- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

HP 1611A logic state analyzer
by Bill Degnan 11 Oct '25

11 Oct '25

Passing along an inquiry I got through Kennett classic. If interested contact the person directly not me. 603 area code. Bill —————— Kennett Classic Inquiry Contact Information Name: Alexander Email: Alexandergriffing(a)gmail.com ------------------------- Comments: Hello, I have an old HP 1611A logic state analyzer from the 80's that was previously owned by Parker Brothers, no doubt used to test out chips for their electronic games and toys. I was wondering if you might know where I might be able to sell it or if you have any interest in it yourselves. It has all the documentation, including a leather bag intended to hold all the manuals. It powers on and still works.

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INFOAGE CLOSED SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12
by Jeffrey Brace 11 Oct '25

11 Oct '25

Due to the impending rainstorm and the state of emergency in New Jersey. InfoAge and all of its museums will be closed Sunday, October 12. Stay safe everyone! Take care! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President VCF East Showrunner VCF/MARCH Fundraising Manager VCF Evangelist Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/>

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Game Con Live Volunteer Needed
by Jeffrey Brace 10 Oct '25

10 Oct '25

We have an unexpected volunteer drop out of our group. We need one more volunteer. We have six tables of vintage computer games. Location: Oaks, PA. Setup is: Friday 4:30PM to 7PM Saturday 7:30AM to 9AM Show is 9AM to 5 PM Oct. 11-12. Contact me offlist. First come, first serve. Thanks! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President VCF East Showrunner VCF/MARCH Fundraising Manager VCF Evangelist Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/>

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WTD: Panasonic JU-455 floppy drive
by Richard Cini 08 Oct '25

08 Oct '25

All -- I'm looking for a specific model of the Panasonic JU-455 5.25" floppy for a restoration project. The model used has a "-7" suffix but it's possible that the "-5" will work as well. If anyone has a spare working drive that they're willing to part with, please contact me off-list. Thanks! Rich -- Rich Cini http://cini.classiccmp.org https://github.com/RichCini

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Glitchworks FDC Results Registry - where is it?
by Bill Degnan 07 Oct '25

07 Oct '25

https://www.glitchwrks.com/ng/testfdc_results This URL is dead, anyone have the correct link, assuming it's still available? Thanks Bill

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OT / MultiTech Hydra cable
by Martin A Flynn 05 Oct '25

05 Oct '25

Thinning the herd.... Four port MultiTech serial cable available. Best guess was paired with a an ISI4604 card If there is no interest by the 11th, it goes as e-waste Cheers! Martin

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Mac //ci pickup in Milford, CT
by Jeffrey Brace 02 Oct '25

02 Oct '25

Is there anyone coming the way of VCF in the upcoming weeks that can pick up a Mac //ci? If so, then please reply to me privately. Thanks! Jeff Brace

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OT: Camp Evans Network Upgrades
by Martin A Flynn 01 Oct '25

01 Oct '25

To keep everyone in the loop, any questions can be directed to me. Martin ----------------------------- 1) As a reminder, activation of the new firewall cluster supporting Camp Evans is scheduled for Saturday, October 11, 2025 * While the majority of the work has been done in advance, please expect the downtime window to run from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. * The the network, Wi-Fi, and telephones will be out of service, personal cellphones will not be impacted. * All network connected computers and appliances should be rebooted once the work is done. 2) Fiber Optic Cable Deployment * Contractor is starting the fiber deployment between the main post, and the Diana site on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. * Barring any issues, I expect to turn up the link on the morning of Saturday, October 25th, 2025, and turn down the Diana Site cable modem on December 1st, 2025. * Thanks to the efforts of all involved, we will be saving InfoAge more than $2000 per year once the link is activated. Cheers! Martin Martin A Flynn / W2RWJ Computer Deconstruction Laboratory 2201 Marconi Road Wall Township, NJ 07719 Tel: +1 732-456-5001 Email: martin.flynn(a)compdecon.org Online: www.compdecon.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/compdecon/

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Beltron Super Computer Apple II+ Clone in Harrisburg
by Bill Degnan 01 Oct '25

01 Oct '25

I was contacted by a person who wanted to donate a "Beltron Super Computer" Apple II+ Clone to Kennett Classic. It's located in Harrisburg, PA. I want to pass it along to someone who lives near Harrisburg. Contact me through kennettclassic.com/contact.cfm if you want this, and I will pass your contact info to the donor so she can contact you to make the arrangements to pick it up. I know nothing about the donor or the computer, other than a brief conversation where she said it's basically an Apple II clone. Bill Degnan

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Semi-OT: Macintosh System 7 ported TO x86 with LLM help
by Christopher Gioconda 29 Sep '25

29 Sep '25

https://hackaday.com/2025/09/29/macintosh-system-7-ported-to-x86-with-llm-h… Maybe it’s just a curiosity but I don’t see why this couldn’t work with other OS’es like AmigaOS. This wouldn’t be emulation but compiled code for hardware unintended to run it natively.

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Recommended data recovery businesses
by Jeffrey Brace 29 Sep '25

29 Sep '25

VCF will sometimes get requests for data recovery. Sometimes we can accommodate them, sometimes we can’t. This is due to distance or special equipment that we don’t have set up. In the past when we couldn’t accommodate, then we would recommend Dave McGuire or Chuck G as paid services. Since Chuck had passed, we are curious to see if there’s others that anyone can recommend? Take care! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President VCF East Showrunner VCF/MARCH Fundraising Manager VCF Evangelist Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/>

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Build Your Own C64 Cart (VCF is mentioned)
by Christian Liendo 29 Sep '25

29 Sep '25

https://spectrum.ieee.org/commodore-64-cartridge There is a small mention of VCF, I figured some people would like the C64 info, some would like the VCF reference.

