- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Attaching DEC Handles, the Right Way
by Systems Glitch 25 Apr '17

25 Apr '17

I'm sure most of you DEC hackers have replaced a broken DEC handle or put handles on a protoboard, and did what I've done in the past: use 4-40 screws and nuts, or pop rivets. Well, I finally came across the right tool for the job, an Indestro tubular rivet set! I cut the head off of a rivet on an old Sundstrand CNC control board that was getting scrapped anyway and discovered they're 1/8" hollow brass rivets, but that a M3 x 5mm is close enough. You can buy the M3 rivets online for cheap, I paid $6 USD for 200 rivets, shipped. Here's the writeup: http://www.glitchwrks.com/2017/04/25/installing-dec-handles Thanks, Jonathan

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Inventor of the first personal computer dies - and it's not who you think
by Herb Johnson 25 Apr '17

25 Apr '17

I'm gonna change this thread to "homebrew computing?" if no one objects. Or suggest another title. Then I'll reply to Christian and Bill Degnan. Also: I appreciate the apologies, and Evan's comments. Thank you. - Herb -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Inventor of the first personal computer dies - and it's not who you think
by Herb Johnson 25 Apr '17

25 Apr '17

On the question of "first personal computers", I think Evan's response of Apr 22 11:16:22 was very even-handed and well-considered. Evan, like many of us, has the experience of describing and responding to A RANGE of questions, on the history of various forms of personal computing devices. He also has the experience, of seeing how current definitions of personal computing change - "what is" and "first" questions are retrospective. Of course, computing devices have "evolved" over time as well. "It's all relative" is a reasonable stance. As for "firsts". Since the definition varies, and since details vary, any claim to "first" must be qualified by function and time. Claims of firsts are more like conversation starters - or to pick a fight. As for "worshiping Wes Clark", he and his colleagues did an amazing thing with the LINC, at that point in time. And those of them still alive today, are STILL working on restoring LINC computers. Evan confuses admiration about results and persistence, for worship of a person at a point in time. --------- All that aside, I personally cringe whenever Evan refers to "the homebrew era". My interests are in S-100 systems; calling them "homebrew" suggests they were some person's one-off contraption from their basement. And retrospectively, casts them as second-class products, "homebrew" vs say "appliance". The generation of basement and garage craftspersons who made what they needed, seems to be lost history to the generation who buys everything they want. I don't have a better term today, but "craft computing" sounds better to me than "homebrew computing". I spent some time, developing an argument (formal history) for what I'm talking about. But it's too long for a reasonable reply to another subject. I'll make the argument another day for why "homebrew" computing sounds to people of my age, like Jed Clampett of the "Beverly Hillbillies" TV show. As in, stills of alcohol in rural middle America. Evan is talking about MY era, and me and my technical and business colleagues of the era aren't "hillbillies"! Herb Johnson Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Anyone a TI-99/4A tech expert?
by Evan Koblentz 24 Apr '17

24 Apr '17

If so, then contact me privately. ________________________________ Evan Koblentz, 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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Who's going to SE?
by Evan Koblentz 24 Apr '17

24 Apr '17

Let's make a list. Who from our group is going? ... Not counting you Atlanta guys, since that's obvious. :) 1. Evan 2. Bill Degnan 3. Brian Stuart ________________________________ Evan Koblentz, 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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Possible future workshop dates
by Jeffrey Brace 24 Apr '17

24 Apr '17

Please vote on dates: June 3/4 or 17/18 July 8/9 or 15/16 August 5/6 or 12/13 September 9/10 or 16/17 November 4/5 or 11/12 -- Jeff Brace - ark72axow(a)gmail.com Sent from my Commodore 64 ========================================================

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Museum update
by Evan Koblentz 23 Apr '17

23 Apr '17

We had a good mix of visitors today. A pair of Infoage volunteers who hadn't seen our new space, three or four guys who drove down from Long Island and worked in IT, a family, and an older man who stopped by to donate some old DEC/IBM manuals + punch cards. I stopped at Home Depot and got one more package of window tint to further protect the books/magazine on our workshop shelves from harmful sunlight.

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Maybe OT: Intel AboveBoard AT info needed
by Richard Cini 23 Apr '17

23 Apr '17

All -- I'm working on getting my old AT running and I'm installing an Above Board AT memory expansion card I found in a box. I have the drivers downloaded, but when setting it up it says the switch settings don't match the memory configuration on the board. Googling doesn't produce a copy of the manual anywhere, so I wanted to ping the group to see if anyone had info on the DIP switch settings. Thanks a lot! Rich Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>

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FS: New Apple II Protoboards with Hard Gold Edge Connectors
by Systems Glitch 23 Apr '17

