- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

What types of VCF exhibits do you like......Re: Advice on Xenix VCF exhibit
by Herb Johnson 14 Jan '17

14 Jan '17

..one of several thread on VCF exhibit design. Dan Roganti ragooman said: > thought I'd alter the subject just in case the thread police is looking :) Well, *I'm* looking. As I've said before: on-subject threads are in my interest, because I look for content from decades-old email discussions, and the subject-titles matter to me. Putting that aside... Dan talked about displaying uses of early microcomputers (and minicomputers) in labs and industrial settings. That rings true to me as well. 45 years ago, I was working in those settings, as a digital engineer. There are many other programmers and engineers of my age group, who visit VCF-E and who contribute to modern vintage computing. And, to the VCF's collection. So it's an important audience - see my recent post in a similar thread on Xenix exhibit discussion for what I mean by "audience". So I'm all for Dan's exhibits of minicomputer and early microcomputer use by scientists, engineers, and in industry. For that matter, early accounting machines and programs would be of the same order. Let's keep in mind: the first generation of microcomputer owner-developers, were often techies like these. Not all, but many. I think there's good news, and bad news, about such exhibits. Research papers and university theses from that era and older, are more available on the Web today than ever. University and govt. libraries have digitized their holdings and cataloged them. So a Web search will find them - whereas, years and decades ago, this was exceptional. So the content of such work, sometimes including coding, is available online. But numeric code doesn't exhibit well. Lots of these programs were essentially mathematical in nature. Numbers in, numbers out. Interpreting them was done by humans; there wasn't enough CPU power to waste with graphs and charts, that came later. So did graphic displays, for the most part. This stuff in the original, will be hard to exhibit. Also: the science content will be hard to represent, to most people including the younger crowd (under 30) and to the non-science non-math crowd. But I would not mind seeing, some hard-science stuff at VCF-East. And I think there's an audience for it, to warrant an exhibit or two. And consider this - demonstrating an ANALOG computer is an exercise in pure math, differential equations to be exact. VCF Inc. intends to restore such computers in the near future. So this is "in the cards". But, while it's good to say "here's some atomic reaction codes", explaining the physics or math would be very challenging and take up the viewer's time. That suggests to me the use of a Web page, not an exhibit. And so the practical question becomes this: What do you do with a physical exhibit of period hardware about period users, but on display in the 21st century to people who can't interpret that use, much less the time available to them? One possible answer might be - thinking out loud - is that you use modern computing (or faster vintage computers) to show some of the results. You could do worse than use simple video display hardware, to represent your results, produce some graphics. Or audio output, that's a useful mode of presentation. This will call for some thinking and imagination, and planning. Now, later vintage computing - HP desktop computers and calculators - WERE able to produce graphical results. But are they pretty pictures - which I can make with an oscilloscope and some simple circuits - or are they pictures that have some meaning? Dan also suggests texts from the period, about use of digital technology and lab instruments, to conduct experiments and do real-time data reduction. That resonates with me, Dan: my LINCtape drive reminds me, that the design-purpose of the LINCs was to automate biological-science experiments and tests, to bring computing power to those sciences, *in the 1960's*. DEC borrowed a lot from the LINCs, into their early minicomputers. David Gesswein has brought in some PDP-8 lab-class systems at other VCF-East's. I've got some HP and Heathkit products along those lines, myself. Some of the Heath lab products were developed in Princeton if I recall, that's a local connection. But the challenge is this: either accept a narrow target audience, or to enhance the real-time experience so that mere mortals can appreciate it on exhibit. Herb Johnson my 25 cents'

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Question from another list, Video Editing and the C-64
by Matt Patoray 13 Jan '17

13 Jan '17

I had a question come through my OLD VTR's list that i do not know a definitive answer to, so i figured i would ask here. "Was the Commodore 64 ever used for video editing like the Amiga Was" Of course I know that the Amiga with a VideoToaster and its video switching and generation capability is NOT going to happen with a C-64 but, what about something with just simple machine control running the VTR/VCR through either an IR signal or conversion of the commodore's RS-232 serial into RS-422? Looking for something commercial or an easy to build project form the C-64's heyday. -- Matt Patoray Owner, MSP Productions KD8AMG

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forward: What types of VCF exhibits do you like......Re: Advice on Xenix VCF exhibit
by Herb Johnson 13 Jan '17

13 Jan '17

Dan Roganti suggests a physics demonstration tool like http://powdertoy.co.uk/ might be connected to a vintage computing demostration, to provide "physics" results from vintage computations or vintage control. That sounds plausible to me. It satisfies Dan's goals of presenting early computing means to generate mathematical solutions on critical problems of the day. And it satisfies visual presentation goals of making those cryptic numeric and physics code, accessible to people without that training. For my techie interests, I'd be curious about how to make the two work together. A modern computing box or tablet, running this program with a Lua API – whatever that is - connected to some vintage box through likely-simple serial-hardware protocols? Can they live together? It's "the odd couple"! ;) Herb

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FS: Wire Wrap S-100 Protoboards, You Depopulate
by Systems Glitch 13 Jan '17

