February 2016 - vcf-midatlantic

Anachronism! - Commodore 64 in 1975 on DC legends of tomorrow
by Jeffrey Brace 23 Feb '16

23 Feb '16

My vintage computer nerdiness kicking in. I was watching DC Legends Of Tomorrow Season 1 Episode 3. And they are in 1975. Rip Hunter is breaking in the bank's computers so my nerdy-sense kicks in to see which kind of computer they using in 1975. From the back the monitor looks 90's-ish from the front maybe a Commodore 1802 monitor and which computer is Rip Hunter typing on? A commodore 64! And as we all know it debuted in 1982. So this show has an anachronism! Guess Commodore 64s are fairly easy to obtain as opposed to finding something authentic for that era.

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Vintage stuff I should get rid of
by William Dudley 23 Feb '16

23 Feb '16

I've been a pack rat for decades, and lately I've been stumbling upon stuff which was "junk" 20 years ago but is now probably "collectible". I thought I'd post a few examples here to gauge interest. If something is appropriate for the museum, or somebody wants something for their private collection, let me know. Here are the first few things I've found, that I should have thrown out decades ago: 1. 5 Intel 1702A-2 EPROMS. These are in ceramic/gold packages (with window). Each holds a grand total of 256 bytes of storage. 2. A Zenith Z-89 terminal. Like the Heath/Zenith all in one computer, but without the computer part -- just the CRT terminal in an over-wide package. 3. Books (all are 8" x 5 1/4" paperback) digital pdp-8/a minicomputer handbook 1976-77 digital introduction to programming 1970 digital small computer handbook 1973 digital introduction to minicomputer networks (copyright 1974) 4. IBM 8514 Monitor Bill Dudley This email is free of malware because I run Linux.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Workshop Feb. 27-28: Who's going?
by Todd George 23 Feb '16

23 Feb '16

> > Date: Sun, 21 Feb 2016 18:27:29 -0500 > From: Evan Koblentz <evan(a)snarc.net> > Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] Workshop Feb. 27-28: Who's going? > > Updated attendance list for next weekend: > > 1. Evan > 2. (Glitch aka forklift operator) > 3. Mike Loewen (sidewalk supervisor) > 4. Jeff Galinat > 5. Tony (Saturday) > 6. Jeff Jonas > *** 7. Todd *** > 8. Jeff Brace Oh suuuure... I see how it is. Just put other people's names on the list... You were afraid we'd start nonsensical marginally computer-related numbering again, weren't you? :) -Todd

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OSI 495 Protoboards are in!
by Systems Glitch 22 Feb '16

22 Feb '16

They're in! One slight mistake in the Gerber files, since fixed, but inconsequential: http://imgur.com/a/cUg8t Looks pretty good to me! The board is much stiffer than the original OSI 495 it's based off of, which is a good thing. I'll bring them to the workshop this weekend if anyone wants to take a look. Thanks, Jonathan

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OT: Help identifying Motorola chip
by Kelly Leavitt 22 Feb '16

22 Feb '16

Was handed a bag with about fifty 48 pin ceramic DIP Motorola chips. Date codes from 84 to 87. I think they may be house numbered 68008s but am not sure. The only part number that is consistent on all the chips are 50238 (with either a -01 or -05 suffix). Anyone have any thoughts on where to trace these down? Was also handed a fairly large bag of Z80 bits. Including Z80A, Z80B and a handful of Z80SIO Thanks, Kelly

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OT: Test
by Chris Fala 22 Feb '16

22 Feb '16

Just checking. Thanks. Chris

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VCF East ticketing are online
by Evan Koblentz 21 Feb '16

21 Feb '16

You can buy VCF East tickets here: http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/tickets/ IMPORTANT: - Exhibitors don't need tickets for Saturday/Sunday - Friday teachers don't need tickets for that day - Bring your kids! Free admission for 17 and younger

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Cool! InfoAge lounge restoration
by Evan Koblentz 21 Feb '16

21 Feb '16

The lounge room in the main InfoAge building (room where we put VCF East consignment) has modern carpeting. Beneath that is 1980s tile. Beneath that is 1940s masonite. Beneath that is the original 1912 oak. InfoAge got a donation to remove the carpet, tile, and masonite, and replace the original oak with a new duplicate. Soon the floor will look to us the same way it looked to Marconi.

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Cool! InfoAge lounge restoration
by Herb Johnson 21 Feb '16

21 Feb '16

> ... and replace the original oak with a new duplicate... As a homeowner with solid-oak flooring, why did/does Infoage want to replace 100-year-old oak? And if they do, where's the dumpster with the removed oak? ;) Herb -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Floppy Days Episode 52 on the TI-99
by Randall Kindig 21 Feb '16

21 Feb '16

Floppy Days Episode 52 - TI-99 Software/Books/Magazines with Chris Schneider and Rich Polivka http://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-52-ti99-softwarebooksmagazines-wit… <http://floppydays.libsyn.com/floppy-days-52-ti99-softwarebooksmagazines-wit…> Welcome to episode 52 of the Floppy Days Podcast where we talk about our beloved old computers like some guys talk about their old cars. I want to thank Michael Glaser for providing his thoughts and memories of the TI-99 computer. No, this hasn’t suddenly turned into a TI-99 podcast. However, this IS the fourth in a series of what now will be 5 episodes on the TI-99/4A home computer. There just turned out to be so much material on this very interesting machine and so much interest in the community, that this turned out to be quite an extended series. Having already covered history and technical topics on previous episodes, I had originally intended this episode to cover everything from software and magazines to Web sites, but by the time my co-hosts and I had gotten through the material it turned out to be over 2 hours of audio and I decided to break it into 2 parts. This episode will cover TI-99 software, books, magazines, ads and user groups while the next one will cover emulation and Web sites. My very special co-hosts for this episode are two more luminaries in the TI-99 community: Chris Schneider, who produces the SHIFT838 newsletter and Rich Polivka, who manages the popular 99er.net Web site. They provide a very interesting perspective on the TI-99 and I think you will enjoy this show.

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