23 Apr '17

The boards from this thread: http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.php?53008 Are now available as finished boards with HASL finish in the proto area and hard gold plated edge connectors! Pictures: http://i.imgur.com/QMb1X7v.jpg http://i.imgur.com/qq7w3pr.jpg $10 each plus $5 shipping in the US. International shipping is fine, but I need an address to calculate an actual price. I've got 98 in hand at the moment. Send me a message off-list or (preferably) a message via my contact form: https://services.theglitchworks.net/ng/messages/new Thanks, Jonathan

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Omnimon rises (Atari)
by Neil Cherry 22 Apr '17

22 Apr '17

I'm in a good mood despite the rain (couldn't finish painting for my bicycle club's Farmland tour). Last night my parts arrived to connect my computers to my TV (Antenna in - 300 Ohm). I plugged in my first computer, the Atari 800XL with Omnimon and up popped the familiar BASIC Ready prompt. The reversal of the control and shift keys is biting me from time to time (grr) but I was able to pop into Omnimon (a resident machine language monitor). Next step will be to check out the condition of a few other computers and then start working on building the Raspberry Pi interface (to replace the disk drive and other common peripherals). -- 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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Inventor of the first personal computer dies - and it's not who you think
by Jim Scheef 22 Apr '17

22 Apr '17

Noticed this in the NYT and thought that I've never heard of this guy, but he is mentioned in "Eniac: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the World's First Computer" by Scott McCartney. The NYT article is "Harry Huskey, Pioneering Computer Scientist, Is Dead at 101" https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/20/us/harry-huskey-dead-computer-pioneer.ht… His G-15 computer was 'personal' because it could be operated by one person. Jim

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Traveling south for VCF East from Landenberg PA by car
by william degnan 22 Apr '17

22 Apr '17

Hi, I am traveling by car with my video camera to the VCF SEast. leaving early this week (Tues or early Weds). No fixed schedule. Should anyone who is in the process of finalizing/packing their exhibit for the event and would be interested in being videoed briefly doing so let me know. It's for an informal documentary about the hobby that I have been working to complete for a few years now. I am just about done with phase 1 of the project. I need a little more about what a person does to get ready to exhibit, the work involved and then pair it up with the exhibit at the show. Looking for someone who is roughly between Roswell GA and Landenberg, PA (@ ~DE/MD/PA border) Even if you are not interested maybe you know someone who might be ... please pass this message along. I will not be in the way but I would need to plan my travels to time my arrival(s) to get useful footage. I'd also be interested if you have a big collection of vintage computers that you'd like to capture on video for the documentary. Contact me privately if interested: http://vintagecomputer.net/contact.cfm Bill

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Museum report 2017-04-22 April 22, 2017
by Jeffrey Brace 22 Apr '17

22 Apr '17

It's been weeks since I was docent because of VCF and taking care of persona matters. Getting used to the new tablet kiosks. Wrestling wi-fi problems. Talking to various InfoAge volunteers about different things. There were about a dozen visitors with medium to high interest. It's nice to have visitors on a rainy day. That's why I'm here after all to give tours! Gonna try to continue getting different demos running on the various machines. Some work, some don't. I will be training three more docents in the next month. We have a shortage of docents, so Evan and I often have to be at the museum. It gets hard be here every weekend when we have personal and work things to take care. -- Jeff Brace - ark72axow(a)gmail.com Sent from my Commodore 64 ========================================================

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Who's volunteering - Volunteer Day May 6 & 7, 2017
by Jeffrey Brace 22 Apr '17

22 Apr '17

Who's volunteering? Let me know. Send me an e-mail or Signup here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10H4aFaxjt6l2EQO9tjmlY-d3az0UZLGFEjU… -- Jeff Brace - ark72axow(a)gmail.com Sent from my Commodore 64 ========================================================

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What's this connector?
by Evan Koblentz 22 Apr '17

22 Apr '17

Guys, I have a old handheld gadget (circa 1993) with this weird DC charging port: http://www.snarc.net/port.jpg ... can't find the adapter for it. Anyone know what this is called so I can buy a plug? It's about the same diameter as a PS/2 plug. ________________________________ Evan Koblentz, 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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Large Scale Systems Museum announcement
by Dave McGuire 21 Apr '17

