- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Workshop report
by Jeffrey Brace 03 Jun '19

03 Jun '19

We had about 10 or so people working on various systems. This time we did a BBQ Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Everyone liked it. We are going to do it again in August. Evan switched out the Amdahl in the featured artifact and put in the Canon Cat. He also put back most of the newly acquired artifacts. One kid about 12 years old visited the museum and was highly interested in vintage computers. He knew many things which he learned from YouTube. Some accurate, some not. His mom said that he was bored from modern scratch programming. I had him try out BASIC programming on the C64. He wants to buy vintage computers, but his mom won’t let him. He also checked out the repair workshop. He really enjoyed! Next workshop is August 24 & 25. @Evan: Do you want to add anything? -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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TRS-80 PC-1 - New manufacture replacement LCDs
by Mark Whittington 03 Jun '19

03 Jun '19

Pretty awesome -- a YouTuber that I follow (Robert Baruch) designed replacement LCD modules for the TRS-80 PC-1 (aka Sharp PC-1211 Pocket Computer) and had them manufactured. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8Vagc0FJK8 He's received the samples and they work great, and so he's ordering 200 more and will have them for sale sometime soon. Seemed like something that might be of interest to this crowd :) Best, -Mark

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Breakfast tomorrow
by Jeffrey Brace 01 Jun '19

01 Jun '19

Us workshop people will meet tomorrow at 9am at The Blue Swan diner for breakfast. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> Virus-free. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>

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Assembler inside Cobol
by Jeffrey Jonas 01 Jun '19

01 Jun '19

The MOBIDIC COBOL status report section 4.3.5 mentions the ENTER declarative for inserting assembler code for the PERFORM verb to execute. That's similar to ASM in C/C++. Everything old is new again! My dad and other early mainframe programmers often knew the machine's architecture and assembler to do things that were not part of the standard COBOL language, libraries or environment. They didn't call them "hacks", it was just part of getting their job done.

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New museum artifacts -- great stuff!!
by Evan Koblentz 30 May '19

30 May '19

There was a place in Wilmington, Delaware called the Museum of Business History and Technology. They closed and offered VCF most of their computer collection. We selected certain items. Today was trip number one. We'll take trip number two later this summer. I rented a box truck and drove down there. Bill Degnan (and his GF and the MBHT guy) helped me load up. Steve Anderson helped me unload back at InfoAge in a massive thunderstorm! Today's trip included: - Two Xerox Star 8010: these are massively historic! http://www.digibarn.com/collections/systems/xerox-8010/index.html ... Our oldest Xerox system until now was the 860. There's only one keyboard and monitor. MBHT has the mouse and they promised to dig it out and send it to us ASAP. I don't know if any other mouse can be used for testing in the meantime. - Xerox Daybreak (next version after the Star) - DEC Industiral-8 (not sure how complete it is) - Mac 20th anniversary edition - IMSAI 8080 - SWTP CT-64 terminal - PET 2001 with the black faceplate - About a half-dozen unusual analog desktop computers/trainers, including the "cowculator". - EAI TR-20. Bill I. is restoring our existing one, so this will help a lot for parts. - NeXT Cube. It's funny after the lengths we went through to get one last year! - IBM 5110 + drives. - Intersil computer ... Degnan knows about this; I don't. The next trip will be for rack-mount stuff. Stay tuned later this summer. :)

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] New museum artifacts -- great stuff!!
by Evan Koblentz 30 May '19

30 May '19

Oops, I didn't actually answer your questions! > Nice haul! We have two of the Xerox 'Dandelion' systems as well, including a load of software and several keyboards. Unfortunately, we have no monitors. Would love to collaborate on any restoration work and maybe learn more about the video interface in hopes that we can get ours running as well. Awesome! The best way to collaborate is to bring your systems to one of our repair workshops. > Also, VCM may be interested in any items from MBHT that VCF was not interested in. Feel free to connect me if you feel it would be appropriate. Unfortunately I can't do that. IRS rules state that when a 501(c)(3) closes, it can only give its assets to another 501(c)(3).

