November 2016 - vcf-midatlantic

cranky 5150
by Steven Michelsen 05 Nov '16

05 Nov '16

I thought for once I could get a new IBM 5150 and NOT have to come crawling to the group for advice, but noooo.. Just got an ebay 5150. I couldn't resist - it was relatively local, and included a 5151 monitor (but no keyboard), for a decent price. I have a keyboard, so no worries. Took the top off to peek inside to confirm everything was seated, etc. I started it (with the top off) and got a keyboard error (301). I discovered that my keyboard was set on AT instead of XT. Flipped that switch and viola, the 5150 booted with a Dos 2.11 disk. Poked around the disk, ran a Basic file that happened to be on it, tested the "B" drive, formatted a disk - it's all good. I even booted a few times with no issue. I put the lid back on and started it again. This time I get this. 40FF . and the PC is beeping away, long beeps that do not stop! I restart again and get this. 40FF 201 301 This time there's no beeping, it just displays the msg. The disk drive was read from briefly, then nothing. I pull out what appears to be a memory expansion card. Here <https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/65762317/forums/IBM_5150_RAM_board.jpg> 's a picture of it. I started it without the card and get this. 40D0 I took another look at that RAM card and found THIS on the back <https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/65762317/forums/5150_bug.jpg> ! My PC had a bug. Anyway, cleaning that up didn't help. I replaced the card, started it and got yet another, different 40xx error. OK, where do I go from here? The darn thing worked at one point today; why not all the time? I have looked for unseated chips, cards and cables, as least as far as I could without pulling a floppy drive, and found that everything is secure. Thanks as always, Steve

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Urgent -- Festivus update
by Evan Koblentz 04 Nov '16

04 Nov '16

> There are 29 people who added themselves to Jeff B.'s spreadsheet Correction, 28 people.

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corrections to computer history
by William Dudley 04 Nov '16

04 Nov '16

xkcd.com/1755 Bill Dudley This email is free of malware because I run Linux.

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Floppy Days #66 - VCFMW 11 Post-Show Diary
by Randall Kindig 03 Nov '16

03 Nov '16

Welcome to Episode 66 of the Floppy Days Podcast, where we try to relive our youth by talking about computers nearly as old as we are. Vintage Computer Festival Midwest #11 recently happened on Sep. 10 and 11, 2016 in Elk Grove Village, IL and I managed to find my way there again this year. Once again, I had an incredible time at the event and thought I’d share some of it with you. I managed to get a few interviews, meet several people I had never met before, catch up with old friends, and come home with far more items than I left with. So, I plan to give you a quick run-down of the event through my eyes and I hope you find this interesting. Interviews with: - Peter Bartlett (MISE for TRS-80 Model I) - Simon Wells (Atari 8-bit Exhibit) - Evan Wright (CoCo game and cartridge) http://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-66-vcfmw-11-live-event-diary <http://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-66-vcfmw-11-live-event-diary> Randy Kindig

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WTB: PDP-11/10 or 11/05 Key or Copy
by Systems Glitch 03 Nov '16

03 Nov '16

Does anyone have a spare PDP-11/10 or 11/05 front panel key, or one they can make a copy of for me? Happy to pay for it + shipping. Thanks, Jonathan

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other museum TV options: Roku box
by Jeffrey Jonas 03 Nov '16

03 Nov '16

I have a pair of Roku N1000 boxes that MIGHT be helpful for the museum televisions. They're small Internet television boxes with - Ethernet or WiFi (802.11 b/g/n) connectivity - HDMI and composite TV link - IR remote control Just one obstacle: it's locked into Roku channels. I'll need help modding/jailbreaking them to play from a local server. If anyone knows such stuff, please speak up and we'll have a quick solution. -- jeff jonas

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identify some PC-bus cards?
by Herb Johnson 02 Nov '16

02 Nov '16

http://www.retrotechnology.com/y/zenith_pickup.html Thanks to all for the ID's. I've updated my Web page, it may move in the future. I don't deal in PS/2 stuff so I won't keep these indefinitely. Anyone interested in these PS/2 cards can contact me c/o my Web page. - Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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TRS80 Model 4 D on craigs list
by Kelly Leavitt 02 Nov '16

02 Nov '16

I was going to make an offer, but I already have 2... http://newjersey.craigslist.org/sys/5836818556.html [https://images.craigslist.org/00B0B_6C6rSwdwwiD_600x450.jpg]<http://newjersey.craigslist.org/sys/5836818556.html> Vintage Tandy TRS 80 Model 4 Computor<http://newjersey.craigslist.org/sys/5836818556.html> newjersey.craigslist.org Tandy TRS 80 Model 4 microcomputer system 128 K RAM Tandy software library Two boxes of 5 1/4 floppy discs TRS disk system owners manual Heads and screens cleaning kit See pics of all items... Real close to me too.

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Ohio Scientific 560Z Clone?
by Systems Glitch 02 Nov '16

02 Nov '16

All, Does anyone know if someone has already cloned the Ohio Scienfific 560Z? That's the CPU Expander that includes the Intersil IM-6100 (PDP-8 on a chip). There's one in a lot of boards coming up soon, I was thinking about buying it and reproducing the 560Z just like I did with the OSI 495 prototyping board. Also, if you're currently looking at said lot, I plan on reselling most of the boards from it, including the 560Z once it has been scanned by Mile High Test. No need to drive the price up to get what you want :) Thanks, Jonathan

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Suggestions? East XII keynoters
by Evan Koblentz 01 Nov '16

01 Nov '16

Please suggest interesting people who could keynote at VCF East XII next spring. Requirements: mainstream appeal, live within a few hundred miles of InfoAge, not redundant to past keynote subjects. DO NOT reach out to anyone on behalf of our organization. Invitations must come from me, Corey, Jeff B., or Erik Klein out west.

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