21 Apr '17

Most of you have heard of the Large Scale Systems Museum, a public museum in the Pittsburgh area that is focused on minicomputers, mainframes, and supercomputers. LSSM has been closed for renovations and expansion for the past several months; we've added nearly a thousand square feet of new exhibit space and many new exhibits. On May 6th, there will be a large block party (actually, several blocks) here in town, called "New Kensington Better Block", with street vendors and other standard block party fare. LSSM will be participating in that event with our post-renovation reopening; we will be open to the public all day with docents on duty. Many of our systems will be running and demonstrated throughout the day. In even bigger news, LSSM is pleased to announce the opening of a brand new wing, the Large Scale Integration Museum, or LSIM. As the name suggests, the LSIM wing is dedicated to computer systems based on Large Scale Integration CPUs, from the earliest four-bit 4004 processors through the desktop computer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s. Thanks to a partnership with Pennsylvania-based nonprofit organization Tristate Technology Museum Consortium, and a generous donation from the private collection of Corey Little and C/PMuseum, LSIM will add more than one hundred new exhibits in four thousand square feet of newly-renovated space located in the same building as the recently-expanded Large Scale Systems Museum. Everyone is welcome. LSSM is located at 924 4th Avenue, New Kensington, PA 15068. For more information, directions, or hotel recommendations, contact the LSSM via email at info(a)lssmuseum.org or on Facebook (search for "Large Scale Systems Museum"). You can also see some photos of our facilities on the Facebook page. Please feel free to forward this message to anyone whom you think might be interested. Thanks, -Dave McGuire President/Curator, LSSM -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] NYC tonight: Peter Samson speaks on 1967 subway race (MIT/PDP-6)
by Dan Roganti 21 Apr '17

21 Apr '17

On Fri, Apr 21, 2017 at 2:05 PM, Ken via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > [Peter Samson to be interviewed by Manhattan borough historian Michael > Miscione, NYC Fri. 4/21 7pm. Details below. -Ken] > > -------- > > > > *THE GREAT SUBWAY RACE OF 1967 *Fifty years ago an M.I.T. computer whiz > kid named *Peter Samson* and a group of his schoolmates attempted one of > the most audacious stunts in the history of the New York City subway > system. Samson programmed M.I.T.'s PDP-6 mainframe computer -- about the > size of a passenger elevator -- to calculate the most efficient route to > ride the entire subway system in the least amount of time. In their > outrageous attempt to break the existing riding record the team employed > payphones, runners, and a teletype hook-up between a makeshift "data > center" in midtown Manhattan and the mainframe in Cambridge, Mass. *Michael > Miscione,* the Manhattan Borough Historian, will interview Samson and one > of his schoolmates, *George Mitchell,* as they recount the *Great Subway > Race of 1967.* Come and find out how it all played out. > > Watch a 5-minute video preview: https://vimeo.com/212423979 > > > Read an article about it in the New York Times: https://nyti.ms/2pDoukH > > > > WOOHOO !! -- _ ____ / \__/ Scotty, We Need More Power !! \_/ _\__ Aye, Cap'n, but we've only got 80 col's !!

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] NYC tonight: Peter Samson speaks on 1967 subway race (MIT/PDP-6)
by william degnan 21 Apr '17

21 Apr '17

hopefully someone will film this. The story is in the Hackers by Steven Levy in one of the first 5 chapters IIRC b On Fri, Apr 21, 2017 at 2:05 PM, Ken via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > [Peter Samson to be interviewed by Manhattan borough historian Michael > Miscione, NYC Fri. 4/21 7pm. Details below. -Ken] > > -------- > > > > *THE GREAT SUBWAY RACE OF 1967 *Fifty years ago an M.I.T. computer whiz > kid named *Peter Samson* and a group of his schoolmates attempted one of > the most audacious stunts in the history of the New York City subway > system. Samson programmed M.I.T.'s PDP-6 mainframe computer -- about the > size of a passenger elevator -- to calculate the most efficient route to > ride the entire subway system in the least amount of time. In their > outrageous attempt to break the existing riding record the team employed > payphones, runners, and a teletype hook-up between a makeshift "data > center" in midtown Manhattan and the mainframe in Cambridge, Mass. *Michael > Miscione,* the Manhattan Borough Historian, will interview Samson and one > of his schoolmates, *George Mitchell,* as they recount the *Great Subway > Race of 1967.* Come and find out how it all played out. > > Watch a 5-minute video preview: https://vimeo.com/212423979 > > > Read an article about it in the New York Times: https://nyti.ms/2pDoukH > > > Samson’s subway racing experience, by the way, was a mere colorful blip in > a much more substantive career. At M.I.T. he and his friends were the high > priests of the school’s still-new computer lab – the original “hackers,” a > term that originated in the lab. Their vision of computers as more than > just business calculators laid the foundation for today's personal computer > and video game era. They were the pioneers who would later move out west to > inspire and teach the Bill Gateses, Steve Wozniaks, and Steve Jobses! > > Do people today still try to break the subway riding record? Sure -- it > makes the news every year or two. But now they carry their route-planning > computers in their pocket. > > THE GREAT SUBWAY RACE OF 1967 > Friday, April 21 at 7:00p > > Hunter College West Building > Lecture Hall HW615 (6th floor) > SW corner of 68 St. & Lexington Ave., Manhattan > > Advance registration required > Free (or suggested donation: $15 + small fee) > RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-great-subway-race-of-1967- > tickets-33530635032 > > > Questions? Email mmiscione(a)manhattanbp.nyc.gov > > > Thanks to the following institutions for their generous support: > > CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities (CISC) at Hunter College > Hunter College Computer Science Department > Sam Schwartz Engineering > The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York > The New York Transit Museum > Freedean Tech > The Bowery Boys > Nerd Nite > Society for the Advancement of Social Studies (S.A.S.S.!) > ATX Nation > >

