- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Regarding Evan Koblentz and VCFed
by corey cohen 22 Dec '19

22 Dec '19

In my earlier email I mentioned the creation of a new VCFed steering committee managing the museum and the collection at InfoAge. Some of you have asked about Evan’s role in this transition. Evan has chosen to leave his official role at the Vintage Computer Federation. As a founder of our group we had hoped that Evan would continue in his role as Executive Director of the VCFed organization and as a member of the steering committee. Evan has chosen to not be a part of this new organization. We all recognize that, without Evan, there would likely not have been a VCF East. He was also responsible for so many of the artifacts in our collection that might have gone to the scrapper instead of being saved for future generations to appreciate and understand. Evan has been critical in getting out the word on our community and has been the “social media” face of VCFed. Evan has contributed so much more to our group and our hobby that it would be impossible to list it all. It is my hope that Evan will finally be able to enjoy attending VCF East instead of running it and that he will be able to exhibit his Lego robots there for us all to enjoy. We will miss Evan as we move VCFed to this new management structure and thank him for his years of service. We also would like to thank you, the members, as well for your understanding as we move forward with our commitment to being the world’s best grass roots forum for computer collectors and enthusiasts from around the world. Thank you, Cheers, Corey corey cohen uǝɥoɔ ʎǝɹoɔ Vintage Computer Federation, a federal 501c3 designated charity 917-747-1408 mobile corey(a)vcfed.org www.vcfed.org

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Regarding Evan Koblentz and VCFed
by Michael Brutman 22 Dec '19

22 Dec '19

In the interest of keeping things from escalating further please refrain from further replies to this thread. People have a right to speak and a right to defend themselves. But I think everybody will agree that doing it by email while emotions are still raw is not a good way to do it. Let's at least have a cooling off period ... it's just too easy to yell past each other and do further damage. Mike

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Dirty Laundry
by David Riley 22 Dec '19

22 Dec '19

Could we not? I'm all for transparency, but batting recriminations back and forth doesn't move anything forward or fix anything that might be broken. Just my $0.02. - Dave

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Regarding Evan Koblentz and VCFed
by laurakid 22 Dec '19

22 Dec '19

Evan, I understand why you are angry and don’t disagree. I know you created this. But I also know (and so do you) that you are not one who is flexible to accepting others’ opinions. Now that VCF is what it is, and is bigger than you, that flexibility is required. I agree with those who ask that you try to roll with it and not take it as a coup. People want to work WITH you. It’s not just yours anymore and can’t grow if it is. You can’t manage it by yourself. And if you want the help of others you have to be willing to accept their input and be flexible to new ideas. In short, you have to be a team player. Respecfully and hopefully correctly understood, Laura Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone On Saturday, December 21, 2019, 7:19 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: There was no hack.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Regarding Evan Koblentz and VCFed
by Dave McGuire 22 Dec '19

22 Dec '19

On 12/21/19 5:57 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > I advise everyone not to trust Jeff Brace. I did, and the result > is he goes on here and lies about me. Playing drama games has > always been his M.O., and I got a lot of complaints about him > from members in the last couple of years. At this point I'm guessing Evan did something with Windows and his email got hacked. This grammar and sentence structure doesn't even sound like him. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Regarding Evan Koblentz and VCFed
by Evan Koblentz 22 Dec '19

22 Dec '19

There was no hack.

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A top ten list
by Evan Koblentz 21 Dec '19

21 Dec '19

Jeff said I abhor and resist change. - Starting VCF East in NJ: my idea - Adding the Friday classes: my idea - Exhibiting at HOPE: my idea - Exhibiting at Maker Faire: my idea - Getting support from ACM: my idea - Getting support from IEEE: my idea - Cozying up to Bell Labs: my idea - Becoming a real non-profit: my idea - Merging with VC Forum: my idea - Bringing back VCF West: my idea Bonus: the last thing I did before resigning was propose a radical rearranging of the museum exhibits. Dean can vouch for this. Does that all sound like someone who abhors and resists change?

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Regarding Evan Koblentz and VCFed
by Evan Koblentz 21 Dec '19

21 Dec '19

I advise everyone not to trust Jeff Brace. I did, and the result is he goes on here and lies about me. Playing drama games has always been his M.O., and I got a lot of complaints about him from members in the last couple of years.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] I'm resigning
by David Riley 20 Dec '19

20 Dec '19

I’d second basically all of this. > On Dec 18, 2019, at 23:28, Bill Dromgoole via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Evan, I am sorry to hear that you have resigned. > I think we need you. > You are not unappreciated. > Please don’t be bitter. > Many people are used to not always getting their way. > We win some and lose some but we have to continue to fight on for our views. > Please reconsider. > How can you quit after fifteen years of struggle? > Try to adapt. > > Bill Dromgoole > > > > From: Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic > Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2019 4:28 PM > To: vcf-midatlantic > Cc: Evan Koblentz > Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] I'm resigning > > Fifteen years of blood, sweat, and digital tears ... totally unappreciated > by various people in recent changes to VCF so-called leadership. > > Ben, you changed my life for the better when you loaned your Lego robotics > kit. I thank you for that. > > Anyone can reach me at evan(a)snarc.net. > > Anyone who wants to know why I feel driven out could ask the other > "leaders" who think they know better than me. > > Basically there is no point in staying if it stopped being fun and too many > other people want to fuck with the vision. > > Maybe one day I will start a new endeavor. > >> On Wed, Dec 18, 2019, 4:14 PM Ben Greenfield via vcf-midatlantic < >> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >> >> Evan, >> >> This is horrible news and we deserve a better resignation/explanation then >> this. >> >> I have no doubt it was a lot of work… >> >> Thank you, >> >> Ben >> >>> On Dec 18, 2019, at 4:10 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < >> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >>> >>> So long and thanks for all the fish. >> >> >

