- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

semi OT: free CD burners, get at workshop
by Jeffrey Jonas 18 Apr '18

18 Apr '18

I have heaps of ATAPI/IDE interfaced CD and DVD readers, CD burners. Gotta go! Free if you reply to me that you're interested, or I won't bring 'em. -- jeff jonas

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the Geico Gecko plays the Oregon Trail
by Jeffrey Jonas 17 Apr '18

17 Apr '18

Geico targets retro computing? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHnpp_GhINI The Gecko Plays Oregon Trail - GEICO GEICO Insurance Published on Mar 9, 2018 The Gecko jumps into the Oregon Trail game to see if he can successfully settle out west.

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I be going to VCF East 2018!
by Bryan Pope 16 Apr '18

16 Apr '18

Good afternoon all!, My room is booked and I so look forward to seeing everybody at this VCF East 2018! :-D I will be arriving Friday evening, enjoying a day of the show Saturday, then leaving Sunday. I can't wait! Cheers, Bryan

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Pointers towards cleaning a floppy drive
by Neil Cherry 16 Apr '18

16 Apr '18

After successful restarting one of my older computer (Sardis ST-2900, dang 9600 7N1 - weird). I now need working drives to boot OS9. So ... I'm about to venture on cleaning up a bunch of drives. And in the past I've used a cotton swab and Isopropyl alcohol to clean the heads and a wipe down of the rails. Then carefully 'lube' the rails and other parts with silicon spray in a cup and different cotton swab. Any recommendations or is this good enough? Anyone have any alignments disks for various drives? Also what is the best way to clean off mouse urine? -- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry(a)linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Vintage DEC PDP 11/23 Plus 1/2 Rack w/2 RL02 Drives $350
by Brian L. Stuart 15 Apr '18

15 Apr '18

On Sun, 4/15/18, W2HX via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > We picked up one PDP-11/23, one PDP-11/73, each > of those in a short rack, one MicroPDP-11, a > PDP-8a, four RL02 dirves, fourteen RL02 packs, etc. It was a > big haul. Pictures can be seen here for those interested: Nice haul! Color me envious. I've really got to break down an get a serious 11 one of these days. BLS

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Vintage DEC PDP 11/23 Plus 1/2 Rack w/2 RL02 Drives $350
by Christian Liendo 15 Apr '18

15 Apr '18

This will not fit in my Suzuki, so please don't ask me to get it. https://longisland.craigslist.org/sys/d/computer/6531496701.html

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 15 Apr '18

15 Apr '18

Lots of visitors today! I was busy all day giving tours. Tony was there for about an hour and also gave tours. Adam continued working on surplus things for VCFed to sell at East. Jeff S. came by with his extended family. Steve A. is our docent tomorrow.

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Moved the UNIVAC!
by Evan Koblentz 14 Apr '18

14 Apr '18

Me, Tony, Bill Drom., Bill I., and Dan J. all moved the UNIVAC onto its new pallets today. Here is the "after" picture: https://tinyurl.com/ycjp28yw. You can see how the new pallets are all plywood on top (not spaced-apart boards like a warehouse pallet), painted to match (thanks to Laura), and designed to perfectly fit the width of each component (thanks to Drom). The pallet left of the desk is wider to hold the Signal Data Converter and the paper tape I/O console together, because those are small components. At an upcoming work day (probably the April workshop) we'll move the components about one foot farther back on the pallets. That way we can bolt down the CPU and tape drive, which makes it safe to open upper cabinets without risk of anything tipping forward. We'll probably touch up the paint on some of the pallets and maybe also touch up parts of the wall this weekend. Another thing we might do is add a trim piece across the front of all three pallets for better looks. We moved the switcher rack (basically a giant A/B switch!) back into the warehouse. In addition to making the exhibit look nicer, this project also gives us several more feet of empty space where the center aisle begins near the museum front door. We're planning to move the "featured artifact"* exhibit to that spot. -Evan * Formerly "Artifact of the Month"; changed the name because we never got around to changing it every month! ________________________________ 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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Landenberg Workshop This Weekend APRIL 14th 9am -??
by Bill Degnan 12 Apr '18

