- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Tandy TRS-80 Model 3 in Schwenksville, PA - $250
by jsalzman＠gmail.com 03 Feb '21

03 Feb '21

There is a Schenksville in PA, but not to be confused with the homonym spelled Shanksville, PA, where Flight 93 went down. On Wed, Feb 3, 2021, 7:52 AM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Isn’t there a town called Schnecksville also > In PA? > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Tandy TRS-80 Model 3 in Schwenksville, PA - $250
by Jeffrey Brace 03 Feb '21

03 Feb '21

On Wed, Feb 3, 2021 at 7:52 AM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Isn’t there a town called Schnecksville also > In PA? Yes. Google Maps confirms this. > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > On Feb 3, 2021, at 7:32 AM, Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > I would like to have been in the meeting when they decided to call the > town > > "Schwenksville".....Welcome to Schwenksville. > > > >> On Tue, Feb 2, 2021 at 11:59 PM Alexander Jacocks via vcf-midatlantic < > >> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >> > >> Not my listing, just came across it: > >> > >> https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/3216072305176825/ > >> > >> - Alex > >> > > -- Jeff Brace ========================================= Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org cell: 732-759-1783

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Tandy TRS-80 Model 3 in Schwenksville, PA - $250
by Alexander Jacocks 03 Feb '21

03 Feb '21

Not my listing, just came across it: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/3216072305176825/ - Alex

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InfoAge closed tomorrow
by Jeffrey Brace 03 Feb '21

03 Feb '21

InfoAge will be closed tomorrow due to the snowy and icy conditions on the campus. It's not safe for visitors yet. Hopefully the warmer weather the next few days and the rain on Friday will clear out most of the snow so that the museums will be open by Saturday. I know that the two humongous ice boulders in front of my house created by the plows won't melt until spring ;) That is all. Jeff Brace ========================================= Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org cell: 732-759-1783

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Museum HP 2117F
by Mike Loewen 30 Jan '21

30 Jan '21

I have a request for someone who will be at the museum, this weekend. Dave Bryan, author of the HP 21MX simulator portion of SimH, needs some data from a working 2117F. I have a list of instructions to enter from the front panel. If anyone can help out, I'd appreciate it. Let me know. Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] 10, 000 Hours With Claude Shannon: How A Genius Thinks, Works, and Lives
by Herb Johnson 28 Jan '21

28 Jan '21

The article is OK, to the extent it describes the personality of Claude Shannon, as like some number of technical geniuses. But the article gets tedious about it; it's a love story by a biographer. I hope they didn't mess up the science in the biography. Shannon himself is an important mid-20th century figure in information theory; I know of him from my BSEE studies in the 1970's. I'd say his biography is relevant to vintage computing interests, who wish to be informed about the development of computing technology. Myself, I learn science and tech by reading works by and about people who developed science and technology in the 20th century. So thanks to Christian Liendo for calling out the author of a Shannon biography, so I can look for that book. Regards, Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT comcast DOT net

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YouTube Video on M.2 to SATA to IDE
by Alexander Jacocks 28 Jan '21

28 Jan '21

I just posted a new (short!) Video on 2.5” mSATA adapters and IDE machines: https://youtu.be/QVUMNUL4y6I It’s really just an overview of the SSD, and the adapters. I’ll show it in use, soon. - Alex

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anyone id this laptop? 1994-ish
by Bill Degnan 28 Jan '21

28 Jan '21

I was sent an inquiry from a visitor to vintagecomputer.net who wanted to know the make/model of this laptop aa.jpg (284×341) (ibb.co) <https://i.ibb.co/6bdnY7r/aa.jpg> Anyone have a specific clue? I checked AST, Toshiba, Compaq, Gateway and other laptops I have from that era, nothing matches that little keyboard display window. Bill

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WTB: A good soldering iron with adjustable heat
by Jeffrey Brace 28 Jan '21

28 Jan '21

A friend is looking for a good quality soldering iron with adjustable heat. Anyone going to the workshop selling one or know where I can find one? Thanks, Jeff Brace ========================================= Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org cell: 732-759-1783

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Corey's Apple I "restoration" video
by Jack Rubin 26 Jan '21

26 Jan '21

Thanks for putting this together. A less caffeinated version with narration could be the starting point for a truly useful video that analyses problems, discusses materials, techniques, methods, part sources and actually illuminates the restoration process. Jack

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Heathkit H8
by Mike Loewen 26 Jan '21