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Little adventure today
by Evan Koblentz 21 Apr '17

21 Apr '17

Ted Nelson is sorting through a lot boxes in multiple buildings on his farm here in central NJ. Yesterday he had Jason Scott visit to take some brochures and things for Archive.org scanning. Today he had me over to put aside interesting periodicals for our museum. Quote of the day #1: "Here. These issues were Calvin's." (aka Calvin Moeers, the inventor of TRAC) Quote of the day #2: "A jacket is a system of pockets connected by decorative cloth." http://vcfed.org/evan/evan_ted.jpg ________________________________ Evan Koblentz, 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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AS/400 stuff in Ohio, Dialogic AMX
by Ethan 21 Apr '17

21 Apr '17

A friend of mine from the laser community has AS/400 systems in his basement that he is looking to clear out. He was talking about scrapping the boards, but I said I'd ping some people. "No this not a red stripe.. They are 36" tall units.. the iframe models 1995-1997. I emailed two of the companies they resell them, they said too heavy to ship. So going to pull the boards, and sell for scrap gold unless you have a idea. Going to look at the boards as I pull to sell I have fiber boards for these old things and ram I have a few hundred pounds of fiber trancievers for 10-base-t to 10-base-f that I am going to scrap and 50-60lbs of Dialogic AMX boards. Anyone into this stuff?

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OT: Looking for a new job
by Jason Perkins 21 Apr '17

21 Apr '17

VCFers, I'm looking for a new job at the moment. If anyone knows of a systems / network admin position in the DC area could you drop me a line? I've mainly worked with Microsoft stuff (ADDS, Exchange, Powershell...) but have done some Linux stuff as well. On the networking side Sonicwall is what I'm most familiar with, followed by Cisco. Thanks! -- Jason Perkins 313 355 0085

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tablets -- good news
by Evan Koblentz 21 Apr '17

21 Apr '17

All of the museum info kiosks (tablets) are now driven by a single Raspberry Pi. Special thanks to Jeff Galinat for donating the microcontroller. Special thanks to Bill Dudley for configuring it, creating a web admin/content interface, and building a remote access system. ________________________________ Evan Koblentz, 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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So who's going to the Workshop May 5 & 6, 2017?
by Jeffrey Brace 20 Apr '17

20 Apr '17

So who's going? It looks like things will be tight as we have 100,000 people signed up already. Signup here to reserve your space: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1waEqeNHZeYM9t7OprYWHbwBrIVS9EzGNGl7… -- Jeff Brace - ark72axow(a)gmail.com Sent from my Commodore 64 ========================================================

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Little adventure today
by Evan Koblentz 20 Apr '17

20 Apr '17

Ted Nelson is sorting through a lot boxes in multiple buildings on his farm here in central NJ. Yesterday he had Jason Scott visit to take some brochures and things for Archive.org scanning. Today he had me over to put aside interesting periodicals for our museum. Quote of the day #1: "Here. These issues were Calvin's." (aka Calvin Moeers, the inventor of TRAC) Quote of the day #2: "A jacket is a system of pockets connected by decorative cloth." http://vcfed.org/evan/evan_ted.jpg

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Success in restoring old mechanical keyboards
by John Heritage 20 Apr '17

20 Apr '17

Hey folks, You probably all know this but I wanted to report success in restoring some old Focus 2001 mechanical keyboards... I've had these around since the BBS era, and they were quite yellowed (and pretty disgusting otherwise too.. :( ).. Anyway, after doing some research -- Salon Care 40 Volume Creme is basically "retrobright" in a bottle. $5 for 32 oz, and I still have a lot left over (next case to restore = Amiga 1200). Attached pic shows basically a before and after (two different keyboards, but both were equally as bad). A few things I learned: - 4 hours of sunlight (UV) is enough, 6 hours with clouds is just enough with the solution - Use cling wrap over top of any plastic you've applied the solution to to keep it wet -Soaking the keycaps in dish soap and hot water for a few hours does wonders, then: - You can be a little lazy with keys by putting them in a glass bowl, pouring 3% hydrogen peroxide over everything, and putting aluminum foil underneath to make sure UV bounces everywhere. With this method you'll probably need a second bath or manual application of the creme to restore all keys properly. - I used a lot of q-tips and 90% rubbing alcohol to clean the keyboard and electronics internals - Of course wear gloves with this stuff - Using a keyboard with an XT/AT switch on a modern PC is fun :)

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: Looking for a new job
by Alexander 20 Apr '17

