person on Sunday morning and they come downstairs to bring me the extra badge.) We can have someone here at the VCF booth take care of that for you.

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Discounted HOPE ticket for partial sale (Friday & Saturday)
by Ken 19 Jul '18

19 Jul '18

Know anyone in the following situation? - Wants to go to HOPE - Doesn't have ticket yet - Wants to be assured entrance in case the event sells out - Wants to go Friday and/or Saturday, but not Sunday - Wants to save some money - Wants to help someone else out (me!) in complementary situation I have a ticket (they're no longer for sale online, will cost more at the door, and might sell out). I can now only go on Sunday. I'd love to share it with someone, for whatever price split seems nice. The catch is, we have to find a way for you to hand off the badge to me when you're done with it. (This could be by you giving it to an i.e. vcf-midatlantic friend when you leave on Saturday who'll still be there on Sunday, and I call the person on Sunday morning and they come downstairs to bring me the extra badge.) Longshot? I figure I'd try. :) - Ken On Tue, Jun 26, 2018 at 4:01 PM, Ken via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >I have an extra HOPE ticket for sale (I paid $170), because my friend accidentally double booked his weekend. >Anyone wanting to come to HOPE, let me know if you'd like to buy my ticket so I don't worry about selling it anymore! >I look forward to seeing many of you there as usual. The MARCH exhibit has always been a highlight, always attracting interesting/interested folks of all ages for great teachings and reminiscings. > >- Ken

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HOPE dinner plans
by Evan Koblentz 19 Jul '18

19 Jul '18

Instead of me trying to round up everyone Saturday afternoon (July 21), what if we (gasp!) make plans? First thing: what's the best time to meet for dinner? I'm guessing late-ish because we would be leaving our demo tables unstaffed, so we want to wait until attendance goes down. (VCF owns a pair of huge tarps with grommet holes. What we usually do overnight is drape those over our tables and tie around the bottom with rope.)

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Osborne 1A auction
by Mike Loewen 19 Jul '18

19 Jul '18

This might be an opportunity for someone to own an Osborne 1A: Ebay 323356336033 I'm not saying that there might not be more problems with the machine, but one of the reasons the display doesn't work is because the video jumper connector is missing from the front panel. You can easily make one from a 20-pin (2x10) edge card connector. Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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LOGO help?
by Evan Koblentz 18 Jul '18

18 Jul '18

Who's very good at LOGO programming? I hit a snag. Looking for real-time phone assistance. No time to post code on the list and start a million emails.

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Microsoft references David Gesswein. Thats just too cool
by Christian Liendo 18 Jul '18

18 Jul '18

https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2018/06/20/windows-command-lin…

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Museum report (Sunday)
by Evan Koblentz 17 Jul '18

17 Jul '18

Chris F. and Doug were our museum docents yesterday. Chris (who is preparing for our HOPE demo) said: "I tested one of my new Commodore SD card readers, and over a dozen NTSC demos that I downloaded. A few don’t work despite the fact that they work on an emulator in NTSC mode, but I have plenty of good ones that do work on real hardware. Looking for my good speakers with subwoofer so that the demos are audible at the event better than the small speakers I used previously." Doug said: "Good day overall! We drove over in pouring rain but it was over pretty much when we arrived. Folks seem to bail on the beach and tour InfoAge, as we might expect. There was a steady flow of people from about 1:45 to closing." ________________________________ Evan Koblentz, executive director Vintage Computer Federation a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit evan(a)vcfed.org (646) 546-9999 www.vcfed.org facebook.com/vcfederation twitter.com/vcfederation instagram.com/vcfederation

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Northern Telecom Displayphones
by Paul Rickards 17 Jul '18

17 Jul '18

Hi All, I recently acquired a couple of Northern Telecom Displayphones. They're neat little telephone terminals with a 7" black and white CRT, 80x24 ANSI text, built in 300 baud modem, and a RS-232 port that goes to 9600 baud. I've looked around and haven't found much technical info on them so I started a site to gather any extra info I can locate. See link below. http://biosrhythm.com/?p=1628 If you have a Displayphone model and can dump the EPROMs, I'll add them to the site. What I've dumped so far is available to download there. My Plus model is non functional so I'm not sure if the ROM dump is valid. I have the manual to the Plus model that I will be scanning soon. Hope this helps some folks. Cheers, -p

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Can someone get me a signature from VCF West?
by Christian Liendo 16 Jul '18

16 Jul '18

I am not able to attend VCF West this year. I did last year and I got a signed shirt from Steve Russell. I'm wondering if anyone can do this for me for a friend? I will send you money for the shirt and for the assistance on this. Please let me know

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Head align Tape
by Duane Craps 15 Jul '18