26 Jan '21

Some weeks ago, I pulled out my Heathkit H19 monitor to connect to my H8, and the H19 promptly blew a fuse (and other nasty things). I finally got the last parts in today to fix it, and the H8 is up and running CP/M 2.2.04 from a Z87 dual-drive unit. http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/Heathkit/H8/H19H8-2L.jpg The H8 only has two boards installed: the H17 hard-sectored floppy controller, and a Z80 board from a recent Norberto Collado design. The Z80 board has 64KB of RAM, two serial ports and a real-time clock. Here's the design: http://koyado.com/Heathkit/H8-Z80-64K-RTC-ORG0-V3.html Norberto also has a new storage controller design, to replace the H37 (soft-sector), H17 (hard-sector) and H67 (hard drive) controllers, plus a USB interface. I have the PCBs, and am waiting for some final testing before ordering parts. Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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Meant to do this for years... Original Apple-1 restoration video
by corey cohen 25 Jan '21

25 Jan '21

Well I decided I should start posting videos of some of the restorations I have performed on some interesting computers. Here is my 1st video upload, an original Apple-1 that I restored last year. https://youtu.be/rbZt8PKvOus <https://youtu.be/rbZt8PKvOus> Cheers, Corey corey cohen uǝɥoɔ ʎǝɹoɔ

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Museum Report 2021-01-24
by Jeffrey Brace 25 Jan '21

25 Jan '21

Busy day today. We had 20 museum visitors today. Dylan was docent. Andy, Ryan Schiff, Ryan Burke and myself rescued more items from Wilmington Delaware. We will need to sort, and assess at the next repair workshop. There are still items to rescue, but Andy believes that this can be finished with a few car loads full. Next Repair workshop is Feb. 6 & 7. Jeff Brace ========================================= Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org cell: 732-759-1783

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RetroBright
by Duane Craps 23 Jan '21

23 Jan '21

RetroBright article at Hackaday: https://hackaday.com/2021/01/23/a-deep-dive-into-the-chemistry-of-retrobrig… -- DuaneCraps sdɐɹɔ ǝuɐnp

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Need pics of some CompuPro switches for project
by Richard Cini 23 Jan '21

23 Jan '21

All – I’m working on another emulation project and I’m looking for pictures of switches for the GUI. I need a power switch (both ON and OFF) and a reset switch. I saw the ones on the CompuPro 8/16 and those look nice. No rush, but if anyone has this in their collection and can snap some well-lit, clear pictures for me, I’d really appreciate it. I can re-size and clean them up. The pictures just need to be taken “head on” (no angles) as much as possible. Thanks! Rich -- Rich Cini http://cini.classiccmp.org http://altair32.classiccmp.org

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10, 000 Hours With Claude Shannon: How A Genius Thinks, Works, and Lives
by Christian Liendo 22 Jan '21

22 Jan '21

I figured anything about Claude Shannon would be on-topic https://medium.com/the-mission/10-000-hours-with-claude-shannon-12-lessons-… While this is not a great article, I figured some people would be interested

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Ordering Snark Barker MCA (Sound Boaster clone) PCBs -- Want One?
by Alexander Jacocks 20 Jan '21

20 Jan '21

Thanks, Z. Did you already build one? - Alex On Mon, Nov 30, 2020 at 17:32 Alexander Pierson via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > The Snark Barker MCA does have a limited number of surface mount > components, namely the CPLD, associated voltage regulator, and some > capacitors. Everything else is thru-hole. > Meanwhile, the ISA Snark Barker is fully thru-hole. > -Alexander 'Z' Pierson On Monday, November 30, 2020, 04:55:15 PM EST, > Alexander Jacocks via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > wrote: > > Bill, > > This is a build-it-yourself project. The Snark Barker is an exact clone, so > it's exclusively through hole. > > Only the PCB is included. If others wanted, I could source the parts > necessary, but I'd need at least a few others interested. > > - Alex > > On Mon, Nov 30, 2020 at 7:38 AM Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > Would the assembly be surface mounted or original? > > Bill > > > > On Sun, Nov 29, 2020, 8:43 PM Jameel Akari via vcf-midatlantic < > > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > > $34 I assume is just the board? > > > > > > I’ll take a look at the details tomorrow but this might be fun. > > > > > > -- > > > Jameel Akari > > > > > > > On Nov 29, 2020, at 8:17 PM, Alexander Jacocks via vcf-midatlantic < > > > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > > > > > All, > > > > > > > > I'm in the process of ordering PCBs for the Snark Barker MCA > > > > (microchannel), which was just announced, here: > > > > https://twitter.com/TubeTimeUS/status/1333123576346468352 > > > > > > > > The design files and BOM can be found here: > > > > https://github.com/schlae/snark-barker-mca > > > > > > > > I'll be ordering from PCBway, who does gold fingers, so that the > boards > > > > will be able to be able to be repeatedly inserted, without wearing > out > > > the > > > > contacts. > > > > > > > > Is anyone else interested? The cost (at quantity 5) would be about > > > > $34+shipping, per PCB. The cost should go down with a bigger order, > > > should > > > > more than 4 others want boards. I could probably be convinced to make > > the > > > > parts order, as well, if folks want. > > > > > > > > Thanks! > > > > - Alex > > > > > > > > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: Printing Press rescue (The Morning Call, Allentown, PA)
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 19 Jan '21

