September 2016 - vcf-midatlantic

Museum updates
by Evan Koblentz 19 Sep '16

19 Sep '16

Some neat things happened in the museum during this past weekend's workshop. The sign from Tekserve arrived: http://vcfed.org/evan/teksign.jpg. New-ish member Bill I. brought in a vintage rack-mounted plotter to use with our EAI TR-20 analog computer. We hunted around InfoAge's storage buildings and found the PERFECT rack to use for this: it's got a blue chassis frame and shelves (same shade as the TR-20 itself) and a silver door frame (same as the plotter). It was already pretty clean; a simple wipe-down with Windex and paper towels removed the rest. And it's got a magnetic door latch with a standard locking mechanism. Other than lacking caster wheels, which we can add later, there couldn't be a better choice. Pure luck that IA happened to have this rack in a readily available spot and nobody else needed it. Here's a picture: http://vcfed.org/evan/tr20rack.jpg. We positioned it in the museum between George (the 1958 Philbrick computer) and the IBM 1130. Ignore the wire shelving rack to the left of it; that was temporary. Bottom of the rack will be used to store TR-20 documents and accessories. We also put some cinder blocks on the bottom of the rack for safety. We acquired the 2.4 cubic ft. mini-fridge funded by a club member who requested anonymity. We also bought two 32" LED TVs. One will go on our hallway wall and the other will hang from our ceiling to greet visitors. We adopted a second rack, this time a modern one with a Compaq logo on front, which will go into the museum workshop area -- mini fridge on bottom :) and storage or servers on top! But we're going to change it out for a different one that has side panels (this one didn't). Martin from OMARC is providing the replacement which is an HP rack with a nice-looking mesh door. Corey brought in plexi and the special drill bit. We installed this in front of the shelves for the modern history exhibit using temporary screws because the right ones we're handy. Jeff J. brought us the right screws. We'll swap them soon. The electrician stopped by again to take another look at our circuit and lighting needs.

1 0

Festivus reminder
by Jeffrey Brace 18 Sep '16

18 Sep '16

Festivus will be Dec. 3 & 4. Starting at 10 on 12/3 and ending about 5pm on Dec. 4. I will be organizing this in the coming months. -- Jeff Brace - ark72axow(a)gmail.com

1 0

Starting workshop day 2 @ 9am Sunday
by Evan Koblentz 18 Sep '16

18 Sep '16

End of message.

1 0

Workshop 9/17 & 9/18 important info
by Jeffrey Brace 16 Sep '16

16 Sep '16

Everyone who has already told me that they are coming will have a table. If you haven't told me, then there is no guarantee and you will have to carry one over from the hotel building or 9032-A. Temperature is great in that room and HVAC is new so we can stay comfortable in there. LOCATION: InfoAge Building 9010A - (2201 Marconi Road, Wall Township, NJ) TIME: Start about 10 A.M. on Saturday and ends whenever we go to sleep. End about 5 P.M. on Sunday. (Starts around 10 A.M. Sunday morning) COST: $10 for all members attending the workshop, which VCF donates to InfoAge as thanks for providing the space for us. $25 for those wanting to stay overnight. Please pay me when you get there so that I don't forget. EQUIPMENT: VCF will provide a table and you can use any available electrical outlet. Bring your own tools, power strips, power cords and supplies etc. DRINKS: You should bring your own. I would recommend bringing a cooler of some type. FOOD: You provide your own. We may order pizza or go out to a dinner. Usually we make a decision when everyone gets hungry. GATE: During the hours from 1pm to 5pm close the front gate behind you. We want museum visitors to go to the front lobby and not wander through the middle of the campus. Outside of those times you can feel free to leave the gate open. PARKING: Park across from 9010A on the grass area. QUESTIONS? Please ask me (Jeff Brace) or Evan. My cell is 732-759-1783 and Evan’s is 646-546-9999 in case you need to contact us. See everyone there! And have fun! -- Jeff Brace - ark72axow(a)gmail.com