13 Jan '17

Pictures: http://imgur.com/a/Y5IcG These boards came from a piece of scientific gear I picked up in an equipment lot at a local auction. Turns out the chassis is almost S-100! The cards are exactly the same size (one picture shows a card inserted in the card guides in my Altair 8800B), have the power supply rails in the right places, and use the right connector. The chassis they were in was a 22-slot OEM chassis with a linear supply, but there was no CPU board; instead, everything was controlled through a GPIB interface board. These cards are very high quality FR4 boards with hard gold plated edge connectors. Interesting design -- I don't know if the card was too complex for a two-layer board or what, but they laid out a bunch of IC footprints, then staked wire wrap sockets in at each pad. Wire wrap pins are fully gold plated. Pictures provide a better explanation. All boards have regulator + heatsink, two card ejectors, several tabs on the top edge for connectors, and a mix of 14, 16, 20, and 24 pin DIPs. The boards are as-removed, so you'll be unwrapping a bunch of connections to use them. DIPs are mostly a mix of 74HCT random logic, with a bunch of LS7061 32 bit/dual 16 bit counters (PDF datasheet available online). Price as follows: Board as-is with all chips: $40 USD I keep the chips: $30 USD IDC connectors for top tabs: $1 each, snipped off, will come with a bit of cable Shipping: $15 USD in the US, will ship international but I'll need your address for a price I have eight of these. Thanks, Jonathan

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Tomorrow evening
by Evan Koblentz 13 Jan '17

13 Jan '17

Tony is helping me in the museum from 10:00-12:30 tomorrow, and then I'll spend a few hours sorting books/magazines/etc. on our new shelves, but I haven't got squat to do in the evening (staying over rather than making an extra round-trip). Anybody want to arrive tomorrow night and hang out, or do warehouse work with me, etc.?

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VCFed fiscal year '16 report
by Evan Koblentz 13 Jan '17

13 Jan '17

Today we posted financial information from our first full fiscal year. http://vcfed.org/wp/financial-information/ Remember, this report is for the whole national Federation.

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PDP stuff from Omni?
by Evan Koblentz 13 Jan '17

13 Jan '17

Anyone have experience working with this company? http://omnicorp.net/dec.htm

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Advice on Xenix VCF exhibit
by Herb Johnson 12 Jan '17

12 Jan '17

There's a few threads now, about VCF exhibit design. I may post the same basic message in a couple of them, but point to this one for details. It's pretty long, but I'm saying: my friends here are thinking-through their exhibits, and who will be attracted to them. I suggest being more deliberate. David Gesswein posted some of his deliberations; I'm posting what I did last year, in cooperation with others, by luck and intention. A Xenix exhibit by content, may be limited to certain interests; don't be shy about that, but ask for suggestions otherwise. Keywords: intention, process, discussion. ----------------------------- To put it simply: different exhibit designs, will attract different audiences of "people". Which "people" are you intending to attract? Be specific about your audience; and what you expect out of them. And then the discussion can be about the exhibit design, or the content, or some strategies and gimmicks, for the intended result from the specific audience. "Intention" is a key word. I think the discussion would be better directed, to a notion of intentionally attracting specific groups and therefore naming and categorizing such groups. An exhibitor can either decide on a group and create an exhibit to attract them; or more likely have an idea for an exhibit and try to tailor the exhibit toward some group, or recognize which group is more likely to be interested. Then others can discuss the merits of any of those considerations. I observe that the notion of an exhibit, is moving from "this interests me, this is something I've done, I'm gonna show my work or interest"; to a desire to have some impact on some group (not "people", sorry) about some product or concept. If you wanna have an impact - attention, interest, etc. - you are obliged to identify *who*. Then you can figure out their interests; then you can figure out how your exhibit's content can attract them (or not). YOu can work that forwards, or backwards. "My Xenix word-processing exhibit which is my interest, won't attract teenagers who want gaming. That's fine, I'm focused on people who did word processing in the 1980's or earlier". Even so, having some text-based game program around, would not be a bad idea. David Gesswein's post, described his process for his recent exhibit designs; and also specific strategies for drawing interest. He didn't specify audiences but they were implied. David uses fewer words, better, than I. I don't/didn't plan to exhibit this year. But I'm impressed that this kind of discussion is going on. It's very thoughtful. Here's my thoughts about what I exhibited last year. --------------------- Last year, I chose to show a relatively impressive S-100 system - the Ithaca Intersystem DPS-1, two of 'em. To me, the amazing thing was to make them work! So my exhibit (and Web pages) were about that process of repair and diagnosis. For many people that's the hardest part; for some like me it's the most fun. http://www.retrotechnology.com/restore/ith_feb16_repairs.html http://www.retrotechnology.com/vcfe11/vcfe_11.html Target audience? Probably "hardware" people over 40, plus people doing repair of S-100 stuff. "Impact" strategies? Lots of blinkin' lights, I included a Jade Bus Probe (look it up), and the Ithaca front panel is the best IEEE-696 toggle front panel ever made. And they booted CP/M - check how many DPS-1's described on the Web, aren't working. I displayed one-page flyers with bullet points, Web links. "Concept?" - show a good working S-100 system, support other S-100 exhibitors, I called that out beforehand. Bill Sudbrink showed working IMSAI and Altair and Cromemco early video products. A few other folks had S-100 systems, or sold S-100 in the Dealer's area. John Chapman gave a good talk on S-100 repair, I supported him with good questions, comments. We and other people did active repairs at John's exhibit, very nuts-and-bolts S-100 boards and meters and a hot soldering iron. But other audiences? Under-25, non-techies - they saw my "ugly boxes of big boards", yawn. John had tools, chips and cards on his table - that's interesting to tinkerers young and old. Collectively, we "represented" S-100. That was my prime objective. Hard for me to see how that could be topped, this year. ------------------ In general and to the topic: I think one emphasis for an Xenix exhibit, would be word processing and coding. Both use text tools, printers, formatting. Lots of keyboard time. In the early 1980's, "word processing" for home and small business was ground-breaking. There were still jobs for secretaries and documentation-writing and production. Not to mention, C programmers writing for Xenix, Unix, and of course those micro-computers. I'm sorry if that's boring for 20-somethings and younger. But their parents and grandparents DID this kind of work - or designed the software and hardware for it - and they too will be visiting VCF-East, so they are a target demographic. How to make this interesting for teens? - that's a considerable challenge that may only be met by other exhibits. But I dunno, someone may have an idea..... Herb Johnson retrotechnology.com