19 Jan '21

Christian Liendo via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> writes: >Nice.. I really need to check out the National Museum of Industrial >History in Bethlehem. I will now have to check this out next time I go home. >On Mon, Jan 18, 2021 at 2:33 PM Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic ><vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >> >> Our very own Bill Inderrieden was involved with the rescue. Pictures on >> this website: >> https://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-nws-morning-call-original-printing-pres… The Morning Call. I delivered this Morning Call when I was a kid.

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OT: Printing Press rescue (The Morning Call, Allentown, PA)
by Jeffrey Brace 18 Jan '21

18 Jan '21

Our very own Bill Inderrieden was involved with the rescue. Pictures on this website: https://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-nws-morning-call-original-printing-pres… Jeff Brace ========================================= Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org cell: 732-759-1783

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Culpability and Provenance
by jsalzman＠gmail.com 18 Jan '21

18 Jan '21

Hello group, Recent discoveries brought me to post this mostly philosophical message and question about what we do as collectors when we come across data stored in or with our acquisitions. For example, I have owned my Kaypro 10 for about five years. I bought it from a fellow collector in Chicago when I was at VCF MW at the time I acquired it. Since that time, I have only powered it up about 10 times. Each time was more for just making sure its hard drive would still spin up and boot, and for poking around my only operational CP/M machine. Just recently, I decided to actually look at the files that were stored on it. It had WordStar installed, and the drive was cluttered with many files without extensions on their names. Assuming they were WordStar files, I was able to open up a number of those files. Most of them were actual Will and Testament documents for a number of people in the Chicago area around 1990. I assumed this Kaypro was once owned and used by a lawyer at that time. Another thing I discovered, and this one has some interesting impact on the device's potential provenance, was a file called RESUME. The file was a WordStar document in that it started with several lines of "dot-commands" identifying it as such. The interesting part is that it was a resume of a U.S. Robotics co-founder and V-P, as discovered in the work history listed in the resume. Yes, THE U.S. Robotics company that made the modems many of us drooled over owning back in the day. So I asked myself... why would this file be on this computer, in WordStar format, if the machine wasn't also owned by the person in question? That leads me to wonder if this Kaypro was also owned by said Founder of USR. This Kaypro may have changed hands several times before I acquired it. It's still a bit of a mystery. After all, it's not like people simply emailed files between CP/M machines as readily as we do now. Plus, someone as computer literate as a computer hardware tech founder might actually be one to write their own resume in a word processor on a CP/M system. Besides, you can certainly understand my feelings and thoughts over the potential provenance of the machine. Those two examples aside, I want to address the opinions of others about the possession of random and potentially personal data found on machines we acquire. This Kaypro has a number of Will and Testament files on it, a few legal drafts, and of course, that resume. So this brings up the philosophical discussion of culpability. Do we, as collectors of these systems, have a certain responsibility to the disposition of data found on our acquisitions? While many laws have been made over the decades governing personally identifiable information, how much of the responsibility to identify and "secure" sensitive data falls on us collectors who acquire our computers through sale or trade vs. the previous owners who decide to get rid of their computers. Before I go on any further about my thoughts, I'll end the intro of the discussion here, for others to offer their input, before I get any deeper into my thoughts on what I have and what I could/should do with it. Looking forward to your respective opinions. Jeff Salzman

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Wanted SD card solutions for Museum
by Dean Notarnicola 18 Jan '21