15 Jul '18

>>> 7 track or 9 track? The Univacs are pretty old even for "vintage". Head alignment tapes are not track specific. They have one track the width of the tape and are used to adjust time delays to time align the bits coming off the read head when reading the alignment tape. Then a "scratch tape" is used while writing all ones to adjust the write delays while looking at the read amps. We used the same alignment tape for 7 and 9 track units. Duane On 6/17/2017 11:40 AM, Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > 7 track or 9 track? The Univacs are pretty old even for "vintage". On 6/17/2017 11:40 AM, Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > On 06/17/2017 11:37 AM, Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic wrote: >>> UNIVAC 1540 Magnetic Tape Unit...I wonder if anyone has a 800 BPI, >>> NRZ Master Head Alignment Tape (skew tape) to donate to VCF. >> 7 track or 9 track? The Univacs are pretty old even for "vintage". >> >> Also, as Dave McGuire noted, a lightly-used tape from a known-good drive >> will be useful. In the floppy-disk world, I use several diskettes each >> from a known good drive to validate "alignment". > That wasn't me. But yes, that can be useful for rough validation. > >> Seems to me, there's likely several boxes of mag-tapes in the inventory. > Yes, I brought a few boxes several years ago. > > -Dave > v

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OT: Sussex NJ Hamfest Sunday
by Kelly Leavitt 13 Jul '18

13 Jul '18

August 15th. I know a lot of you folks like to go to this one. Stop by the kitchen and say hi. http://www.scarcnj.org/hamfest.html NJ Staite Fair grounds. 37 Plains Rd, Augusta, NJ Directions: https://njstatefair.org/html/maps.cfm Kelly

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early (original?) Dartmouth BASIC documentation
by Glenn Roberts 12 Jul '18

12 Jul '18

I've been helping a friend clean out some closets after her husband died - he was like many of us and had a lot of history in computing. While he had already gotten rid of early hardware I did find some interesting artifacts in his bookshelves. One book that caught my attention is "a manual for BASIC" by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz (Dartmouth). It is copyrighted 1965 by Dartmouth and appears to be the original manual for Dartmouth's BASIC. The preface acknowledges an NSF grant for funding the language development. Includes diagram/instructions for using the Model 33 teletype and paper tape! Anyway, just thought I'd share with this group. I imagine there aren't too many copies of this left around. Google search turned up some hits but I didn't see any scans of the book. It's pretty short (63 pp.) Nice keepsake from the earliest days of BASIC... - Glenn

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Known-good IBM joystick?
by Bill Degnan 12 Jul '18

12 Jul '18

Bob/All, In IBM systems one typically needs the drivers, controller card, and joystick to all be designed to work together. Also, the software often expects one of a few model joystick to be available. So, in Evan's case he needs to look at the software and documentation of the program that will use the joystick to see what kind of joystick it's looking for. It may be that the original IBM PC "Game Control Adapter" is an option, in which case you'd need something compatible with that. May be easy and you can get away with a serial port joystick. And so on. From there, find something compatible, install the drivers into autoexec.bat and config.sys and go from there. Newer machines often pair a soundcard like SoundBlaster with a Microsoft joystick. Evan may have working joysticks that "don't work" because the drivers are not yet loaded. Bill On Tue, Jul 10, 2018 at 8:38 AM Bob Aviles via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Hi, > I have an IBM joystick, look at the picture and tell me if it works on > your systems. > > Bobby On Tuesday, July 10, 2018, 1:20:45 AM EDT, Evan Koblentz via > vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > I'm having issues with the VCF supply of Kraft joysticks, and there is > no time to fix them before HOPE. Does anyone have a tested and > fully-working / known-good IBM (or other non-Kraft) joystick which I > could borrow? I need it by Friday in order to test it at the museum this > weekend. Dean said he may have one, but in case he doesn't.... > > My backup plan is to program for keyboard control instead of joystick > control, but that's not nearly as much fun. > >

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2u blanking panel?
by Evan Koblentz 12 Jul '18

12 Jul '18

Before I buy one: does anyone have a solid (non-vented) 2u blanking panel? We need one to complete our network rack.

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Re: Known-good IBM joystick? (Evan Koblentz)
by mike willegal 11 Jul '18

11 Jul '18

A quick note on reading the Joystick ports on an Apple II. The circuit uses a RC timer to discharge a capacitor to measure the resistance of the potentiometer (resistor). If you do multiple PDL reads back to back, you may get a faulty reading the second time. This is because the capacitor needs time to recharge before the second read. It's best to put some other code in between the paddle reads in order to give the capacitor time to fully charge. regards, Mike Willegal

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Museum report: terminals (Ethan Dicks) (Michael Thompson)
by Earl Baugh 11 Jul '18