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Size of mattress during Workshop overnight
by Jeffrey Brace 12 Jan '17

12 Jan '17

Twin XL is the size for those staying overnight.

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Workshop Important Info 1/14 & 1/15, 2017
by Jeffrey Brace 12 Jan '17

12 Jan '17

Everyone who has already told me that they are coming will have a table. If you haven't told me, then you will have no table, be shunned and have to watch through the window from outside and watch everyone else play. ;) We are back to 9032-A because the 9010-A room as shown to be too small to accommodate us. LOCATION: InfoAge Building 9032A - (2201 Marconi Road, Wall Township, NJ) TIME: Start about 10 A.M. on Saturday and ends whenever we go to sleep. End about 5 P.M. on Sunday. (Starts around 10 A.M. Sunday morning) 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. DRINKS: You should bring your own. I would recommend bringing a cooler of some type. FOOD: You provide your own. We may order pizza or go out to a dinner. Usually we make a decision when everyone gets hungry. GATE: During the hours from 1pm to 5pm 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 9032A on the grass area. WEATHER: We will watch the weather very carefully. Snow is a predicted Saturday. We will make a judgement Friday night weather we will cancel due to snow. 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

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Dan Kottke pitching a Raspberry Pi-like system
by Jeffrey Jonas 12 Jan '17

12 Jan '17

there are many many Raspberry Pi clones. Here are 5 slick commercial-videos for them. Daniel Kottke starts with a pitch for the Pine A64 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1l4I2UIw1Q 5 Raspberry-pi alternatives

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Ultibo
by jsalzman＠gmail.com 12 Jan '17

12 Jan '17

Ultibo is not my project. I discovered it only because someone wrote a CP/M emulator in the environment. I assume Pascal was chosen because it's considered the "perfect" language due to its structured style and ease of use. Pascal is sometimes studied for programming theory for the same reason. Regardless, it's all compiled to machine code anyway, so even a made-up programming language could have been implemented. On Thu, Jan 12, 2017 at 11:16 AM, Douglas Crawford <touchetek(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hello: > > Pascal & Pi? You sent me through a rash of searches and web links to > figure that out. > I had no idea a Pascal derived from Borland lived on and thrived, let > alone was some folks choice even on embedded development. > The list of the supported environments on the Free Pascal wiki is fully > shocking to me. > The list of software produced with it is not so long on the wiki, but I > have used > one on the list PeaZip it works very well and of course had no idea of its > underpinnings. > > What are you implementing with it? Why have you stuck with Pascal? Its > fascinating to me. > > -Doug Crawford > >

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What are you working on for The next great workshop is Jan 14 & 15
by Jeffrey Brace 12 Jan '17

12 Jan '17

Workshop attendees watcha workin on? Also let me know about overnight dorm stay if needed.

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Needed: one helper tomorrow
by Evan Koblentz 12 Jan '17

12 Jan '17

Can anyone help me in the museum and warehouse tomorrow? Dean was going to but he got sick. Contact me privately.

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OT: new product, Kickstarter campaign
by Dave McGuire 12 Jan '17

12 Jan '17

This is very much off-topic. Last year, I was introduced to a friend-of-a-friend who had a lighting control project with...shall we say "engineering problems". I was brought in to finish it up. While it's a simple concept, it also solves a real problem and is rather cool. It was a fun little project. They just fired up a Kickstarter campaign to fund the initial production run. You might see a familiar face in the video. ;) Here it is: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/neilson/switcheroo-lighting-made-easy They're pretty close to their funding goal; it'd be great if you folks could help push him over the edge. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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What types of VCF exhibits do you like......Re: Advice on Xenix VCF exhibit
by Dan Roganti 12 Jan '17

