May 2021 - vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Items For Sale
by Jason Perkins 05 May '21

05 May '21

Conner helped me to a major clean over the weekend - and we found a bunch of items I would have brought to the swap meet if I'd known I had them... Here's the list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11drIhCBIH6d6c0qaeM076TwuQpI6hyv2n74… I can bring items to the upcoming workshop if you're interested! Items in strikethrough have been sold. Thanks, -- Jason Perkins 313 355 0085

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Re: Drone at the Swap Meet
by Jeff G 05 May '21

05 May '21

The GNETIC86 Youtube account is mine (used to be for my car stuff), my buddy Curt who was with me took the drone vids. He's fairly new to it and trying to get into it as a hobby, and since a couple people asked about getting drone footage he figured he'd bring it and get some shots. Jeff G (aka Bags)

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Drone at the Swap Meet
by Herb Johnson 04 May '21

04 May '21

Christian Liendo posted some video links he found - thanks! Nice overhead view of the event. Funny videos, mostly about things obtained at the event and what happened at home with them. I recognize some of the stuff. The comps I bought there, all worked as claimed. And those in the videos who bought, were told what worked and what didn't, and that was mostly correct. So that's how these events work. By the way: someone I know among our VCFed crowd, selling at the event, wanted to show me another day some compact Macs he obtained recently. Unfortunately I didn't get the name of that masked man, to remind him of that offer today. All I have is this silver bullet .... Regards, 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 comcast DOT net

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Drone at the Swap Meet
by Andrew Diller 04 May '21

04 May '21

Ok, who had the drone at the meet? I saw it hovering and taking awesome video. If you know who has that footage please ask them to contact me or better yet post for all of us to see. -andy

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Yep I bought it. Anyone with MODCOMP experience?
by Douglas Crawford 03 May '21

03 May '21

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: UPS battery for sale (APC BE-750BB)
by Jeffrey Brace 03 May '21

03 May '21

On Mon, May 3, 2021 at 7:34 PM laurakid via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > i have to see which one I have but interested > OK. In any case if you don't need it, I can tell you where to buy good replacement batteries. > > On Monday, May 3, 2021, 04:56:39 PM EDT, Jeffrey Brace via > vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Hello everyone, > > I accidentally got the wrong replacement battery for my brother's UPS. It > is for the APC model ES-750. But the battery type is: BE750BB. > > They company refurbups.com wouldn't take it back because it wasn't worth > their while because of the high cost of shipping, but they gave me a > discount on the correct battery. > > I got it a month ago and never used it obviously. Asking for the original > price I paid of $37. > > Local pickup. > I live 10 minutes from InfoAge. > > Send me a private message if interested. > > ========================================= > Jeff Brace > Vice President & Board Member > Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner > Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity > http://www.vcfed.org/ > jeffrey(a)vcfed.org > >

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Commodore 64 in VR!
by Jeffrey Brace 03 May '21

03 May '21

Wow, sounds like a really cool idea! https://hackaday.com/2021/05/03/commodore-64-emulator-in-vr-delivers-a-full… ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Swap Meet Photos
by Jeffrey Jonas 02 May '21

02 May '21

Hear, hear, well spoken Herb! Thanks for the photos, commentary and humor. I had a grand day out too. My dance card was definitely full with meeting new folks and familiar faces. What can I say, I enjoy schmoozing and being the unofficial VCF tummler. I delivered some donations, picked up some to relay to others, even found a few useful *SMALL* items such as a Beaglebone black, USB flash drives, small NAS box. -- the "not tall" Jeff: Jeff Jonas

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OT - 120v to 240v step up recommendations
by John Heritage 02 May '21

02 May '21

Hey folks I have a new Amiga PSU coming on from icomp that is 240V only. I'm looking for recommendations for a 120 to 240V step up transformer rated for at least 100W (so it doesnt have to work hard). Preferably silent. Etc. Also what should I avoid in this space ? P.S. This PSU is the "CA PSU" from icomp - and not an original commodore unit (as they are hard to find and old) nor one of the meanwell based units on ebay that have problems with accelerated amigas. I do have a cheap one and while it can do my slightly expanded 1200 it's hard fail on an expanded 500. Thanks !