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Really nice Analog Computer Trainer for the Navy
by Christian Liendo 29 Sep '25

29 Sep '25

They won't ship so if you know someone near by this is a nice piece. https://www.ripleyauctions.com/auction-lot/navel-training-device-analogue-c…

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The passing of Chuck G
by Jeffrey Brace 29 Sep '25

29 Sep '25

I'm finding this out third hand and late (two months later). Chuck G was a recommended data recovery person when VCF couldn't help with recovery options. Apparently he passed away in July 2025 as stated on this post on the VCF Forum: https://forum.vcfed.org/index.php?threads/sad-news-chuck-g.1253843/ Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President VCF East Showrunner VCF/MARCH Fundraising Manager VCF Evangelist Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/>

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VCF Swap Meet Oct. 18
by Jeffrey Brace 28 Sep '25

28 Sep '25

All the info is here: https://vcfed.org/vcf-swap-meet/ Vendor registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdSxO0zuRGgHz2d7s6yYmi6Awe232386sY… Flyer: https://vcfed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/2025-10-18-VCF-Swap-Meet-Flyer… For sale Google Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1inuKuijQhsMMeeUxgxdw2RIa8sIMlJAjW-0… Want to buy Google Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yGPBQPghfypVyXS5-U2IJeKxNjNa_6Aipyq… Take care! Jeff Brace VCF/MARCH Fundraising Manager

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] LSSM 10th Anniversary Fundraiser
by Dave McGuire 27 Sep '25

27 Sep '25

On 9/26/25 22:44, Alexander Pierson via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > I looked both on the square site, and mact.io, but I couldn't see any > specifics about the two days. > How do the slots work exactly, are you registering for a specific day? > Is it okay if you registered, but only showed up for one of the days? > How does that all work? Hey! I'm sorry for not being more clear about that; I'll ask the person coordinating the event to post it somewhere. Tickets are general admission, guests can come for a single day or both. The schedule will be published closer to event with an understanding that the systems are rather old and may have issues, and the schedule may differ should we need to pivot and bring another system into the rotation. The demos of the systems do not require registration, as we are keeping the event to a limited number of tickets to ensure everyone attending can get up close with the systems we are showing off during the event. The hours are Friday 2PM-8PM and Saturday 11AM-8PM. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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LSSM 10th Anniversary Fundraiser
by Dave McGuire 27 Sep '25

27 Sep '25

Hey folks! I'm proud to announce that the Large Scale Systems Museum is approaching the 10th anniversary of its first public opening. We are doing a fundraiser event on October 17th and 18th, and we have a few slots left. If you can't make it in person but still want to help support us, there's a way to purchase a "non-attendance" ticket. LSSM is a 100% donor-funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit public museum based in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. All fundraiser proceeds to directly to funding museum operations. Info here: http://www.lssmuseum.org/10 Thanks, -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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Question: Tesla HM74S287 and 571 ICs
by Henry S. Courbis 26 Sep '25

26 Sep '25

Hello Everyone. Quick IC programming question: I have some units of Tesla HM74S287 and 571 ICs I need programmed. About 25 units of each. Anyone with an older, or high end programmer which supports these old PROMs? I'd offer to pay postage, and something/barter/credit for your time and effort for the help. Or if someone knows of a low cost option for programming these ICs, please let me know. I know if there is a solution, our group knows for sure. Please email me direct off list unless for applicable thread discussion. Thanks! Henry S. Courbis Office Toll Free: (800) REACTIVE (732-2848) Office/Mobile Direct: (302) 298-0234 www.ReActiveMicro.com <http://www.ReactiveMicro.com> - Sales, Support, and News, Our Headquarters on the Internet wiki.ReActiveMicro.com - Support, Software, Manuals, and History. Create your own page today! Facebook.com/reactivemicrousa - Our Social Media Outlet and Support

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Tandy Assembly 2025
by Mike Loewen 23 Sep '25

23 Sep '25

Tandy Assembly is coming up next weekend in Springfield, OH: https://www.tandyassembly.com/index.html I'll be exhibiting a TRS-80 Model III with a Holmes VID-80 board and a Sprinter III speedup. The VID-80 features a 24x80 text display and 112KB of RAM. Bank switching allows running Holmes CP/M 2.2, with its huge library of software. This Model III also has a Gotek and a FreHD installed, along with a single 5-1/4" floppy drive. I'll also be showing off a LNW Research LNW-80 Model II, an enhanced TRS-80 Model I workalike. It has 96KB of RAM and a Z80A switchable between 1.77 and 4MHz. It supports up to 4 pages of hi-res video (480x192),with mono and color modes. The Model II comes with a bank switching board which suports 62K CP/M 2.2. It supports any of the TRS-80 Model I OSs, including TRSDOS 1.3, DOSPlus 3.5, MultiDOS 5.10 and LDOS 5.3.1. A dual Gotek eliminates the need for floppy disks. The built-in expansion board supports single and double-density disks, as well as double-sided and 8" disks. Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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Can't get Gotek to work with Amiga 500+
by Benjamin Krein 23 Sep '25