18 Jan '21

Chris, You can you a Gotek with Flashfloppy firmware to substitute for Mod 1/3/4 drives (You need an expansion interface for the M1.) Though not a floppy replacement, I highly recommend the M1SE http://bartlettlabs.com/ It adds hard drive, network and other enhancements to the M1. There’s also the M3SE for the 3/4. If you don’t have a M1 expansion interface, the MIRE (same web site) adds all EI functionality. You can attach real drives, Goteks, and/or a M1SE to it. On Sun, Jan 17, 2021 at 2:44 PM Chris Fala <chris.fala(a)vcfed.org> wrote: > I have several Commodore SD devices. I can donate/loan one to the museum > for the VIC-20. > > TFW8b has PET solutions. > https://www.thefuturewas8bit.com/sd2pet-future.html is $81.53 at current > exchange rates. Maybe we can pool our funds or ask the list for donations. > > I can't suggest solutions for other manufacturers, but please let me know > what anyone knows about TRS-80 Model 1 and/or III devices that are > available. I need. > > > > > > > > On Sun, Jan 17, 2021 at 2:24 PM Jeffrey Brace <jeffrey(a)vcfed.org> wrote: > >> OK. Steering Committee. >> >> Here is the list that I came up with. Let me know if I need to tweak >> anything and if you think I can send this to the general list. >> >> *GOOD WORKING CONDITION* >> TRS-80 Model 1 >> Atari 1040ST >> Atari Mega >> IBM PCjr >> MSX >> OSI Challenger 2P >> Osborne 1 >> PET 2001 >> Vic-20 >> Zorba >> Amiga 1000 >> Mac Portable >> Mac 512K >> IBM PC Convertible >> Apple III Plus >> TI-99/4A >> IBM 5150 >> TRS-80 Model 100 >> Apple II original >> iMac >> Next Cube >> >> *NEEDS REPAIR* >> TI Portable >> >> *NEED DIAGNOSIS* >> SWTPC >> Heathkit H89 >> >> *DIFFICULT TO FIND DEMOS* >> Ukranian Apple 2 >> TV Typewriter >> >> ========================================= >> Jeff Brace >> Vice President & Board Member >> Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner >> Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity >> http://www.vcfed.org/ >> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org >> cell: 732-759-1783 >> >> >> >> <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> Virus-free. >> www.avast.com >> <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> >> <#m_6223536314463200676_m_-9168846585535048499_m_-6305579204510517935_DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2> >> >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] VCF Marketing Director
by Jonathan Sturges 17 Jan '21

17 Jan '21

Congrats Adam! :-)

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Zenith “Easy PC” for sale on craigs
by Sentrytv 17 Jan '21

17 Jan '21

Just in case anybody is interested here is the link, not mine. https://newjersey.craigslist.org/sop/d/wallington-easy-pc/7260229025.html Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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VCF Marketing Director
by Jeffrey Brace 17 Jan '21

17 Jan '21

Hello everyone, Please welcome VCF's Marketing Director: Adam Michlin! The national board unanimously voted him into this newly created position. Adam was previously a volunteer, Mid-Atlantic Steering Committee member and the Social Media Director where he did an exemplary job increasing the quality and visibility of our organization through our social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The Marketing Director position has all of the responsibilities of the Social Media Director, but adds national branding to the mixture. I'm excited to see what improvements that he will bring to this position. He has shown great dedication to his previous position and it shows in his understanding, the quality of his work and the results that he has created. And best of all his pay increases to double his previous salary of zero! ;) -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org cell: 732-759-1783

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Museum 3b1
by David Gesswein 16 Jan '21

16 Jan '21

I finally remember to create a page describing the image on the 3b1. For people demoing it gives information on what I think was useful for doing demos. If anybody know of more interesting stuff to put on I can. The man page stuff described in the manual isn't yet in the museum image. http://www.pdp8online.com/3b1/demos.shtml

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Culpability and Provenance
by Herb Johnson 16 Jan '21

16 Jan '21

Well, while I have a lot I could post on these matters, I won't. I'm not a lawyer and these are legal matters. The rest is discussion not advice. Certain content one might obtain from others accidentally on an abandoned computer, is outright illegal to own and distribute. Delete it - period. Other content is proprietary and still in distribution, thus an actionable issue by the active producers of that content. And of course, most of us with a clue know what is "private information". Nobody here is "researching" people's private information. This is a vintage computing discussion. Private information must be deleted, copies only to owners who want it and are given opportunities to ask. Most people seem to be indifferent; some are not. The rest, is about technical content of old programs out of use, and possibly original programming done (as in sources, binaries). These things are, in my opinion, the business of those of us in vintage computing. What to do about finding that stuff, has been in discussion for decades. There's common practices about that content. While owners could take actions, many owners are disinterested in doing so, or "unavailable", or in some cases have released their published works. Owners have rights, and the right to say "delete". At least they used to, when content resided in their own hands. Another subject. Informing former owners about discovered content beyond impersonal programs and documents, has some merits both to us and to the prior owners. Tony shares his experience, that he's informed some owners about protecting their data. All that said, I'm informed by the posts on this subject, from persons who identify their sources of authority on their decisions (Tony mentioned HIPAA compliance for instance). And by various experiences discussed. Authority and or experience matters to me, when I see advice, certainly when I give it. I don't say I have much authority, other than years of practices; I have no authority on legal matters, little on business. I'm a technologist by training and historian by circumstance. Myself: I preserve the history of development of certain programs and hardware on my Web site. Much of that is published information, descriptions and repairs of hardware, documentation, sources or disassemblies. Some of it is biographical information from public sources and personal correspondence (republished by me with permission). Generally I have permissions, as owners of content have the rights to say "no", and privacy rights. Over the decades: I've been contacted by content-owners or their heirs or their associates and customers. Most thank me for recognizing those known to them, a few for recognizing themselves! Some provide more information. Some people want their privacy, or at least used to when privacy existed. And some, are no longer interested in certain past works. So it seems to me: If the VCF Inc. chooses to, they might gather some informed and authoritative opinions and recommendations and practices, and make that information available, as a service. They may also choose to do so, to inform their officers and volunteers as to "best practices" within the VCF collection. One service might be, to identify kinds of content - such as I and others have identified - and suggest the kinds of practices one might take. That service alone, may help persons in deciding what to do, where to seek advice. But I'm not credentialed in most of these matters. I have certain practices I follow. Mostly I tell people "this is at your own risk. Seek professional, legal or more experienced advice. I'm not responsible for your consequences. Make your own choices." Otherwise I lead by example and effort and results, I hope. regards, Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT comcast DOT net