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VCF Mid-Atlantic Steering Committee
by Dean Notarnicola 20 Dec '19

20 Dec '19

All, As some of you already are aware from Corey's previous email and the Festivus announcement, VCF has formed a new governance and operations steering committee. This committee will be operating under a set of principles laid out in a charter that is under development and will be circulated to the list membership before the end of the year. With this new committee, our goal is to operate efficiently, openly and for the best interest of VCF, its membership and our visitors. The overarching goal of the committee is the care and maintenance of VCF-MA facilities and artifacts, in accordance with VCF’s overall mission of preservation and education. As well, we aim to operate as transparently as possible, communicating on a regular basis, as well as soliciting feedback, advice and critiques from our membership. The committee will initially consist of five members (four until we fill a currently vacant seat), including myself as committee chairman. At least two of these seats will come up for election next year, and we will invite the membership to nominate candidates at that time. For those of you unfamiliar, I'd like to introduce them to you here. They have all been active and significant contributors to VCF and will contribute even more in the coming year. Andrew Diller (andrew.diller(a)vcfed.org) is a technology professional living in Philadelphia, working for a large telecom firm while trying to balance family life and his obsession with Silicon Graphics workstations. He is committed to increasing member involvement in VCF events. Adam Michlin (adam.michlin(a)vcfed.org) serves as the Director of Technology and Computer Science Teacher at Golda Och Academy in West Orange, NJ and as an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at Drew University in Madison, NJ. His interests in vintage computers are wide and varied, but his primary missions are to educate the next generation about vintage computers and to teach the world how to program in 6502 assembly. Tony Bogan (tony.bogan(a)vcfed.org) is a fourth generation boat captain at Bogan's Deep Sea Fishing Center in Brielle, NJ. His introduction to computers started in the late 70's with the arrival of his first Apple II, and his passion for vintage computers started when he attended his first VCF East in 2014 and realized his first computers, like himself, were now "vintage." He has been an active VCF member and museum docent for almost 6 years, during which time he has committed himself to expanding and improving the VCF museum, VCF as a whole, and the public's involvement with and interest in vintage computing. Dean Notarnicola (dean.notarnicola(a)vcfed.org) is Director of Solutions Architecture for Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. in Basking Ridge, NJ. His vintage computing background began in 1979 when he purchased a TRS-80 Model I for his 14th birthday, and his passion for vintage computers has continued ever since. Dean first joined VCF (formerly MARCH) in 2014 and joined the local chapter board in 2016. As mentioned above, we would like to hear any comments, concerns, questions and suggestions. Please feel free to email any or all of us directly. We have some ambitious projects lined up this year that we hope will improve the quality of the museum experience for everyone. To help do so, we sincerely ask for everyone's help and input. We have a great team, but what we can accomplish is nothing compared to what we can all do together. We look forward to a great year. Regards, Dean Notarnicola Committee chair, VCF-MA dean.notarnicola(a)vcfed.com

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Happy Holidays from the VCF Board and an announcement...
by corey cohen 19 Dec '19

19 Dec '19

Greetings, First let me say Happy Holidays to everyone here on the list. Many of you know me as the Apple-1 guy, but I’m actually the Treasurer and a founder of the Vintage Computer Federation along with Evan Koblentz and Jeff Brace. I was the one who personally worked with our attorney and accountant to get our 501c3 charity status which has benefited the hobby tremendously and allowed us to give back more to the community. Over the years a great many changes have taken place at VCFed. We have expanded our activities beyond the mid-atlantic area to directly host shows in Seattle and Silicon Valley. We have brought on new board members and merged with other organizations such as taking over Erik Klein’s vintage-computer.com <http://vintage-computer.com/> website forums, the largest and most active vintage computer forum on the internet. We have though our outreach worked with museums and other vintage computer shows around the world. For those of you who do not visit our governance page at vcfed.org <http://vcfed.org/>, I’d like to briefly reintroduce our board of directors. Erik Klein - Many of you already know Erik, he lives in Silicon Valley and was one of the early founders of our hobby and of the vintage computer community. Erik is also the show runner for VCF West at the Computer History Museum in MountainView California. Mike Brutman - If you are a member of the PCjr community or frequent the VCFed.org <http://vcfed.org/> forums you know Mike. Mike is also the author of the most popular TCP/IP application for DOS (mTCP). Mike lives in the Seattle area and is the show runner for VCF Pacific Northwest at the Living Computer Museum in Seattle. Dag Spicer - For those really interested in the history of vintage computers, you will know Dag from his role as senior curator at the Computer History Museum in MountainView California. Dag’s extensive experience and knowledge have helped us really step up our game. Jeff Brace - If you have been to a workshop, you know Jeff. Jeff lives near Infoage in NJ and basically organizes and runs all our workshops at InfoAge and has been the main project manager for VCF East for the past few years. I am also a member of the board. If you want to learn more about the board members and our experience, please visit http://vcfed.org/wp/about/governance/ <http://vcfed.org/wp/about/governance/> Recently VCFed began the process to make a major change to how the activities at InfoAge are run by instituting a steering committee. This committee comprised of local VCF members will allow us to grow beyond one person making all the decisions about the museum and warehouse. The committee is currently working on their charter and governance rules which will allow the membership to be more involved in the decision making processes. We announced the committee at our Festivus party earlier this month. I do believe it is the intention of the steering committee to begin the migration process to have elections for positions by this time next year. They are currently working on their bylaws and mission statement, but have already taken over many of the day to day activities at the museum and warehouse since they were generally the people who were performing these tasks anyway. I will introduce one member here, Dean Notarnicola who is the chairman of the new Steering Committee. Dean will be sending an introduction email out to everyone explaining the new committee in more details. Thank you and have a very happy holiday… Cheers, Corey corey cohen uǝɥoɔ ʎǝɹoɔ Vintage Computer Federation, a federal 501c3 designated charity corey(a)vcfed.org www.vcfed.org