23 Sep '25

This should be the easiest thing in the world & yet I'm completely stuck. After 40+ years I've FINALLY got an Amiga 500+. I've been wanting an Amiga nearly all my life but never had one until now. Anyhow, I don't have any physical media but I do have a Gotek (Artery AT32F415CBT7 Microcontroller). I've been trying for the past 2 days to just get Workbench to boot on this thing & I'm not getting anywhere. The computer is an Amiga 500+ I brought home from the UK (I'm in the USA). Before leaving I was able to see it boot up into a game from the physical floppy drive without any issues whatsoever. It works. When I power things on I get to the insert-disk animation but that's as far as I get. Here's what I've done: 1. Upgraded FlashFloppy on the Gotek to the latest 3.44 2. Factory reset the internal flash on the Gotek 3. Copied *JUST* Workbench 2.04 ADF to the USB stick 4. Tried adding a FF.CFG with "interface = amiga" & nothing else 5. Tried multiple USB thumb drives 6. Formatted USB sticks with both the official SD Formatter Utility as well as Disk-Utility 7. Confirmed jumper on the Gotek is on S0 8. Tried different 34-pin cable 9. Powered on with both mouse buttons pressed & picked DF0 (only one available) from the boot selector None of the above works. The activity light on the Gotek comes on briefly when it's being accessed but the track indicator on the OLED never shows any activity. I've bought Amiga Forever Plus so I'm using their official ADF files. I'm fresh out of ideas at this point. The Gotek works perfectly fine on other computers (BBC Micro B) so I'm pretty sure I don't have a hardware issue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Happy to provide any other info that might help too. PS - Does anyone have a diskette copy of Workbench 2.04 they'd be willing to sell/send me? I'd love to just see this Amiga work even if just booting into Workbench (I'm near Philadelphia, PA). -- - Benjamin Krein

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Rare commodore 1403 greyscale vga display
by Bill Degnan 23 Sep '25

23 Sep '25

https://www.facebook.com/share/1CJt6QPmYZ/?mibextid=wwXIfr Zimmers.net lists this is monochrome vga, which converts the vga color to an equivalent grey/white/black gradient so you can see color differentiation represented in shades of grey. If you have a Facebook acct and live near Sweedsboro (near del memorial bridge), this monitor is pretty rare, and would normally have been sold with the Colt PC. There was a period in 87/88 where companies sold greyscale VGA monitors a $100 cheaper alternative to the color equivalent. You still got VGA detail but in shades of grey. In some ways it’s easier on the eyes if all you’re doing is spreadsheets and term papers as a student. I have a ps/2 model 25 with a greyscale vga. Not affiliated with the seller. Bill

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Timex Sinclair 2068 Available Near Me (VA)
by Alexander Jacocks 22 Sep '25

22 Sep '25

Folks, This isn't my listing, but happy to pick it up for anyone interested: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DCTb79J5w/ Ping me if interested. - Alex

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Pickup needed in Hamburg, PA - IBM 5126
by Jeffrey Brace 20 Sep '25

20 Sep '25

Jeff Salzman is unable to pick up an item for VCF this weekend in Hamburg, PA. Is there anyone else available that can pick it up? It's an IBM 5126. If interested, then we will pass on the info. Take care! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President VCF East Showrunner VCF/MARCH Fundraising Manager VCF Evangelist Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/>

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Need someone to take over AV at VCF 2026!
by Ethan O'Toole 19 Sep '25

19 Sep '25

Hello all, For the past 5 years or so I have led up the effort for main stage AV at VCF East. Friends like Ben and Reggie and a number of other awesome people have helped along the way. Things have gotten too crazy schedule wise and I won't be able to support the AV side for 2026. It's time to hand over the reins to someone else! It's a great opportunity to play with your AV toys and get some experience. VCF owns the beautiful Epson projector, the projection screen and pipe and drape (curtains that go behind the stage.) You will need to bring in PA, mics, cameras, cables. We have always routed and recorded video from the presenter laptop separately as well as cameras for building the side by side view. So, does anyone on here have the drive and ability to take this over? Happy to give information in advance if it's beneficial. (I am still coming to VCFE 2026, hopefully get back to doing a table because I've been sitting on a number of ideas :-)

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Why doesn't forum.vcfed.org have 2026 VCF East in Upcoming?
by Neil Cherry 19 Sep '25

19 Sep '25

Why doesn't forum.vcfed.org have 2026 VCF East in Upcoming? Just noticed it's not there -- 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 KD2ZRQ

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Never seen this before
by Ethan O'Toole 18 Sep '25

18 Sep '25

Hotel TVs do tricks to support the ondemand systems. oncommand was one and there was another. When someone hits menu it would secretly jump the tv to an unused channel and the hotel headend would generate menus for that user bbrowsing. Buy a movie and you get on a dedicated private channel where you can see it. We could get the tvs into add/remove channel mode and you could just go up thru the channels and see people browsing menus, watching movies and sometimes naked people. Good av hardware supports rs232 for integreation with control systems like AMX and Crestron. I moved off AMX to this linux python pile called HomeAssistant and it's on my to-dos to add a serial to network bridge and make home assistant talk to my home stereo preamp which has rs232. Home assistant is wild, it's crazy but also crazy powerful. - Ethan

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Never seen this before
by Bill Degnan 18 Sep '25