12 Apr '18

Landenberg Workshop This Weekend APRIL 14th 9am -?? Please RSVP if you have not already done so. Advise when you'll be arriving....Note times and locations below. There is no fixed theme, bring what you want to work on. Generally-speaking I picked VAXen as a theme but it does not matter. And it looks like I will possibly work on my Altair exhibit for VCF East too. BRING A SMALL TABLE, TOOLS, and a POWER STRIP if you want to ensure you have a place to work. I will furnish what I can but I can't promise everyone will have workspace. I live in Landenberg, PA contact me privately via http://www.degnanco.net for my contact info. SCHEDULE 1. 9AM Set up / work until 1PM 2. 1PM - 4PM We will caravan over to the new Computer Church computer museum (a 501c,etc org) to review the extensive collection and maybe help out there. 3. 4-530?PM Dinner at Victory Brew Pub 4. 600 PM - ??? Return to my house to work. A few pedestal VAXen 3800's and 4000's in addition to the workstations may be available for cash reimbursement to cover expenses acquiring them. Landenberg, PA Inquiries: http://www.vintagecomputer.net/contact.cfm http://vintagecomputer.net/pictures/2018/thecomputerchurch/ (photos from a few months ago, a lot done since.) Bill

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UNIVAC updates
by Evan Koblentz 12 Apr '18

12 Apr '18

Bill Drom. and Duane were at the museum Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to do more UNIVAC restoration. Bill sent me a report today: ---------------------------- We spent most of our time running down intermittent faults in the 1219B computer. Mainly using the oscilloscope and logic prints in addition to the diagnostic program used by the navy we were able to find several bad cards in the computer. We finally got it to run full un-jumpered diagnostics for over an hour before we stopped it. We also tried to get the paper tape punch in the 1532 console to operate properly. Duane even ran the computer in slow op step mode so we could observe the reader in slow motion. We had less success with that. We switched to the mylar tape donated by, I think it was Alex at the last workshop. It looks like it works about 95% but haven’t been able to get perfect tape copies yet. Duane brought a full new box of magnetic tape and two original master head alignment tapes with him for the museum. We looked at the 1540 tape handler but it looks like we need to do some pinch roller adjustments. We only have a copy of the schematics from NASA which is slightly different from our unit. We are still trying to get the correct books on that but our hope is getting low. We left for home on Tuesday with the computer still working but with one intermittent problem in channel 17 I/O section. ---------------------------- Bill also sent two videos and two pictures: https://tinyurl.com/y9dwqe8t. -Evan

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Thinking ahead to VCF East Friday classes
by william degnan 11 Apr '18

11 Apr '18

On Jan 3, 2018 3:07 PM, "Dan Roganti via vcf-midatlantic" < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > On Wed, Jan 3, 2018 at 2:17 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > > > > >> Are any of our VCF-MW brethren confirmed > >>> to sell The 6502 40th Anniversary Computer Badge > >>> at VCF-east 2018? > >>> > >>> I'd love to see > >>> AM: build the badge > >>> PM: assembler programming the badge > >>> > >> > >> There are too few session slots already. We're not going to devote any of > >> them to badges. > >> > > > > This gives me an idea though ... a few years ago we had a single assembly > > session, which wasn't enough. > > > > We could have a whole track of assembly classes for different processors. > > Bring your laptop (and favorite emulator), follow along with the > > instructors. > > > > > just some constructive suggestions > try to allot more than 1hr, maybe 2hr > so the class has time to get situated, practice the example code, and ask > questions > Because this is most likely a beginners class, > because if it's any higher level of instruction, > well, there still won't be enough time alloted for the experienced users > if you expect to squeeze 4 or 5 different assembly classes into a single > track on one day > Als4o the instructor should have some method to make the example code > available, > eg, a wiki page, which they can download prior to the class, or handout a > usb thumbdrive to share the example code [again time needed to get situated] > Dan When I used to run the workshops we had targeted objectives for the assembly class I may still have the worksheet Dan created for the cp/m gen class that involved z80 assembly. That was at least 10 years ago.

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Floppy emulators, any experience?
by Neil Cherry 11 Apr '18

11 Apr '18

I'm currently planning on various restorations of my older systems. Unfortunately I've got a limited number of working drives. I'd like to know your experiences with the floppy emulators that are available. I've seen the HxC, the Gotek and the clones, though I think the Gotek is also a clone. I haven't purchased anything and I'm trying to understand these things better before I start buying anything. -- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry(a)linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies

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headcount for Landenberg. PA workshop
by Bill Degnan 10 Apr '18

10 Apr '18

Hi - Please RSVP if you're planning to attend Saturday. We'll meet at my house any time after 9AM. Around 1PM well caravan to the Computer Church computer museum (under construction) for a visit that afternoon. We can go to the nearby Victory Brew Pub afterwards. If your arrival is after 1PM, meet us at the museum, no hassles. There is an Amtrak train station kind of nearby the museum if you need public transportation, close but someone would have to pick you up..Parkesville, PA. Come by any time before 1PM if you want to set up a workspace for the morning and/or after we get back for those who want to return to continue working that evening. Feel free to reply to this thread with questions, I will send my address and contact info privately. The loose theme is DEC Vaxen, but it's wide open. I can change gears easily. See vintagecomputer.net for the computers I have here, should one need inspiration. I have computers, peripherals and parts available for sale/trade/donation depending on what they are. I have held a number of workshops at my house and nearby for this group, it has been a while! Bill