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the human element [was Culpability and Provenance]
by Jeffrey Jonas 15 Jan '21

15 Jan '21

replying to Dean Notarnicola > I love tech for techs sake. It can be both art and science. I highly agree. - taking apart old electronics and appliances was my first electronics 'classroom'. Reverse engineering ordinary things shows amazing design and cleverness. Before circuit boards, EVERYTHING was hand-wired and hand-made. There was a human element in everything. High end items got more care, such as lacing-cord on the wires to neatly bundle them. Then zip-ties came along and ruined it all. - most machines interact with people in some way: what we now call the User Interface. Old machines were pieces of art and craftsmanship in everything you saw and touched: every knob and wheel and button. Even the labels were calligraphy. There was artistry in every piece, seen or unseen: curved wheel & gear spokes, artfully carved handles and cabinetry. Even office typewriters tried to appeal to "woman's aesthetics" with gold gilding and artsy appliques. There are several books of "the art of the engineer". Even Adam Savage drools over the amazing functionality of the Studley tool cabinet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_O._Studley Bill Inderrieden and I have enjoyed many conversations about the power stations, factories and industrial facilities he's visited. The buildings and windows all have a wonderful sense of style and function. Even the stair cases and banisters are worthy of the finest hotel. I assert that early CISC machine architecture was very human oriented. The instruction set and options catered to the assembler programmer who required the most direct way to express the problem to the CPU. Instruction set orthogonality is a measure of goodness. And gimme general purpose file registers. LOTSA registers. 16 or more! Every CPU/microprocessor/microcontroller I study shows a unique approach that I admire and respect, thus the incredible variety of microprocessors in the 70s and 80s. Then RISC came along and ruined it all :-( Don't get me wrong, I had the most wonderful RISC course at Concurrent Computer Corp. We were a tough audience. We were all experienced assembler programmers. After programming the IBM 360 in high school, I found the Z80 really weak and tedious to program. But there are many compelling reasons that RISC is the way to go. That course respectfully explained it. That's why I <3 vintage computing: we recreate the FUN and personal satisfaction of the "vintage" computer environment (although they were not vintage when we used 'em!) -- jeff jonas

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Atari ad for sale Commodore 64 PC Booklet Circa 1982 - $425 (Wayne NJ)
by Bruce 15 Jan '21

15 Jan '21

We could all post them all on ebay and buy them back and forth to drive the prices up!!! /s Bruce NJ On Thu, Jan 14, 2021 at 8:37 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Yes yes yes!!! > > I’ve got magazines from the 1940s I wonder how much that stuffs going to > be worth! > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > On Jan 14, 2021, at 8:25 PM, Douglas Crawford via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > > > Wow the ads from my '77 - 84 byte magazines are going to make me rich! > RICH! > > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Atari ad for sale Commodore 64 PC Booklet Circa 1982 - $425 (Wayne NJ)
by Douglas Crawford 15 Jan '21

15 Jan '21

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Commodore 64 PC Booklet Circa 1982 - $425 (Wayne NJ)
by Christian Liendo 14 Jan '21

14 Jan '21

I'm curious if anyone knows who this is? https://newjersey.craigslist.org/sys/d/wayne-commodore-64-pc-booklet-circa-…

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Ken Thompson ACM Fellow Announcment
by Andrew Diller 14 Jan '21