18 Sep '25

yah...could that just be a wired channel remote port? On Thu, Sep 18, 2025 at 11:36 AM Hopkins, Justin via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Ha, learn something new every day. > I just looked up the user manual for the TV and it just says > “for special AV control use only” with no elaboration, and there is a > related product that just says the RS-232 is for 3rd party control systems. > > > Thanks for the info on it. > > > > > From: Dean Notarnicola <dnotarnicola(a)gmail.com> > Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2025 11:07 AM > To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > Cc: Hopkins, Justin <Justin.Hopkins(a)broadridge.com> > Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Never seen this before > > Sure, usually only on commercial sets. This is used to remotely control > the settings and operation of the set. Sony referred to it as “Control-C”. > On Thu, Sep 18, 2025 at 11: 03 AM Hopkins, Justin via vcf-midatlantic > <vcf-midatlantic@ lists. vcfed. org> > ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerStart > This Message Is From an Unknown Sender > You have not previously corresponded with this sender. Use caution when > clicking links or opening attachments. Report suspicious emails by clicking > the "Report" button in your Outlook toolbar or forward to > SIRT(a)Broadridge.com<mailto:SIRT@Broadridge.com>. > ZjQcmQRYFpfptBannerEnd > Sure, usually only on commercial sets. This is used to remotely control > the settings and operation of the set. Sony referred to it as “Control-C”. > > > On Thu, Sep 18, 2025 at 11:03 AM Hopkins, Justin via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org<mailto:vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org>> > wrote: > RS-232 on a TV??? > > > https://imgur.com/a/le9sVhA< > https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/imgur.com/a/le9sVhA__;!!Ebr-cpPeAnfNniQ8… > > > > This message and any attachments are intended only for the use of the > addressee and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. > If the reader of the message is not the intended recipient or an authorized > representative of the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any > dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have > received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by > e-mail and delete the message and any attachments from your system. > > This message and any attachments are intended only for the use of the > addressee and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. > If the reader of the message is not the intended recipient or an authorized > representative of the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any > dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have > received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by > e-mail and delete the message and any attachments from your system. >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Never seen this before
by Dean Notarnicola 18 Sep '25

18 Sep '25

Sure, usually only on commercial sets. This is used to remotely control the settings and operation of the set. Sony referred to it as “Control-C”. On Thu, Sep 18, 2025 at 11:03 AM Hopkins, Justin via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > RS-232 on a TV??? > > > https://imgur.com/a/le9sVhA > > This message and any attachments are intended only for the use of the > addressee and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. > If the reader of the message is not the intended recipient or an authorized > representative of the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any > dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have > received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by > e-mail and delete the message and any attachments from your system. >

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Never seen this before
by Hopkins, Justin 18 Sep '25

18 Sep '25

RS-232 on a TV??? https://imgur.com/a/le9sVhA This message and any attachments are intended only for the use of the addressee and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. If the reader of the message is not the intended recipient or an authorized representative of the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail and delete the message and any attachments from your system.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] SDFVM on HNET!
by Bill Degnan 15 Sep '25

15 Sep '25

that's awesome to do for the community. I don't have a VMS system up and running but I know Dave McGuire will on the other end of PA. Bill On Mon, Sep 15, 2025 at 3:38 PM Dan FitzGerald via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > I'm pleased to announce that SDFVM, the Interim Computer Museum's VM/IS > (VM/SP 5) system, is now available to connect to over HNET, the > mainframe hobbyist NJE network! This means that any systems connected > to HNET can send files and mail to SDFVM. > > In practice, that means you can: > > * Use VM SENDFILE to send files over RSCS to SDFVM users, or if you > are on SDFVM, to use RSCS to send files to users on other HNET systems > * Use PROFS or OfficeVision to send mail to users enrolled on PROFS on > SDFVM > * Install the TOOLS/TOOLSRUN packages on your VM system and mirror the > tools and conferencing disks hosted on SDFVM. And SDFVM can mirror > any tools/conferencing disks hosted on yours! > > If you have a system on HNET, you can set your default route to DEARN > and should then be able to connect to SDFVM. Write to Evie Cooper at > wec(a)bam.moe (on copy) and she'll do her best to get you hooked into us. > > Here's how we're connected into the network: > > DEARN -> HSNET -> EVIEVM -> SDFVM > > > -- > Regards, > > Dan FitzGerald > Classical Computing Laboratory at IBM Poughkeepse > http://www.vm.ibm.com/devpages/DFITZGER > VM/SP Systems Programming Team, Interim Computer Museum > HNET: SDFVM(DFITZGER) >

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SDFVM on HNET!
by Dan FitzGerald 15 Sep '25

15 Sep '25

I'm pleased to announce that SDFVM, the Interim Computer Museum's VM/IS (VM/SP 5) system, is now available to connect to over HNET, the mainframe hobbyist NJE network! This means that any systems connected to HNET can send files and mail to SDFVM. In practice, that means you can: * Use VM SENDFILE to send files over RSCS to SDFVM users, or if you are on SDFVM, to use RSCS to send files to users on other HNET systems * Use PROFS or OfficeVision to send mail to users enrolled on PROFS on SDFVM * Install the TOOLS/TOOLSRUN packages on your VM system and mirror the tools and conferencing disks hosted on SDFVM. And SDFVM can mirror any tools/conferencing disks hosted on yours! If you have a system on HNET, you can set your default route to DEARN and should then be able to connect to SDFVM. Write to Evie Cooper at wec(a)bam.moe (on copy) and she'll do her best to get you hooked into us. Here's how we're connected into the network: DEARN -> HSNET -> EVIEVM -> SDFVM -- Regards, Dan FitzGerald Classical Computing Laboratory at IBM Poughkeepse http://www.vm.ibm.com/devpages/DFITZGER VM/SP Systems Programming Team, Interim Computer Museum HNET: SDFVM(DFITZGER)

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MARCH Workshop Hack-a-Thon - Official Rules
by Jeff Salzman 15 Sep '25

