February 2024 - vcf-midatlantic

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] June 22 Swap Meet questions
by Bob Shuster 29 Feb '24

29 Feb '24

Thanks for the input. I have to figure out how much space I will need and how I will lay things out. I’m definitely going for two spaces right now, but might expand to a third. My stuff is carefully curated and I need to figure out the best way to lay it out in a manner that makes it easy to see but also protects the items. I have a ton of tarps and moving blankets, but I’d rather keep stuff up off the ground, and I’m looking into borrowing a canopy of some sort for shade. I have more than is listed on my website, but that’s mostly more modern stuff, cables, or non-computer vintage electronics and such. Any advice/help is most welcome! Jeff - renting a table or two might be a consideration - do you have any idea of the fee? Thanks. - Bob Shuster (http://www.theshusters.com/bobvintage.html)

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VCF East 2024 Hotel Blocks Update
by Jeffrey Brace 28 Feb '24

28 Feb '24

Very few rooms available at Hotel Block #1 Atlantic Inn and Suites At hotel block #2: Residence Inn They were supposed to shut down February 16, but it seems that the "automated system" hasn't kicked in yet. So it may shut down at any time. It seems to continue to accept reservations. Maybe when the block is filled. They added rooms to the block. Updated info here: https://vcfed.org/vcf-east-hotel-blocks/ Take care! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner VCF Mid-Atlantic Event Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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PCjr equipment needed for this weekend (March 2-3)
by Dan FitzGerald 28 Feb '24

28 Feb '24

Good afternoon! This is partly a repeat of a reply I made to the "Repair Workshop this weekend" thread, but I just thought of a second thing I need to borrow so I'm asking in a new thread. I'm going to be going down this weekend with my PCjr, with the intention of stress testing it ahead of a possible VCF East exhibit. My plan is to do a brief talk on the PCjr, but I want to accompany it with an IBM StoryBoard Plus presentation running *on* the PCjr itself. I've ordered some PCjr cartridge-to-SD adapters, but they won't arrive in time. And while I will bring my PC-AT with me for developing the presentation on, it would be even better if I could develop the presentation directly on the PCjr (so as to stress test it). So here is what I would need to borrow this weekend: * A "PCjr Adapter Cable for Serial Devices" (so that I can attempt to connect a serial mouse to the PCjr * A card reader cartridge for the PCjr (like SD-Cart JR: https://www.raphnet-tech.com/products/sdcartJR/) One with the ability to act as a R/W hard drive would be best, but if not I could make do with some testing using the non-bootable variant. Regards, Dan FitzGerald They/Them/Theirs or She/Her/Hers http://www.vm.ibm.com/devpages/dfitzger

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Repair Workshop this weekend March 2 & 3, 2024
by Jeffrey Brace 28 Feb '24

28 Feb '24

Someone at InfoAge admin mistakenly took off this weekend's repair workshop off the InfoAge calendar. This happened in late December. I didn't notice it until earlier this week. Fortunately the space is still available. However, there is an issue. The men's large bunk room is unavailable. It is currently storing all the women's bunk beds. The small men's bunk room and the smaller "supervisor" bunk room (fits two people) are still available. It's first come, first serve for the bunk rooms if you are staying overnight. Good news is that the water heater has been replaced, the urinals fixed and the handicapped men's toilet fixed. If there are any specific concerns, then please email me. Take care! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner VCF Mid-Atlantic Event Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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June 22 Swap Meet questions
by Bob Shuster 25 Feb '24

25 Feb '24

I think I’m going to finally give in to pressure and bring my stuff up to the next swap meet, but I had a few questions that I didn’t see addressed on the website. Will there be electricity available anywhere convenient to the swap meet (for testing)? What about wifi? And barring that, how’s cell reception there? I see that tables are not provided, but are any available to borrow or rent? I think that’s all my questions for now - thanks! I haven’t done one of these since TCF probably more than 30 years ago.

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OT ? Ultimate swapfest?
by drummy 24 Feb '24

24 Feb '24

Perhaps the ultimate swapfest?The National Electronic museum is selling some of their former artifacts on March 8th and 9th, 2024.You must show proof of citizenship to be eligible. Look at the images page.Link:https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001zqswvNDFVpB0MVnmRIWZJIs_kArgeccqs… from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

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[off topic] - GaN USB chargers and temps
by John Heritage 22 Feb '24

22 Feb '24

Hey folks - Looking for some insight from the hardware inclined here. GaN USB chargers are touted as being able to deliver higher power in smaller form factors (I.e. charging a 65W USB device while the size of a “standard silicon” ~ 10-20W USB charger). I know on paper GaN can run a lot hotter successfully than silicon (>150C for example), but I’m wondering - when you have a GaN USB charger that runs pretty hot for long period of time, is it really safe? Aren’t there likely other components in the charger that don’t have the increased heat tolerance of GaN semiconductors? I’m asking as one of my GaN chargers gets hot enough to the point that I’d be really worried with a traditional PSU. It only happens if I had two devices attached that need a full charge - once they’re topped off or higher up in charge temperature is no issue. Thanks, John

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OT: eSATA controller
by Mike Loewen 21 Feb '24

21 Feb '24

I'm looking for recommendations for a PCIe eSATA controller which works well under Linux. SATA 3 and PCIe Gen 2. It should have at least 1 external port with a 7-pin eSATA connector, and provide a FIS-based Port Multiplier that will address at least 8 drives on a single port. I have a Startech PEXESAT322I which sort of works, but drops dead under heavy load. The Startech is based on a ASM1061/62 chip. Please reply off-list. Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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VCF Chat livestream Sat. Feb. 24 at 6:30PM EST
by Jeffrey Brace 20 Feb '24

20 Feb '24

This is the livestream link: https://youtube.com/live/PJj-gDDtZlI?feature=share Chat will be with Liza Loop, Cynthia Solomon, Brian Silverman, Wil Lindsay Hope to see everyone there! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner VCF Mid-Atlantic Event Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Next System Source Swap meet in Hunt Valley, Maryland
by Ryan Burke 19 Feb '24

19 Feb '24

The last workshop we had was a huge success! We were very happy to see so many people register, over 50! We are planning another workshop on March 30th and 31st, and hope to see more people there! The workshop is a great place to chat and collaborate with other people in the hobby, as well as tour the museum. Even if you do not bring anything to work on, you are more than welcome to register and attend. Find more information and register at the link below: https://ca.syssrc.com/wp/?page_id=85&civiwp=CiviCRM&q=civicrm%2Fevent%2Finf…

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