2 1

C64 CRT monitors vs LCD (was: PC speakers needed)
by Herb Johnson 16 Sep '16

16 Sep '16

Responding to posted comments and responses. First, thanks for considering my propositions. Here's my responses, and that concludes my posting on the subject. 1) CRT monitors by exhibitors are up to them, not VCF Inc. Roganti/Brace exhibit is their's, not VCF Inc's. Anyway, the museum has these CRT monitors, they are not hard to move around the Infoage site. I suggest that VCF Inc amounts to a sponsor of Roganti/Brace's vintage-computing development, by the museum's extraordinary efforts to provide a large exhibit space, and big tables with big monitors from the museum - which consume space and electric power and of course use of VCF Inc equipment. Jeff says CRT monitors aren't so easily set up; I'm responding to that. Specifically, for that exhibit, I suggest using LCD monitors would allow use of LESS space, putting the SMALLER monitors, right in front of the users. Old people with normal vision issues will find them easier to see, than big monitors many feet away and elevated. Issues of space, electric power, and user access are reasonable for VCF Inc to consider. Museums often sponsor exhibition projects, even development, with funds, exhibit apparatus, etc. This is entirely between VCF Inc and the Roganti/Brace project of course. I'm responding to issues raised, here. 2) exhibitors should use period monitors with period vintage computers. Exhibitors often exhibit many, large, items.... Mostly reasonable - except, well, I'll cut to the chase here. I am old, Evan, and getting older. I'm driving a compact car, not a van or station wagon. Soon, I won't be able to LIFT heavy monitors. And big square monitors - or CRT terminals - take up table space too, which I need for other purposes. I'm already choosing LCD's over CRT terminals; if I need video I'll use an LCD. For many vintage computers - and this is true - video was not part of their product line. So how and what displays video (or just text), is secondary. 3) LCD TV's can still be found at thrift stores.... Correct - today. Not tomorrow, which was my point. And it depends on where you shop; many thrift stores just avoid any electronics. And so on. Also: thrift store customers want BIGGER TV's, not smaller ones - for our vintage computing, smaller is fine for close-up vintage experience. Today at a flea market of tools, I bought a 14" LCD analog TV. He wanted $10, I paid $5. I guarantee, that guy won't bother to offer another LCD TV in the future. I repeat - eventually the well will run dry. 4) LCD (VGA's) seem like more work and expense, wiring up converters, devices.... Excuse me - I said "LCD analog TV's". They accept NTSC video, many accept analog RGB video too. Most just need an AC cord and an RCA-connector video cable. Most have their own speakers (two more RCA cables). They are MORE convenient than CRT monitors, that's my point! ------------ Of course, for those for whom the brand and model of video monitor is part of the presentation or experience - or the core of their presentation - the correct monitor (or terminal) matters - no argument from me. But there's other considerations, which I've described; and I've responded to counter-claims; and I'm done. Also, I gave supportive suggestions to the Roganti/Brace C64 multiplayer project. I hope I've made useful suggestions and observations. Herb -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

1 0

Stuff to sell at workshop
by Evan Koblentz 16 Sep '16

16 Sep '16

I have a Dell laptop running Mint 18 and an old Simpson meter to sell at the workshop this weekend. Any reasonable offer accepted.

1 0

Last call for those coming to workshop 9/17 & 9/18
by Herb Johnson 16 Sep '16

16 Sep '16

Some participants have mentioned they will repair Apple Macs (68K's). Contact me or post a list of Macs and parts needed, maybe I can bring some of those on Saturday. No freebies but I'll be generous. ;) -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

8 11

Vintage Computer Federation at Lehigh Valley FAST 2016
by Herb Johnson 16 Sep '16