12 Jan '17

thought I'd alter the subject just in case the thread police is looking :) As mentioned in the original thread, striking a balance with the types of exhibits is really the best option. I was fortunate to participate here for a decade and noticed at times there can be a shortage in the variety of exhibits. It's just plain logistics, it's very cumbersome to setup minicomputer exhibits. You can't make everyone happy. But you still can appeal to a wider audience, to help sell tickets -- and t-shirts :) In general, I always found it intriguing to make a VCF exhibit with case examples of computer being used in the industry, the real world, where it was put to work. I think that would make an attractive display, and steer away from the gamer. They already have different events around the country specifically for gamers. Versus a static exhibit of a computer, peripherals and software. Personally, I like to collect and record historical info like this about about my first job at SEL. They were around since the early days of the space race and were one of the many "grunts" in the industry. They had to fight for contracts against the big heavyweights such as IBM and the Seven dwarves. I entered their company midstream but I worked with many old timers. And it was very cool to learn of the many contracts they won while being a "grunt" in the market. About the fascinating projects we got to work on. Everything from Nasa, aerospace, military, nuclear, simulators, physics, etc, etc. There were some very exciting projects over there from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Despite the usual business politics from the suits, I was really proud to have a part in those projects. And so one of my pastimes, as best as I can, is collect info like this on my website. Most museums just collect the machine and software but you never hear about those exciting examples on where it was used. But in my case, finding one of those systems to use in an exhibit from my first job is about as rare as hen's teeth. Because the amount of systems produced is a far magnitude less than IBM or DEC. And then removing them from existing installations is highly improbable :) But this idea can still apply to any other systems out there. I never had a chance yet to exhibit an idea like this, but maybe some time in the future I can. And I would encourage others to try this. Because it goes beyond the "who designed" it or "who wired it", and more about the practical use of a computer. How it made a significant impact in the world. Take for example Mike's SAGE exhibit or in recent years the spreadsheet exhibit from Douglas. I know there's other examples of past exhibits like this that I can't recall at the moment. Some examples like this can obviously be difficult to obtain or replicate for those projects to make a live demonstration in a VCF exhibit. Perhaps just a simplified example can be produced, and I think that's still acceptable. It's not very easy bringing a nuclear power plant to VCF :) But it's nothing that some additional pictures, posters, or multimedia presentation which can supplement the exhibit because of space or logistics. So you can highlight the significance of this work in the real world. This idea may be more difficult for microcomputer exhibits. But one simple example I hoped to exhibit sometime in the future was how microcomputers were increasingly used in laboratory research. Mainly because of economics. Let's face it, companies had a strict budget. Some didn't need megabytes of storage or a supercomputer. And then 8bit CP/M computers were being outpaced by 16bit CP/M computers, then you had the IBM PC market and other 16bit desktop computers. Rugged systems is not really needed for this, but they could still calculate and compute large data sets from laboratory experiments. There are books from the 70s and 80s that illustrate how they were integrated with laboratory instruments to perform experiments. This reminds me of a very old article from the early 80s which I have no luck in recovering these days. During the early Apple][ heyday, they were already comparing the horsepower from the Eniac era. Where it was shown this was just as powerful as during the Manhattan project. Being able to simulate [ie. no graphics] the chain reactions by computing the Markov chain using Monte Carlo algorithms for a nuclear explosion. Maybe Homeland Security wouldn't be too keen these days on this kind of exhibit, but who knows !! So I always found it compelling to learn how computers were put to work. Dan

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Advice on Xenix VCF exhibit
by Mike Willegal 12 Jan '17

12 Jan '17

On some of the Apple II lists that I am on, it appears that the majority of the list members are more interested in the software (really games) than anything else. Also, some nearby people I have been acquainted with from that group, have mentioned in the past that they think VCF is for mini-computer people, not Apple Ii/micro computer type people, hence they would rather travel all the way to Kansas City, rather than relatively close by, New Jersey. Just something to think about. This hobby is way too small for us to be filtering out potential participants. We are better off taking advantage of the excitement surrounding vintage games, which is what interests many people, rather than downplaying it. We might think about leveraging that gaming interest so that more casual visitors might become active hobbyists. It shouldn't be considered a competition, there will always be room for people that are more interested in the technology and history side of the hobby. I remember back in the 70's when I was an avid historical wargamer. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson came up with something called Dungeons and Dragons during that period. It brought in a very large new group of people and changed the hobby significantly. Up til then, it was a hobby, run by hobbyists, very few people making a full time living off the hobby. The advent of D&D made it possible for many more clever people to make a good living, which made for a lot more possibilities in the hobby for both business and participants. However, what it did not do, was prevent the old school historical wargamer from enjoying their historical games. I'm not sure exactly what I'm suggesting here, other then don't discourage people by keeping the focus too narrow. I understand that this event isn't and shouldn't become a vintage game convention, but we still need to grow the hobby, and right now we shouldn't discourage anyone from having a little fun with vintage computers, no matter how they find it. Mike Willegal

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Amiga 3000 salvage
by Adam Michlin 12 Jan '17

12 Jan '17

Hi Everyone, I have a donated Amiga 3000 that I'd like to get working for my classroom. Damage is way beyond my own ability to repair or learn to repair and probably more than could be done during a typical workshop. Looks like at least one exploded battery perhaps decades ago and all sorts of other issues, most likely including recapping. I just can't bring myself to recycle it, so I'm hoping to get it professionally restored. Any recommendations for people who might do such a thing in the NJ, NY, CT tri-state area? I wont say money is no object, but I'm happy to pay a reasonable fee. Thanks, -Adam

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Advice on Xenix VCF exhibit
by Duane 12 Jan '17