15 Sep '25

The official rules and detailed information about the October Hack-a-Thon are posted at this link: https://vcfed.org/2025/09/15/march-hack-a-thon-free-pile-fabrication/ Looking forward to seeing you there! Jeff Salzman VCF Steering Committee member MARCH Workshop Manager

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OT - Camp Evans Specific - Firewall cluster upgrade
by Martin A Flynn 14 Sep '25

14 Sep '25

As a reminder, activation of the new firewall cluster supporting Camp Evans (the home of the MARCH / VCF museum) is scheduled for Saturday, October 11, 2025 * While the majority of the work has been done in advance, please expect the downtime window to run from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM * The the network, Wi-Fi, and telephones will be out of service, personal cellphones will not be impacted * All network connected computers and appliances should be rebooted once the work is done. To give credit where due, the work is funded and executed by the Camp Evans volunteers (AKA the usual suspect) Cheers! Martin Martin A Flynn / W2RWJ Computer Deconstruction Laboratory 2201 Marconi Road Wall Township, NJ 07719 Tel: +1 732-456-5001 Email: martin.flynn(a)compdecon.org Online: www.compdecon.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/compdecon/

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TRS-80 Model II unusual?
by W2HX 14 Sep '25

14 Sep '25

Anyone know the story behind these units? They look like some 3rd party enclosure, but it says Tandy Radio Shack https://www.ebay.com/itm/267391404094 Well, the seller also had a Model II CPU/display unit for sale with this same color scheme/design, but I can't find it now. 73 Eugene W2HX My Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@w2hx/videos

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MARCH Workshop Hack-a-Thon - Prize Announcement
by Jeff Salzman 14 Sep '25

14 Sep '25

For the upcoming Hack-a-Thon, "Free Pile Fabrication!", a prize has been picked out and will be presented to the winner of the contest. The prize is an Apple II+, Disk II card and drive, and Language card. Obviously, it's not a brand new system. However, it has been curated and tested to run a copy of Oregon Trail. And just like things were back in the day... Monitor not included! Official rules and details for the Hack-a-Thon are expected to be posted in a few days. We'll try to make the rules as simple as possible, mainly to define the time frame to be provided to work on the contest. When it starts, when it ends, along with who and how will be involved with judging the fabrications. Keep in mind that the goal is to repurpose or reimagine unwanted vintage computer items. After all, if they are on the Free Pile, they were put there because the original owner did not want them in their current condition. How you repurpose them, that's all up to you. Work your creativity! Jeff Salzman VCF Steering Committee member MARCH Workshop Manager

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] vcf-midatlantic] MARCH Workshop Hack-a-Thon
by Jeff Salzman 13 Sep '25

13 Sep '25

Still determining IF the junk after the Hack-a-Thon event will be a big issue or not. The Swapmeet rules state that anybody putting items on the Free Pile will be expected to remove those items before the end of the Swapmeet. So basically, if someone wants to participate in the Hack-a-Thon, they should attend the Swapmeet and gather what they think they will need for a project. There are no guarantees that any Free Pile stuff will be available after the Swapmeet. Nor are there any guarantees over what would still be available on the Free Pile any time during the Swapmeet. We do know from past experience that stuff is always ending up on the Free Pile all day long. There may be good stuff at the beginning of the Swapmeet, but then there might also be some good stuff at the end if Vendors decide to give stuff away instead of taking it home. There is a 99.9% chance there will be a prize for the winner of the Hack-a-Thon. I'm still waiting for official approval as to what prize will be offered. Jeff Salzman VCF Steering Committee member MARCH Workshop Manager On Sat, Sep 6, 2025 at 2:44 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > So here’s a question > At 6 PM or there after > What is to be done with all of the “ junk “ > That was used for this “contest” > Are you telling the people who entered the contest with all this junk > junk? They have to take it all home. > Which is not a bad thing > However Will you have enough stuff left from the free pile at the end of > the swap meet? > Or will there not be enough for others during the swap meet? > > To make it short > If everybody else takes the junk, then there won’t be anything left for > the contest > And if people take everything for the contest that there won’t be anything > for the people at the swapmeet > > Just curious to see if anybody thought > Or maybe I’m just analyzing it too much > >

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“ Maybe not OT”. GSARA Hamfest - Swapmeet Sept. 27th - vintage stuff
by Sentrytv 08 Sep '25

08 Sep '25

This Hamfest - Swapmeet is not too far from InfoAge in wall Township. I will have vintage Computer stuff there for sale, along with some radio equipment. https://gsara.club/ Mike Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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MARCH Workshop Hack-a-Thon
by Jeff Salzman 07 Sep '25

07 Sep '25

OK... we're trying this again. Setting up a Hack-a-Thon event at the next VCF/MARCH Workshop. Some of the feedback from the last attempt fell on the lines of the last Hack-a-Thon proposal being too complicated. So... this one will be simple. Since the October Workshop coincides with the VCF Swapmeet, the Hack-a-Thon challenge is: "Free Pile Fabrication!" Should you accept the challenge, grab stuff from the free pile at the VCF Swapmeet on October 18, 2025. Bring it to the Workshop at InfoAge in the 9032A room by 2PM on that Saturday, then make something useful out of that stuff. The contest will run until 6PM on that Saturday. The rules are simple... release your creativity! You can't bring something and simply turn it on and expect a win. You should do your best to renew or repurpose everything you grab from the free pile and make something better from it. We know the kind of stuff that ends up on the free pile, so we will be scrutinizing the end results. based on creativity and purpose. Sometimes "junk" can be made into something better. This is your chance to prove it. Don't worry, there will be a winner. The judges so far are ME. Other judges may volunteer, but the Judges will not be allowed to participate in the Hack-a-Thon challenge. So if you want to win, you must impress ME and any other volunteer judge. I (we) cannot be paid off in beer, but I (we) will certainly accept any that you give me (us). :) We're still working on a suitable prize. For now, the only prize is bragging rights. But there is a high degree of probability that the winner will receive a working Commodore VIC-20. I know, that's not a precious prize, but the prize correlates to the contest difficulty. I did say this contest would be simple, right? No matter. The contest is designed to invoke fun and camaraderie. Please consider and enjoy the spirit of the event for what it is... a chance to make something new from something old. Let your imagination shine! Jeff Salzman VCF Steering Committee member MARCH Workshop Manager