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 09 Apr '18

09 Apr '18

Adam and I got to the museum at 11 today and stayed to 7. We took delivery of an IBM System/36 and its printer from member John H. and his father. We also took delivery of a few micros, most notably a Compaq Portable III with the add-on "backpack" for installing expansion cards. I'm happy about that so we don't have to keep bugging Mouse to loan us his for various demos. :) I was docent today; steady flow of families all day. About 25 people total. Adam was in the warehouse sorting more Commodore items (software this time) ... and in the process found 10 more Commodore-branded cassette drives and several nice modems. Bill Drom. and Duane were there all day working on the UNIVAC. Laura came over to paint more of the new UNIVAC backdrop and the third pallet. Tony stopped by to do more Apple II/Apple III evaluation/repair. It's fun when there is so much activity! ________________________________ 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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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Museum report
by Duane Craps 07 Apr '18

07 Apr '18

Except ours still has all the original guts. The one on the Midway was smashed to demilitarize the unit before turning the ship over as a museum. I contacted them when we were looking for technical manuals. The dosent is a ex navy tech and adapred some comercial motors for the reels and built a simulator to drive the reels and the indicators. Every national stock numbered item has a DEMIL code assoicated with it and determines how it is to be desposed of. Most of the computer equipment calls for it to be made unusable. I think ours were savved because they were bought directly from UNIVAC and belonged to Johns Hopkins rather than the NAVY. When they get the USS Adams (DDG 2) Museum in Jacksonville it will be inteeresting to see how the 1219s in missile plot survived. They might be the only others left. On 4/7/2018 3:34 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > That's the exact same tape drive as with our system! -- DuaneCraps sdɐɹɔ ǝuɐnp

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 07 Apr '18

07 Apr '18

Jeff Galinat and I were at the museum from 9am to midnight today. Adam was there from about 11 to 6. Adam worked most of the day in the warehouse. He tackled our Amiga collection -- now it's vastly better organized and uses less space! Jeff and I built a freestanding L-shaped wall behind the UNIVAC I/O console / desk / motor generator. The long side of the L is a backdrop for all of those items, while the short side (to the right of the desk/MG set) separates the exhibit from the minicomputers. I have to say: I briefly considered building this wall by myself, which would have been a huge mistake. :) Lost track of how many tips/tricks/tools that JG knew about and I didn't! The wall looks great and is even stronger and sturdier than I planned. It is 95% finished. I have to paint a couple of the edges and also paint the rear support braces. I also have to finish installing the bookshelf. That'll take 30 minutes, tops. Here are some pictures: Cool gadget for drilling screw holes at a sharp angle: https://tinyurl.com/yayknq4f Starting to see a back wall shape form: https://tinyurl.com/yc8co3w8 Look ma! We can frame! https://tinyurl.com/ycgyk2zu Almost finished: https://tinyurl.com/y7k8jsf2 In that last picture you can see I have to finish the bookshelf, painting the edge of the "L", etc. You'll also see a large gap between the end of the wall/console and the next component (to the left out of camera view). That gap is going away late next week when we re-pallet the whole UNIVAC system. Jeff B. is docent tomorrow. Adam and I will be back there Sunday.

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Museum Report 2018-04-07 April 7, 2018
by Jeffrey Brace 07 Apr '18

07 Apr '18

Today we had a few mild interest people and a few highly interested. The highly interested asked as soon as he came in, "Do you have any analog computers?". Showed him and his two friends. He seemed to know how many of the machines operated. Some were familiar, some not as much. They really enjoyed it. Took a longer tour. I spent the rest of my time looking for various programs that could be used to demo on the Commodore 64. One of them I may do is Little Computer People. The other is a simple guess the number game. I added some color to it, and maybe some sound later. == Jeff Brace

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Comcast
by Mike Loewen 06 Apr '18

