June 2016 - vcf-midatlantic

Free PowerMac G5, Wash DC
by Jason Perkins 18 Jul '16

18 Jul '16

I have an Apple PM G5 that needs a new home. IIRC it has a 500 gb drive, 8 gb ram, and OS 10.4. DVD burner worked the last time I used it. I recall it was the 2dn fastest G5 sold. Model A1047. Need it gone asap. Come pick it up! Jason Perkins 313 355.0085 Sent from my phone.

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HOPE - July 23-24
by Evan Koblentz 09 Jul '16

09 Jul '16

Jeff B. and I are going to HOPE next month. Who else is going?

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Capsela Commodore 64 Robotics parts wanted
by Jeffrey Brace 02 Jul '16

02 Jul '16

I'm doing the Commodore 64 robotics exhibit for HOPE and MakervFaire. The Commodore 64 robotics kit uses Capsela parts, but some parts are missing. Two of the three motors and worm drive are missing. Anyone have any that I can borrow? See attached photos. Thanks! Jeff Brace

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My HOPE project - update
by Evan Koblentz 01 Jul '16

01 Jul '16

Here's an update on my project for our HOPE exhibit next month. Ben G. loaned us his mid-1980s Lego robotics/Logo kit. I'm saving the Logo part (paired with an Apple II) for World Maker Faire in September. I am using the bare robot components (motors, light sensors) with the IBM PC card for HOPE. I started experimenting with this at our repair workshop a couple of weekends ago. Jon C. loaned me a Compaq (386, I think) lunchbox-style computer, since I'm stuck home while recovering from leg surgery. I set up a big table in my living room because I can't sit comfortably at my workbench. What I'm building, tailored for the HOPE audience, is a Lego game called that I'm calling "Smush the 'Softie". The premise: Microsoft employees are invading HOPE to install Windows 10 on your computer! Thus you must run them over with a New York City taxi cab before then enter the hotel. :) A cab (Lego car) is in a garage. You press a key in the software to aim the driveway side-to-side. Then press another key to release the car. The car travels down a track. There are two Microsoft employees crossing the road. The employees (Lego figures, of course) have holes in the ground behind them. If you hit one, then s/he falls into the hole, which blocks the light sensor, which increases the score by 1. One employee is closer and one is farther away. Hitting the second employee gives you two points. You get five cars. If you reach eight points then you win. The score will be displayed on a binary counter of Lego lights. If you lose the lights will all flash, a beeper will go crazy, and the compurer screen changes to resemble a Windows 10 logo. The game isn't finished but I am making good progress. Programmed in simple BASIC, just as it was meant to be 30 years ago. I am not using any non-Lego parts (but I did take two non-valuable pieces from my childhood huge box of Legos and drill holes in them because I needed a part that doesn't exist!) The game won't be hard. Its point is to demonstrate what could be done back then. Thinking ahead to Maker Faire: I'm going to make a robot arm that you use to pick up a ping-pong ball, drop it into a hole, and out pops a (previously hidden) Wiffle ball. I will tell children it's a ping-pong ball enlarging machine. :) Jeff B., how goes your own mad science experimenting with the C-64 robotics kit?

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Unknown Sperry Univac Display Boards
by Systems Glitch 01 Jul '16

01 Jul '16

I picked up three Sperry Univac boards in a lot of scrap the other day: http://imgur.com/a/9BBQ0 The first image is representative of two of the boards. They are heavily built, conformally coated, and the one in the second picture has an aerospace type connector in one place. The displays are HP LED hex displays (or a second source). The aluminum frame around the board appears to be a heatsink for the displays and a few of the ICs. Does anyone know what these are? I was going to remove the displays from the boards for use in other projects, but I don't want to destroy them if they're useful to someone else. Thanks, Jonathan

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] SOT 10base-5 LAN parts
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 30 Jun '16

30 Jun '16

Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic writes: >>> How do you envision it being installed in our current space? For >examp= le, would we need to hang a cable ladder from the ceiling so >wires can co= nnect the minicomputer area to where our router will be in >the workshop a= rea? (Looks will matter, given that we're a museum, not >a lab.) > >Another question is, what's the advantage to connecting some of the >minis= to the Internet? We can't keep that sort of equipment running >24/7. Power and process cooling woould be the major impediments; otherwise, just consideration for the wear and tear on the old kit. As for the cabling, I prefer to see the overhead cable conduit approach.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] SOT 10base-5 LAN parts
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 30 Jun '16

30 Jun '16

Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic writes: >>> Can't help with the install, but can contribute then to the Museum >cau= se. > >Hold off. There is no active project. It's only an idea. I know that I've told you that when Camp Evans was active there was etherpipe strung in most all of the buildings and I know who strung it. ;) Who=Me!

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Update - museum internet access
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 30 Jun '16

30 Jun '16

Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic writes: >On 06/30/2016 04:29 PM, Brian Schenkenberger via vcf-midatlantic wrote: >>> On 06/30/2016 03:38 PM, Joseph Oprysko via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > >But >> I thought SneakerNet was the primary network protocol when the >machines >>> were in their prime. >> >> Good heavens no. Even PDP-8s >had DECnet over serial lines. > > DDCMP! > > As God intended. I'd occasionally fire up DDCMP over a modem link to some clients to transfer files back in the day. Indexed files mostly which don't take kindly to being ZIPped and UNZIPped and FTPd; albeit, current version of ZIP/UNZIP do have a switch to maintain VMS file attributes making it possible now.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Need a couple AUI cables - building 10base-5 LAN
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 30 Jun '16

30 Jun '16

Jim Scheef via vcf-midatlantic writes: >Hello all, Please forgive my infrequent lurking. For those who do not >know me (most = of you) I'm the guy who helps Kelly in the consignment >room at VCF-E = each year.=20 I've decided to build a 10base-5 LAN >segment in my basement. Right now = I'm in the collecting the parts >stage and need 2 or 3 AUI cables no more = than 2 meters long. They must >have that arcane DB-15 connector with the = sliding clip.=20 I also need >two N-connector terminators (50 ohm, of course). So far I have a three >short lengths of real ether hose with N-connectors = and three Cabletron >ST-500 transceivers (2 more would be nice). = Unfortunately these have a >BNC connector where the vampire tap should = be, so I'm working on >that.=20 In the meantime, some short, good AUI cables would be a big >boost. I = will be happy to pay reasonable price plus shipping. Anyone? > >Longer term, would it not be cool if our museum had a working 10base-5 = >LAN hanging from the rafters providing connectivity between the Vaxen, = >PDPs and other period machines? Maybe even to the inter-tubes! And a large etherhose!

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Vintage (yes really) Cisco router/TS
by Neil Cherry 30 Jun '16

30 Jun '16

For the folks who know what this is ... I have a Cisco AGS 9.1 or 10.x IOS (technically a terminal server, that can route) that support the normal terminal services such as telnet and LAT. If you are interested please contact me. I'm not using it and this might be useful for a display or the museum. -- 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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