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT - 120v to 240v step up recommendations
by John Heritage 02 May '21

02 May '21

Sentry, here's the thread where I asked about the 120V option: https://forum.icomp.de/index.php?thread/1830-aca500-i-may-have-damaged-the-… He never directly said no to 120V input, but mentioned using either a 240V transformer or rewiring with a 12V/5A DC PSU. (Replies #5 and #6). The link for the item for sale also says 200-240V input source. I'll just order a $20 240V step up transformer and call it a day -- a little larger of a solution than I hoped (I'd prefer to have less equipment not more :) ) but enough to at least verify operation. Maybe later I'll go the DC wiring route.. On Sun, May 2, 2021 at 3:30 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > After looking at the picture on the website > It looks like the power supply is actually a standard switch mode power > supply brick which should be able to handle from something like 80 V to 240 > V most of them do if I am correct, if not please correct me. > > Mike > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > On May 2, 2021, at 3:09 PM, Ian Primus via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > I see a lot of very complicated explanations and responses, and a lot > > of very technical "what-if's" attempting to consider every single > > angle. After all, electronics is the passion of many, myself included. > > > > But at the end of the day, it's a power supply. For a home computer. > > It's been designed to work with ordinary household power - it's not > > going to be super picky about tiny differences in voltage, and > > basically nothing in this entire realm is going to have a problem with > > a difference in frequency. That really only affects AC synchronous > > motors like in a record player or something. > > > > A step-up transformer is more than sufficient, just get one that's > > beefy enough to handle whatever you intend to run. Being that this is > > an Amiga, it doesn't exactly pull a ton of power, so nearly anything > > should be fine. > > > > I have a whole bunch of equipment from foreign countries. For > > operating 240v hardware, I have a couple of step up transformers. One > > is simply the isolation transformer scavenged from an old arcade > > machine - one that had multiple input taps. I'm using it backwards, > > restrapped as 240v, operating it as a step-up. No idea what the > > wattage is, but it was meant to power an arcade monitor, so probably > > around 100W or so. Ish. It works fine, I've powered lots of British, > > Soviet, and other European machines on this thing, > > > > Another step-up I use is actually a travel converter meant to be used > > as a step-down, to power 120V stuff overseas, converting 240V to 120V. > > It's an autotransformer, so it does not isolate in any way, and this > > is likely how most transformers you see on Amazon are built, because > > it's cheaper. I've rewired it backwards so it converts the 120V up to > > 240V. This also works just fine and I've powered lots of foreign > > equipment off of it. > > > > Nearly every product on Amazon has some "scary reviews" thanks to > > people that simply don't know how to use it. My favorite being from > > some lithium batteries, two different people complained they caused > > their devices to catch fire and nearly burn down their house, with > > photo evidence. One of these photos shows the batteries, burnt and > > swollen, in the compartment of the device. One of which is installed > > backwards. So, huh. You take two 10,000mah batteries, and short them > > out with each other by installing one battery backwards in a device > > that uses two batteries in parallel, and it catches fire? Who knew? > > Silly physics. What will it think of next? It should have *known* what > > this user intended the batteries to do, and not allowed them to > > explode like that. So, yes. You have to take reviews with a grain of > > salt. While people may have had horrible experiences, there is a > > reasonable chance these experiences were self inflicted. > > > > And yes - precise US line voltage is technically 117V, and I'm pretty > > sure the UK is technically 230V, etc, etc. But the line voltage will > > vary from area to area, and sag during periods of high usage and on > > circuits that are heavily loaded. Any device designed for use in the > > home will be tolerant of these sorts of voltage drifts, and the > > voltage regulation in the power supply of any given home computer, TV > > set, or piece of stereo equipment will be able to handle a reasonable > > amount of deviation. > > > > In the end, it really doesn't matter - close enough is close enough - > > 220, 221, whatever it takes. It's fine. Any given step-up transformer > > should have no problem powering an Amiga, and any reasonably designed > > power supply is going to work just fine on either 50 or 60hz, and > > within any reasonable deviation of it's intended input voltage. Power > > in houses is FAR from perfect. > > > > -Ian > > > >> On Sun, May 2, 2021 at 8:56 AM John Heritage via vcf-midatlantic > >> <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >> > >> Ok so you recommend just getting a step up transformer and be done with > it ? > >> > >> Any brands you recommend that are UL or similar? (Or anyone else > >> recommend?) . The models on amazon almost all seem to have at least a > >> percentage of very scary reviews.. > >> > >>> On Sun, May 2, 2021, 8:03 AM <dave.g4ugm(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >>> > >>> John, > >>> > >>> I like to keep equipment original so would not be tempted to mess. In > >>> addition is the new supply accurate. I run my NTSC CoCo off a > transformer > >>> and its fine. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> The AC does permeate a little past the transformer, so the diodes and > >>> smoothing capacitor will usually see 100Hz or 120Hz ripple. (a full > wave > >>> bridge rectifier acts as a frequency doubler.) > >>> > >>> In theory there could be components tuned to this frequency, but even > so > >>> they would usually not have a high enough “Q” for you to notice or to > >>> affect the operation. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Dave > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> *From:* John Heritage <john.heritage(a)gmail.com> > >>> *Sent:* 02 May 2021 12:14 > >>> *To:* dave.g4ugm(a)gmail.com > >>> *Cc:* vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org>; W2HX < > >>> w2hx(a)w2hx.com> > >>> *Subject:* Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT - 120v to 240v step up > recommendations > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Thanks Dave, Dave, and everyone - I reality do appreciate the comments > >>> and thoughts. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> The computer in question is the Commodore Amiga 500 (Rev 5A / NTSC) > and is > >>> definitely working fine with my other (120VAC@60Hz to DC output) power > >>> supply. So I'm assuming the only 'risk' item here for 60 hz input > would > >>> be the (AC to DC) power supply created by the engineer and not > anything on > >>> the computer itself. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> In this case I'm planning to run here in the US (= 60 hz AC) so worst > case > >>> it would be a '50 hz transformer running at 60hz'. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Does the frequency of the mains carry over to the DC side somehow? > One > >>> other option the guy mentioned was wiring a 12V/5A DC power supply > directly > >>> to the DC to DC converter within the new Amiga power supply, bypassing > the > >>> AC to DC conversion. This would have the benefit of being a smaller, > more > >>> power efficient (less conversions) and slightly cheaper solution. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Thanks! > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>>> On Sun, May 2, 2021 at 4:38 AM <dave.g4ugm(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >>> > >>> Even if the grid frequency is "not used for anything" it can still > matter. > >>> Some older, larger computers used resonant transformers and these > simply > >>> won't work. > >>> Going from the UK/EU 50Hz world to the US 60Hz world is not usually a > >>> problem. In general transformers are slightly more efficient at 60hz. > >>> Going the other way can be a problem and US transformers can run warm > and > >>> over heat. > >>> > >>> Dave > >>> G4UGM > >>> > >>>> -----Original Message----- > >>>> From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic-bounces(a)lists.vcfed.org> On > >>> Behalf > >>>> Of John Heritage via vcf-midatlantic > >>>> Sent: 02 May 2021 00:45 > >>>> To: W2HX <w2hx(a)w2hx.com> > >>>> Cc: John Heritage <john.heritage(a)gmail.com>; vcf-midatlantic <vcf- > >>>> midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > >>>> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT - 120v to 240v step up > recommendations > >>>> > >>>> Per the guy who designed it (iComp.De - he makes tons of > >>>> amiga/commodore custom electronics) - the input frequency doesn't > matter: > >>>> > >>>> does 60 hz / 240V power vs 50 hz / 240V power matter for this power > >>> supply > >>>> if I go the transformer route? > >>>> > >>>> It shouldn't - it's a simple rectifier design where grid frequency is > >>> not used for > >>>> anything. > >>>> > >>>> On Wed, Apr 28, 2021 at 8:13 PM W2HX <w2hx(a)w2hx.com> wrote: > >>>> > >>>>> Are you sure the PS in the amiga is expecting 60 Hertz power? It > might > >>>>> be expecting 50 Hz depending on where it is from. This is a bigger > >>>>> problem that a transformer won't solve > >>>>> > >>>>> -----Original Message----- > >>>>> From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic-bounces(a)lists.vcfed.org> On > >>>>> Behalf Of John Heritage via vcf-midatlantic > >>>>> Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2021 4:57 PM > >>>>> To: Ethan O'Toole <telmnstr(a)757.org> > >>>>> Cc: John Heritage <john.heritage(a)gmail.com>; John Heritage via > >>>>> vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > >>>>> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT - 120v to 240v step up > >>>>> recommendations > >>>>> > >>>>> Yep - that's exactly what i'm looking for advice on -- I think > >>>>> transformers are pretty standard/minimalist, but just looking for > some > >>>>> links or models of 'ready to use' step up transformers that will plug > >>>>> into my US 120V outlet and give me a 240V UK or EU style plug > output.. > >>>>> > >>>>> thanks! > >>>>> > >>>>> On Wed, Apr 28, 2021 at 4:49 PM Ethan O'Toole <telmnstr(a)757.org> > >>> wrote: > >>>>> > >>>>>>> Hey folks > >>>>>>> I have a new Amiga PSU coming on from icomp that is 240V only. > >>>>>>> I'm > >>>>>> looking > >>>>>>> for recommendations for a 120 to 240V step up transformer rated > >>>>>>> for at least 100W (so it doesnt have to work hard). Preferably > >>> silent. > >>>>> Etc. > >>>>>>> Also what should I avoid in this space ? > >>>>>> > >>>>>> I mean you can get a transformer that will take 110 and put out 220 > >>>>>> before the Amiga PSU. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> The Amiga runs on voltages that you could find on any ATX power > >>> supply. > >>>>>> You could make a cable that would go from the funky square DIN to a > >>>>>> PC motherboard ATX connector and use any old ATX Flex PSU. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> - Ethan > >>>>>> > >>>>>> > >>>>> > >>> > >>> > >

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