March 2018 - vcf-midatlantic

Museum shout out
by Tony Bogan 10 Mar '18

10 Mar '18

Been here at the museum since 10:30 working on tagging and fixing apple IIs from the warehouse and other jobs. Will be docent here all day if anyone has nothing to do over the next 5 1/2 hours feel free to stop by!! :-) Tony Sent from my iPhone

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OT: Mechanical Computer with Marbles
by Joseph Oprysko 10 Mar '18

10 Mar '18

I read a post elsewhere and heard that there’s also a YouTube video (but I haven’t watched it) of this rather cool looking device called Turing Tumble. Apparently it is a Kickstarter funded mechanical computer made of plastic and marbles. It kind of reminds me of the Digicomp II mechanical computer from the late 1960’s. https://www.turingtumble.com/ -- Normal Person: Hey, it seems that you know a lot. Geek: To be honest, it's due to all the surfing I do. Normal Person: So you go surfing? Normal Person: But I don't think that has anything to do with knowing a lot... Geek: I think that's wrong on a fundamental level. Normal Person: Huh? Huh? What?

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Tomorrow @ Liberty Science Center
by Evan Koblentz 10 Mar '18

10 Mar '18

I'll be at the Liberty Science Center (Jersey City, NJ) all day tomorrow demonstrating the 1987 Lego robotics kit with our Laser 128. It's as much fun for me as for kids! Feel free to come visit! Random idea: one of these days I should disassemble the forklift-style robot and make something evoking Johnny No. 5 instead. :) #nodisassemble #evanalive

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{vcf-midatlantic] [Semi-OT] 3D Printing Replacement Parts
by Herb Johnson 09 Mar '18

09 Mar '18

> The limiting factor in all these technologies is more the > imagination and skill of the user, and less the technologies > themselves. Sure, capabilities grow with time, but incredible > things are made every day, with very basic tools. But I think, vintage computer owners (and reporters, and investors) are spoiled by the revolutionary successes in personal and embedded computing, and carried (past tense) those feelings over to 3D printers and their development and use. This was my essential gripe in the previous discussion. Now, we have dispensed with this issue. People are talking about here-and-now use to make vintage computing parts; reasonable expectations, actual results. Dave McGuire did not post about "incredible things" made, but in fact CREDIBLE things - like that finger splint. He could have used popsickle sticks and string; but his local printer + thingiverse design = useful widget. (shrug) 3D printers may simply become like waffle irons and pancake mix: something you do when needed and ignored soon after. Of course they could do more; like icecream cones. ;) > You can do quite a bit, and in very high quality, if you take > the time to properly learn to design parts. First - 3D printers are pretty sophisticated tools. Better tools do a better job for ANY user. Beginners need a BETTER tool than those with experience. And now, there's better printers on the market (among others), and better resources. In any event, printing toggles is not a big stretch of available technology. > curate a library of 3D printable parts that are > directly related to vintage computer systems. Second - get the plans from someone who has that better experience, better tools. This is what they do in the home-machinist magazines today; they did it in the Pop Science, Pop Mechanics, Pop 'tronics magazines years ago. It was done a century ago in those magazines. 'Fer instance: http://www.retrotechnology.com/restore/boy_mechanic.html > The most notable item is the eject gear for the Apple 3.5" disk > drive that has finally been (dare I say it) "perfected." I know about those eject-mechs, I've sold some as replacements. I see how those gears fail. And I was skeptical about printed gears. This is a real case-in-point and I'm glad Tony Bogan brought it up. Some vintage Macs are close to 40 years old and their plastics are FAILING - repeat, failing. These are real vintage-computing issues. Oh - it's good design to make a part KNOWN TO FAIL. Example - a fuse. Then you can stock and replace only one part, and fix the underlying cause. So I need those gears, and some of those toggles too, and other parts. Some I may have to design, they are uncommon. I'll read this thread with interest and I hope for some collective efforts from it. Even a list of success stories and good printers and CAD tools works for me. Thanks! Herb Johnson plastics are the future -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Printing on 14" greenbar
by Evan Koblentz 08 Mar '18

08 Mar '18

Who in the group has (any) computer + printer that is ready-to-go for printing on 14" greenbar? This is for a VCFed collaboration opportunity with another organization (I can't elaborate right now).

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Printing on 14" greenbar
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 07 Mar '18

07 Mar '18

Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic writes: > Well I suppose that depends on the (unstated) intent. The printers >won't be leaving LSSM, but we are happy to print stuff for >people/projects/etc. They might need a really freakin' long BC22D! :P

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Printing on 14" greenbar
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 07 Mar '18

07 Mar '18

Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic writes: >On 03/07/2018 04:23 PM, Brian Schenkenberger via vcf-midatlantic wrote: >>> On 03/07/2018 03:22 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > >Who >> in the group has (any) computer + printer that is ready-to-go for >> >> printing on 14" greenbar? This is for a VCFed collaboration >opportunity >>> with another organization (I can't elaborate right now). >>> >> We have several in operable condition over at LSSM. > > LOL! > > ? My guess is he's not going to trek to P'burgh to get one! ;) I DO have a working DEC LA-120 DEcwriter and a large box of greenbar fan-fold; albeit, I never print on its greenbar side. I hate loooking at it.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Printing on 14" greenbar
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 07 Mar '18

07 Mar '18

Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic writes: >On 03/07/2018 03:22 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > Who >in the group has (any) computer + printer that is ready-to-go for > >printing on 14" greenbar? This is for a VCFed collaboration opportunity >> with another organization (I can't elaborate right now). > > We have several in operable condition over at LSSM. LOL!

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Printing on 14" greenbar
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 07 Mar '18

07 Mar '18

Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic writes: >Who in the group has (any) computer + printer that is ready-to-go for >printing on 14" greenbar? This is for a VCFed collaboration opportunity >with another organization (I can't elaborate right now). Like, perhaps, an LA-120 DECwriter???

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Need to change April workshop date
by Bill Degnan 06 Mar '18

06 Mar '18

note that's VCF SE's weekend. On Tue, Mar 6, 2018 at 2:42 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Evan Koblentz <evan(a)vcfed.org> > To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> > Cc: > Bcc: > Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2018 14:42:14 -0500 > Subject: Need to change April workshop date > A bunch of Sandy volunteers (yes it's still happening) need to use the > barracks area April 7-8. That bumps us. (Don't worry, it's set in stone for > VCF East weekend.) > > They said we could reschedule to April 21-22 or 28-29. > > Vote here: https://doodle.com/poll/vyyvb324ah8i8bvw ... whichever date > has the most votes by 11:59pm this Thursday wins. > > Votes via reply to this message will not be counted. > >

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