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RE: [vcf-midatlantic] VCF MidWest 2025
by danjfitzgerald 07 Sep '25

07 Sep '25

Case and I will be going. I'm eager to see if we can get any S/390 gear for DARE (our startup retrocomp group in Connecticut) as I'm getting very jealous of my friend who just got her own Multiprise/3000. I also am looking forward to a proper chat with the SDF/ICM guys about their S/370 and if they will let us migrate SDFVM back onto it.Regards,Dan FitzGeraldAdministrator, Classical Computing Laboratory at IBM Poughkeepsie -------- Original message --------From: Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> Date: 9/2/25 18:17 (GMT-05:00) To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> Cc: Jeffrey Brace <jeffrey(a)vcfed.org> Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] VCF MidWest 2025 So who's going to VCF Midwest next week?I will be there running VCF's 3 tables.Take care!Jeff Brace

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] vcf-midatlantic] MARCH Workshop Hack-a-Thon
by Dean Notarnicola 06 Sep '25

06 Sep '25

If I have to choose, I’d rather see the free pile go to the Hackathon. On Sat, Sep 6, 2025 at 2:44 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > So here’s a question > At 6 PM or there after > What is to be done with all of the “ junk “ > That was used for this “contest” > Are you telling the people who entered the contest with all this junk > junk? They have to take it all home. > Which is not a bad thing > However Will you have enough stuff left from the free pile at the end of > the swap meet? > Or will there not be enough for others during the swap meet? > > To make it short > If everybody else takes the junk, then there won’t be anything left for > the contest > And if people take everything for the contest that there won’t be anything > for the people at the swapmeet > > Just curious to see if anybody thought > Or maybe I’m just analyzing it too much > > > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > On Sep 6, 2025, at 2:03 PM, Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > that's a good plan :-) > > they used to do this at the HOPE festivals a long time ago, and there was > > even a guy there to sell basic IC's so you could get parts. > > Bill > > > >> On Sat, Sep 6, 2025 at 11:31 AM Jeff Salzman via vcf-midatlantic < > >> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >> > >> OK... we're trying this again. Setting up a Hack-a-Thon event at the > next > >> VCF/MARCH Workshop. > >> > >> Some of the feedback from the last attempt fell on the lines of the last > >> Hack-a-Thon proposal being too complicated. So... this one will be > simple. > >> > >> Since the October Workshop coincides with the VCF Swapmeet, the > Hack-a-Thon > >> challenge is: > >> > >> "Free Pile Fabrication!" > >> > >> Should you accept the challenge, grab stuff from the free pile at the > VCF > >> Swapmeet on October 18, 2025. Bring it to the Workshop at InfoAge in the > >> 9032A room by 2PM on that Saturday, then make something useful out of > that > >> stuff. The contest will run until 6PM on that Saturday. > >> > >> The rules are simple... release your creativity! You can't bring > something > >> and simply turn it on and expect a win. You should do your best to > renew or > >> repurpose everything you grab from the free pile and make something > better > >> from it. > >> > >> We know the kind of stuff that ends up on the free pile, so we will be > >> scrutinizing the end results. based on creativity and purpose. Sometimes > >> "junk" can be made into something better. This is your chance to prove > it. > >> > >> Don't worry, there will be a winner. The judges so far are ME. Other > judges > >> may volunteer, but the Judges will not be allowed to participate in the > >> Hack-a-Thon challenge. So if you want to win, you must impress ME and > any > >> other volunteer judge. I (we) cannot be paid off in beer, but I (we) > will > >> certainly accept any that you give me (us). :) > >> > >> We're still working on a suitable prize. For now, the only prize is > >> bragging rights. But there is a high degree of probability that the > winner > >> will receive a working Commodore VIC-20. I know, that's not a precious > >> prize, but the prize correlates to the contest difficulty. I did say > this > >> contest would be simple, right? > >> > >> No matter. The contest is designed to invoke fun and camaraderie. Please > >> consider and enjoy the spirit of the event for what it is... a chance to > >> make something new from something old. Let your imagination shine! > >> > >> Jeff Salzman > >> VCF Steering Committee member > >> MARCH Workshop Manager > >> > >

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VCF MidWest 2025
by Jeffrey Brace 04 Sep '25

04 Sep '25

So who's going to VCF Midwest next week? I will be there running VCF's 3 tables. Take care! Jeff Brace

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] VCF MidWest 2025
by Bill Degnan 04 Sep '25

04 Sep '25

Looking forward to seeing everyone at VCF MW this year. I will be arriving Friday night and will be making a b-line to the space to watch the setup. Bill On Thu, Sep 4, 2025 at 9:26 AM Ryan Stapleton via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > I will be there for my first VCF Midwest! I am looking forward to the > experience. > > I am not taking anything but a little space if I find something to bring > back. > > Thanks > -Ryan > > > On Sep 2, 2025, at 6:17 PM, Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > So who's going to VCF Midwest next week? > > I will be there running VCF's 3 tables. > > > > Take care! > > > > Jeff Brace > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] vcf-midatlantic Digest, Vol 88, Issue 3
by Bill Degnan 04 Sep '25