06 Apr '18

My ISP is Comcast, and I'm unable to reach Ian Mavrick's TRS-80 site in Australia (http://members.iinet.net.au/~ianmav/) Traceroute hangs up as follows: traceroute to members.iinet.net.au (203.0.178.90), 30 hops max, 60 byte packets 1 gateway (192.168.202.38) 0.434 ms 0.721 ms 0.913 ms 2 96.120.x.xxx (96.120.x.xxx) 10.537 ms 16.796 ms 18.177 ms 3 68.85.46.1 (68.85.46.1) 17.772 ms 18.027 ms 17.762 ms 4 be-45-ar01.lancaster.pa.pitt.comcast.net (96.108.4.89) 24.188 ms 23.207 ms 24.317 ms 5 * * * Can any other Comcast users reach his site? This has been going on for at least a week. Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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does anyone have the media for iomega clik!
by Jeffrey Jonas 06 Apr '18

06 Apr '18

I have a lovely new sealed iomega clik! pc-card drive in the carrying case. but the disk is missing :-( Does anyone have the Iomega Clik! / PocketZip disk? -- jeff jonas

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OT: Printing an e-mail to a wireless printer via Android
by Jeffrey Brace 06 Apr '18

06 Apr '18

iPhone is much easier to use than Android. Here is what I found when trying to figure out for a friend how to print an e-mail to her wireless printer: https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/google-in-the-enterprise/quick-tip-print-… on iPhone it is much simpler. Anyone know an easier way? There is no "send to" icon on Android like the iPhone. I figured it out on the iPhone in like 10 seconds. I have spent two hours trying figure it out on Android and hope to try it tomorrow and get it to work.

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Comcast
by Herb Johnson 06 Apr '18

06 Apr '18

https://iihelp.iinet.net.au/categories/email-and-hosting I can reach the iinet.net.au site, from Comcast home services. Apparently it's a problem with user Web pages. The link above is to "Web hosting help". In any event, this is some problem between USA Comcast and this offshore hosting/email service and their private Web pages. Hard to know how hard this Australian company will work, to help one of their home customers get through a USA service provider. Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Museum Report 2018-04-04 April 4, 2018
by Jeffrey Brace 05 Apr '18

05 Apr '18

Another super busy day at the museum. Very similar to yesterday where I got no visitors until 3 or 3:30pm, then literally dozens of people at a time. One group was like 40 people at a time filling up half the room. So a total of about 150 visitors today. I was giving tours non-stop until 5pm. Lots of polite and very interested visitors. I love the museum being so busy. I've gotten to be an expert at giving the 10 to 15 minute tour.

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Museum Report 2018-04-03 March 3, 2018
by Jeffrey Brace 03 Apr '18

03 Apr '18

Whew! So InfoAge advertised a "special Chol Hamoed opening Tuesday & Wednesday 1 - 5". So I get here around 1 and it's 3:30 and Ino visitors. I'm wondering if anyone is coming to VCF. I saw a large number of people around the Hotel building when I had arrived around 1. In the meantime, I checked the condition of various exhibits and noted things that have to be repaired, improved or put back in place. Suddenly a big group of 15 comes in around 3:35 and then another, and then another. It's hard to know exactly how many, but I estimate between 150 to 200 people visited the museum today. I continuously did one tour after another with 15 to 30 people at a time. It's nice to have such large groups of people come to visit the museum. Visitors were here until 5:15, which is past the official closing time. Most of the museums were open including the model train guys. The visitors were all very interested and polite. It's nice to teach all kinds of visitors both young and old who don't know computer history. Tomorrow there may be many more coming. It's hard to say. I will be here. == Jeff Brace

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OT: free Linux-friendly routers, pick up at workshop
by Jeffrey Jonas 03 Apr '18

03 Apr '18

I have 8 Linksys Linux-friendly routers, free for the taking. Just ask or I won't bring them. WRT54G 4 MB flash, 16 MB RAM 1: v1.1 1: v2 3: v3.0 2: v3.1 1: v4 see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linksys_WRT54G_series#WRT54G -- Jeff Jonas

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VCF East -- vendors
by Evan Koblentz 03 Apr '18

03 Apr '18

Everyone, Some of you may remember how last year we jammed in the professional vendors like sardines. Not anymore! For 2018 we arranged the show layout so vendors (and consignors and VCFed itself) will have copious space available. Please forward this message to any businesses you know that might want to be a vendor at the show. Vendor tables are $30 each, vendors can order as many tables as they want, and the deadline is Friday April 20. Two rules: 1. Vendors must be on-topic (vintage computing items, or relevant electronics/supplies). 2. Vendors must be businesses or your primary income: individual sellers use consignment. 3. Vendors must be there Saturday and Sunday. No one-day sellers. Any questions should be directed to me. -Evan

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Computer Church Tour and Vax Workshop April 14th (&15th?)
by Bill Degnan 03 Apr '18