11 Jul '18

> > We had a VT14 at the RICM that had cataracts. We used dental picks to > remove the silicone holding the metal mounting band to the CRT. We planned > on using a hot wire to cut the PVA, but when we started picking at the > edges of the PVA we found that very little PVA was adhered to both the CRT > and the shield. Cleaning up the PVA was tedious, but not difficult. > > We were concerned about putting a CRT without the PVA in a public place in > the museum. We had images of a young visitor breaking the CRT and glass > flying everywhere. > > We bought some 0.093" thick Lexan at Home Depot, waited for my wife to go > shopping, and put the Lexan on top of the glass shield in the oven. When > the temperature hit 325F the Lexan conformed to the glass shield. We > trimmed the Lexan to the same size as the glass shield, and use silicone to > hold everything together. This is probably a lot safer than the original > PVA and won't degrade. > > There are pictures and a description of what we did here: > http://www.ricomputermuseum.org/Home/equipment/dec-pdp-12/ > dec-pdp-12-restoration > > I love that you clearly pointed out the most important step in this repair --- waited for my wife to go shopping --- :-) Earl

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Workshop report
by Evan Koblentz 11 Jul '18

11 Jul '18

Various notes about the workshop follow... - Jeff G. is almost done making one good/working IMSAI from the two parts machines that were formerly Roger Amidon's. When it is totally done, then we will make a video to show it is fully working and we'll sell the computer on eBay. This is to maximize its value because the proceeds will be donated to Roger's family. Jeff had some (remote) help from Herb (documentation) and Glitch (ZPU board). - Ian repaired VCF's PET 2001 (replaced the magic smoke!) and IBM 5150 (disconnected a faulty memory expansion board that was causing trouble). He and Dean also repaired the modern(ish) PC that we're going to use as a BBS server -- I couldn't get any video from it; turns out the CF card adapter that Dean installed as an SSD (8GB was fine because it's only running DOS) was being pushed down by another component and bending the motherboard! We improved the other component by cutting out an infringing piece of metal bracket. :) He also helped Tony with a CRT issue and helped Jeff B. with one of Jeff's 64s. - We have a new member, Marco (15 yrs. old), who brought in his iMac. It needed a lot of work + CRT repair. Ian helped him and used parts from one of our spares. - Jason Perkins brought in a very nice/modern rack console for us and showed me how to install it. - I ordered the wrong patch panel. Got the correct one coming soon. - Mike Lowen worked on VCF's Zorba portable computer. It needs more TLC than he could do at the workshop, so I let him take it home for further repair. Mike got his own HP-3000 working! Exciting stuff. - Bill Drom. got the UNIVAC running more reliably and taught me, Tony, and Dean how to turn it on + do a quick 1-minute demonstration (it tests all of the CPU's 102 instructions and tests 40K of core memory). I will show other docents. - Bill and Mike helped me troubleshoot + repair the Compaq Portable III that I need working for my HOPE lecture. Lego card wasn't talking to the interface box. Turns out the problem was a dirty connector between the computer and its "backpack" card expansion module. Deoxit solved that. - Dean helped me learn how to use the STICK and STRIG (presumbably derived from "Stick Trigger") commands in Compaq's flavor of IBM/MS BASIC. Different from the Applesoft that I know, where stick control is PDL(0)/PDL(1) and reading the buttons is PEEK(49249) and PEEK(49250). - I'm not sure what else Jason, Jeff J., Tony, and Ian worked on.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Known-good IBM joystick?
by Evan Koblentz 10 Jul '18

10 Jul '18

No. Everything is great with the Apple branded joystick connected to our Laser 128. Where I'm having trouble is with a dual Apple/IBM stick connected to a Compaq luggable. Anyway it sounds like Tony is bringing one into the museum later this week, which I can test on Saturday. On Tue, Jul 10, 2018, 12:42 PM Bob Aviles via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Question, what you need is an Apple joystick? because I have some. > Bobby > On Tuesday, July 10, 2018, 12:40:07 PM EDT, Evan Koblentz via > vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > >> The BASICs are 100% compatible? You just had one change and it works > on > the IBM? > > Pretty much! I also changed the joystick button code. Applesoft uses a PEEK > to check for button presses, BASICA uses the STRIG command. Everything else > is the same. > > On Tue, Jul 10, 2018, 12:32 PM Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > On Tue, Jul 10, 2018 at 11:53 AM Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < > > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > > I'm using a Compaq Portable III (286). I forgot the card brand but I > > > vaguely recall it might also be Kraft. I'm programming in the BASICA > from > > > the correct Compaq-branded boot disk. I use the STICK command; not > > > PEEK/POKE. > > > > > > I can test the same joystick against the Apple side tomorrow. > > > > > > In a test program, I was only getting a range of about 5 to 195, vs. > > 0-255. > > > > > > To "port" the code from Apple to IBM platform, I replaced the Applesoft > > > PDL(0) and PDL(1) commands with STICK. > > > > > > The way my code works is, when I move the stick beyond a neutral range > > > (say, within 75 of either end), then it turns on the robot motors on > the > > > correct directions. > > > > > > The logic is fine: works with the Apple joystick on the Laser 128, and > > as I > > > said I'll test that again with the Kraft tomorrow on the Laser. > > > > > > But when I tried it on the Compaq, only two of the directions work > > > correctly. It was something like left and forward; I forget exactly. > One > > > other direction turns on the wrong bits (1 and 4, same as its opposite > > > direction, rather than 2 and 3 which it should be), even though I'm a > > > million percent certain the code is right. Another direction works > (bits > > 2 > > > and 4) if I move the stick to its extreme edge, but while en route it > > turns > > > on bit 3 for a second. That makes no sense! That's why I think the > stick > > > might be funky or somehow misadjusted even if it does work on the Apple > > > side. > > > > > > > > > > > The BASICs are 100% compatible? You just had one change and it works on > > the IBM? > > b > > > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Museum report: terminals (Ethan Dicks)
by Michael Thompson 10 Jul '18