20 Apr '17

It's fun crossing 66 and 495 on my commute to work, looking down from the overpass and knowing that I don't have to drive on either one to get where I'm going. 66 westbound out of the interchange is perpetually jammed. -Alexander 'Z' Pierson Sent from my pocket telephone. Chris Fala via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: >Oh yeah, Rt. 66 is fun! > > > >On Thu, Apr 20, 2017 at 2:17 PM, Systems Glitch via vcf-midatlantic < >vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > >> > It's in Arlington VA, where a $100K house costs like $550K. Or more. >> >> But you can have the convenience of living in a condo in Winchester -- >> just commute in! :P >> >> Thanks, >> Jonathan >>

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PC-sized rescue needed in Rockville MD
by Evan Koblentz 20 Apr '17

20 Apr '17

There's a Columbia MPC (http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=633&st=1) being donated to us in Rockville, Maryland. We need someone to pick it up and bring it to the museum. This is an interesting system. It's an IBM 5150 clone before Compaq. ________________________________ Evan Koblentz, 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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Update - DEC and other equipment up for grabs
by David Comley 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

Folks, The response to my earlier post has been overwhelming - thanks to everyone who responded. Everything listed has now been provisionally claimed. As I start clearing out other items are bound to surface so stay tuned. Thanks, -Dave

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Bad disks
by Evan Koblentz 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

I went to format 5.25 disks from a NOS box still in shrink wrap. There were 11 disks in the box ("pay for 10, get one free"). Every disk resulted in a track error at a different track. If you can't trust never-opened disks to be good, then how do you acquire disks? Is there any good software to repair the errors? ________________________________ Evan Koblentz, 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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DEC and other equipment up for grabs
by David Comley 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

We are moving house later this year so I have to downsize and trim down my gear list. The following items are available for weekend pickup. Anyone want to take on my DEC 11/750? It has an intermittent console problem and needs someone smarter than me to spend time on it. Includes a TU80 tape drive, two RL01s and an RL02 drive. I just won’t have room for it in the new place so if someone’s interested it’s yours. Roughly two dozen RL01 packs. I’ll have to count to confirm. Also up for grabs is my VT180. It’s unlikely I will ever use it again. A couple of Vaxstation 3100s and a Microvax 2000. Also still up for grabs from last year: Wang VS45 DEC RK07 drive All my HP64000 kit (5 mainframes; assorted pods and controllers; software and manuals) Two DG Nova chassis - a 4X and a 4C Non-functioning DECwriter III LA120 No doubt other items will emerge as time goes on. Everything’s located at my home in New Hope, PA, roughly 50 miles northeast of Philadelphia. -Dave

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replacing mono display DEC Rainbow
by william degnan 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

Anyone replace the mono display of the dec rainbow with a VT220 (or..)? The two VR201s I have screen rot. VR201 is the part number of the display that comes with the Rainbow. I can't be the first person to ask this questionj, most VR201's are pretty screen-rotted now. I am guessing it will take some doing to assuming the cable between the display and the computer is not a straight serial connection. In the meantime I will work on this and let you know what I find. There is a VR201 on Ebay for $100. b

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Rack shelves (two) needed for museum
by Evan Koblentz 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

We need two (non-sliding) shelves for our standard 19" rack. Preference to whomever can get them here fastest. :)

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Great vintage computer article.
by Herb Johnson 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

The referenced article was fine. It was the author's recollection of an era he/she experienced. It's interesting to me as an American, to see a British representation of 80's gaming-driven personal computing. surprisingly similar experiences. I refuse to be drawn into the argument that "gaming drove computing". It's one of a number of causal agents. I don't care today, to rank those agents, or to arbitrate their merits. Reasons not to, will become apparent in a moment. But what about neglecting pre-1980 or pre-"gaming" vintage computing? Simply put: the author very likely entered personal computing at that point in time with that class of hardware and software. He/she didn't know what happened before that. It's really that simple. We remember fondly our early days of discovery; we each start at some point in time. The article is a personal recollection of a time and place in personal computing. Many others share that set of experiences. The brands of software and hardware establish the bounds of that set. Most with interests in vintage computing, represent their own experiences, of their own era. An additional consideration. Many tens of millions played 1980's video gaming computing, because there were that many systems. The audience for 1970's computing was on the order of a few million; many from business, academic, industrial activity. And of course, some of us aren't around to report about it. Circumstances account for the differences between the decades. And so, any "vote" for "what drove computing" will skew accordingly, by count and by circumstances. I didn't take a vote, for my interests. Another reason I work at preserving MY computing era, is that before long there will be one less vote for it. I'm busy enough with that, not to argue the merits with others. Herb -- 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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Bad disks
by Herb Johnson 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

I concur with everything that Jonathan AKA System Glitch states. I have no small experience with floppy drives and diskettes. Keeping floppy drive heads clean is the first priority when disks fail. Trying different drives confirms if it's the disk, or the drive that is failing - but a close visual inspection of the diskette will show most physical damage. A Web search of my domain, will provide more information on this subject, but start with: http://www.retrotechnology.com/herbs_stuff/clean_disks.html http://www.retrotechnology.com/herbs_stuff/drive.html HErb -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing

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Paging Tony Bogan
by Kelly Leavitt 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

Have you received any of my emails about the network card? I've not heard from you and I know your mail server has a tendency to bit bucket a lot of stuff. May need to white list my email address, or email me your phone number (direct). Thanks, Kelly

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F/S: my Commodore DTV
by Evan Koblentz 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

Anyone interested in my first-gen Commodore DTV? Hate to part with it but I need some $$. Works fine. No box. I have the manual around here somewhere; when I find it I'll hold for the buyer. Contact me privately to make an offer. ________________________________ Evan Koblentz, 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] OT: large UPS units free to whoever wants them!
by Bob Shuster 18 Apr '17

18 Apr '17

> Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2017 15:17:03 -0400 > From: Bob Shuster <Bob(a)TheShusters.com> > To: vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org > Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: large UPS units free to whoever wants > them! > Message-ID: <1879B96D-375B-4600-957B-0EA0ADFD2D04(a)TheShusters.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > I have two (2) Belkin F6C1500-TW-RK units that I just removed from service in my recording studio. These are heavy (24 pounds each!) and large units with 10 battery-backed outlets. They are 1500VA/830W units and most likely need the batteries replaced (two each.) They have also developed a hum. Definitely out of warranty. > > http://www.belkin.com/us/support-search?search=f6c1500-tw-rk <http://www.belkin.com/us/support-search?search=f6c1500-tw-rk> > > Before I send these to an electronics recycler, I thought I’d check here to see if someone might want these to restore/refurbish or otherwise use the parts. These were darned expensive - it’d be a shame to toss them if someone could breathe life back into them. > > Local pickup only (obviously) - I’m just northeast of Philadelphia - convenient to the PA Turnpike at Fort Washington. Email if interested! > > - Bob One taken, one still available. A little more info: The unit is 15” x 13” x 3.5”. I cannot bring it to InfoAge, sorry. The remaining one doesn’t turn on, but there was no smoke or smell. When I spoke to a Belkin rep, she thought replacing the batteries would fix it, but I am not confident that that is correct. I think it may need a few caps replaced. I’m sure someone on this list has the skills for this, just not worth my time! This was $250 new btw, with a little TLC I imagine it could give many more years of service. Again, please respond off-list if you’re interested. - Bob Shuster

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Workshop May 6 & 7, 2017
by Jeffrey Brace 17 Apr '17

17 Apr '17

Here are the details for the workshop DATE: May 6 & 7, 2017 LOCATION: InfoAge Building 9010C - Sandy recovery area, the cafeteria past the dorms. (2201 Marconi Road, Wall Township, NJ) TIME: Start about 1:30 P.M. on Saturday and ends whenever we go to sleep. End about 5 P.M. on Sunday. (Starts around 10 A.M. Sunday morning) SIGNUP here ==> : https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1waEqeNHZeYM9t7OprYWHbwBrIVS9EzGNGl7… COST: - $10 for all members attending the workshop, which VCF donates to InfoAge as thanks for providing the space for us. - $25 for those wanting to stay overnight. Please pay me when you get there so that I don't forget. OVERNIGHT: Bring your own pillow, blankets, soap etc. We provide a bed frame and an uncovered mattress. There are showers and a kitchen for your use. - We will have PayPal credit card swipes available. EQUIPMENT: - VCF will provide a table and you can use any available electrical outlet. - Bring your own tools, power strips, power cords, and supplies etc. - Please bring an extra one or two power cords as these are often forgotten by people. DRINKS: You should bring your own. I would recommend bringing a cooler of some type. FOOD: You provide your own. We usually order pizza, subs or go out to a dinner and everyone pays their own way. Usually, we make a decision when everyone gets hungry. GATE: During the hours from 1 pm to 5 pm close the front gate behind you. We want museum visitors to go to the front lobby and not wander through the middle of the campus. Outside of those times, you can feel free to leave the gate open. PARKING: Park across from in the main parking area, unless you are unloading. QUESTIONS? Please ask me (Jeff Brace) or Evan. My cell is 732-759-1783 and Evan’s is 646-546-9999 in case you need to contact us. See everyone there! And have fun! -- Jeff Brace - ark72axow(a)gmail.com Sent from my Commodore 64 ========================================================

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OT: large UPS units free to whoever wants them!
by Bob Shuster 17 Apr '17

17 Apr '17

I have two (2) Belkin F6C1500-TW-RK units that I just removed from service in my recording studio. These are heavy (24 pounds each!) and large units with 10 battery-backed outlets. They are 1500VA/830W units and most likely need the batteries replaced (two each.) They have also developed a hum. Definitely out of warranty. http://www.belkin.com/us/support-search?search=f6c1500-tw-rk <http://www.belkin.com/us/support-search?search=f6c1500-tw-rk> Before I send these to an electronics recycler, I thought I’d check here to see if someone might want these to restore/refurbish or otherwise use the parts. These were darned expensive - it’d be a shame to toss them if someone could breathe life back into them. Local pickup only (obviously) - I’m just northeast of Philadelphia - convenient to the PA Turnpike at Fort Washington. Email if interested! - Bob