03 Apr '18

An impromptu workshop is formulating at my house for April 14th if anyone is interested. I live in Landenberg, PA contact me privately for directions. Starting in the morning through the day/night. 1. We will be working on VAXen as the theme, 2. We will caravan over to the new Computer Church computer museum (a 501c,etc org) to review the extensive collection and maybe help out there. 3. We will go out to dinner locally. If anyone is interested in what remains of the unclaimed VAXen machines please plan to be there then as they'll likely be gone by the end of the weekend. I want to give everyone a fair chance to finalize who gets what. I have received a lot of inquiries. I will publish a list of what's left after I contact the people who contacted me already about these to claim them, in the order that they inquired. I have tested them to get a feel for their status. This stuff is not free, I need to recoup my expenses. I had not mentioned that I also likely will have pedestal VAXen too, 3800's and 4000's in addition to the workstations. Of course I have tons of other non VAX, DEC and OtherCo around. I will bring some items to VCF East but assuming I am going to exhibit I don't have a lot of space in my small car for deliveries. Landenberg, PA Inquiries: http://www.vintagecomputer.net/contact.cfm Bill

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VCF East: Friday tech talks
by Evan Koblentz 03 Apr '18

03 Apr '18

We have eight tech talks so far: http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/classes/ but we need 7 more to complete the schedule. Contact me off-list if you'd like to teach a class. ________________________________ 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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Club tables @ VCF East
by Evan Koblentz 03 Apr '18

03 Apr '18

Do you know of, or are you part of, another club/organization that would benefit from having a table at VCF East? Let me know offline. ________________________________ 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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Ahem.... register VCF East exhibits!
by Evan Koblentz 03 Apr '18

03 Apr '18

There are 20 exhibits so far: http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/vcf-east-exhib… .... register soon! It'll close around the third week of April. ________________________________ 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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720K diskette drive
by Mike Loewen 02 Apr '18

02 Apr '18

Does anyone here have a spare 3-1/2" 720K diskette drive, in exchange for pictures of dead presidents? All I have are 1.44MB drives, and I need the older, 720K drive. Please reply privately, thanks! Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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OT: Troubleshooting Port Forwarding with Verizon FIOS Actiontec MI42WR
by Jeffrey Brace 02 Apr '18

02 Apr '18

So Dan Roganti and I were troubleshooting getting a new C64 network game working. It wasn't working so we tried Artillery Duel Network game. It still didn't work. Does anyone have experience with this router and doing port forwarding? Thanks, Jeff

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C64 Multiplayer Internet Dungeon crawler (alpha)
by Jeffrey Brace 02 Apr '18

02 Apr '18

Thought this was cool. A new C64 network game by Leif Bloomquist. It’s an alpha, but so much cool! Anyone want to play together? ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Leif Bloomquist <leif(a)schemafactor.com> Date: Thu, Mar 29, 2018 at 6:57 PM Subject: [torontocbm] Multiplayer RogueLike game...now playable! (In browser too!) To: torontocbm(a)freelists.org <torontocbm(a)freelists.org> At World of Commodore 2017 I talked about my latest networked game project, a multiplayer "roguelike" dungeon crawler. I'm pleased to announce that an early alpha version is now playable! It's ready for C64 with RR-Net and (drum roll)...JavaScript! This means that you can play it in any modern web browser, theoretically. To get and set up the C64 version: http://forum.jammingsignal.com/thread/120/connecting-real-c64-rr-net To play it right now in your PC browser: http://rogue.jammingsignal.com/rogue/ I'd like to emphasize that they are connected - you can play head-to-head between multiple PCs and C64s, :-) The game is winnable. How to win? Email me privately the "magic word"... I'm also looking for suggestions for a name for the game!! Enjoy! Feedback and suggestions most welcome. Cheers, -Leif -- Leif Bloomquist | leif(a)schemafactor.com | +1 416-737-2328 | Check out my blog! http://www.jammingsignal.com "Every choice, no matter how small, begins a new story." - xkcd -- ======================================================= Jeff Brace =======================================================

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The Next Great Workshop: April 28 & 29!
by Jeffrey Brace 02 Apr '18

02 Apr '18

Signup here: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15skPd9SrZ2WsHMoTBTrrvBNwG1nbixVNfey… > We have 8 so far with room for more. We won't have a workshop in May. I will start looking at the dates available for June, July, Aug.