04 Sep '25

I wish people qualified their "greatest computer of all time" responses to "greatest home computer" or "greatest personal computer" of all time. But it's a good interview. Thanks for sharing. Bill On Thu, Sep 4, 2025 at 9:17 AM Steve Lagotte via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > If I never see Lex Fridman again it won’t be soon enough. > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > > From: Christian Liendo <cliendo(a)gmail.com> > > To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > > Cc: > > Bcc: > > Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2025 13:23:11 -0400 > > Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] LexClips Greatest computer ever made | Dave > > Plummer and Lex Fridman > > I know a few here would appreciate this. > > > > https://youtu.be/VIQ7tLuYJYk?si=ZhNkrm2bPXsw8XmS > > > > > > > > >

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Re: vcf-midatlantic Digest, Vol 88, Issue 3
by Steve Lagotte 04 Sep '25

04 Sep '25

If I never see Lex Fridman again it won’t be soon enough. > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Christian Liendo <cliendo(a)gmail.com> > To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > Cc: > Bcc: > Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2025 13:23:11 -0400 > Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] LexClips Greatest computer ever made | Dave > Plummer and Lex Fridman > I know a few here would appreciate this. > > https://youtu.be/VIQ7tLuYJYk?si=ZhNkrm2bPXsw8XmS > > > >

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IBM Punched Card Equipment
by Brian L. Stuart 03 Sep '25

03 Sep '25

Apologies in advance to anyone who gets this multiple times. I know a number of you are on more that one of these lists. I'm looking for some information on a couple of the early IBM unit record devices, in particular the Type 512A and the Type 518. Ideally, I'd like to get the mechanical dimensions in enough detail to create a CAD model. The background is that I'd like to improve the model that I'm using in my ENIAC simulator and I'm involved with a school in Arizona that's working on a project to build a full-scale model of the ENIAC. There's a letter from IBM in the ENIAC archives that suggest the use of the 512A and the 518. So I'm pretty sure those are the ones they used, but I haven't really been able to find any details about them. We've found a fair amount of information on the Type 513, and from photographs, the punch used on the machine seems similar to the 513, but is smaller. Thanks in advance, BLS

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LexClips Greatest computer ever made | Dave Plummer and Lex Fridman
by Christian Liendo 03 Sep '25

03 Sep '25

I know a few here would appreciate this. https://youtu.be/VIQ7tLuYJYk?si=ZhNkrm2bPXsw8XmS

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: time to downsize
by Bob Shuster 03 Sep '25

03 Sep '25

I’ve finally gone through all the old Apple “i“-devices I’ve accumulated, but I haven’t listed them on the website as they definitely don’t fit the “vintage” moniker. That being said, perhaps some of you might also collect these or want them for parts/nostalgia? There are a couple of 1st gen iPads, a 1st gen iPad mini, various iPods, and a handful of iPhone 5 and 6 phones. Drop me an email if you want any more details. And still plenty of other stuff left - although I’ve been slowly selling off bits and pieces on eBay. - Bob Shuster > I've been regularly marking the sold and sale pending items, thank you guys so much! And once again - many thanks to those who have adopted some of my babies so far. Please let me know if I can clarify anything or if any more photos are needed. > > The link: http://www.theshusters.com/bobvintage.html > > Please don't share without asking me. Currently just open to this group - my contact info is intentionally missing from the webpages. If you can read this, you have my email. > > Email me with questions or offers! Please don't make offers on the list, but if you want to discuss my process and feel the group would benefit, then by all means knock yourself out! :) > > Bob Shuster > > (Original message below) > ---- > Well, folks, I've gotten to the age where I need to seriously downsize my hobbies and collections, not wanting to leave it to my children to have to deal with in later years. (I had to do that recently for a relative.) On the electronics side, I've decided to concentrate on my vintage video game systems - and therefore sell off most of my vintage computer stuff. My collection includes mostly 8-bit stuff: TRS-80 Models I, IV, M100, etc. - Atari 400, 800, Portfolio, ST, etc. - C64/VIC20 - T/S1000 (including an unbuilt kit), Apple II, II+, IIe, IIe Platinum, IIgs - Wang WLTC - Mattel Aquarius - TI-99/4A - many others that I still have to dig out - plus lots of peripherals, disks, manuals, etc. Also have some newer Macs starting with a Mac Plus in an Apple carrying bag. > > I'm starting with you guys before trying to list elsewhere, although I may hit some of the dedicated FaceBorg pages (such as for Aquarius and Apple II.) I'm willing to ship some of the smaller items, but in general systems or monitors will need to be picked up here (near the Fort Washington exit of the PA Turnpike) or nearby, and cash or PayPal for payment. I may also consider trades for some of the video game stuff I'm looking for. > > It pains me to do this, but the clutter is getting out of hand, and I haven't touched most of these in years. It's time for someone else to enjoy. > > Bob Shuster > > > > > > > > > > > > >

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Help with older HP LaserJet printers
by Herbert Johnson 02 Sep '25