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Holiday gifts your family will understand
by Herb Johnson 19 Dec '19

19 Dec '19

http://www.sunrise-ev.com/projects.htm#tree This is a gift I've given in years past. It's a simple kit to solder up, and it's a satisfying result. Unlike other "blinky LED" products, this is one you could have built in 1975; so it's vintage. It operates CMOS logic inverters as capacitor/resistor monostables (timers). And, the earliest versions I have from Lee Hart are on PC boards he made in his basement, by *drawing* the circuits with a resist pen. My card dates from 1987, it was his Christmas card for that year. Wow, 32 years ago! and we still fight! That's friendship. ;) Regards and good holidays, Herb -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT info

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Kennet Classic Workshop 1/4/2020
by Bill Degnan 19 Dec '19

19 Dec '19

All, Politics aside we have computers to restore, people. This is a reminder about the Kennett Classic workshop on 1/4/20-, mark your calendars. https://www.kennettclassic.com/events/ A lot of you have signed up on the meetup.com site, including new people from the local area (Kennett Square). Some will need help, experts are welcome. Seating preference will go to those who sign up on meetup.com or RSVP to me via the web site contact form. We can host about 20. Here is a blast from the past (workshop) ten years ago at my old office: http://vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=310 (Dan Roganti and I organized a CP/M-themed workshop) Bill

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] I'm resigning
by Glenn Roberts 19 Dec '19

19 Dec '19

The governance structure of the VCF 501c3 is on the web: http://vcfed.org/wp/about/governance/ I agree it would be great to see more transparency from the board on governance topics for the group - vision, priorities, budgets, investments and other decisions. Before retiring I served for almost 20 years as a research director for a large non-profit (also a 501c3) research and engineering company in Northern VA. I can say from that experience that communication, transparency and input from constituents are critical elements of organizational governance. I also served in a voluntary capacity for a number of organizations (FIRST Lego League, Boy Scouts of America, and our local Homeowners Association) and I found those volunteer efforts to be much more stressful, so I fully sympathize with what I imagine Evan may be going through. Though, by chance, Evan and I still haven't had an opportunity to meet in person, from what I know from these postings and observing a few of the VCF events he has been consistently a strong leader and a passionate proponent of our cause. I certainly hope that the Board fulfills its duties and works to resolve any personal differences within its ranks. We all share a passion for the preservation of computing history. I truly believe that, but for the efforts of groups like VCF, much of this critical history would be lost forever. Our mission is too important to be jeopardized by personal disagreements. * Glenn From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic-bounces(a)lists.vcfed.org> On Behalf Of Ben Greenfield via vcf-midatlantic Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2019 6:57 AM To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> Cc: Ben Greenfield <ben(a)cogs.com>; Evan Koblentz <evan(a)vcfed.org> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] I'm resigning

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] I'm resigning
by jaj＠totallyamused.com 19 Dec '19

19 Dec '19

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] I'm resigning
by Evan Koblentz 19 Dec '19

19 Dec '19

Fifteen years of blood, sweat, and digital tears ... totally unappreciated by various people in recent changes to VCF so-called leadership. Ben, you changed my life for the better when you loaned your Lego robotics kit. I thank you for that. Anyone can reach me at evan(a)snarc.net. Anyone who wants to know why I feel driven out could ask the other "leaders" who think they know better than me. Basically there is no point in staying if it stopped being fun and too many other people want to fuck with the vision. Maybe one day I will start a new endeavor. On Wed, Dec 18, 2019, 4:14 PM Ben Greenfield via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Evan, > > This is horrible news and we deserve a better resignation/explanation then > this. > > I have no doubt it was a lot of work… > > Thank you, > > Ben > > > On Dec 18, 2019, at 4:10 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > So long and thanks for all the fish. > >

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I'm resigning
by Evan Koblentz 18 Dec '19

18 Dec '19

So long and thanks for all the fish.