14 Jan '21

Ken Thompson, a recent VCF Keynote speaker (2019), and creator of UNIX became a ACM fellow today: https://awards.acm.org/award_winners/thompson_4588371 and https://awards.acm.org/binaries/content/assets/press-releases/2021/january/… Kenneth Lane Thompson Google For contributions to the development of operating systems theory and for the implementation of the UNIX operating system 2020 ACM FELLOWS RECOGNIZED FOR WORK THAT UNDERPINS CONTEMPORARY COMPUTING International Group Composed of Leaders Across All of Computing’s Disciplines New York, NY, January 13, 2021 – ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, has named 95 members ACM Fellows for wide-ranging and fundamental contributions in areas including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, computer graphics, computational biology, data science, human-computer interaction, software engineering, theoretical computer science, and virtual reality, among other areas. The accomplishments of the 2020 ACM Fellows have driven innovations that ushered in significant improvements across many areas oftechnology, industry, and personal life. -andy

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Last Video in My PS/2 70 OS/2 Series is Posted
by Alexander Jacocks 14 Jan '21

14 Jan '21

All, I just posted the last video in my PS/2 70 OS/2 2.1 series: https://youtu.be/J8_5q82XPGE I finished installing OS/2, in the last video, so I go through some basics of using OS/2 2.1. Thanks! - Alex

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OT: AMD Phenom II Quad-Core Socket AM3 stuff
by Herb Johnson 14 Jan '21

14 Jan '21

Brief: I'm looking for a central-New Jersey purchase of a desktop, or just a replacement processor, all recent tech (several years old I call recent) not cutting edge. This is too new for general discussion, too old to just buy online. I know some here do this stuff, have these things around. Covid limits my ability to shop around, shipping is a recent nightmare. Also: no workshop visiting. So it's plausible to ask here, for private reply. Those not interested can stop here. So my wife wants to build a particular sort of video server, modest performance quad-core but not cutting edge, Win 8 64 bit operation. We have on hand a decent GigaByte motherboard that supports an AM3 or AM3+ CPU - but we have no CPU, this was a backup board. The prices on 3GHz quad cores are cheap (ten-year old processors), heat sinks are cheap. To put this to use, is plausible. But even old mobos are not expensive, if someone has something they upgraded from not too long ago. Same with an upgraded system. And some mobo that's newer will have USB 3.0, good for external drives. So that's a thing. And a more recent power supply, maybe a decent case, you see where this goes. What I don't want is something that got cooked and overclocked 24/7 to run bitcoin. I want this thing to run for some more years. On a mobo: PCI slot or two, PCI Expr X 1, PCIExp X 16; and USB 3.0 would add value. I might take the whole complete system, decent case and not-abused power supply. No drives, no software - I won't bug you about support (if the stuff isn't crap, it's all on the Web). No junk. The local thing, is someone to DROP OFF in the Princeton/Trenton NJ area. No workshops, I pass. 1) Covid 2) recent shipping nightmares. Just a deal on a processor and heatsink can reasonably ship by mail. Ship a mobo, maybe. Ship a whole system, kinda pointless. So see my email address below and make an inquiry. Not overly rushed but this ought to resolve in a few weeks, a month. Again - if you read this far - I'm not looking to discuss 2010 computing in a vintage computing email list, so keep this private. Thanks for some "old" hardware help. Regards, 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 comcast DOT net

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Interesting take on modern terminals
by Andrew Diller 13 Jan '21

13 Jan '21

Saw this posted on a discord I'm on, and thought it was appropriate for this group: https://uri.cat/projects/modern-retro-terminal/ Some interesting designs and very DIY... -andy

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] vcf-midatlantic Digest, Vol 32, Issue 10
by Eric Rangell 12 Jan '21

12 Jan '21

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Museum Report 2021-01-10 Hi all, VCF owns an Applesauce floppy disk imager that was donated by John Keoni Morris. Over the past 2 years Tony and I tested it and got two 5.25" Disk II drives to work well with it (replacing the MC3470 amplifiers). It is a deluxe unit, so we also have an Apple 3.5" drive attached. We installed the sync sensors in the Disk II drives so it can create full flux images of GCR floppy disks in A2R and WOZ formats. Unprotected disks can be imaged to DSK or PO using the Fast Disk Imager. The latest version of the software can also create Commodore D64 and Atari image files for emulators. We were also able to image Lisa and Mac 3.5 disks. Yesterday I set up the unit on the Mac Mini in the museum, so it is available for use by anyone who has floppy disks that need to be imaged for preservation. To learn more about Applesauce, visit: https://applesaucefdc.com Thanks, Eric Rangell

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Did you know? Events calendar on VCFed website
by Jeffrey Brace 11 Jan '21