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VCF Lunch Report - Saturday - NoVA
by Ethan 17 Apr '17

17 Apr '17

4 people in attendence, it was a nice day outside. Food was pretty good! We chatted for about an hour and a half then got a tour of the Fairfax Public Television studio! Which in itself was awesome! I was impressed by what Fairfax has going on! To the point I'm reluctant to tell friends because they will be trying to ma Someone on here suggested making it a continuous thing, Evan said he could put it on the calendar, and it was suggested to tick tock between VA and MD month to month. It all sounds good to me! Some weekends I have events and some weekends I need to get my diving in, but will make these whenever I can and hopefully enough others have interest to keep it going!

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A most interesting find!
by Neil Cherry 16 Apr '17

16 Apr '17

Actually finds would be more appropriate. I was cleaning out my garage and I came one box hidden in the back, behind the usual debris, forgotten. Upon opening it I am greeted by my first computer, my modified Atari 800XL with 256K and Omnimon. I thought I lost it or gave it to The museum. With it I've found 2 1050 drives and an 810 drive. Now that made me feel good. But there's more ... My SPO256 Talker board, a Peripheral Technologies PT-68K board, A modified Atari 520ST (with 2.5M of DRAM), an Atari 850 interface and a WD 1001-05 interface board. There are more things but I haven't really looked and I have more boxes. The return of my Atari 800XL really makes me happy! -- 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] May 6/7 Volunteer Day / Workshop Shop Weekend
by Duane 16 Apr '17

16 Apr '17

-----Original Message----- From: Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2017 3:22 PM To: vcf-midatlantic Cc: Jeffrey Brace Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] May 6/7 Volunteer Day / Workshop Shop Weekend We are having another workshop weekend. This time with a twist. May 6 we are looking for volunteers to work for 3 hours from 10am to 1pm. This will be hard work of clearing weeds from behind the warehouse, fixing the field ruined from VCF East, removing plywood from the warehouse windows, etc. Anyone is certainly welcome to work beyond the 3 hours, but 3 hours is the minimum we are asking. Evan, Corey and I will be assigning volunteers to specific tasks for this event. This will help our group and InfoAge as a whole. In exchange for this volunteer work VCF will buy volunteers lunch, waive the workshop fee for the weekend and give two t-shirts (VCF West XI and VCF East XII). Understand that this is serious work and we need serous workers who are not there just to socialize. There are showers in 9010-D that one can use to clean up afterwards. After the volunteer work, then the workshop begins. We will be starting around 1:30pm on Saturday May 6 and going through Sunday until around 5 or 6pm. We will be having the workshop in 9010-D which is where we had Festivus. It will be in the cafeteria and the game room. If you are interested in volunteering, then please contact me directly and I will add you to the list of volunteers. If you are just coming to the workshop, then the usual workshop rules apply. I will send out that info later. -- Jeff Brace - ark72axow(a)gmail.com Sent from my Commodore 64 ========================================================

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6503 in PAiA Synth Controller!
by Douglas Crawford 16 Apr '17

16 Apr '17

Music Synthesis led me into microprocessors in the late 70s. Around the time I built an Elf for synth control (an unrealized dream eclipsed by college then by the C64 then by Midi ) I was buying bits and pieces from PAiA and inspired by their designer John Simonton and contributor Craig Anderton. At that time they were offering a microprocessor controller add-on, very much like a trainer, for their modular synth rigs and selling bits of software for doing effects and controlling keyboards actions like portamento and the like. My recollection was that these were 6800 systems just like on the small cardboard boxed Heathkit 6800 trainer. My recollection was off. I just ran across 1978 PAiA catalog to find it was a 6502 variant with membrane keys instead of switches. http://rtellason.com/catalogs/PAIA-1978.pdf The controller is on the cover page and detailed on page 11. The whole catalog is a hoot of hobby electronic music equipment of the era. A short article on PAiA is here for orientation of folks not familiar with PAiA. https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=PAiA%20Electronics&item_type=topic

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May 6/7 Volunteer Day / Workshop Shop Weekend
by Jeffrey Brace 16 Apr '17