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2nd call for VCF East 13 Saturday Dinner Survey
by Jeffrey Brace 02 Apr '18

02 Apr '18

Here is the survery again: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DV5T7PN I only got 11 responses so far. I was hoping to have more. I will give it another week and then close out the survey. Then the local admin group will decide what to do based on the results. Thanks! Jeff Brace

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UCSD P-System on a hard drive - any pointers?
by Glenn Roberts 01 Apr '18

01 Apr '18

Can't recall if I've asked this here before - looking for anyone with personal experience or connections to enable hosting the UCSD P-System OS on an 8-bit system (Heathkit) with a hard drive. I'm looking for more depth than you can find by just Googling (I'm familiar with most of that content I think). I'm not that interested in the later version by Pecan that was for the IBM PC. If you've no interest then thanks and enjoy your day, otherwise more detail below. tx! * Glenn I have fond memories of using the P system on a Terak 8510a - that was a pretty cool platform (LSI-11 based; wondering - does the museum have one?) P-System was never a big success for multiple reasons, but it has some nice qualities that make it worth preserving, including full screen editing and an IDE-like environment, semi open source (at least the pre-commercial versions done at UCSD) and broad platform support. It was a learning environment that I suspect influenced many who were new to computer science in the late 70's so it deserves a place in the annals of personal computing history. I'm working on a Heathkit platform (H8 or 89). I have the Heath implementations (both rev II and rev IV) but Heath never bothered to support their own hard drive (Z67) - probably because the P-System was rapidly fading around the time that came out. Working with floppy versions is tedious and unreliable - I'd like to host this on my Z67 emulator on the Heathkit. I'm aware that UCSD has released the earlier versions (I.5, II) but the most promising approach (I think) is to use the later "CP/M Adaptable" release. This uses a translator layer to map the P-System BIOS to the CP/M BIOS. We already have CP/M BIOS support for the Z67. The preferable release would seem to be Rev IV from Softech since that supports "Winchester" drives and memory swapping, etc. Again I have a licensed copy of the IV release but it's the Heath tailored one - I'm thinking the CP/M Adaptable one is a better starting point. I've found many of the needed pieces of this in the Maslin archive and in Bitsavers so I've got most (maybe even all) of the pieces of the puzzle but it's a bit tedious to piece together a working system. So if you've got experience (or only interest) in this topic or more importantly know of any substantial work that's been done (or an "expert" - perhaps someone from Softech or the original UCSD team?) I'd be interested in more information. Thanks! - gfr

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Museum Report 2018-03-31 March 31, 2018
by Jeffrey Brace 01 Apr '18

01 Apr '18

I was at the museum today giving tours while Evan and Adam worked in the warehouse and in the museum to rearrange an exhibit and to work on the server etc. for the tablets. He can give you details later on what he and Adam worked on. A steady stream of visitors today. They came in two by two. Lots of highly interested people with lots of questions. A funny story with the first pair, a father and son. They son who was about 16 years old seemed to have some knowledge of vintage computers by reputation, but not personal experience. They needed to rush out and the boy was sad that he didn't have time to try some BASIC programming. I told him that the Commodore 64 was my favorite and that he could always buy one at a reasonable price nowadays. Then Evan and Adam came in the door carrying a C64. I told them of his interest and they gave him the C64. This C64 was found in the Camp Evans Base Of Terror area, so it was exposed to the elements and probably not in working condition, but the kid loved it. We told him that he could come to our workshop and get assistance repairing it. I also told him about our VCF East in May. One guy used to work at Fort Monmouth and Camp Evans and loved our new MOBIDIC display. So lots of fun being docent today with visitors excited and interested. I switched out the Star Gemini-10X printer above the C64 with a Commodore 1526 printer, which was common in that time period and matches the color well. I plan on borrowing the Star Gemini 10X for my exhibit at VCF East with Computer which will use Computer Eyes to capture a still image from a video camera and then print it out on the printer for attendees to take home.

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LOGO Turtles, etc.
by Erik Klein 31 Mar '18

31 Mar '18

Hello, I'm on the hunt for some LOGO turtles for a project at the Computer History Museum. Does anyone have any they're willing to part with or a line on some I could beg or buy? I'd also like LOGO for Apple ][ and Atari if anyone is willing. Thank you, -- ----- Erik Klein www.vintage-computer.com - My personal collection www.vcfed.org - The Vintage Computer Federation www.vcfed.org/forum <http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum> - The Vintage Computer Forums marketplace.vintage-computer.com - The Vintage Computer and Gaming Marketplace

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OT Warning - Non VCF Project Help
by Martin A Flynn 31 Mar '18