11 Jan '21

This is the website: http://vcfed.org/wp/groups/vcf-mid-atlantic/vcf-mid-atlantic-calendar/ It is found through menu path: Groups ... VCF Mid-Atlantic ... Calendar I also reorganized some of the menu items for clarity. For example, the Steering Committee sub-menu. I will work on other parts of the website in the future. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org cell: 732-759-1783

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Museum Report 2021-01-10
by Jeffrey Brace 11 Jan '21

11 Jan '21

I got the FujiNet working on the Atari 1200. It looks like since the power button on the FujiNet is broken, I have to unplug the micro USB from the FujiNet to reset. And there is an order of power. Power on FujiNet, Power on Atari. And then reverse when shutting off. Bill Dromgoole got the Kleinschmidt printer working from the Univac. It took some work for him to prepare it and some onsite work to get it working. Jeff Salzman got the Zorba working and operating in the museum and able to boot from disk. The Xerox Star is working and operating for visitors to see now. The Osbourne 1 drive B needs looking after as it doesn't seem to work. Some programs need a drive B. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org cell: 732-759-1783

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Repair Workshop Day 2 == 2021-01-10
by Jeffrey Brace 11 Jan '21

11 Jan '21

To quote Jeff Jonas: "This is the best repair workshop in a long time. We got a lot done and a lot of things got fixed." Dmitry got his C128 working. Ryan Morrison got his teletype working after reviewing the schematic. He can give everyone details. Bill Inderrieden and Jeff Jonas got the paper tape reader to read properly. Ian and Connor got the museum IBM System 36 working for the museum. Chris Fala installed a light switch in the warehouse by the door. So no more walking across the room in the dark to turn on the lights anymore! Does anyone else want to chime in on what they worked on? Next month Jeff Salzman is going to do a Commodore repair/demo theme. Pictures and videos from this weekend: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10KbtBsNn-kEyXKvIPkgTCPLRlofrAk4Y?us… -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org cell: 732-759-1783

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New YouTube Series on VCF's PS/2 Model 70
by Alexander Jacocks 11 Jan '21

11 Jan '21

All, I just started a new video series on the IBM PS/2 Model 70: https://youtu.be/tKha3QLwXgA In the first video, I attempt to install OS/2 2.1 on the machine, and natter on about computing history. Let me know what you think! - Alex

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Feb Repair Workshop - Feb 6 & 7, 2021
by Jeffrey Brace 10 Jan '21

10 Jan '21

*SIGNUP HERE!*: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FytFtk9_rE0Nw_Pk_M9bFVMh324hNwJMwcK… : -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org cell: 732-759-1783

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Workshop Day 1 Jan 9, 2021
by Jeffrey Brace 10 Jan '21

10 Jan '21

A good showing with 18 people socially distanced, wearing masks and spread out over 4 buildings and 5 rooms total. 3 new people came. I will share pictures later. Bill Dromgoole fired up the Univac 1219B the first time in a year. Andy took some video of it and interviewed him. Hopefully it turned out OK. There was some warehouse work including getting a light switch by the door. It will make it greatly convenient! Bill Inderrieden got a Zenith PC to boot up. Jeff Salzman got the Zorba working. Anyone else want to chime in with what they worked on? We will meet again tomorrow at 10AM. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org cell: 732-759-1783

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Museum Report 2021-01-09
by Jeffrey Brace 10 Jan '21

10 Jan '21

Dylan was docent that day. There was some high interest visitors and they loved watching Bill Dromgoole show of, explain and operate the Univac. It is a rare opportunity to see this machine in action and the visitors loved it! They also loved the C64 The Printshop exhibit. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org cell: 732-759-1783

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] portable terminal preferences
by Herb Johnson 09 Jan '21

09 Jan '21

> I'm curious what everyone else uses to connect to their various machines. > Straw poll? Thoughts? 1) use a device with a REAL RS-232 UART. Not a USB/serial dongle. http://www.retrotechnology.com/memship/mship_usb.html Here's a somewhat busy note about using a FTDI-brand TTL-to-USB dongle, on a 8-bit microcomputer to a USB based modern computer. It references some other information too. But the problem I want to call out in general, is the "layers of character flow control" section of the document. The problem in brief, is that a USB serial dongle has its own buffers and hardware and software handshaking. It is a microcontroller after all. It's only vaguely controlled by the modern computer with the USB driver, which may or may not have user-means to operate. Most people use these dongles with old "terminal emulators" that think THEY have a buffer and some handshaking control of a UART. The USB driver arbitrates some of that, but not always well. It's all too busy, and generally means a slower sustained baud rate to avoid loss of characters. And for long runs of characters (like XMODEM) you get losses anyway. I think trying to run an 8-bit micro at 19.2K baud at length, is asking for trouble. But people get obsessed about high baud-rates. And certainly it's no fun, to transfer a file and find errors, even with XMODEM and other protocols. So - find a computer with a real, live, UART buried in it. They still exist. And in fact, that GPD MicroPC suggested, *has* (apparently) a RS-232 port. Too fancy for me, any 1990's laptop will do. Some of them still work well. Even some post 2000 laptops and desktops have serial ports. Use those, available from any industrial dumpster. Regards, Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT comcast DOT net