10 Jul '18

> From: Ethan Dicks <ethan.dicks(a)gmail.com> > Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Museum report: terminals > On Mon, Jul 9, 2018 at 12:27 PM, Jonathan Gevaryahu via > vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > On 7/9/2018 11:39 AM, Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > >> > >> I saw many "moldy" CRT's - that's when the front of the CRT has a > >> transparent cover that's separating from the glass. Repair means > replacing > >> the CRT, which can take most of an hour depending. > > AFAIK, it's bubbles in the PVA layer between the face of the CRT and > the implosion protection screen. > > > These CRT tubes don't have to be replaced, the CRTs can be very carefully > > heatgunned to remove the front protective glass cover and scrape out the > > 'cataract' goo. I think Ian has done it to a few of them already? > > I've done it with a VT220. You can use a heat gun or a hot wire to > cut the PVA to free the shield from the tube, then it's all cleanup. > You do need to re-install the shield because otherwise the CRT clamps > don't fit really well and the tube slides around. I used dots of a > thick (1mm?) silicone "tape" on the corners and it worked well. Just > a small airgap in front of the face of the tube instead of a layer of > what is supposed to be optically clear PVA. > > -ethan > We had a VT14 at the RICM that had cataracts. We used dental picks to remove the silicone holding the metal mounting band to the CRT. We planned on using a hot wire to cut the PVA, but when we started picking at the edges of the PVA we found that very little PVA was adhered to both the CRT and the shield. Cleaning up the PVA was tedious, but not difficult. We were concerned about putting a CRT without the PVA in a public place in the museum. We had images of a young visitor breaking the CRT and glass flying everywhere. We bought some 0.093" thick Lexan at Home Depot, waited for my wife to go shopping, and put the Lexan on top of the glass shield in the oven. When the temperature hit 325F the Lexan conformed to the glass shield. We trimmed the Lexan to the same size as the glass shield, and use silicone to hold everything together. This is probably a lot safer than the original PVA and won't degrade. There are pictures and a description of what we did here: http://www.ricomputermuseum.org/Home/equipment/dec-pdp-12/dec-pdp-12-restor… -- Michael Thompson

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Known-good IBM joystick?
by Evan Koblentz 10 Jul '18

10 Jul '18

I'm having issues with the VCF supply of Kraft joysticks, and there is no time to fix them before HOPE. Does anyone have a tested and fully-working / known-good IBM (or other non-Kraft) joystick which I could borrow? I need it by Friday in order to test it at the museum this weekend. Dean said he may have one, but in case he doesn't.... My backup plan is to program for keyboard control instead of joystick control, but that's not nearly as much fun.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Known-good IBM joystick?
by Bill Degnan 10 Jul '18

10 Jul '18

Typically you match the sound card to the joystick. So what is the computer and sound card within? What is the bus type and OS? You will need driver disk and load via autoexec.bat/config.sys. This will help you find a compatible device...you need to communicate the complete environment. B On Tue, Jul 10, 2018, 7:02 AM Tony Bogan via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > On Jul 10, 2018, at 1:20 AM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > I'm having issues with the VCF supply of Kraft joysticks, and there is > no time to fix them before HOPE. Does anyone have a tested and > fully-working / known-good IBM (or other non-Kraft) joystick which I could > borrow? I need it by Friday in order to test it at the museum this weekend. > Dean said he may have one, but in case he doesn't.... > > > > My backup plan is to program for keyboard control instead of joystick > control, but that's not nearly as much fun. > > PS - I can't test the IBM connector but if the apple connector works > that's a start! Then you can try the other half :-) > Tony

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Museum report: terminals
by Herb Johnson 10 Jul '18