16 Apr '17

We are having another workshop weekend. This time with a twist. May 6 we are looking for volunteers to work for 3 hours from 10am to 1pm. This will be hard work of clearing weeds from behind the warehouse, fixing the field ruined from VCF East, removing plywood from the warehouse windows, etc. Anyone is certainly welcome to work beyond the 3 hours, but 3 hours is the minimum we are asking. Evan, Corey and I will be assigning volunteers to specific tasks for this event. This will help our group and InfoAge as a whole. In exchange for this volunteer work VCF will buy volunteers lunch, waive the workshop fee for the weekend and give two t-shirts (VCF West XI and VCF East XII). Understand that this is serious work and we need serous workers who are not there just to socialize. There are showers in 9010-D that one can use to clean up afterwards. After the volunteer work, then the workshop begins. We will be starting around 1:30pm on Saturday May 6 and going through Sunday until around 5 or 6pm. We will be having the workshop in 9010-D which is where we had Festivus. It will be in the cafeteria and the game room. If you are interested in volunteering, then please contact me directly and I will add you to the list of volunteers. If you are just coming to the workshop, then the usual workshop rules apply. I will send out that info later. -- Jeff Brace - ark72axow(a)gmail.com Sent from my Commodore 64 ========================================================

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Bowmar Brain, MOS, C=
by Douglas Crawford 16 Apr '17

16 Apr '17

I had a "Bowmar Brain" calculator in high school that my Dad gave me. When calc prices dropped to nothing, it seemed fit for me to dissect the Bowmar and see what was inside and it never got put back together. I think I thought I could hook it up and drive it like a math coprocessor or something. That never happened. I just ran across this paragraph in the MITS Wiki linking Bowmar to MOS Technology, and then C=: MOS supplied Bowmar calculator ICs... Bowmar imploded, I suppose one of the cripplers of MOS... leading to C= buying MOS. Bowmar Instrument Corporation introduced the "Bowmar Brain", a four-function pocket calculator, in September 1971 and the $179 calculator sold over 500,000 copies in the first year. Bowmar then developed the "901B" calculator that was priced at $120.[30] In September 1972, Texas Instruments (TI) introduced the TI-2500 portable four-function calculator that also sold for $120.[31] The 901B and the TI-2500 both used the TI TMS0100 family of "calculator-on-a-chip" integrated circuit. TI was now directly competing with their IC customers. Other semiconductor companies such as National Semiconductor and Rockwell began selling calculators. Commodore Business Machines and other office equipment companies also got into the market. A frenzied price war started. By early 1974, Ed Roberts found he could purchase a calculator in a retail store for less than his cost of materials. The larger companies could sell below cost to win market share. Bowmar lost $20 million in 1974 and filed for bankruptcy.[32] Commodore acquired their IC supplier, MOS Technology. Texas Instruments won the price war but their calculator division lost $16 million in 1975.[33] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_Instrumentation_and_Telemetry_Systems

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 16 Apr '17

16 Apr '17

Good day at the museum. There was a grand opening today for the wireless operators' exhibit down the hall from us, so we have a lot of visitors. Around 20 total of all ages spread over several hours. Bill Dudley stopped by around 4pm. We began the process of transferring the kiosk system from a hidden directory on vcfed.org to an internal server (on a Raspberry Pi!) in the museum. We're going to need a static IP service for remote access to the kiosk server and our IP security cameras.

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vintage laptop museum web site in Russia
by william degnan 15 Apr '17

15 Apr '17

http://vintage-laptops.com/?page_id=2&lang=en This guy has been collecting and photographing his collection for years now, he has one of the most comprehensive collections I have seen. Bill

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Vintage Computer Lunch - Falls Church VA Saturday
by J. Alexander Jacocks 15 Apr '17

15 Apr '17

I really wish that I could make it, but I'm still in the middle of this moving-house nightmare. Maybe we should try to make this a regular thing, and put something on the calendar, once a month? We could alternate between weekends and weekdays, and flip back and forth between VA and MD, to try to give everyone local the opportunities to attend? - Alex On Sat, Apr 15, 2017 at 01:14 Alexander Pierson via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > I will pick a similar past t-shirt. However, my derby will probably be > the dead-giveaway. > -Alexander 'Z' Pierson > > > On Friday, April 14, 2017 10:45 PM, Ethan via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > >>> How about Vintage Computer Lunch in Falls Church VA this Saturday > >>> April 15th, 12:30 at Don and Claires Beach Shack? > > I will wear my red VCF East shirt from this year to make it easier to find > me. Maybe I'll bring an 8" Floppy Disk or something for the table but the > shirt should give it away. > > See whomever tomorrow at 12:30! > > - Ethan > > > > > | | Virus-free. www.avast.com | > >

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Vintage Computer Lunch - Falls Church VA Saturday?
by Ethan 15 Apr '17

15 Apr '17

How about Vintage Computer Lunch in Falls Church VA this Saturday April 15th, 12:30 at Don and Claires Beach Shack? This can be the first of a repeating thing? I don't really want to use meetup like the scuba group does as meetup charges a fairly hefty fee for the service. - Ethan O'Toole

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TESTING...5...4..3..2..1...
by Dan Roganti 14 Apr '17

14 Apr '17

ACK made it back on the List after the extreme Lag problem Dan

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