31 Mar '18

OT Warning : The team from the Computer Deconstruction Lab is working on a cost reduction project to assist InfoAge. The project has the potential to save InfoAge more than $1500 a year by consolidating cable modems used for data. Basic project is running aerial fiber optic cable between two areas * Building 9059 (the IXR building) and Building 9010 C/D (the Visitor Center area ) * Building 9059 (the IXR building) and Building 9010 A/B (VCF Museum area ) Where we need help: Before installation, loss testing the donated bulk fiber to be used on the run between Building 9059 (the IXR building) and Building 9010 A/B (VCF Museum) To keep the list clutter down, please reply directly. Martin Flynn

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Interesting article about preserving Apple software (not hardware)
by Herb Johnson 30 Mar '18

30 Mar '18

> "Cracking" software to preserve it is akin to taking a picture of artwork > and letting the original rot away in my opinion. > > Sure, some of the original bit patterns are intact, but it's not close to > an original in any sense of the word. I don't see the need to trash-talk, people who are working hard to recover programs and files from digital media. I"ve worked with a number of people who recover files from diskettes and audio cassettes. I'm doing so today. Some work with the physical media, some work with decoding the "flux changes", some with emulators and some with vintage or modern-replica hardware. Some even resurrect hardware unavailable, or never available. They all, are collectively preserving programs and vintage computers, and making the experience of operating those programs available again. They are getting results. Results matter. I'm in no position to judge the merits of the product and services he's described. He's welcome to be enthusiastic, have particular interests, want to preserve certain things. I just don't care that he calls out other people's good work in the way he has. If we don't defend the good work of others, then maybe they won't work so hard to do more. Or get started at all. There's reasons to keep discussions "of good will". This is a discussion group, not an advertising platform. Perhaps in Mr. Courbis' enthusiasm for a product release, he wasn't clear about that concept. herb johnson retrotechnology.com -- 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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WANTED: Camcorder operators (and camcorders) for VCF East class recording
by Jeffrey Brace 29 Mar '18

29 Mar '18

Future VCF East attendees: Last year we had a team of 5 people recording all the Friday classes at VCF East. This year three of them are unavailable. I was able to get two new operators, but would like to have two more as backup and to give the other operators a break. We need confidant, committed people to record Friday May 18 classes. Saturday and Sunday keynotes are already covered. This is a serious request, so only serious replies desired. Send me a personal e-mail if you are interested in being an operator. We are also looking to borrow the highest quality camcorders. We have camcorders, but desire the highest quality. If you have one which we can borrow, then send me a private reply. Thanks! Jeff Brace

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OT: Free CD printer available
by Kelly Leavitt 29 Mar '18

29 Mar '18

I have an extra RIMAGE Everest III printer for free if anyone wants it. Goes to the recycler Friday if no one wants it. You can come to Sparta NJ to pick up or I can bring to VCF. I do not have the driver CD, but I do have 5 sets of thermal ribbons for it. Here's what it looks like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr7YdWLi0Ds <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr7YdWLi0Ds>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbkSl3YO7pk I just have the printer. The robotics system went up in smoke and has already been recycled. vcfed and Infoage have first dibs.

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Interesting article about preserving Apple software (not hardware)
by Christopher Gioconda 29 Mar '18

29 Mar '18

Admittedly I'm a Commodore guy, but this link about Apple software preservation was shared in a Commodore group on Facebook. It made me think about our recent conservation conversation, and I had a realization it isn't just about hardware. Software mediums, like floppy diskettes and tapes, are falling victim to entropy and require efforts to preserve them in new ways that are more durable and futureproof. Anyway, here is the link: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/gv39mx/programmers-are-racing-to… Chris

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Museum report today
by Tony Bogan 29 Mar '18

29 Mar '18

Left work early so I could finally pant that section of wall in the museum white to match the rest of the walls in the museum (where I had removed and closed off the old door last year) Stopped at the front desk and let them know I'd be in the museum for a couple hours before I had to go back to work in case anyone stopped by. Well, ended up not getting any painting done as I had half a dozen visitors come through between 1:30 and 3:30 (the only time I had to paint!) The first visitors were a husband and wife that were very interested. They are both programmers and they started their careers on punch card systems. They took the full tour and asked lots of questions. They were also very interested in VCF East coming up. The next two visitors were individuals that came one after the other spaced about a half hour apart. Both gentlemen asked lots of questions. They were mostly interested in the micros since those were the machines they get up using (one had a trs 80, the other an apple II) The past couple were a mother and teenage son. Their interest level was extremely high, and the mother used to work for xerox from the late 80s through the early 2000s. They stayed long after the tour asking lots of questions. I showed them the videos I have of Bill Dromgoole working in the Univac and then ended up telling them everything bill has taught me about its use and inner workings. They too showed interest in VCF East. So the wall is still the same color as it was before the day started! I was disappointed at first that I could not get the work done (Wednesdays are usually dead) but in the end it was a great day with some of the most engaged people I've had while at the museum. Tony Sent from my iPhone