10 Jul '18

Doug Crawford: > Ah that reminded me to post my pics of the VR201 restoration from VCFEast, > https://imgur.com/a/eS4ybZo good scary fotos, thanks Ethan Dicks: > 3M Scotch 4905 VHB tape, 1/2" wide, comes in a 15' roll. 20 mil/0.5mm thick. Pretty thick, packing tape is a couple mills. Thanks. Ian Primus: > There are definitely many methods to use - an important consideration > is the type of PVA. There are two basic types. [various method and conditions] more engineering than I expected ... I'll tote all this info up on my Web site: http://www.retrotechnology.com/restore/adm3a.html Am I the only one who *hasn't* removed the facehugger plate from a CRT? - herb -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT info

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Museum report: terminals
by Herb Johnson 10 Jul '18

10 Jul '18

>Evan said: > Regarding the terminals: now that we pretty know * what * we have, the > next step is to organize it all. Right now it's all in one aisle, but > only a little organized by cart/shelf. There are some obscure terminals > that we probably don't need, and not enough of what we probably do need. > This job will be hard work due to the weight of TTYs and stuff. Well, Evan asked me to come in on Sunday, to review the terminals and inventory them. That's because of my experience in the era of the 1970's and 80's. I was a minicomputer and mainframe site manager, and I was a technical student user at various universities; later I was a digital engineer. I also repair terminals. I'll walk though what I saw, and post a summary here to inform the people Evan is asking for help. I'll send Evan a more detailed report, but he has the list and location-of information I compiled Sunday. I did a quick survey (two hours), focused on CRT-based terminals and gave the list to Evan. Only warehoused terminals, not ones on display. Mostly there's DEC terminals. A dozen VR-201's (most with "moldy" CRTs). VR-201's are CRT "heads" which have a cabled keyboard, and often were used with DEC desktop computers. Also a few DEC VT-100 or VT-180; the 180's may have a microcomputer. A few DEC 200 or 400 series terminals. A few each, of ADM-3A, Heath H19 (Zenith Z19), a Perkin-Elmer model, an IBM model, a few other brand/models. There's a small number of one-each of ASCII based commodity terminals - this is what Evan called "obscure" I think. Hazeltine brand, ADDS, and so on. Evan has the list, he can provide details. Some of these have "moldy CRTs" too. Many terminals used detatched keyboards. There's boxes of keyboards, which I did not survey; so I don't know if there's enough or too many! And there's a few mechanical or printing terminals, which I did not survey but noted. I didn't cover monitors - I'll explain why that matters to terminals. I saw many "moldy" CRT's - that's when the front of the CRT has a transparent cover that's separating from the glass. Repair means replacing the CRT, which can take most of an hour depending. CRT's are available for tens of dollars for common types, some CRTs can be swapped around from microcomputer monitors, even old TV's. A number of tech volunteers are familiar with these repairs. Evan said "There are some obscure terminals that we probably don't need". I disagree, for several reasons. If they work, they are useful; if they don't the CRTs may be useful. It's a matter of history - lots of little companies made terminals, it's not all IBM, DEC, HP. Here's my experience, Evan - computer rooms in the era used lots of kinds of terminals. Also: to provide public visitors with a terminal they can bang on. And, terminals won't be EASIER to get in the future. But, it's ALSO true, there were computer-rooms with one kind of terminal. The HP, Perkin Elmer, IBM, DEC terminals I saw may go with specific minicomputers in the collection. The museum may need more of those. Only DEC VR201's seem to be in any quantity. Evan's focus on Sunday, was to identify and organize. I'm looking a little further ahead, to repair and potential uses. Now, with a list in hand, Evan can ask others to look over specific terminals for repair, to identify monitors as "CRT donors", to solicit CRT's for replacement. And to start looking to match minicomputers with terminals for display and use. And, to allocate terminals for various purposes, and to tell people what terminals we have or don't have. I'm describing my general results here in the list, so people with terminals or monitors, or skills, are better informed and can offer specific help or items. Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT info

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A&E Biography - Steve Wozniak: The Wizard of the Apple
by Herb Johnson 09 Jul '18

09 Jul '18

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401139/ episode aired 13 December 2000 -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] FS: Hobbyist Etched MITS Altair 8800 CPU Board (systems_glitch)
by systems_glitch 09 Jul '18

09 Jul '18

Not usually, but it's not a particularly difficult process either, especially if you already have the drill template. Some of the other boards acquired with this one show signs of advanced hobbyist experimenting, too, such as gold plating across some of the previous owner's homebrew S-100 protoboards. You can tell it's not professional stuff though, they had to solder a bondwire across the tops of all the traces to the edge connectors, and only plated gold on -- no nickel layer, so the copper has migrated up into the gold. The artwork alignment and registration of the holes show it to definitely not be a professional production. Perhaps someone ran it on equipment at work. Thanks, Jonathan On Mon, Jul 9, 2018 at 12:10 PM, mike willegal via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: mike willegal <mike(a)willegal.net> > To: vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org > Cc: > Bcc: > Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2018 12:10:40 -0400 > Subject: FS: Hobbyist Etched MITS Altair 8800 CPU Board (systems_glitch) > If it has plated through holes, I would skeptical about it being home > etched. Plating holes properly is not normally part of the arsenal of > ordinary hobbyists. > > regards, > Mike Willegal > > > >