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] New museum artifacts -- great stuff!!
by Evan Koblentz 30 May '19

30 May '19

> Also, VCM may be interested What is VCM?

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] New museum artifacts -- great stuff!!
by W. Bryan Caudle 30 May '19

30 May '19

Nice haul! We have two of the Xerox 'Dandelion' systems as well, including a load of software and several keyboards. Unfortunately, we have no monitors. Would love to collaborate on any restoration work and maybe learn more about the video interface in hopes that we can get ours running as well. Also, VCM may be interested in any items from MBHT that VCF was not interested in. Feel free to connect me if you feel it would be appropriate. Thanks!

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June Repair workshop signup
by Jeffrey Brace 30 May '19

30 May '19

If you are interested in the June VCF repair workshop, then signup here: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cdRaUOarYmLe0c7Veddzl4HhOqB1BXTgTCQ… > We still have space available. I am planning on cooking burgers for dinner Saturday night on the grill. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Forgot to mention: great tour group today
by Evan Koblentz 29 May '19

29 May '19

I forget to mention in the "new artifacts" email that I made it back to IA around 3:45, just in time for a tour group from the Princeton University IT department. About a dozen people were in their group. They took a thorough tour lasting almost an hour. It went very well. They invited me to tour their data center.

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Warehouse on Saturday
by Evan Koblentz 29 May '19

29 May '19

For everyone attending this weekend's workshop: After today's haul from Delaware, Steve and I were not able to unload the truck until about 5:30, which was precisely the time when a MASSIVE THUNDERSTORM arrived in Wall Township. We emptied the truck as fast as humanly (nerdily?) possible for our own safety and that of the computers. It was not confidence-inspiring standing inside a big metal box while my phone blared out the "emergency storm warning" tone. We put everything immediately inside the warehouse doors and then got out of Dodge. I won't be there until Saturday mid/late-afternoon, so if you go in the warehouse before that, you will find an incredible mess of incredible stuff! Feel free to move things to the side as needed, but PLEASE DO NOT start putting things away, because there are specific places that I need to put it all. It'll get done by the end of the weekend. Thanks for understanding -- usually the messes are because I procrastinate; this time it was about personal safety.

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RIP: John Parsons
by William Sudbrink 29 May '19

29 May '19

I have unfortunately just discovered that John Parsons, who shared my interest in the Cromemco Cyclops and spoke at VCF East XI, passed away on March 29th: https://www.kentandpelczarfh.com/obituary/john-parsons Bill S. --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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Re: OT Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Saturday : evening plans?
by Laura S. Reinhard 29 May '19

29 May '19

for real I am not about plugging stuff. I am not even on the team officially yet. i just think its a lot of fun and you guys would enjoy it. apologies if I am out of order (dodging any tech debris that may be en route to my head) 😂 Best, Laura S. Reinhard

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Saturday
by Evan Koblentz 29 May '19

29 May '19

I can't be at the workshop until Saturday afternoon. Not sure what time; probably around 3-4 but that is a guess. -- Evan Koblentz, executive director Vintage Computer Federation www.vcfed.org evan(a)vcfed.org (646) 546-9999 VCF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

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Workshop Barbecue this weekend
by Jeffrey Brace 28 May '19

28 May '19

For this weekend’s repair workshop, I am going to get out the VCF grill for barbecuing some burgers. VCF will provide burgers, buns, ketchup, cheese, soda, plates, napkins. If you want anything more, then please bring it yourself. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Repair Workshop Info for June 2019
by Jeffrey Brace 28 May '19

