February 2016 - vcf-midatlantic

Museum move report
by Evan Koblentz 20 Feb '16

20 Feb '16

We were extremely productive today. Don and Steve showed up unexpectedly, in addition to Jeff J. and Adam M. being there to help, It's easy to get stuff done with five people present! Here is everything we accomplished today: - Finished emptying the homebrew room - Removed our wall-mounted shelves from all four rooms - Moved everything except computers/display cases from the big iron room - Moved non-VCF stuff from new room (various tables, construction items) - Built eight of the new microcomputer shelving units (only 17 to go...) - Built all five of the new stools (very comfortable, thanks Ben G!) - Many years overdue: acquired a good-quality handtruck (thanks Don!) Here are some pictures: - http://www.vcfed.org/evan/stool.jpg - http://www.vcfed.org/evan/unpacking.jpg - http://www.vcfed.org/evan/eight_shelves.jpg - http://www.vcfed.org/evan/liners.jpg - http://www.vcfed.org/evan/handtruck.jpg

1 1

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Should the new museum have a name?
by Evan Koblentz 20 Feb '16

20 Feb '16

>>> If we decide to have a name, then I'd lean toward two angles: 1. Not box ourselves in to "New Jersey". 2. Not box ourselves in to "museum". For example, "Eastern Computer History Center" or something like that. >> That name seems pretty close to me. What makes our center unique is that the computers are still alive mostly. “Eastern Computer Living History Center”. I think we should try to capture that out old computers work and if they don’t we are trying to fix them. Right, but "Living" is already taken by LCM out in Seattle, and five words is too many. What's a good synonym for "living" or "hands-on" in this context? Or maybe it doesn't have to be a direct synonym. We could use a work that * evokes * our mission. For example, "Eastern Computer History Laboratory". I don't necessarily think "laboratory" is the right word, but maybe something along those lines. I won't be happy until we find the perfect name, if we're going to have a name for it at all. "VCF Command" may suffice. :) We had a similar discussion when naming the old group 11 years ago.... Random thought: If we find a good word starting with "O" then Eastern Computer History (blank) becomes ECHO. Very appropriate!!!

7 8

One more helper tomorrow.... please?
by Evan Koblentz 19 Feb '16

19 Feb '16

Anybody outside the usual group interested in helping at the museum tomorrow? So far it's only Jeff J. and me. (Tony and Jeff B. deserve a week off.) One more reliable helper would be very, ummm.... helpful. :) Fear not: we aren't do much heavy schlepping tomorrow. Just a whole bunch of small things. Starting at the museum at 10am.

1 1

Double door -- more progress!
by Evan Koblentz 18 Feb '16

18 Feb '16

There's been more progress on the new doorway for our new museum. At first it was an ordinary single door. InfoAge + VCF hired a contractor to make it a double door. Two weeks ago, the contractor removed the single door, cut open the wall, and built the frame for the double door. Last week, the town inspector approved the frame. Today, the contractor hung the new doors and installed a temporary lock on the inside (we can enter from the other doorway which locks from the hallway side.) The "new" doors aren't actually new. They are historic WW2 doors, per the exact style that was used at Camp Evans in the early/mid-1940s. Two steps remain. First, the doors need handles and proper locks. Contractor said the town requires crash bars or lever-style handles for handicapped and/or emergency access. InfoAge will decide how to process with that. Second, the WW2 doors need painting, glass cleaning, and the walls around the frame need some new drywall or sheetrock. Anyway, there are two months to get all that done. For now we have locking doors again, and finally the ability to bring in the UNIVAC for display! The new doors open 180 degrees into the hallway, so they'll be flat against the hallway wall and out of our way during moving time. Security-wise, the point of these doors is to prevent random InfoAge volunteers (etc.) from wondering where they needn't be. These doors are not going to stop a determined criminal. Basically they're for simple peace-of-mind and so we can move in larger computer artifacts. Here are pictures of their current status: http://www.vcfed.org/evan/doubledoor.jpg (from inside our room) http://www.vcfed.org/evan/hallwaydoor.jpg (from the hallway side)

1 0

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: Tools
by tom.hornberger＠verizon.net 18 Feb '16

18 Feb '16

1 0

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: Tools
by mark＠markesystems.com 18 Feb '16

18 Feb '16

Chris asked: > Did someone here say that Jegs screwdrivers are good quality? Dave responded: > I'd be awfully suspicious at that price. Twenty bucks is about the > right price point for one or maybe two GOOD screwdrivers. Surely not 69! Another Chris concurred: > Dave, I am also in that camp. That all said, I actually have a set of these on one of my workbenches, and have been quite happy with them. Understand, I'm old and cranky enough to not put up with crappy tools, and over the years most of the junk has been jettisoned. I bought this set (for a bit more money, but still cheap) on a whim, and was quite surprised to find out that they're actually pretty good. (They're on my electronics bench, so they don't get abused very much, and I haven't worn one enough to have to re-grind one yet.) My only real complaint is that there are no cabinetry screwdrivers in the set (the kind that doesn't flare at the tip, so you can use it in a hole that's the same size as the screw head). ~~ Mark Moulding

5 5

OT: Free Pallets
by Jeffrey Brace 18 Feb '16

18 Feb '16

InfoAge has *lots* of pallets left over from Camp Evans Base Of Terror. The fire department said that they can't be used next year. They are free for the taking. Come by InfoAge Saturday from 12 to 4 pm and take as many as you want! They need to get rid of all of them.

2 1

SIX WEEKS to VCF East exhibit DEADLINE - April 1st
by Evan Koblentz 18 Feb '16

18 Feb '16

There are only SIX weeks until the VCF East exhibit registration deadline. They're going to go very fast. Register your exhibits now. Not doing so makes life extremely difficult for us. We waste a lot of time chasing down people who we know usually exhibit, and we delay ordering the table rental, arranging the layout, and other things. Reg link: http://www.vcfed.org/registration/east_exhibitor_register-online.php

1 0

OT: Tools
by chrisjpf33＠gmail.com 17 Feb '16

17 Feb '16

Did someone here say that Jegs screwdrivers are good quality? http://www.ebay.com/itm/111515554297

3 3

Heathkit computer colors
by Richard Cini 16 Feb '16

16 Feb '16

All — Well, the removal of the black latex paint hasn’t gone too well. Not sure what kind of paint was used, but it’s been almost impossible to get off without damaging the paint underneath. I’ve tried two organic removers and Goof Off. The paint almost looks like the flat black used in stage productions for back stage. I need to remove the switch labels and the badges (one should peel off and the other has plastic posts that I’ll need to cut the metal rings on the posts). Then, I plan on going at it with the harshest stuff I have and then repaint it. Does anyone know what color was used or have a match recommendation? Thanks! Rich -- Rich Cini Collector of Classic Computers Build Master and lead engineer, Altair32 Emulator http://www.classiccmp.org/cini http://www.classiccmp.org/altair32

2 2