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FS: Hobbyist Etched MITS Altair 8800 CPU Board (systems_glitch)
by mike willegal 09 Jul '18

09 Jul '18

If it has plated through holes, I would skeptical about it being home etched. Plating holes properly is not normally part of the arsenal of ordinary hobbyists. regards, Mike Willegal

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Ack! MINUTEMAN, not Cyberpower
by Evan Koblentz 09 Jul '18

09 Jul '18

I blundered. Our new UPS is a gift from Minuteman Power Technologies ( www.minutemanups.com) not Cyberpower Systems. Sorry for the confusion. On Sun, Jul 8, 2018, 3:01 PM Douglas Crawford via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Well done! > > On 7/8/2018 12:47 AM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > > > The main thing I did between visitors was install our new Cyberpower 2u > UPS. :) > > > PS. I feel like I should emphasize this! I cold-called the Cyberpower > sales department a while ago, explained what we're about, and simply asked > nicely for a UPS as a donation. I did not have any 'in' with them, but they > listened and came through like a champ. It's a brand-new system, not > pre-owned, a discontinued model, or a return/reject. So: next time your > company needs a UPS, buy from them! The other major UPS companies didn't > even return my messages. > > One thing I didn't do is install the management software. Another day. > I'll probably need help with that. > > >

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A&E Biography - Steve Wozniak: The Wizard of the Apple
by Ethan O'Toole 09 Jul '18

09 Jul '18

Years ago there was an A&E Biography episode called "Steve Wozniak: The Wizard of the Apple." It doesn't seem to be on youtube, and when they sold video tapes of their shows it was never in the catalog. Was it removed from publication for some reason? Anyone know? I did find it in a library, and friends should have access to it. - Ethan

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FS: Hobbyist Etched MITS Altair 8800 CPU Board
by systems_glitch 09 Jul '18

09 Jul '18

link https://www.ebay.com/itm/273346767604 I've talked about this board with a few people, some who have seen it in person. We're pretty sure this is the result of someone who purchased MITS' artwork and drill packet from Popular Electronics when they first announced the Altair. It's pretty good for a home etch, the holes are even plated through, and the surface is finished in tin rather than left bare copper. Looks like someone started building it and gave up. It might be finish-able (it looks identical to my early production-version MITS CPU cards) but I'd suspect the real value here is that it's an early hobbyist etch. Starting at $1, no idea what it's worth! Thanks, Jonathan

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 09 Jul '18

09 Jul '18

I was there again today. Not that much to report: a few visitors (LOL the nice weather is killing us!); Herb came over to catalog all of our terminals (Steve A. assisted); and I wrote some more robot code (Doug assisted by phone). Regarding the terminals: now that we pretty know * what * we have, the next step is to organize it all. Right now it's all in one aisle, but only a little organized by cart/shelf. There are some obscure terminals that we probably don't need, and not enough of what we probably do need. This job will be hard work due to the weight of TTYs and stuff. As usual, first dibs at most of the surplus will go to local members who assist with the work. I suppose the work can happen later this summer or fall. Me, Jeff B., etc. are swamped with HOPE, VCF West, and Maker Faire planning until then.

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 08 Jul '18

08 Jul '18

Modest amount of visitors today, but mostly good ones -- families with lots of smart questions. The main thing I did between visitors was install our new Cyberpower 2u UPS. :) The rack now has almost all of its components. I just a 2u blanking panel. Oh, and the small matter of cabling ... I have to get/install a bunch of patch cords and wire up the A/V components. But the major stuff is all there now. Have a look: https://tinyurl.com/yacseqyo. Top to bottom: combo DVD/VCR, laserdisc, stereo, BBS server, UPS, console, tablet server, patch panel, Cisco switch #2 (for thicknet-to-ethernet), Cisco switch #1 (for main network + PoE to power our access point and security cameras), microwave, fridge. :) A few people didn't like the idea of a microwave. THIS IS NOT A DATA CENTER ... I just might want popcorn or something now and then. There's also some storage space behind the A/V components. We're using it to hold a couple of containers of rack screws, cage news, various cables, the KVM switch (remote control button is hidden to the left of the BBS server), and miscellaneous small parts. A small PBX and a couple of modems will hide behind the BBS server. There is a good-sized shelf. Both servers have an SSD installed, so they're quiet and fast. The only noise you hear are fans. Overall it is surprisingly quiet. We have space for another 1u server if it's ever needed. Thank you to everyone who contributed parts!!!