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How to best store vintage ICs
by Herb Johnson 18 Dec '19

18 Dec '19

Henry S. Courbis (and others) suggest "antistatic foam is better than nothing" and suggests sealed antistatic bags to store the antistat'ed ICs. Also suggested are antistatic IC tubes, which Bill Degnan correctly states are superior. But many people (including Henry, myself) end up, piling chips in black anti-stat foam "in a shoebox", as he posts. I'm not ragging on Henry; everyone has these problems and uses the solutions reasonably available. Or we inherit collections of chips stored this way. Due to my age it's clear to me, these are serious problems over a few decades. Since many vintage computers and components are 40, 50 or more years old, it's a more serious problem for those things. Some science and engineering of materials comes into play when dealing with old IC's and their storage. If such discussions are not of interest, stop reading here. http://www.retrotechnology.com/restore/res_ithaca.html I don't have a specific Web page, about problems with "black rust" AKA "silver oxide". But many have observed that certain TI (Texas Instrument) IC's from the 1980's 90's have had IC pins turn black and become brittle. In sockets these IC's must be replaced; soldered in they seem to mostly perform OK (until they don't). Other ICs in general may suffer similar brittle-rust-pin problems. I don't have a factual scientific finding on the chemistry of the problem But there's no doubt problems occur for certain runs, brands, and eras of IC's. Solutions to the old chips that rust-out? one simply avoids them. They now stand out with their black and sometimes brittle "legs". My expedient (described on the Web page cited) was to use De-Oxit per pin and socket and pray. Antistatic-plastic tubes are available and not overly expensive in bulk. One accumulates these or just buys them. Replacement every few decades is simply a fact, because they *break up* otherwise. Other than the tube's decay, I'm not aware they cause other problems. I and others have seen chips, stored for decades in antistatic foam, fall apart when pulled out. We have all seen such foam become dust or mud. So, it's a problem. I'll detail what I know. I did some research several years ago about the nature of black antistatic foam. I had to recover chips stored since the 1970's in black foam in a cardboard box; others were packaged in individual little hard-plastic containers, also with black foam. The classic conductive material in these foams, appears to be carbon-black. Some carbon-black is produced by burning (with acids I believe) *sugar*. Consequently, some resulting carbon black contains sugar and acid. Over time and in the presence of oxygen and moisture, these contribute to *corrosion*. And over decades, the base material of anti-static "foam" degrades, as does almost any plastic. When these anti-static foams are cheaply produced, these problems seem to occur sooner. Antistatic foam is intended to be a temporary storage, generally, for transport. I'm sure someone with more industrial knowledge, can inform me about long-term storage methods. I'm generally aware, those involve sealed plastic and antistatic or conductive baggies. There's likely other and better (or worse) materials used in storage in recent years. Among the decades-old ICS, I observed there was much less damage among the individual containers than in the "black foam in a box" items. I hypothesize that the somewhat sealed containers reduced oxygen and moisture exposure. I left those items alone. The chips stored in sheets of crumbling black foam? As an expedient, I repackaged them in "aluminum wool" sheets and sealed anti-stat bags. "aluminum wool" is like steel wool, only made from aluminum. It was awful, cheaply made, crumbly stuff. But it wont' rust or induce rust in other metals, and it provides conductive protection. Instead of 'cardboard boxes" I used acid-free archival boxes. Most cardboard is full of acids, from the paper-making process. Again - these choices were an expedient of time and cost. I didn't and don't have cheap solutions to these "black-foam" problems; but I've not looked lately. I'm glad the subject came up for discussion (if anyone has read this far). I don't know of a better and relatively cheap material to use as an antistatic embedded "pad", than the black (and pink) foamed plastics in current use. It seems prudent to replace the foam every several years, and to sealed-bag such things: yet I don't follow my own advice out of convenience. Conductive tubes are reasonable for batches of like chips; inconvenient for individual chips. IF somone has factual/engineering data about some modern material alternatives, I'd love to hear about it. Don't forget the material facts. 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 retrotechnology DOT info

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] How to best store vintage ICs
by Jeffrey Jonas 18 Dec '19

18 Dec '19

I'd say tin boxes are best. Naturally conductive. I use AOL tins but they're no longer free in your mailbox :-/ Altoid/mint tins are fine, after cleaning. After that, consider chip rails. That's what the manufacturers use. Never any residue or chip fouling. JUST SAY NO TO FOAM! Bad foam damaged my vintage chips by corroding the pins so much that some fell off :-( -- jeff jonas

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How to best store vintage ICs
by John Heritage 18 Dec '19

18 Dec '19

Hey folks, I'm looking for some advice. I have a number of old CPUs -- 8088s, a few 286's, some 486s and early Pentiums sitting in a box stuck in some packing foam from years ago. I'd like to store these a little better as some now have bent pins and they're a little haphazardly in the box. I kept most of these because these (at least pre-Pentium) CPUs were keepsakes from my BBS that didn't go to Microsoft and Novell when they raided my BBS :). What's a better way to store these? I assume just get some anti static foam of some kind from Amazon or another source (Mouser?). I see some plastic boxes with anti static foam in them that seem like a decent idea for keeping them protected.. Thanks.. John