12 Jan '17

>>- We implant chips in peoples' brains Reminds me of a conversation, on an elevator, with one of our supervisors and an apprentice instructor. I hear something to the effect that you were drilling holes in the students head to pour in the knowledge directly. Oh? Yes, they said you were boring the students. Might have been an old joke Duane -----Original Message----- From: Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2017 3:02 PM To: vcf-midatlantic Cc: Evan Koblentz Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Advice on Xenix VCF exhibit > Very true. I agree that the variety at VCF ensures that we cover a broader > interest. That being said, how do we get people to want to walk in the > door > in the first place? Personally, I don't think that Facebook and blogs are > enough. Can we reach a larger audience? We do a TON of different marketing things (a huge part of my job) and we see which ones stick. Briefly: - We reach out to tech media - We contact local mainstream news - We implant chips in peoples' brains - We reach out to hackerspaces, amateur radio clubs, ACM/IEEE chapters, general computer clubs, other museums, etc. - We use Facebook and Twitter - We use the force - We ask the other InfoAge groups to tell their members - We have an email announcement-only list (http://vcfed.org/wp/newsletter/) - We have candy - We preach VCF in our exhibit at related events

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BSD ports to vintage
by Herb Johnson 12 Jan '17

12 Jan '17

It's hard to follow all the Xenix-related posts. But I have a Multibus system running Xenix, if that's of interest. http://www.retrotechnology.com/herbs_stuff/386intel/i386_multi.html For a time, Microsoft sold Xenix for various systems. My Xenix is of Microsoft origin and clearly they had Intel interest or vice versa. Xenix found its way onto many systems in the early 80's period. Later Microsoft sold their interests back to SCO. From an exhibition point of view, there's any number of Xenix systems which could be exhibited, under some theme by a single exhibitor. I'd consider cooperating with an exhibitor regarding my machine, contact me privately. Herb retrotechnology.com

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OT: Anyone here using Comcast ISP?
by william degnan 11 Jan '17

11 Jan '17

Is it me, or is there a problem reaching https://hostisp-vandal.syssrc.com:2083 I can't get to this server from Comcast only, works from Verizon. Thanks Bill

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] What are you working on for The next great workshop is Jan 14 & 15
by Blatboy 11 Jan '17

11 Jan '17

I know this thread was from last week, but since I now know for sure I'll be making it for the whole weekend, I figured I'd chime in. This will be my first time since the 1980s to take a bunch of computer gear somewhere to set up on a table and mix with other enthusiasts. So, please pardon me if I'm totally green, chomping at the bit, over excited, annoyingly verbose, and to top it all off: under skilled. haha I apologize for the book I'm about to write here. I'm tempted to bring my full collection (I need to organize it anyway) as I'm not 100% sure what my goals are and what I can accomplish with this kind of dedicated time to devote to my habit, er "hobby." Any input from ye more experienced is appreciated. For sure I'm planning to bring: An Amiga 3000 with some interesting expansions and a multitude of kooky outboard SCSI gear. (CD drive... Floptical... Bernoulli...) I'm hoping to replace the spindle HD w/a SCSI2SD setup. I've yet to figure out how to get the computer to mount the outboard SCSI equipment. I'm hoping to get over that hump and be able to determine what hardware actually works and what doesn't. My first computer: A trusty/crusty C64. I need to take apart and clean the keyboard. I'll bring a soldering iron and some other tools. If I get that far, I've got a ZoomFloppy card and a C64 NIC+ card that I'd love to try to mess around with. I'll bring a 1541 or two as well. Note that I'm hoping to be able to archive old floppies of mine for both machines. I've already started the process with the c64 (with the ZoomFloppy) but I've yet to modify one of the 1541 drives with a parallel port. Certain disks (like GEOS) seem only be properly imaged via parallel. Tools...disks.... a Commodore monitor and a modern(ish) flat Dell monitor that works with the 3000 and also has S-video and composite inputs. A modern notebook running Win10 and Linux. A MacBook Pro running OSX. A iPad with all my tech books and docs. I'm considering bringing: Mac Classic II: It works great, but I need to prepare and add a SCSI2SD card for this machine. I have some interesting hardware that may allow for Ethernet connection. That'd be fun to experiment with. Macintosh Powerbook G3 Clam Shell ("Wall Street") running OS9. A great "middle man" machine that can communicate with both classic macs and modern ones. Atari 2600: I added some hardware that was supposed to allow it to work on modern monitors. (I forget now if it added a composite connection or something else...not digital.) It didn't go so well. I'd like to troubleshoot that. An A500: It works well and I've found it to be useful when working with the A3000. An SX64. Because I can. ;) A Vectrex. (see SX64) Again... any thoughts are appreciated. I'm also happy to bring stuff just because someone would like to see it. I have a pretty decent compliment of tools for general electronics. If there is something anyone is needing, please say so. I may be able to help. Thanks for reading my book here. Walter http://www.jwalterhawkes.com http://www.blatboy.com like to know where/when I'm playing? Click here <http://www.blatomaster.com/mlist.php> to sign up for my list, and let the babble begin. Date: Wed, 04 Jan 2017 19:39:12 +0000 > From: Jeffrey Brace <ark72axow(a)gmail.com> > To: vcf-midatlantic > <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> > Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] What are you working on for The next great > workshop is Jan 14 & 15 > Message-ID: > <CAKVfvQwFrTUune3aUXdppfeqOQQat36QeZLLNHLZKmeAi_T7JQ@mail. > gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > > Workshop attendees watcha workin on? > > Also let me know about overnight dorm stay if needed. >

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Saturday weather
by Evan Koblentz 11 Jan '17

11 Jan '17

Still too early to be certain, but the forecasts are calling for very little snow in the afternoon and evening, so most of us traveling Saturday morning should be fine.