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 08 Jul '18

08 Jul '18

> The period at the end of the link stops it from working here. Hmm ... I use Thunderbird and it parsed it fine.

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Saturday help?
by Evan Koblentz 07 Jul '18

07 Jul '18

Last-minute appeal: I need help moving a bunch of terminals in the warehouse tomorrow (Saturday). Can anyone come help? Late afternoon / evening would be ideal because I'm docenting from 1-5.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] HOPE -- Urgent -- please read
by jsalzman＠gmail.com 06 Jul '18

06 Jul '18

What is HOPE? On Fri, Jul 6, 2018, 10:58 AM Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Hi -- both days is strongly preferred. I'll send you a private message. > Thanks! > > > On 07/06/2018 10:22 AM, Bob Aviles wrote: > > Hi, > > I am interested in working in the booth, but do I have to stay more > than one day? If so I can work for two days. > > Bobby > > On Friday, July 6, 2018, 12:41:23 AM EDT, Evan Koblentz via > vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > VCF is in a bind for HOPE. > > > > Our plan was to demonstrate hacks for vintage computers. I'm planning to > > do an Apple II section, Jeff B. planned for the C-64 side, and Dean was > > considering Atari/Tandy portions. > > > > Tonight I found out that Jeff decided not to go and Dean has a schedule > > conflict. > > > > That means we have two problems. > > > > 1. It would be lame if our entire demo is just me (and possibly Mouse). > > > > 2. VCF bought a couple of tickets already. If they don't get used, then > > they go to waste. They are expensive! > > > > So, bottom line, there are a couple of tickets available FOR FREE in > > exchange for contributing to / working our booth. We also have a hotel > > room there with two beds, so you have a free place to stay overnight. > > > > The catch? I urgently need FIRM COMMITMENTS. (As I've said with other > > requests through the years, put yourself in my shoes -- it's incredibly > > frustrating when there are a bunch of replies saying, "Wish I could, > > sorry" -- that doesn't help anyone -- or when people take advantage of > > the offer for a free ticket and then don't wind up helping much at our > > table. It's happened a couple of times.) > > > > > >

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HOPE -- Urgent -- please read
by Evan Koblentz 06 Jul '18

06 Jul '18

VCF is in a bind for HOPE. Our plan was to demonstrate hacks for vintage computers. I'm planning to do an Apple II section, Jeff B. planned for the C-64 side, and Dean was considering Atari/Tandy portions. Tonight I found out that Jeff decided not to go and Dean has a schedule conflict. That means we have two problems. 1. It would be lame if our entire demo is just me (and possibly Mouse). 2. VCF bought a couple of tickets already. If they don't get used, then they go to waste. They are expensive! So, bottom line, there are a couple of tickets available FOR FREE in exchange for contributing to / working our booth. We also have a hotel room there with two beds, so you have a free place to stay overnight. The catch? I urgently need FIRM COMMITMENTS. (As I've said with other requests through the years, put yourself in my shoes -- it's incredibly frustrating when there are a bunch of replies saying, "Wish I could, sorry" -- that doesn't help anyone -- or when people take advantage of the offer for a free ticket and then don't wind up helping much at our table. It's happened a couple of times.)

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MOBIDIC model
by Herb Johnson 05 Jul '18

05 Jul '18

I'm looking from afar: It seems to me, the MOBIDIC model in discussion, has some value as a historical object to various collectors. So such models will command a price of hundreds of dollars. That's the apparent opinion of the recent eBay seller of such a historic model. However, for purposes of display at the VCFed Museum at Infoage, any constructed physical model of some version of the MOBIDIC will I presume be acceptable. It's a matter of desired size and quality. There's already a model on display; another seems to be desired. I do not construct models, but the MOBIDIC models I've seen here and there, seem to be of simple construction, commercial applied labels stock, etc. It also seems to me, there's a model railroad organization at Infoage. Their members build models of industrial settings at many scales; they know other builders of such models. Their models, by my eye, look as good or better than the MOBIDIC models I've seen. Therefore: why doesn't VCFed approach the InfoAge model railroad organization, and inquire about construction of a model, provide desired size, and show them images of the various models and images of actual MOBDIC computers? If the answer is "we don't wanna spend money", then the response might be "someone may donate the funds" in the usual ways. You won't know the price if you don't ask. Beyond this, "I have no horse in this race", these are simply my observations as noted, for consideration by those interested. Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Laserjet, Laserwriter scanning module, AC supply
by Herb Johnson 05 Jul '18