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3.5" Floppy Belts
by Ryan Burke 17 Dec '19

17 Dec '19

Hi all, I have some internal laptop 3.5" floppy drives that need belts, and I can't seem to find any. Does anyone have any suggestions of where to find them? Thanks, Ryan

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Repair Workshops January 2020
by Jeffrey Brace 16 Dec '19

16 Dec '19

Signup Sheets: January 4, 2020 : Kennett Square, PA. at Bill Degnan's Kennett Classic Let him know that you are coming: Website: <https://www.kennettclassic.com/> January 25 & 26, 2020: InfoAge CDL Hackerspace building 9059 < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LmYNLLK6CEOLCeOQCClhe1J20gpmVlyzmSs… > -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Museum Report 2019-12-15 December, 15, 2019
by Jeffrey Brace 15 Dec '19

15 Dec '19

Today was very busy with lots of visitors due to the model train holiday show. So I was busy from 2:30 to 4:30 almost continuously. One visitor was one of the RESISTORS and came with his son, so I showed him the PDP 8 and told him the history of it. The father corrected some of the story. Also met a guy who was best friends with Ken Thompson's son. So a very interesting day with a range of visitors and interest levels. Tony and Adam were here also removing the Featured Artifact (Cannon Cat) and replacing it with a BeBox. Tony and Adam also worked on other museum warehouse stuff. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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OT: Do we have a VARIAC in the VCF/CDL lab?
by Martin Flynn 14 Dec '19

14 Dec '19

Camp Evans had a bit of an electrical supply issue a few weeks ago, so the usual suspects from CDL are deploying a power quality / power loss alarming system. ANSI C84.1-2011 states that 197.6 to 218.4 VAC is the acceptable voltage range on our service type (120/208 3ø AC) I need a way to simulate an out of range voltage in order to confirm the trigger relays operate as intended Martin Flynn

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Post Festivus notes and questions
by Herb Johnson 13 Dec '19

13 Dec '19

> When mentioning the nice new Processor poster on Saturday I'd like to > note that a visitor said it was pretty but was so small it was > impossible to read. Lots of discussion about a magnifier, reading glasses, etc. for a large poster with tiny print, which resides outside the VCFed InfoAge museum. I retain the subject-line for continuity. I think the primary point of the poster in-place, is to suggest the extensive history. Not to document every bit for every visitor who is interested. While magnifiers and better lighting have merits, I have additional suggestions. 1) Post nearby, a Web link, maybe also a QRL-code or whatever-the-hell they call those blocky-things that 'phones can scan, to the Web site of the producer of the poster. If the Museum is producing a take-away document for visitors, include a reference there. 2) If said poster is of interest, perhaps the Museum can offer some for sale? For the usual reasons museums do that. 3) Make available to docents (or whatever VCFed calls museum volunteers on duty), a form of the poster in larger type, in booklet form. Those interested can request a look at the booklet for detailed reading. This may also encourage sales of the poster. I presume, the effort to enlarge, paginate and print one copy is not onerous. The Museum has a color printer; I presume a PDF of the poster is available. All this said: this poster is not the product of the VCFed, it's an item bought for display and for purpose. But let's "feed the hungry bee". If visitors show interest in the item, the VCFed might consider making copies available, provide a more readable version on-site, and glean income from doing so. As for a magnifier, they and a string are available for some few dollars. But they could become a nuisance for any kid that wants to use it as a tether-ball. I think my suggestions are accommodations which serve the purpose; plus offer revenue and/or take-homes for visitors. My several cents, Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing

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Repair Workshops 2020
by Jeffrey Brace 13 Dec '19

13 Dec '19

Two repair workshops in January: One is at Bill Degan's "Kennett Classic" in Kennett, PA on January 4 The other is at InfoAge on January 25 & 26 in the CDL Hackerspace. There is a limit of 20 tables at one time, so be sure to sign up to guarantee a table. Signup Sheets: January 4, 2020 : Kennett, PA. at Bill Degnan's Kennett Classic Let him know that you are coming: <https://www.vintagecomputer.net/contact.cfm> or Meetup Group: <https://www.meetup.com/Kennett-Classic/events/266463968/> Facebook: <https://www.facebook.com/kennettclassiccomp> Website: < https://www.kennettclassic.com/> January 25 & 26, 2020: InfoAge CDL Hackerspace building 9059 < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LmYNLLK6CEOLCeOQCClhe1J20gpmVlyzmSs… > February 15 & 16, 2020: Hunt Valley, MD at Bob Roswell's System Source: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cVBh27hzT1P53BCorZXcK3cZQVwPtwWLLX6… > March 7 & 8, 2020: InfoAge CDL Hackerspace building 9059: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DySkGulduRUxJuPwK2RUEdP_yKD8YiDEn7K… > April 4 & 5, 2020: InfoAge CDL Hackerspace building 9059 < https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VTM4R1HBKCcal7FAG_SslXv4jPAyuvygIkVErAKTp… > -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Kind of off subject: Need Help running cable for VCF
by Martin Flynn 12 Dec '19

