September 2018 - vcf-midatlantic

Z80/6502/68000 on a Microcontroller (J. Alexander Jacocks)
by Herb Johnson 18 Sep '18

18 Sep '18

The proposed product is simply yet another thing that *can* be done, so someone is offering to do it. And there's plenty of soft-core hobby projects; pour in any processor you want. I myself as an old person, would not call a programmable-logic CPU a "real" classic microprocessor. But other people just want to run the software, never mind how; emulators, soft-core processors, whatever. And there's other reasons. There's actually vintage-computing history, about multiple processor systems. Generally they were not well-produced, because you can't optimize a computer with two or three very different processors; you don't get enough resources for either as a result. What worked were things like the Tandy that used a Z80 for peripherals and a 68K to run some Unix-flavor OS; or processor-per-use schemes like TurboDOS/S-100 systems. Or, a Z80 on an Apple II to run CP/M and Z80 compatible programs (from Microsoft). Funny to talk about "modern microcontrollers fast enough to emulate Z80's". When IBM-AT class computers could run emulated CP/M-80 in real time at say 2-4MHz - suddenly the market for used CP/M-80 computers DROPPED. Go figure. So history may not repeat, but it certainly rhymes. Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Interest in a Workshop at System Source, in Hunt Valley, MD?
by Herb Johnson 18 Sep '18

18 Sep '18

> OK, so after talking to Bob @ System Source, we're going to go for the > November 10th/11th date. Which day works better for everyone? Bob > would like to do a single day workshop. You may want to reserve both, one for a snow date; choose a week or so before. > If someone else wants to host for the September date, I'm up for that. Or, > we could try to find a cheap fire hall or similar to split the rental on? - Alex Kinda late to reserve a Sept 29/30 location on the 18th, ten days out. I'm interested in these sort of events but I don't like driving in any difficult weather. But it's a good idea, and half a dozen people is still a good repair event. Herb -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT info

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Dan
by Evan Koblentz 18 Sep '18

18 Sep '18

I realized what's missing from my Lego site -- a proper tribute to Dan -- without whom I never could have learned how to use the 1980s kit. So I added a link to a tribute page in the site header. Have a look.... http://www.mindsbeforethestorm.com

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Vote for InfoAge!
by Evan Koblentz 17 Sep '18

17 Sep '18

A local public radio station is having a contest for charity organizations from now through October 15, where the winner will be mentioned on the air every day for a month. That is some pretty good free advertising. InfoAge got on the list. Please vote now, don't put it aside and forget about it! https://wbjb.formstack.com/forms/voteforagoodcause ________________________________ Evan Koblentz, executive director Vintage Computer Federation a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit evan(a)vcfed.org (646) 546-9999 www.vcfed.org facebook.com/vcfederation twitter.com/vcfederation instagram.com/vcfederation

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CHIP / Pocket CHIP maker is no more :-(
by Jeffrey Jonas 16 Sep '18

16 Sep '18

I do not recall seeing this reported here before. Several of us have the CHIP and Pocket CHIP. The company is defunct :-( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHIP_(computer) CHIP is a single-board computer crowdfunded by now-defunct Next Thing Co. (NTC), https://hackaday.com/2018/04/03/is-this-the-end-for-the-c-h-i-p/ Is This The End For The C.H.I.P.? We ought to share all the documentation and updates we archived. -- jeff jonas

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Cool interview in progress...
by Evan Koblentz 16 Sep '18

16 Sep '18

I tracked down the guy in Denmark who was product manager for the Lego robotics kit in the mid-1980s. Got his name from one of the manuals, reached out to him on LinkedIn, and now we're corresponding by email. He already sent me some fascinating information. Tomorrow we are speaking by Skype at 1pm. Can't wait! I have so many questions. If any of you have questions, then let me know by tomorrow morning. For some of the technical questions, I'm thinking to myself: "What would Dan ask?"

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] CHIP / Pocket CHIP maker is no more :-(
by Brian L. Stuart 16 Sep '18

16 Sep '18

On Sun, 9/16/18, Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > On 09/16/2018 06:46 AM, Jeffrey Jonas via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > > Several of us have the CHIP and Pocket CHIP. > > The company is defunct :-( > > I hadn't heard either. I saw the astonishingly and obviously poor > decisions come, one after another, and expected this to happen > eventually, but somehow I had missed the news when it happened. I first heard something at VCF East this year. A visitor to my table was looking at one I was running the ENIAC simulator on. When I said something about having your own pocket ENIAC, he said "if you can find one now." At home, I did a little searching and came across the Hackaday article on it. > > We ought to share all the documentation and updates we archived. > > I agree. I have several of their boards in daily use here, and I want > to keep them running. I've got a couple here, but never did get around to porting Plan 9 like I had intended. About the only other thing I ever did with mine was run simh for a pocket 11. Alas it joins my Nanonote and Agenda in my collection of promising open designs that didn't make it. BLS

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Ideas for "analog" icon?
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 15 Sep '18

15 Sep '18

Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> writes: > >There is an under-construction page on my Lego robotics website about >analog computing. I need a simple image to represent the idea of analog. >Any suggestions? I'm not looking for a picture of hardware, I'm looking >for something more like an icon even if I have to make it myself... but >an icon of what? It needs to be something recognizable to regular >people. Perhaps... https://openclipart.org/image/2400px/svg_to_png/200637/primary-oscilloscope… Looks like a terminal with analog waveform.

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fire, all ok
by Dave McGuire 15 Sep '18

15 Sep '18

By now some of you have heard about the massive fire that just took out an entire block here in New Kensington. I'm sending this out because are phones are dead from having blown up all day over this. We are fine. There was no damage to the museum, which is on the adjacent block. Building 2 is right across the alley from the block that burned. (that's where Autumn and I live and work) That building filled up with smoke and was without power for much of the afternoon and evening. Power is back on and we are getting it cleared now; if it's cleared enough by later tonight we'll be able to sleep at home. We evacuated our cats (nine of 'em) to the museum for the time being. Suboptimal but it's the best we can do. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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Ideas for "analog" icon?
by Evan Koblentz 15 Sep '18

15 Sep '18

There is an under-construction page on my Lego robotics website about analog computing. I need a simple image to represent the idea of analog. Any suggestions? I'm not looking for a picture of hardware, I'm looking for something more like an icon even if I have to make it myself... but an icon of what? It needs to be something recognizable to regular people.

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