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OT: 60s/70s/80s Lithography tech
by John Heritage 29 Mar '18

29 Mar '18

Off topic -- Some interesting pictures/info on 1960s-1980s (and before/after) silicon litiography technology : http://www.iwailab.ep.titech.ac.jp/pdf/iwaironbun/2015iitb.pdf A few examples: Pic of a 64kb DRAM wafer from 1979, 1k SRAM 2 inch wafer from 1974 wafer yield chart from 1974-1975 for 1kbit SRAM 1906 Vacuum tube, pic of 1947 Bipolar transistor 1970 Intel 1kbit dRAM, and 4004 CPU die pics

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Preview: museum plans for this weekend
by Evan Koblentz 29 Mar '18

29 Mar '18

Jeff B. is back from hiatus and will be our decent this Saturday. Adam and I will also be there to work on the network and other things. Laura will be there to paint the third UNIVAC pallet. Infoage is closed Sunday due to most of the staff observing Easter.

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More vcfed in Hackaday
by Evan Koblentz 28 Mar '18

28 Mar '18

Found this article from last week. Pleasant surprise! I didn't know Hackaday would be at Trenton. They featured us at the beginning of the article. :) https://hackaday.com/2018/03/23/hackaday-visits-worlds-oldest-computer-fest…

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OT -- URGENT -- Thunderbird help needed
by Evan Koblentz 28 Mar '18

28 Mar '18

I've got a huge problem. I use Thunderbird on my Linux desktop. Made a backup copy of the profile folder before wiping the partition and reinstalling Linux the other day. Imported the backup profile into the new installation. All of the IMAP folders worked fine, but my POP folders are broken. The messages appear to be there in the folders, but they're blank when I open them (except the sent folder: that is missing entirely). This includes my entire inbox of personal email containing thousands of messages, many of which are very important, and some of which are absolutely vital. Tbird has a "repair folder" option but all that did was erase everything include the message list (got it back by reimporting the profile folder again). Here is someone else who had the same problem, but no solution is listed: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1024340 .... can anyone help? (Please don't tell me that I "should" have made another kind of backup, or that I should switch all folders to IMAP going forward, etc. ..... that will NOT help solve the immediate problem and will just make more stressed/angry.) Any tbird whizzes out there who can save all these messages???? This is urgent.

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HealthKit ET-3400?
by Joseph Oprysko 28 Mar '18

28 Mar '18

Does anyone happen to have one of these beasties lying around somewhere? I’m interested in getting one, as I have several Motorola 6800 manuals for op code programming. I’m interested in playing around with it and of course learning/refreshing my knowledge of that CPU. I’m wary of buying off eBay, as many of them will say “As-Is, Powers on, but untested”. So likely they’re being sold by either someone’s child, or a garage/Attic cleanout company. While the ET-3400 is generally what I’m looking for, any microprocessor trainer, similar in functionality would be acceptable. I know I have some manuals in storage I had gotten from the Engineering VP at Fox TV for a different trainer, but when he inquired with the boss “his wife” she apparently had gotten rid of it years ago. That kind of bummed me out. So if you have one that you’ve used/played around with and is no longer near the top of your interests, please let me know off list. Thanks, Joe Oprysko -- Normal Person: Hey, it seems that you know a lot. Geek: To be honest, it's due to all the surfing I do. Normal Person: So you go surfing? Normal Person: But I don't think that has anything to do with knowing a lot... Geek: I think that's wrong on a fundamental level. Normal Person: Huh? Huh? What?

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT -- URGENT -- Thunderbird help needed
by Evan Koblentz 27 Mar '18

27 Mar '18

> The MORE command is a Linux shell command to print the raw contents of > a file to the screen I have no clue how I'd use that. (Tried calling you but it said the number I had is not working.)

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Anyone need help with VCF exhibit?
by Joseph Oprysko 27 Mar '18

27 Mar '18

Due to personal issues, I’ll likely not be having my own exhibit at VCF, but if someone in the area is looking for some help with their exhibit, I’m available. If you’re interested, feel free to contact me off list and we can discuss the details. -- Normal Person: Hey, it seems that you know a lot. Geek: To be honest, it's due to all the surfing I do. Normal Person: So you go surfing? Normal Person: But I don't think that has anything to do with knowing a lot... Geek: I think that's wrong on a fundamental level. Normal Person: Huh? Huh? What?

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