12 Dec '19

Hi Folks, * CDL has the network cable to support building 9010 in place. We could use a hand running the network cables from the VCF area into the next "H" section (9010B) Would be a total of three cable, two for cameras in the hallway, and one to the firewall in the VCF rack * Other projects include cutting unistrut and mounting the rack on the brick wall in 9010B. We scheduled for December 21st, starting around 11:00 AM Off list replies prefer to prese the S/N radio of the list. Martin Flynn

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Reforming capacitors
by Herb Johnson 12 Dec '19

12 Dec '19

Bill S. says: "The only issue was that all of the [Processor Tech SOL] unregulated S-100 supplies were out of spec. This turns out to be a design issue, with a specific engineering note to address it (adding a bucking transformer) which I applied." - end quote Bill, for those not in-the-know: a "bucking transformer" reduces AC voltage by turning a transformer into an autoformer; by connecting the secondary in reverse and in series with the primary, to reduce the output voltage. One can also use a reducing transformer of course. That's too brief but some Web searching will explain further. Point being: many vintage computers of the 70's which use dem big transformers, expect line voltage to be 110 volts. Modern AC line voltage may be 120 volts; mine is about 122. I've had Heath/Zenith H89's blow up their regulator tantalums because the unregulated DC to their little DC regulators, exceeded the voltage ratings! Again, review H89 schematics for details. And of course, S-100 computers with non-switching power supplies and only a few S-100 cards to power, often produce excessively high unregulated DC voltages to the S-100 card DC regulators. As in IMSAI. I too have had to either a reducing transformer, rig a 12V AC transformer to "buck", and/or upgrade tantalum caps to higher voltage ratings (or replace same when they shorted). Or, just run the thing off a Variac. This was a good discussion. I will capture it for future reference, and possibly ask the participants privately if I can include their notes on my Web site; where I have similar information. Regards, Herb "pop!" 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 retrotechnology DOT info

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Kennett Classic Workshop 1/4/2020
by Bill Degnan 12 Dec '19

12 Dec '19

If you're interested in attending the vintage computing workshop at KC 1/4/2020 please let me know via https://www.vintagecomputer.net/contact.cfm or the meetup group I created, signup here: https://www.meetup.com/Kennett-Classic/events/266463968/ https://www.facebook.com/kennettclassiccomp https://www.kennettclassic.com/ Moving forward Jeff Brace and I are going to talk about coordinating our workshops and possibly hosting a VCFed workshop at Kennett Classic. For directions and hours https://www.kennettclassic.com/ Bill

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VCF Mid-Atlantic Calendar Updated
by Jeffrey Brace 12 Dec '19

12 Dec '19

I updated the events on the Calendar: http://vcfed.org/wp/groups/vcf-mid-atlantic/vcf-mid-atlantic-calendar/ -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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February Repair Workshop at System Source in Maryland
by Jeffrey Brace 11 Dec '19

11 Dec '19

The Vintage Computer Federation and the System Source Computer Museum are hosting a vintage computer workshop on Saturday February 15th and Sunday February 16th 2020 at: System Source Computer Museum 338 Clubhouse Road, Hunt Valley, MD 21031 Plenty of free parking, short walk from Baltimore’s light rail (Gilroy Road Stop) We will open at 10AM on Saturday February 15th, 2020 and will lock up by midnight. We will open at 10AM on Sunday February 16h and lock up at 6:00PM Accommodations: Try https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g41196-Hunt_Valley_Maryland-Hotels.html Feel free to talk with others about sharing a room. Food: There are plenty of restaurants within a short drive. We will have catered Indian buffet on Saturday at cost ($12.00?) and catered Barbecue ($12.00?) on Sunday for those who sign up. We will feature tours of the museum throughout both days and several mini-workshops: - Retrobright workshop (bring your yellowed plastics) - Pre-industrial computing class - Learn to use a slide rule, and various types of Abaci - Hot Metal Typesetting (3500 lb word processor) If you need a machine to work on, please let me know. We have lots of computers awaiting restoration! If you have unusual needs, (220 Volts, fork lift, etc please email Bob Roswell at museum(a)syssrc.com Bob Roswell broswell(a)syssrc.com https://museum.syssrc.com 410-771-5544 x 4336 Here is the signup sheet: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cVBh27hzT1P53BCorZXcK3cZQVwPtwWLLX6… > ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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MD event in February?
by Blake Patterson 11 Dec '19

11 Dec '19

I hear there is a gathering in February in Maryland. The calendar page is throwing a 503 right now, so can't see details. Is there info out there on this? I am fairly local to this. Thanks. bp :: bytecellar.com

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Festivus Thank You everyone to another successful year!
by Jeffrey Brace 11 Dec '19