16 Sep '16

Thanks from me for your excellent report on your own activities and exhibit. Your exhibit is good vintage-computing outreach. Can you also report on the other exhibits there? I am (and others I correspond with are) interested in how children today are presented with STEM technology, by the various groups that support (and sell) STEM; and how the kids themselves present their own efforts and school-sponsored projects. We compare that, with how we old-people learned about computing and electronics, in our youth. The vintage-computing connection to STEM in my opinion is this. In the vintage era of the 1960's and 70's, "STEM" was represented as "the space race", and it was mostly a federal/schools program on education fundamentals. There were few products to offer, not many computers. Apple and the Apple II were the educational "push", but that came later. And the "personal computer revolution" as group events, was mostly a product of adults in locally-formed clubs, that met in homes or in public spaces (libraries, museums, etc.). Kids were not a big part of either of these, until the video gaming rise (and fall) in the later 1980's. NONE of this was particularly "competitive" as in contests between groups to perform any kind of tasks or games, with scoring and regional/national contests. Efforts to nationalize computer clubs, didn't pan out. Later there were top-down organizations, around Apple or IBM or other specific product lines; and most supporting magazines or publications or conventions, or BBS's or email lists. STEM of course, in the schools and as supported by national groups and international corporations, is quite a contrast. The common point is that these circumstances - STEM in schools, what became vintage personal computing groups - is how these introduced "computing" technology to youngsters. We vintage-computing owners look back at vintage computers and remember our involvement, and our machines. I have no doubt that some STEM participants, will look back at their experiences and products used, with the same sort of "vintage" interests. But more relevant today to us, is when STEM participants - still kids - come to vintage computing events and exhibits, and evaluate "our" technology based on their STEM competitions and events. They will expect the kinds of "computing" they have experienced; and will have no experience with some of our earliest vintage computers which we display and describe. Todd's report, in my opinion, gives us a glimpse into the present (and the future) of vintage computing. The kid's attraction to printers, for instance, is that they are loud, use paper, and move paper around - not that they would actually READ any papery-bloggy-texty things not on a screen! And of course, the parents have their own expectations and histories, directly related to vintage computing, but likely influenced by their kid's participation in STEM. Todd and his colleagues, reported on both, thanks! (Sorry if that appears long-winded. But these are not simple concepts or even widely-held point of view. It takes time to explain such things. And frankly, it's a little frustrating to me, when I post such remarks. Why? Because I get little response. If there's no reaction, I assume I'm either off-base, boring, overwhelming, or irrelevant to those reading this list. So let me know if what I say, means anything to those reading it. Thank you.) Herb -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

5 5

C64 CRT monitors vs LCD (was: PC speakers needed)
by Herb Johnson 16 Sep '16

16 Sep '16

1) I changed the subject line to match the discussion. I think that's a good policy to follow. 2) It's reasonable to use LCD's over CRT monitors for many reasons; of course it's good to show original equipment as well. But eight CRT's are a tough exhibition to "mount", physically and because of failures. Eight LCD's makes more sense - I can make that case if necessary, essentially CRT's are a pain in the a**. This has been discussed, and I agree with the considerations noted. 3) Dan Roganti and colleague's work on multiplayer C64 development is of value, and is exhibited annually now at VCF-East. Thus local warehousing of several LCD displays at once for that event, is a good thing. One can argue for additional LCD's for other exhibitors, that's a policy issue. But stock of them for museum use is reasonable and of course a stock exists. 3) There are still old, small, analog TV LCD monitors available in thrift stores and garage sales. I don't think they will be available much longer - they don't sell, they sell cheap, there's no more analog broadcasts TV to receive, small is out of vogue - and so on. My point - soon these old LCD TV's won't be available as used/donated. The well will run dry. Therefore: If VCF Inc is going to gather these monitors cheaply, now is the time to do that. To do that in a consistent way, means determining some criteria - size of screen is first, perhaps other features are important, maybe even brands/models desired or to be avoided. And: if exhibitors are to be supported, others (those exhibitors in particular) may wish to make contributions of LCD monitors or $$$ accordingly. Bottom line: there's no point in moving and operating dozens of large, heavy CRT monitors at exhibits and events, when a stock of small LCD TV's can be acquired now - used, cheap - and put to use locally. They won't be available used for much longer, a selection can still be made not but not later - if so desired. Support can be asked, of those who benefit - exhibitors and their audience. That's my point. Herb -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

4 3

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Last call for those coming to workshop 9/17 & 9/18
by Todd George 16 Sep '16

16 Sep '16

> XX) Lost count. I'm 90% sure I'm coming at least saturday. May bring > TRS-80 M3 or 4 and H-500 with broken clock generator - Need 5000uf 10v-ish > caps, axial I suspect. ESR meter is on the way, but probably won't make it > to the show. > So some junk drawer caps and and ESR would be helpful. I'll definitely have my ESR meter. I'm low on ~5000uf caps, I need a few for my one Macintosh. Will be ordering them, but won't have them in time for the workshop due to lack of planning. See ya! -Todd

3 2