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PiDP8 writeup
by william degnan 11 Jan '17

11 Jan '17

Here is my PiDP8 writeup http://vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=663 BIll

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Exhibits: what was memorable and why
by Douglas Crawford 11 Jan '17

11 Jan '17

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Amiga 3000 salvage
by Blatboy 11 Jan '17

11 Jan '17

I've successfully recapped an old Mac Classic II. Unfortunately, I really didn't have the skills and it gave me a false sense of security. I've done... a not beautiful job (understatement) on an Amiga and another Macintosh board since then. I'm about to send them in to get them professionally done. I'm sure there will be many four letter words catapulted in my general direction haha. Just so you see what's out there: I'm sending them here, if you want to look into it: https://acill.ecwid.com/ Paul is a regular on the Amiga.org boards, and while I don't really know him, it seems his work is well respected. If you sent him hi res photos of the board, I'm sure he would tell you if he can work on it or not. Outside of that, getting a refurbished board isn't a bad idea either and may cost near the same, depending on how much corrosion is on the board. --- In other news, it's now looking like I will be there for the workshop! (I already signed up) I just received confirmation that my wife will be going out of town this weekend. I'll be bringing my 3000 (and some other things) to work on. I'm stoked. Walter http://www.jwalterhawkes.com http://www.blatboy.com like to know where/when I'm playing? Click here <http://www.blatomaster.com/mlist.php> to sign up for my list, and let the babble begin.

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Workshop Important Info 1/14 & 1/15, 2017
by Jeff 11 Jan '17

11 Jan '17

I *may* be able to come for a while Saturday, but probably wouldn't need a table. If I do I could bring my Fluke 9010a or any other specialty crap I have for any troubleshooting anyone needs to do, and generally I'd be there to offer comic relief and help anyone else with projects. JeffG (aka Bags)

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Have to cancel for Saturday
by Neil Cherry 11 Jan '17

11 Jan '17

;-(Waaaaa) I'm going to be working on Saturday so I can't attend. -- 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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BSD ports to vintage
by william degnan 11 Jan '17

11 Jan '17

Starting new thread reply to my post about the Next OS ... Was the Nix port to the DEC Rainbow supported officially or did they bless it but not support it? An exhibit about Berkley UNIX / BSD micros with the focus on the drive for a lower-cost yet powerful-enough machine, leading to the Next Cube might be interesting. There were attempts to port crappy Nix's onto machines that did not have the power to really support them. The early articles about the i386 touched on "finally" we have something that can run UNIX on a micro. Bill Degnan twitter: billdeg vintagecomputer.net

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] re Lisa Xenix exhibit
by william degnan 11 Jan '17

11 Jan '17

> > Hi Jason: > > So like I said on the maillist, I think this is cool. I look forward to seeing it. > > I've been trying to work towards some Xenix representation in my collection. > Nothing there yet... I thought I might get a TRS-80 Model II there but its a big undertaking. > For the me fact that in the face of Linux it appears its one of the mistakes of Microsoft to > not stay involved with the Unix OS is historically very interesting. > Now on the Lisa... wow... a foreshadow of NextOS and OSX too! > Is there any testimony supporting that this could have been a seed > for Job's job's to look to Unix as the basis of NextOS after leaving Apple? :O > > I usually try to convey some historical significance in my exhibit... and had > to with my past "Spread Sheet" exhibit. Spreadsheets have NO flash. > I sidestepped that reality with the "what if spreadsheets had come to us on a Cosmac ELF" > Hope the ideas help you see some other ways to consider the "interestingness" of > what you have there. > > -DC I think you are onto something interesting with an exhibit of the milestones that lead up to the Next OS, but you'll find that its path did not much involve the Lisa. Attempts to connect a hacked toether Lisa Xenix to the Berkley BSD variant that became the Next OS is a bit of history in hindsight. Even if you have Xenix running on the Lisa what about networking to do something useful with it, using what was available at the time, without having to develop something new? I think Lisa Xenix was an afterthought OS not what the manufacturer intended, kind of like efforts to put MS DOS on the Commodore B Series machines by adding an 8088 coprocessor. For this increasingly hypothetical Next OS exhibit, one could walk through dev milestones that lead to the Next OS as the end point. Show a Next Cube plus one or two earlier BSD UNIX micros, workststions, minis if you coukd find them. What the Next OS represented was a cheap UNIX machine, less than $10,000 was a pretty big deal at the time. Problem for exhibit...The early UNiX workstations are very rare, few have caught on yet that these are worth saving, many have been trashed. A Perq would be nice or an early Motorola mini. This is an area that deserves more attention. Bill

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re Lisa Xenix exhibit
by Douglas Crawford 11 Jan '17

11 Jan '17

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OT: Lab/Scientific hotplate needed
by Joseph Oprysko 11 Jan '17

11 Jan '17

I have some chemical and biological tests I need to run in my apartment. But I am woefully short on the supplies. Most I can pick up relatively inexpensive, tubes, graduated cylinder, etc. but I need a hotplate with good temperature controls to ensure the validity of the tests. Would anyone happen to have one lying around (in the Philadelphia area) Thanks, Joe -- 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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System 36 Terminal for $1200 or a Commodore 64.
by Christian Liendo 10 Jan '17

