February 2020 - vcf-midatlantic

Re: vcf-midatlantic Digest, Vol 21, Issue 9
by Burning Image 09 Feb '20

09 Feb '20

I would suggest adding the 1802, 2650, 6100 / 6120. and SC/MP. Best regards, Cory Sickles On Sunday, February 9, 2020, 12:01:37 PM EST, <vcf-midatlantic-request(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: Send vcf-midatlantic mailing list submissions to vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit https://lists.vcfed.org/mailman/listinfo/vcf-midatlantic or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to vcf-midatlantic-request(a)lists.vcfed.org You can reach the person managing the list at vcf-midatlantic-owner(a)lists.vcfed.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of vcf-midatlantic digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Working on a historical microprocessor exhibt (Adam Michlin) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Sun, 9 Feb 2020 11:45:37 -0500 From: Adam Michlin <amichlin(a)swerlin.com> To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] Working on a historical microprocessor exhibt Message-ID: <e873e0db-612f-2e6f-dde3-cbd43002ae54(a)swerlin.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed Hi Everyone, VCF is working on a historical exhibit of CPUs (not really support chips at this point). Literally just the CPUs. What should we have at the bare minimum? 4004, 8008, 8088, 8086, 6502, Z80, 6800, 6809...? What should we have if we have more space? 80x86, 680x0, Sparc, MIPS, Power, Alpha, ARM, Itanium...? Modern CPUs (to some degree) aren't out of the question, either, as we're hoping to show the progression of Moore's Law from the 4004 (2,300 transistors) to present day maybe, for example, a AMD Ryzen 9 3900X (at 9,890,000,000 transistors). Thoughts? I'm sure I'm forgetting plenty of important CPUs. ?????????? -Adam End of vcf-midatlantic Digest, Vol 21, Issue 9 **********************************************

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ISA BIOS extension board?
by Richard Cini 07 Feb '20

07 Feb '20

All – I have an old 486 “shoe box”/industrial PC from 1994 that I want to toss a larger hard drive in to use with some Windows 3.11 experiments I’m doing. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have LBA BIOS extensions, so I’m capped at 540MB. I have one from WD, but it’s kind of creaky. So, I pulled out a 1.2G drive I had and installed OnTrack 9.57 which works fine. However, I feel kind of funny relying on the software wedge because you need to make custom boot diskettes, etc. So, I was looking for an ISA card with the LBA BIOS extensions. I know they made them years ago, but I don’t know exactly what they are called, so I’m not having much success in locating one. There may be other options like using an XT-IDE (if it does LBA; can’t tell) or maybe a different IDE card. Problem is that space is very limited (only 3 slots) and it has to be a low/short card to avoid interfering with the CPU fan. Any other suggestions/advice welcome. Right now I’m going to run with the 540MB drive I have, but I would like to find a better solution. Thanks! Rich -- Rich Cini http://www.classiccmp.org/cini http://www.classiccmp.org/altair32

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Looking Next Weekend 2/15-2/16 VCF Workshop in Hunt Valley MD
by rar 07 Feb '20

07 Feb '20

The Vintage Computer Federation and the System Source Computer Museum are hosting a vintage computer workshop on Saturday February 15th and Sunday February 16th, 2020 at: System Source Computer Museum 338 Clubhouse Road Hunt Valley, MD 21031 Free parking on site and a short walk from Baltimore's light rail (Gilroy Road Stop) Saturday, February 15th 10 AM to Midnight Sunday, February 16th 10 AM to 6 PM Accommodations: Try https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g41196-Hunt_Valley_Maryland-Hotels.html<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.tripadvisor.com_Ho…> Food: There are plenty of restaurants within a short drive. We will have catered Indian buffet on Saturday $12 and catered Barbecue $12 on Sunday for those who sign up. We will feature museum tours throughout both days and several mini-workshops: Retro-Bright (bring your yellowed plastics) Pre-industrial Computing Class - Learn to use a slide rule and various types of Abaci Learn Hot Metal Typesetting with the Linotype, our 3500-pound word processor If you need a machine to work on or you have special requests, please let us know. We have lots of computers awaiting restoration! Email: Bob Roswell at museum(a)syssrc.com<mailto:museum@syssrc.com> Signup at https://tinyurl.com/yzhq8pmp<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__tinyurl.com_yzhq8pmp&d…> Bob Roswell broswell(a)syssrc.com 410-771-5544 ext 4336 Computer Museum Highlights<http://museum.syssrc.com/> [syssrclogo_38years]