11 Dec '19

Thanks to all the 60+ people that showed up to Festivus! It is a labor of love to create this event for everyone and enjoy camaraderie. It was the largest gathering we have had. Even the Americorps volunteers had fun joining us with food and games, and Cards Against Humanity. Thank you to Andy, Dmitry, Tony and others helping to setup at the beginning. Thank you Ian for all the effort in bringing and setting up the vintage games! Thank you Christian and many others for helping me cleaning up. I was pleasantly surprised to find that by 5PM, 95% of the cleanup was done. I got out of there by 6PM! It made my job a lot easier to have so many hands pitching in. Thanks to Bernie S for cooking the Perogies. Thanks to Jonthan for helping me cooking. It was extreme cooking on a vintage grill! ;) Thanks to Adam and Tony for setting up the VCF sell pile. VCF received lots of donations from everyone and that will help support projects in the museum. I hope that everyone got a chance to see the improvements in the museum, if not, then maybe at the next workshop. I was glad that the 12 sales tables worked out for everyone. Thanks to Christian Liendo for sharing the Commodore Amiga video and showing to us. The quick announcement turned town meeting was a great way for everyone to tell us ideas, ask questions and tell us what's on your minds. Let us know if you want us to again next year or a different time of year. Lots of great input. The Sunday breakfast at the OB diner worked out well. We will do it again next year. Please let me know what you liked, and if you want to suggest improvements, then e-mail me privately. I'm always looking for constructive criticism. Next workshop is January 25 & 26 at InfoAge in the CDL building. VCF East is April 24, 25, 26. I hope to see everyone again soon and that we all have a great 2020! -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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the VCF iMac G3 doorstop: it works!
by CJ Reha 11 Dec '19

11 Dec '19

Somehow I ended up with the infamous iMac doorstop over the weekend during the Festivus festivities, so I figured I'd plug it in to see what happened. It actually works! Someone stole the RAM at some point, but I just plugged some random sticks I found on the top of the stack and it booted straight into Mac OS 9. There are some pretty prevalent monitor problems, it appears only the red gun is working and the picture is smeary, but the fact it even boots at all is pretty entertaining. I might lug it with me and display it next year if my exhibit idea works out. It's an interesting piece of VCF history, methinks. Img: https://i.imgur.com/sVyOUgD.jpg (pardon the horrible quality) -CJ

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] the VCF iMac G3 doorstop: it works!
by Tony Bogan 10 Dec '19

10 Dec '19

That was supposed to read “I don’t think it actually had anything to do with VCF” not “it actually had nothing to do with VCF.” Ugh, that’s what I get for not checking dictation and answering emails while trying to do something else. Lesson learned (again) hopefully for the last time! Tony Sent from my iPhone > On Dec 9, 2019, at 9:41 PM, Tony Bogan via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > <mime-attachment>

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Post Festivus notes and questions
by Neil Cherry 09 Dec '19

09 Dec '19

When mentioning the nice new Processor poster on Saturday I'd like to note that a visitor said it was pretty but was so small it was impossible to read. While he was older than I am I have to agree that I'd need really good glasses to see the processors. 2 suggestions, if we can we may want to see if we can get brighter lighting on posters and perhaps some way of magnifying the poster. BTW, the poster is very cool. Someone said they had a CoCo 1 case, please contact me at ncherry(a)linuxha.com. I am interested. On the boards I had with me at Festivus, the Motorola Boards do not have DAT (Digital Address translation) but it may be possible to add them with a bit of digital trickery. I'm researching this now. Dean did you have the information on the connectors for the EXORbus? I did a a search of ebay and found 2 devices but not the connectors. David Weins (of Sardis Technology fame) shared some documentation on the Motorola Modules. I now have most of the memory map for one of the boards I had there. He's also shared information on a CMS MPU board (not at Festivus) and his Sardis ST2900s (also not as Festivus). On the subject of conservation do we have a guide? I think that last word was this was being worked on. I've got the normal questions on copyright and how we copy some things like documentation in book form (assuming we have permission). I have lots of loose pages I can convert to PDF from my multi-function printer. But I don't want to shred a manual in book form. I've also data manuals from the 1980s that are several inches thick. It would be nice to know how to resize the pages to pf. And Herb and I discussed briefly copying from a book with a special device made for books that takes photos with a camera. -- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry(a)linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies

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Post Festivus: Thank You!
by svcatitc＠aol.com 09 Dec '19

09 Dec '19

To all the management, docents, setup and pulldown crews who made 2019 Festivus a success: MANY Thank You's for your efforts.And to all to donated home cooked food, Many Thank You's for the great taste. To all who participated with thoughtful and insightful input to the spontaneous "town hall" meeting we had Saturday night, thank you. Also. I was watching the clock as the conversation progressed and noted to myself, "this is great and unprecedented!", as we have not spent a good 2+ hours discussing the future of our group in maybe "forever" A lot of good points raised. The steering committee, I believe will go far in the health and wellness of the group. It was great seeing everyone again. Happy Holidays. Thanks Again to All; And to all a Good Night. Bill Inderrieden

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Back at Infoage at 11 or so
by Jeffrey Brace 08 Dec '19

08 Dec '19

Weez guys should all be back by 11 or so. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Festivus Sunday Breakfast
by Jeffrey Brace 08 Dec '19

08 Dec '19

9AM OB Diner 1519 Richmond Ave Point Pleasant Beach, NJ Let me know if you are coming. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Reforming capacitors
by Mike Loewen 07 Dec '19