10 Jan '17

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/sys/5949282727.html So he thinks the terminal is worth $1200 or one of the computers below. I don't understand him, but maybe one of you might want to call >From the advertisement Willing to accept cash or trade ins of the following computer gear any condition: 486, 386 286 186 8086 Intel / tandy jr, IBM Tandy Radio Shack, trs-80 Apple II, IIe, II+, Franklin Commodore 64, 128 Dragon 32 Atari ST / STE / Falcon / MegaST Atari 800 / 400 TI-99 4a Cartridge based Systems NEC turbo Graphics / PC engine Sinclair. Z-80 Amiga 500, Amiga 1000, Any Commodore Amiga

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Osborne 1 Craigslist
by Joseph Oprysko 10 Jan '17

10 Jan '17

Here's something if anyone is interested. He's asking 200, but would likely take $150. Manuals, modem, etc. http://cnj.craigslist.org/sys/5917864959.html -- 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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Looking for an SSD to SCSI bridge compatible with DEC
by Matt Patoray 09 Jan '17

09 Jan '17

Hi all, I am looking to get my AlphaServer 2100 back online, since it's winter here in Ohio and I would not have to worry much about heat. I am looking for a bridge that uses an SSD and has a 50 pin SCSI output and can be configured to work with DEC. Matt Sent from my iPhone

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C116 on Ebay for the Commodore Team
by william degnan 09 Jan '17

09 Jan '17

You guys watching this boxed C-116? Getting pricey. Ebay: 252707357480 Bill

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Artist needed: VCF East shirt
by Evan Koblentz 09 Jan '17

09 Jan '17

Everyone, We need a volunteer to design this year's VCF East shirt. There is a good chance we'll use the same design for VCF West. The central theme should be something around the number "12". Our usual artiste is Ragooman. He is taking a break this year. We have some technical guidelines, there are firm/multiple deadlines to meet, and the final design will be approved by the VCFed national board. Anyone who's interested should email me at evan(a)vcfed.org. Please do NOT start a thread here about the design/themes.

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not going to be at the January workshop
by William Dudley 09 Jan '17

09 Jan '17

I misspoke, I'll be away this weekend and so miss the workshop, at which I was going to make a cameo appearance. I'll make a future workshop and drop off "The Chip" at that time. Bill Dudley This email is free of malware because I run Linux.

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Looking for an SSD to SCSI bridge compatible with DEC
by Herb Johnson 09 Jan '17

09 Jan '17

SCSI2SD seems to be a reasonable candidate for solid-state SCSI these days. I don't own one but the Web searching I've done, and the few contacts I've had in the vintage community including old Apple Macs, seems to suggest this is something that functions and is available from a few sources. I'd like to hear more about it from others in our community, and of course if it's succcessful AND when it fails. The problem with most of these hobby-class solutions, is when the person offering them or supporting them loses interest. Myself, I'm not interested in making PC boards and gathering parts, for this class of product - I want to buy it ready for use, but with software available and people working on it. With those criteria, $70 plus shipping is reasonable to me, and my impression is that it's made by a couple of people and one of them appears "commercial". For "DEC" use, find various Web communities discussing this device and look for "DEC". Herb Johnson

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What are you working on for The next great workshop is Jan 14 & 15
by Herb Johnson 08 Jan '17

08 Jan '17

Another request for goodies. On impulse I just bought a TI 99/4 on that auction site, awfully cheap. But it didn't include the AC transformer power supply. I may recieve it by Friday. If anyone can bring that TI 99/4 transformer to the Workshop for sale, that would be appreciated. I'll need the TV switchbox too but that I can probably cobble up. I may well part the thing out, but I'd like to see if it works first, go figure. For testing I presume I can borrow these items from the VCF Warehouse if they are so courteous to lend them for the day. In any event, I'd like a transformer to keep, too. Herb

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wanted: Shugart 850 or 851
by Herb Johnson 08 Jan '17

08 Jan '17

Looking for a Shugart 850 or 851 8-inch floppy drive. That's double sided, full height. Contact me privately (see my Web site) if you have one, parts or complete and what condition - and be ready to ship NOW. Remind me of your city/state so we can figure shipping to Trenton NJ 08618 area. I'll try to attend the VCF/Infoage repair event this weekend, that's an opportunity for pickup/deliver. herb johnson Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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What are you working on for The next great workshop is Jan 14 & 15
by Herb Johnson 08 Jan '17

08 Jan '17

I hope to work on an IMSAI front panel and IMSAI CPU board. I hope to bring a minimum system and do some chip-level testing and repair. I won't run anything of note or have a terminal or monitor or anything else like that. I'm keeping it simple. Weather may affect my attendance, but it looks like warm weather but rainy. I'll bring a few items requested of me by participants. If anyone is looking for something in vintage computing I might have, they should contact me PRIVATELY, check my Web site for my email address. Something I need, is a Shugart 850 or 851 8-inch floppy drive. That's double sided, full height. Working would be nice but nonworking or parts would be of interest. Again, contact me privately for details. Herb Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Last call for workshop
by Jeffrey Brace 08 Jan '17

08 Jan '17

Wednesday January 11 will be the cutoff date. We have about 16 signed up for the workshop. Please let me know if you are coming so that I can have enough tables available. If you do not let me know, then you get no table. Sorry to sound mean or blunt, but there are some people that will remain nameless that just show up and expect a table to be available. I have to make sure that they are available ahead of time and it's a headache for me for people to show up out of the blue without warning and expect to be accommodated at the last minute. We have this list for a reason and I expect that our members would read it and cooperate. Here is the singup link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1deIV8XWD8VX3t3m6ayWdEkyI-23VULUnd--… -- Jeff Brace - ark72axow(a)gmail.com

