April 2024 - vcf-midatlantic

OT / MAC spoofing at Camp Evans
by Martin A. Flynn 29 Apr '24

29 Apr '24

Hi Folks, Please check your mobile devices that you are not using the MAC privacy option when on the Camp Evans network. https://support.apple.com/en-us/102509 We are seeing connected devices at all sorts of strange hours, with MAC addresses that are not listed in the IEEE master list. No desire to use the ban hammer on legit users / devices Martin Flynn

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Altair 8800 50th birthday...
by Herbert Johnson 29 Apr '24

29 Apr '24

> On Thu, Apr 25, 2024, 12:34 PM William Sudbrink v wrote: > >> Based on what I have read, along with a few discussions I have had with >> people involved in the early S-100 "scene", around now is the 50th >> birthday (or conception day) of the Altair 8800. Certainly, next year >> could properly be called its 50th birthday.Anyway, I'm thinking about >> "painting the show blue" with Altairs and IMSAIs for the next few >> vintage computer festivals. >> >> Anyone else interested? - Bill S. > On 4/25/2024 1:54 PM, Neil Cherry via vcf-midatlantic wrote: >> Not a bad thing. And swtpc 6800 also 50 yrs >> On 4/25/24 13:09, Bill Degnan wrote: >> Yea, a little love for the SWTPCs! :-D I'm sympathetic to Bill Sudbrick, to celebrate MITS Altairs and IMSAIs. I was in EE college when I copied the Popular Electronics MITS Altair articles, to make transparencies of the PC boards layouts they published. I've supported S-100 for three decades plus. S-100 systems were produced for twenty years, hundreds of companies. So recognition of them as leaders is a good idea. But leaders of *what*? - there's some better idea to celebrate, reflect upon. Neil and Bill Degnan also have a point. The SS-50 was also a popular architecture in the era. It also led to dozen of companies' products. But why mention SS-50 and S-100 together? There's some better idea in mind that suggests why. I'm thinking this through. I'll say more on my Web site. But my short argument for the better idea, is something like this. These mid-1970's computers, were part of a new idea about computing. Standard busses, open architectures, established and open operating systems - based on then-new 8-bit microprocessors. Circuitcard-based systems expandable at the cost of a single circuit board, or the cost of a few chips on a board. Microprocessors were inside powerful chips that were a lot easier to program, cheaper to produce in volume. Hardware costs falling, and dramatically. And all this "cheaper faster better" brought millions of people into computing, using computers themselves - more productivity, falling costs. All of that is kind of a package, that started to happen about fifty years ago. We take computers and micros for granted today, like fish in water. But *little of that was true* fifty years ago. I was *there*, I know this. (But there's a counter argument, for earlier computers. That's OK! Bring it on! They all make the same case, points of progress to a result, that's my point! ;) And by the way? I and my 1970's colleagues, we won't be "here" for personal accounts on the 75th anniversary. Some of us already left the building. So don't dally on one brand a year. I think those are better ideas to have some celebrations about. Not just a blue birthday cake on one day, or a row of IMSAIs and Altairs at one event (there aren't that many kinds). That's what I'm thinking about. Thanks to Bill Sudbrink for starting the idea of using the MITS Altair 8800 50th birthday. but I'd call it a trail marker. Regards Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA https://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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VCF East 2024 Podcast Episode 1
by Ryan Stapleton 28 Apr '24

28 Apr '24

Hello All, I wanted to share my buddy Rich and my podcast where we talk about VCF East 2024! This is episode 1 of 2 where episode 2 will drop in a few weeks. I hope you enjoy! I know we enjoyed the show! http://www.rnrdoesstuff.com/podcast/ep-012-vcf-east-2024-part1/ Thank you -Ryan

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VCF Swap Meet June 22, 2024
by Jeffrey Brace 28 Apr '24

28 Apr '24

It's coming up. You can register now. Here is all the info: https://vcfed.org/vcf-swap-meet/ See you there! Jeff Brace VCF Mid-Atlantic Event Manager

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Looking for Lomas board manual(s)
by Richard Cini 27 Apr '24

27 Apr '24

All — I mostly lurk on the list now but am active elsewhere (Discord, mostly), but I am looking for a manual for the Lomas LightningOne 8086 CPU board. There doesn’t seem to be a good archive of manuals for the Lomas boards (and what’s out there is only a partial archive on S100computers). I have a project I’m working on with Lomas boards so looking to get the manual for this board. If anyone has copies they’d be willing to scan, please let me know. Thanks! Rich -- Rich Cini http://cini.classiccmp.org

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OT / Newest addition to the CDL toolbox
by Martin A. Flynn 27 Apr '24

27 Apr '24

While used, they are still serviceable: * Waldom W-HT 2285 for 0.062 contacts * Molex HT-2038 for 0.093 contacts * Molex 63813-1500 for MX150 / MX150L terminal * Molex 638120000 for KK 2.54mm Terminals Martin Flynn

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OT / Project Day on the Diana site for 05/18/2024.
by Martin A. Flynn 27 Apr '24

27 Apr '24

Now that we are out of VCF East mode, there are a minor projects on the Diana site at Camp Evans that need attention * Replace the timer for the TLM-18 Floodlights. * Complete the installation of the weatherproof outlet for the TLM-18 floodlights * Connect the interior cameras at the patch bay in the building 9116 furnace room * Fix the Gate camera (might be the cable or the camera itself, may require standing an a 12 foot ladder) * Replace the damaged fence camera cables (will require standing an a 12 foot ladder) Location: 2300 Marconi Road, Wall, NJ Date: 05/18/2024. Time: 10:00 AM start time, hard stop at 3:00 PM If you are available to assist, please reply via email to reduce list clutter Martin

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OT - Analog receiver occasionally missing a channel (but then OK for a long time)
by John Heritage 27 Apr '24

27 Apr '24

I have a pair of Onkyo receivers that have different 'missing channel' issues. For "Receiver A" -- The behavior is I'll turn on the receiver, and I'll have 4.1 sound instead of 5.1 -- usually the right front channel is totally missing. No matter what I do, the only way to get it back is to power it off and power it back on again, and then it's stable for a really long time, including some future power off/on events. Receiver B - which I "retired" a while ago (sitting on a shelf) - it had similar behavior except if I cranked up the volume really loudly on the missing channel, I'd hear some static and then it would work fine. This got worse over time - though once the initial sound output was working it would always stay working. Is this a sign of caps starting to go bad? maybe discrete logic? For Receiver B I did take it apart once before and didn't see anything immediately obvious to my eyes at the time. FWIW The source is a 5.1 RCA analog output from a Soundblaster device. Thanks! john

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OT: 80's Music Video - Do you Computer? - Donnie Iris and the cruisers
by Jeffrey Brace 26 Apr '24

26 Apr '24

Somehow I never heard this song before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2Rjyu_4HzI Enjoy! Jeff Brace

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Altair 8800 50th birthday...
by William Sudbrink 26 Apr '24

26 Apr '24

Based on what I have read, along with a few discussions I have had with people involved in the early S-100 "scene" around now is the 50th birthday (or conception day) of the Altair 8800.Certainly, next year could properly be called its 50th birthday.Anyway, I'm thinking about "painting the show blue" with Altairs and IMSAIs for the next few vintage computer festivals. Anyone else interested? Bill S. -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com

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