07 Dec '19

Before I reform the large electrolytics in my Sol 20, I'd like to poll the collective as to the recommended procedure. I have a constant voltage/constant current DC supply, so I can set voltage and current limits. For those of you who have done this, what's your procedure? For a constant voltage/constant current supply, do you need a resistor in series with the cap? If so, typical value? What's the recommended max current during the reforming process? I've seen recommendations of 50ma and 100ma. What percentage of the working voltage do you initially take it to? How much do you raise it after the current drops? How long do you let it sit at each stage? I'm interested in hearing from folks who have actually done this, with a constant voltage/constant current supply. Thanks for your input! Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Reforming capacitors
by Michael Thompson 07 Dec '19

07 Dec '19

> > Date: Sat, 7 Dec 2019 00:11:34 -0500 (EST) > From: Mike Loewen <mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us> > Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] Reforming capacitors > > Before I reform the large electrolytics in my Sol 20, I'd like to poll > the > collective as to the recommended procedure. I have a constant > voltage/constant > current DC supply, so I can set voltage and current limits. For those of > you > who have done this, what's your procedure? > > Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us > Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/ At the RICM we typically current limit the supply to 100mA, and set the voltage limit to about 10% of the operational voltage. When the current falls to nearly nothing we increase the voltage another 10%. For very large electrolytics (60,000 uF) we had to leave them on the power supply for up to a week to get maximum capacitance. We also found that we get higher capacitance when reforming them at the operational voltage, and not at the rated voltage. -- Michael Thompson

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Festivus greeting
by Evan Koblentz 07 Dec '19

07 Dec '19

Some of you may recall our traditional Festivus greeting which began two or three years ago. We won't write it on this list. Either you know it, or you'll find out this weekend. :) Evan Koblentz Executive Director, Vintage Computer Federation evan(a)vcfed.org / (646) 546-9999 www.vcfed.org @vcfederation

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Atari 1050 disk drive needed
by thedestructionchannel2000 07 Dec '19

07 Dec '19

Hello all - Would anyone happen to have an Atari 1050 disk drive/power brick I could borrow for Fesitvus? I am in the process of testing the two machines I'm bringing to display and have discovered neither of my 1050 disk drives power on. The power brick measures ok with no load, but it drops to zero as soon as I plug it in to the drive itself. I'm not sure if the problem lies with the drive or the power brick and I'm not sure I have enough time to figure out as I am leaving in a few hours.Thanks so much.CJ

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] festivus gaming
by dillera＠gmail.com 07 Dec '19

07 Dec '19

Here is the map I made so far, working on coming up with the room descriptions and what sort of puzzles to put in here. Def something with computers of course, and maybe some trains.... https://i.imgur.com/FJz1QEe.png <https://i.imgur.com/FJz1QEe.png> -andy

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Festivus Docents Schedule
by Jeffrey Brace 07 Dec '19

07 Dec '19

Please sign up to be docent for an hour or two during Festivus. Signup sheet is here: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RsBm7PmAj1BnJtLfB-WfeYSQeA12LfFuP1n… > It's important that someone is there because of the holiday model train show brings in a lot of people. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Festivus Parking
by Jeffrey Brace 07 Dec '19

07 Dec '19

*PARKING:* InfoAge management wants us to park inside the campus, in a neat orderly row, between the Festivus building and the CDL hackerspace building (9059). The main parking lot remains available for guests of the Holiday Model Train Show. DO NOT COST INFOAGE MONEY! by leaving it open to confuse paying guests. Always close it behind you when you enter/exit, EVEN IF IT WAS ALREADY OPEN! Make note of where you need to park. THIS IS IMPORTANT! <https://drive.google.com/open?id=11oP4h286hPD1dJYHNa6sx7iOEIG84GXy> -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Festivus Location
by Jeffrey Brace 07 Dec '19

07 Dec '19

*LOCATION:* InfoAge Building 9010-D (Sandy Recovery Area)- (2201 Marconi Road, Wall Township, NJ) - It will be straight ahead once you enter through the gate. The door is marked Sandy Recovery and is up the steps. Door code is 6502. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Festivus - Items for Sale
by Lou 07 Dec '19

07 Dec '19

>OK. Lou. I can't guarantee a table as we are filled up at this point. >Depending on how the tables turn out, I may be able to supply you one, but won't know until setup time on Saturday. It's completely fine. Plus I talked to someone who has a table who offered me to half it if I want to. As for my items for sale/considering to bring with, here is an album of the machines I'm considering bringing. It's not everything, and there is a chance that some things pictured might not make a showing unless requested. https://imgur.com/a/rP559E5

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Twas the night before Festivus
by Jeffrey Brace 07 Dec '19

07 Dec '19

I plan on arriving around 9:30AM to start the setup. Andy Diller and Dmitry will be helping me with setup. Code to get in the door is 6502. Come find me to let me know that you arrived. There are 8 Americorp volunteers staying there, so please be courteous to them. Also be careful offering beers to them as one of them may be under 21. If in doubt let me handle it. Anyone staying overnight is to use the smaller bunk room. If it fills up, then let me know and we can use the bigger bunk room. I plan on doing the food shopping before arriving and then staring setup. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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festivus gaming
by dillera＠gmail.com 07 Dec '19

07 Dec '19

if people are up for some more modern gaming, bring a non-retro laptop and lets play some games together in a lan party (wifi party). Also, I'm working on a text-adventure game based on the InfoAge buildings and so if you want to work on some puzzles for the game let me know and we can spend some time doing that as well. -andy

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