05 Jul '18

The LaserJet II II and Laserwriter II III were discussed with interest, here in this list, last month. My LJ III has a failed "laser scanner" module; does anyone have a likely working unit available? Also the AC power controller, that's useful if you don't need one yourself. I'm not talking about the HP LaserJet IIP or IIIP or 4P or other HP printer models. I'm not sure if the original Apple Laserwriter uses these parts; if you have one of those, good luck, want some more parts? ;) The scanner is the big black thing under the lid of the printer. It has a laser and a motorized scanner mirror, that mechanically sweeps the laser across the toner-cartridge drum. When the printer is about to print, you hear that scanner-motor wind up to speed before the paper is fed (whir-r-rr-R-RR-RRR!) when it works. These rarely fail, so I haven't kept spares around. Don't disassemble the unit for the motor, just offer the whole thing. I'd not mind getting an AC power supply/controller. That's the cubical thing in the back that the AC power cord plugs into. Don't need the air filter (those tend to be fragile with age), they have a small fan (you can supply that or not). These things fail pretty often, I don't need a nonworking unit, have plenty of those. Shipping to NJ 08618. Contact me privately. Thank you. Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] MOBIDIC model
by Douglas Crawford 05 Jul '18

05 Jul '18

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Does VCF or anyone need lots of serial cables?
by Ethan O'Toole 05 Jul '18

05 Jul '18

Have a lot of serial cables and such, does VCF need any or anyone else on the list? I think most are marked X for crossover or || for straight through. DB25 various genders and others. Cleaning out storage unit in Norfolk. I live in Northern VA now.

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MOBIDIC model
by Mike Loewen 04 Jul '18

04 Jul '18

This may be of interest to the group: Ebay 263784983409 Not associated with the seller. Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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Glitch Works 8085 SBC rev 3 Manual Availabl
by systems_glitch 03 Jul '18

03 Jul '18

All, Finished up the artwork for the 8085 SBC rev 3 manual this afternoon: http://filedump.glitchwrks.com/manuals/glitchworks/gw-8085sbc-3/gw-8085sbc-… I'd appreciate any feedback, especially from people that built one at VCF East this year! Thanks, Jonathan

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Museum closed tomorrow
by Evan Koblentz 03 Jul '18

03 Jul '18

InfoAge is closed tomorrow for the holiday.

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A personal project
by Evan Koblentz 02 Jul '18

02 Jul '18

Time to reveal a personal project, unrelated to my role at VCFed. In the past two years, while getting neck-deep in the historic Lego robotic set, I learned that there is a TON of information about this set (and about other Lego robotic sets from before the Mindstorms generation) which is mostly missing, or at best scattered, on the web. I decided a few months ago to make a web site about it. I call the site www.mindsbeforethestorm.com. The site is under construction but you can visit now and see where it is going. I'm asking for contributions to the project. Most of you know that I make a very modest living through my work as a freelance tech journalist and additionally through VCFed fundraising. Many of you will also recall that a personal fundraiser is what enabled publishing of my computer history book in 2015. That was a positive experience. I do not plan to sell anything on this new site, only to offer helpful information that isn't currently available or is very difficult to find. As such, I cannot promise any Kickstarter-style rewards: I don't have any ideas about what a good reward for this might be (open to suggestions). Instead, I appeal to your altruism: fund this project because it is a good thing. Please visit my new site. If you think it exemplifies how the web should be used, if you'd like to see it get finished, and if you would like me to continue to be able to pay my rent and eat food, then please make a contribution via https://fundrazr.com/61N3ef?ref=ab_74VRia. Thanks, -Evan

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Breakfast?
by Tony Bogan 01 Jul '18

01 Jul '18

Still meeting at princess Maria diner for breakfast this morning? Never saw the usual reminder email. Tony Sent from my iPhone

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OFF TOPIC
by Martin A Flynn 30 Jun '18

30 Jun '18

OFF TOPIC WARNING!! I need advise on 3D printing 10" tall letters to be used as cores for sand casting aluminum versions. Anyone with a printer want to take this on? martin

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Good news / please read, Re: museum network rack
by Herb Johnson 30 Jun '18

30 Jun '18

The good news about buying a new unit, is new batteries. Any donated unit would have old or no batteries, you'd have to buy new ones for use. Typically gel-cell batteries are tens of dollars each plus tens of dollars shipping, bigger cost more. Your unit (reading the manual) probably uses three 12V 7Ah batteries; those are common enough, probably about $100 to replace. Probably replace every two-three years depending on how many times they get discharged (extended power failures). When they get cooked, they swell up, it's visible. Good luck! My $10 worth Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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This weekend VCF Repair Workshop June 30 and July 1
by Jeffrey Brace 30 Jun '18

30 Jun '18

There is still room to sign up for the workshop this coming weekend: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1n8M9h5ZVbcA4VixgDy3GHyN2HTWzSsS3fAg… > Also can someone bring a dead test cartridge for C64? I have to locate mine in storage and might not have time. 1 Thanks -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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