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We made the NY Times (sort of)
by Adam Michlin 09 Jan '21

09 Jan '21

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/style/retrocomputing.html

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Commodore 64 PC Booklet Circa 1982 - $425 (Wayne NJ)
by Chris Fala 09 Jan '21

09 Jan '21

Amusing to a point, but more irritating and infuriating. Glad I acquired a few things when I did, hopeless now. On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 11:52 AM Bob Aviles via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Nuts! > On Friday, January 8, 2021, 11:34:31 AM EST, Christian Liendo via > vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Yes the price is crazy, I just find stuff like this amusing. > > Is like when someone tries to sell a Dodge K car with 100k miles and wants > like $6000 because it's a classic. > > > > On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 10:25 AM Sentrytv <sentrytv(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > > Well whoever it may be, > > is absolutely freaking nuts when it comes to pricing! > > Kind of like another item I saw on EBay. > > That has been up there for quite a while😆 > > And still hasn’t sold! > > > > Sent from: > > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > > > On Jan 8, 2021, at 9:48 AM, Christian Liendo via vcf-midatlantic < > > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > > > I'm curious if anyone knows who this is? > > > > > > > > > https://newjersey.craigslist.org/sys/d/wayne-commodore-64-pc-booklet-circa-… > > > > > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Commodore 64 PC Booklet Circa 1982 - $425 (Wayne NJ)
by Bill Degnan 08 Jan '21

08 Jan '21

Commodore put these three-fold brochures out a lot over the years. I have never seen that one. Worth $5-10. Bill On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 11:52 AM Bob Aviles via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Nuts! > On Friday, January 8, 2021, 11:34:31 AM EST, Christian Liendo via > vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Yes the price is crazy, I just find stuff like this amusing. > > Is like when someone tries to sell a Dodge K car with 100k miles and wants > like $6000 because it's a classic. > > > > On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 10:25 AM Sentrytv <sentrytv(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > > Well whoever it may be, > > is absolutely freaking nuts when it comes to pricing! > > Kind of like another item I saw on EBay. > > That has been up there for quite a while😆 > > And still hasn’t sold! > > > > Sent from: > > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > > > On Jan 8, 2021, at 9:48 AM, Christian Liendo via vcf-midatlantic < > > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > > > I'm curious if anyone knows who this is? > > > > > > > > > https://newjersey.craigslist.org/sys/d/wayne-commodore-64-pc-booklet-circa-… > > > > > >

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New Member Dan Fitzgerald
by Jeffrey Brace 07 Jan '21

07 Jan '21

Welcome Dan! Please introduce yourself. How did you find our group? What are your interests? -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org cell: 732-759-1783

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Saturday workshop and stuff
by Sentrytv 07 Jan '21

07 Jan '21

I will be at the Saturday workshop early morning and bringing some stuff with me that I need to get rid of or I would like to get rid of. Not all of it is for sale, some of it is free. I’ll make a short list here contact me off list if interested. TI PEB in shipping box. For sale Ti 99 /4a computer in box. For sale Various cables new. For sale Some used video cables D-link eight port KVM KVM cables AGP video cards some higher end models Some ICs for sale Some security cameras if I can find them Various free stuff also I will only bring the TI stuff if someone is interested , Saturday. Contact me off list please. Mike Rosen Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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VGA Monitors (CRT) free
by Kelly Leavitt 07 Jan '21

07 Jan '21

Various. I have too many. Send email off list. Come get them. Wantage NJ. Beer money appreciated but not necessary. Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Get Outlook for Android<https://aka.ms/ghei36>

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] New Member Dan Fitzgerald
by Bob Aviles 06 Jan '21

06 Jan '21

Hi, and welcome! Bobby On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, 04:27:44 PM EST, Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: Welcome! Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > On Jan 6, 2021, at 3:52 PM, Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Welcome Dan! > > Please introduce yourself. How did you find our group? What are your > interests? > > -- > ========================================= > Jeff Brace > Vice President & Board Member > Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner > Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity > http://www.vcfed.org/ > jeffrey(a)vcfed.org > cell: 732-759-1783

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