March 2019 - vcf-midatlantic

Sun E250
by Ethan O'Toole 28 Mar '19

28 Mar '19

Is a Sun E250 something that VCF would want? Have one from a friend that passed away. Also have an Oracle N|C, Oracle's set top forray into cloud before cloud I guess you would call it. - Ethan

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F/S: Sun E450 (not mine, not VCF's)
by Evan Koblentz 28 Mar '19

28 Mar '19

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS LIST, the seller isn't here. Seller said he's in Monroe, NJ. His email is below. -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: RE: Consignment at VCF East Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2019 19:12:52 +0000 From: Steve Zubatkin <zubykins(a)outlook.com> To: Evan Koblentz <evan(a)vcfed.org> Hi Evan, Thanks for the response. Here’s information on the condition as well as its specs and accessories. *Condition:* Overall condition is 9 out of 10. Externally, the system looks new except for some minor scratches. As with most E450s, the removal media/control panel door does not latch but this one doesn't open by itself. The system is 100% functional as it passed all diagnostics, connects to the network and runs Solaris 10 from hard disk. This is a “turn key” system: 1. Sun Ultra Enterprise 450 on 4 casters 2. Power cable 3. Console Serial cable for connection to a PC 4. 2 Keys for locking the power switch and door accessing the disk drives 5. A notebook containing hardware documentation 6. Solaris 10 This E450 is well configured: * 4 X UltraSPARC-II 400 MHz * 4,096 MB (at the maximum) * 2 x 9 GB & 5x 18 GB Hard Disks. All disks have been wiped. * System originally had a CD-ROM drive but it was upgraded to DVD * DDS3 Tape drive * Diskette drive * 3 power supplies * Sun Quad Gigaswift Ethernet UTP Adapter Thanks, Steve

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DIP switches
by Mike Loewen 28 Mar '19

28 Mar '19

Don't neglect them while troubleshooting, especially the little red bastards. :-) My HP 2647A graphics terminal developed what appeared to be a sync problem when displaying more than one line of text. Swapping the suspect cards with known good ones from another terminal didn't change a thing. All self-tests passed, including text RAM and graphics RAM. Graphics mode worked perfectly. I finally swapped the two RAM cards (32K on each), changing the DIP switch configurations on each. At last, a RAM error. I excercised all of the DIP switches, put everything back together and it worked. This is the second time I've had problems with DIP switches in vintage HP gear. The other was in a 2117F I was working on for Dave McGuire. Same cure. Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Subject: Re: Hello - new to list
by David K 28 Mar '19

28 Mar '19

The two things I am most interested in working on are: 1. I have a Mac SE Superdrive. It doesn't want to boot correctly and I get an image of a disk with a question mark when I turn it on. One time I used a Desktop Diagnostic disk and I was able to get into the computer. It suggested there was damage to the hard drive and asked me if I wanted to re-initialize (?) and I said no as I wanted to see what was on the computer. That was a mistake because since then the same diagnostic disk will not do anything. A "Macintosh Basic" introductory disk also works on it but I can never get to the desktop screen. It's been frustrating for sure. 2. Trying to get one of my Commodore 64's to work with sound. I don't know if the only way you can do it is to buy the correct chip (the 6581?). I've never replaced something like this... I think it doesn't need soldering but I'm not sure and I'm hesitant to buy the chip if that isn't the solution or there is a better work around. David K.

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Vintage Computer Lot
by Christian Liendo 28 Mar '19

28 Mar '19

Someone selling in NJ https://newjersey.craigslist.org/sys/d/northvale-massive-vintage-computer-l…

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Commodore term app
by Matt Reynolds 28 Mar '19

28 Mar '19

Hi, Do any of you folks out there in VCF land have the ability to write me a disk for the Commodore 64 with a terminal app, like this one? http://commodore.software/downloads/download/59-ccgms/410-ccgms-elite-v2-0 I am trying to get back into the retro comp/gaming scene, and I'm working on building a wifi "modem" from an IoT board. I'm contemplating going to the repair day, but even if I don't make it, I am down at the base frequently and can pick it up sometime soon. I will be more than happy to send you a disk. Thanks for the help. Matt

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VCF Pacific Northwest pictures
by Tony Bogan 28 Mar '19

28 Mar '19

There are a large number of pictures on the VCF Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/423874470963995/posts/2897415740276510?sfns=1 Tony Sent from my iPhone

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Person w/ the PDA/Hand-held exhibit at VCF east
by Andrew Diller 27 Mar '19

27 Mar '19

Hello - if you are on this list please contact me off list! About VCF East 2019. -andy

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 27 Mar '19

27 Mar '19

Interesting day. A group of 20 special needs students visited at 11am, and then we had a few random visitors throughout the day. Bill Drom. and Duane arrived yesterday and they're staying on campus through Sunday to work on the Univac. They are focusing on making the CPU and tape drives more reliable. Duane built a gadget that uses a microcontroller that lets his laptop communicate with the Univac -- USB on one side, serial on the other. They also had a homemade Univac card tester. I had my own projects to do all day, including trying new info kiosk software. We closed the day at a local Irish bar for dinner/beer.

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Subject: Re: Hello - new to list
by David K 27 Mar '19

27 Mar '19

I first heard of vcf at a STEM convention that was held at the Philly Convention Center a few years ago. You had a table set up with a number of old computers that the public could interact with. Since then I've gotten more into the hobby myself and want to do more with understanding and exploring vintage computers and so I thought I'd join. David K

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