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Vendors at VCF East 2020
by Jeffrey Brace 06 Feb '20

06 Feb '20

Does your business want to have a commercial sales table at the VCF East? The cost is $30 per table, and you can order as many tables as you want. Contact jeffrey(a)vcfed.org to reserve your spot. The deadline is Friday, April 19. The rules and procedures are the same as last year. We rearranged the show layout last year, so that vendors will have copious space! No more being packed in like sardines.

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help needed near Downngton, PA to copy files from Apple II Prodos disk
by Bill Degnan 06 Feb '20

06 Feb '20

Hi - Got a visitor to the shop today who was passing through and wanted help to copy files from an Apple ][ disk PRODOS format. I did not have one on hand so I asked him for his contact info to see if I could help him. Anyone have a system set up to archive a PRODOS Apple //e disk and copy to modern media/email to person? If so, contact me and I will forward to you his info. He will come to you but you should be in the general area of Downington. he just wants to see what's on the disk and recover the files if possible. I told him about VCF, he is going to try to make it this year if he can. Thanks Bill

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Announcing the AppleII Classroom *ALL THREE DAYS* at VCF East 2020
by Adam Michlin 05 Feb '20

05 Feb '20

It is official! I can announce that we are going to have an Apple II classroom lab (9-12 Apple IIes) running classes *all three days* at VCF East 2020. Emphasis because this is the first time we are having classes on the Saturday and Sunday. This is something I have been dreaming of for years and working on with Tony Bogan since VCF East 2019. <http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/vcf-east-apple…> Teachers will be: Stephen Edwards, Mouse Kelly, Dean Notarnicola, Javier Rivera, Tony Bogan and a lowly high school teacher who likes to teach students 6502 assembly which we wont name. ;) Retrobrite, Assembly, AppleBASIC, Joystick Repair, Modern Solutions for your II, the list goes on and on. Full class list at: http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/vcf-east-apple… <http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/vcf-east-apple…> Every day will also have an open lunch lab from 12:00-1:00 with Apple II games old and new. Maybe even brand new games if Michael Packard finishes his latest game in time. PS: The obvious question.. why Apple IIe? 1. It was my idea. 2. Tony is providing the IIes. More importantly, we expect to change platforms every year and hereby formally challenge the Commodore crew to start planning for the C64 classroom lab at VCF East 2021! PPS: Everyone should be proud of me for not making the obvious joke about the odds of getting 9-12 C64s up and running in the same room at the same time <duck and cover>

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Subject: Re: 1980's bedroom setup
by Jeffrey Jonas 04 Feb '20

04 Feb '20

According to wikipedia, the Balans chair was invented in 1979. Mine's from 1984. Definitely the correct period. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kneeling_chair

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Rack lift
by Mike Loewen 04 Feb '20

04 Feb '20

I'm looking into the possibility of getting a lift, to raise equipment into computer racks. What do you guys recommend, that won't break the bank? The Harbor Freight lift tables only go up to 34". Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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Instagram Challenge
by Adam Michlin 03 Feb '20

03 Feb '20

Living Computers: 3,100 followers Computer History Museum: 4,572 followers VCF: 554 followers Challenge accepted. How can you help? I'm assuming everyone that can tolerate such new a fangled thing as Instagram is already following us at: https://www.instagram.com/vcfederation/ But even those people that can't tolerate it can help! How? Pictures! Really cool pictures! Of really cool vintage computers. We may not have the endowment of CHM and LC, but our members are the best members and have the coolest gear! Small print: Pictures accepted by email at this address or <adam.michlin(a)vcfed.org>. If you have an Instagram account that you want tagged, let me know. Wish I could promise every single picture will be posted. This offer not valid in ... blah blah blah...

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Apple diskII drive head needed
by Sentrytv 03 Feb '20

03 Feb '20

I am looking for good working apple diskII head for a floppy drive model A2M0003 One of the coils on the head is open does not seem to be fixable and I am looking for the head and cable. If you have something I can use please contact me. Mike Rosen Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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