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museum report
by Evan Koblentz 08 Jan '17

08 Jan '17

The weather kicked our butts this week! Jeff Galinat and I were going to do museum work yesterday. We canceled because of the snowy forecast. Turns out the museum area barely got a dusting. So we changed to today. "2-4 inches" in the forecast was half a foot. Doh! But we drove very carefully got a full day's work in. I gave a tour to a visiting VIP from 10:30-12:30 while JG planned our new book shelves, went to Home Depot for supplies, etc. We removed an old unused radiator from the museum workshop wall. It was in the way and we checked with the powers that be for approval. The actual act of removing the radiator was easy: two bolts and two sawzall cuts. We didn't anticipate some of the pipes and the radiator itself, which was last used several decades ago, being full of dark sludge! :) The good news is no artifacts were sludge'd ... the bad news is sludge went all over the workshop floor, parts of the museum floor, and even parts of the hallway floor as we removed some components from the room. We cleaned up 99% of it. However this took a LOOOOOONG time and that pretty much killed the whole afternoon. But, we got it done, and now the workshop wall by the far windows is useful. Before we couldn't put anything there without having it jut out into the middle of the area. We moved the storage locker and the future Lego LOGO desk to that side. The wall where the bookshelves will go is totally clear now. Home Depot cut the shelves for us into four 1x8-ft. sections. So that was Saturday. Jeff B.: the museum workshop area and particular the workbench are messy. Don't panic. :) I will clean it next time.

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strange computer magazine
by Jeffrey Jonas 08 Jan '17

08 Jan '17

from boingboing_net Yugoslavian computer magazine cover girls of the 1980s-90s http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/QQjtwYKBABU/yugoslavian-c… http://boingboing.net/?p=503600

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InfoAge closed 1/7/17
by Jeffrey Brace 07 Jan '17

07 Jan '17

All InfoAge museums are closed today Saturday January 7, 2017 because of the snow in our area.

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Office chair needed for the museum
by Evan Koblentz 07 Jan '17

07 Jan '17

Everyone, We need an office chair for the PC in our museum workshop area. I'm going to be very picky about what kind. :) All of our museum furniture is chrome. The stools are black/chrome. Our office chair is a ratty old blue thing. It drives me crazy. OCD on high alert! Does anyone have something matching to donate? It should have good back support, adjustable height, and arm rests.

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HP drive
by Mike Loewen 07 Jan '17

07 Jan '17

Look what showed up in my driveway: http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/HP/7935-1.jpg http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/HP/7935-2.jpg HP 7935 drive, 404MB removable pack, HP-IB interface. I need to clean it up, and replace the old foam and the first stage filter. I'm hoping the pack I have is in good shape. http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/Media/Diskpack2-1L.jpg The 7395 has a built-in microprocessor, which controls a large number of diagnostics and even acts as the display for head alignment. This is a drive that will literally walk across the floor during the random seek test, if the feet aren't screwed down all the way. Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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Logo for VCF-East XII?
by Joseph Oprysko 06 Jan '17

06 Jan '17

Is there a Logo/Graphic for VCF-East XII yet? -- 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] Museum library
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 06 Jan '17

06 Jan '17

Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic writes: >Bill Dud.'s post about donating his copy of "The Chip" reminded me that >I've been meaning to share some good news. > >Jeff Galinat and I are going to do some things in the museum tomorrow, >which will probably include putting up wooden bookshelves. > >Most of our library is in boxes in the warehouse. This is non-ideal >because of climate (no HVAC) and difficulty of access. > >The new shelves will only hold a tiny portion of our library. Our plan >is to use the shelves for our most important material. > >"Most important" as I see it means three main categories: historic >books, historic magazines, and product manuals. > >What follows is a good news / bad news situation. As you read it, please >keep in mind that WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN WITH THE AVAILABLE >RESOURCES. Sorry to shout :) but I want everyone to understand that >there are topics beyond our control -- finite space, funds, etc. > >The good news: > >1. Our most-historic books are already mostly sorted because they were >boxed up when we vacated the old museum space. The most effective way to >determine "most historic" is by publishing date. Thus, we previously >sorted these books by 1950s, 1960s, etc., and we'll put the oldest ones >on the new shelves first. We'll put as many as we can there until we run >out of space. Obviously there are plenty of historic books from the >1970s and newer, but reality dictates that we're working with a blunt >object not a scalpel. Two exceptions come to mind: 1., our complete-ish >collection of the 1970s "Cookbook" series, and 2., our collection of DEC >handbooks -- both groups are already sorted from the old museum so we'll >make room for them if at all possible. > >2. The vast majority of our most-important magazines are also already >sorted and already in the museum (on a long shelf under the workbench). >We'll move them to the new bookshelves and use the shelf under the bench >for practical things. This collection includes Vol. 1, issue 1, until >December 1979 of Byte, Creative Computing, DDJ, Interface Age, Kilobaud, >SCCS Interface, and a couple of others I'm forgetting right now. It also >includes the first several years of the ACGNJ newsletter, a full run of >the (insanely rare!) People's Computer Company newsletter, a binder >containing the full run of the Amateur Computer Society newsletter, and >the first six years' anthology books of the West Coast Computer Faire >(or maybe that's all the years? I an not sure how many anthologies they >published). > >3. Various manuals for systems in the museum are already on a shelf >above the workbench. And the Gray Wall? :P

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