02 Sep '25

> I have two HP LaserJet 4P printers, both in decent condition, and both > exhibiting the same exact problem - the printer passes all self tests > and everything works perfectly EXCEPT printer output pages are > completely blank or have only the slightest sheen of gray toner > background. [on first read] I think you have a high-voltage problem. High voltage is needed to charge the drum, to accept toner where the laser scanner would be charging the drum. Electrostatic voltage is the "charge" that picks up toner. The toner is mechanically transferred to the paper, the fuser fuses the toner onto the paper. Here's my reasoning which suggests diagnostics. Caution: proceed at your own risk, I am not responsible for loss injury or damages. If the output is blank, then toner is not being deposited on the drum, and/or the drum is not transferring toner to the paper. If you stop the printer mid-cycle by opening the access to the toner cart, you might be able to pull the toner cart and examine the drum visually, see if there's toner on it, in the pattern of whatever you are printing. You might have to manually rotate the (toner cart) drum, rotate it in the direction it normally turns. My guess however, is that toner is NOT getting deposited on the drum. If it were and was not transferred, then the drum would get full of toner and eventually it would dump it on the paper. So my guess is, you won't see a toner pattern. Of course, make sure your fuser is hot. But if it wasn't, the printer would issue a fuser failure. The lack of printer error codes, suggests something that is not monitored by HP printing diagostics (not reported as an error). > The service manual suggests final step would be replacing the > high voltage board ... (possibly age > related?) failure. I saw that on second reading. Makes sense to me. Also another person posted the same conclusion, read as I was about to post this reply. age related? Maybe. Maybe, the humidity at your printer is so high, it shorts out the high-voltage "corona wire" which in most ancient HP printers the means by which the high voltage charge is put onto the drum. Maybe there's a mechanical fault that keeps high voltage from contacting the coronal wire. Maybe the wire is shorted to ground. Why both printers would have the same error might be apparent when you find the error. I suggest you stare hard at the 4P service manuals, stare hard at the printer mechs, track down the path of the high-voltage to the drum from the high voltage board. I do not know how lethal the high-voltage is, I suggest you determine that from HP documentation. I suggest you Web search for repairs on HP 4P printers around "high voltage" issues or other keywords like corona wire or whatever words HP uses. Someone will have discovered means to measure the high voltage. Don't just put your DVM on the line and expect the meter to magically tell you "1500 volts" or whatever it is - it's very LIKELY your DVM won't expect very high voltage and you'll blow it up! Don't blow up your meter. ----- Looking on eBay for HP LJ 4P thingies, I saw a scanner board for sale. I suspect if your scanner failed you'd get an error message. (the scanner includes a rotating mirror to scan the drum.) But listen for the scanner motor spinning up. See if you actually have an IR laser signal getting to the toner cart. - You know, if some piece of paper jammed in around the laser scanner or laser path, it might *block the laser* from shining on the toner drum. And you might have the same sort of jam on *both* printers. See if you can figure out how to confirm the laser is actually getting to the drum. You can't see the IR laser of course, but any *digital camera* is likely to be able to see it. And of course any smartphone camera. Use them in real time (camera viewfinder, phone screen) to observe IR light. I do that all the time when checking (ancient) TV cable IR remotes for operation/live batteries. Regards Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA https://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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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] vcf-midatlantic Digest, Vol 88, Issue 1
by bernieS 02 Sep '25

02 Sep '25

At 08:00 AM 9/2/2025, vcf-midatlantic-request(a)lists.vcfed.org wrote: >Message: 1 >Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2025 01:01:04 -0400 >From: Anthony Iannone <aiannone(a)nis.gs> >To: vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org >Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] Help with older HP LaserJet printers > >[...] > >I have two HP LaserJet 4P printers, both in decent condition, and both >exhibiting the same exact problem - the printer passes all self tests >and everything works perfectly EXCEPT printer output pages are >completely blank or have only the slightest sheen of gray toner >background. Forcing an engine test with the formatter board disconnected >yields the same results. > >I have swapped parts between printers, tried a brand new-old-stock toner >cartridge in both units, and even tried replacing the laser scanner with >a supposedly known good laser scanner assembly. None of these steps have >worked. The service manual suggests final step would be replacing the >high voltage board, but short of finding another donor printer, I >haven't been able to locate one. Having troubleshooted hundreds of HP LaserJet printers back in the day (including the HP LJ 4P) I suspect this issue is a failed high-voltage power supply. There are several vendors of new/used/refurbished HP LJ parts that you can find online, and I'd be surprised if you couldn't find that part from any of them. You could also try reseating that assy, and try yet another NOS toner cartridge. Two printers with that same HVPS issue seems unlikely. -bernieS

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Help with older HP LaserJet printers
by Anthony Iannone 02 Sep '25

02 Sep '25

Hello all, Long time lurker and reader here who has enjoyed visiting many VCF East and swap meet events. I am hoping the hive mind can assist me with solving a tricky problem I am having repairing a pair of HP LaserJet 4P printers. I have two HP LaserJet 4P printers, both in decent condition, and both exhibiting the same exact problem - the printer passes all self tests and everything works perfectly EXCEPT printer output pages are completely blank or have only the slightest sheen of gray toner background. Forcing an engine test with the formatter board disconnected yields the same results. I have swapped parts between printers, tried a brand new-old-stock toner cartridge in both units, and even tried replacing the laser scanner with a supposedly known good laser scanner assembly. None of these steps have worked. The service manual suggests final step would be replacing the high voltage board, but short of finding another donor printer, I haven't been able to locate one. I've reached the end of my ability to troubleshoot these units, and am perplexed that both appear to be suffering from the same (possibly age related?) failure. Can anyone here on the list offer any suggestions or help? I'd be happy to haul the printers to the next repair session if anyone here thinks they can further diagnose or troubleshoot the issue. Thanks in advance for any help! Warmest Regards, Anthony Iannone aiannone(a)nis.gs

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