28 May '19

As a reminder the workshop is $10 *per* person, *per* day. Sorry this is InfoAge's rule and not our decision. So that means for two days it is $20. Sign up quickly to guarantee a table. DATE: June 1 & 2 LOCATION: InfoAge Building 9032A - (2201 Marconi Road, Wall Township, NJ) TIME: Start about 10 A.M. on Saturday and ends whenever we go to sleep. End about 5 P.M. on Sunday. (Starts around 10 A.M. Sunday morning) SIGNUP: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cdRaUOarYmLe0c7Veddzl4HhOqB1BXTgTCQ… > COST: - $10 per person, PER day. This is required by InfoAge for us to pay for renting the space. - $25 for those wanting to stay overnight (Money goes to InfoAge). Please pay me when you get there so that I don't forget and then have to spend time chasing you down. Credit cards accepted. I will be using VCF's PayPal Here tablet with bluetooth credit card machine. OVERNIGHT: Bring your own pillow, blankets, soap etc. We provide a bed frame and an uncovered mattress. There are showers and a kitchen for your use. - You can pay via PayPal to paypal(a)vcfed.org. or to me via cash or credit card in person. EQUIPMENT: - VCF will provide a table and you can use any available electrical outlet. - Bring your own tools, power strips, power cords, and supplies etc. - If you need particular tools that you don't know or particular parts, please post to the list for those going. They may have what you need. Let them know ahead of time. - Please bring an extra one or two power cords as these are often forgotten by people. DRINKS: You should bring your own. I would recommend bringing a cooler of some type. FOOD: This time we will try something different. We are going to cook some burgers for lunch and dinner. No frills, so if you want anything extra, you provide your own. GATE: During the hours from 1 pm to 5 pm close the front gate behind you. We want museum visitors to go to the front lobby and not wander through the middle of the campus. Outside of those times, you can feel free to leave the gate open. PARKING: Park across from 9032 or 9010A on any blacktop area. InfoAge doesn't like us parking on the lawn anymore. QUESTIONS? Contact Evan : 646 - 546 - 9999 <646-546-9999> or evan @ vcfed.org <evan(a)vcfed.org> or myself (Jeff) : 732 - 759 - 1783 <732-759-1783> or jeffrey @ vcfed.org <jeffrey(a)vcfed.org> Have fun everyone! -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] B&C Microsystems EEPROM software
by Matt Reynolds 28 May '19

28 May '19

Herb, It's vintage, which is why I thought I'd take a stab at asking you folks. The motherboard says it was made in 1989. 1. It is screen printed in the name on the device that it is rs-232. 2. I can try and use PuTTY and see if that works but I'm sure it needs more than that. 3. I'm trying to set this device up so i can read\burn EEPROMS, so I'd have to buy\use something else to read the one inside of it.. There is an 8085 processor in it. There is also an 8155 and 8251. 4. This may have been common in the past, but I'm only four years older than the device itself. I've never had to do it, I'm trying to learn about it, which is why I bought it in the first place :) I am not giving up hope that the software is out there somewhere. The software for it's more expensive relative is on bitsavers, I will probably try and install it and see what it does regardless. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will work. I'll also try the straight up serial connection and see what happens. Thanks, Matt On Mon, May 27, 2019, 3:34 PM Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > software > > that goes with a B&C Microsystems Inc. UP100 Universal RS232 > E(E)PROM/Micro > > Programmer. > > If this is some modern unit with a single-chip microcontroller, you are > probably out of luck. If not, if it's vintage enough to have a > microprocessor and some ROM and some RAM: > > 1) confirm the unit is "RS-232" or serial. Many of them used a PC > parallel port. YOu'll have to reverse engineer the circuits at the DB25 > (or DB9) connector. > > 2) If it's really serial, chances are it can be operated with a serial > terminal (or PC running a comm program). You may have to guess at the > baud rates, it may be autobaud, using the first character received to > determine a baud rate. "Hit return a lot.". > > If it's PC parallel, you are mostly out of luck. But there's still: > > 3) if all that fails, Pull the PROM out of the unit - chances are it has > one - and dump it. Of course you'll need an EPROM reader, once, to do > this. Also note the processor in the unit. You may need to disassemble > the code, at least a little. But it may be informative even as an ASCII > dump. > > - Um, this is the kind of thing done, lots of time in the past, to make > sense of some unknown microcomputer. Is this "lost art" now? > > Puzzled, > Herb Johnson > > -- > Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA > http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net >

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Maker Faire C64 Reproductions
by Jeffrey Brace 27 May '19

27 May '19

Besides TheC64 MIni: <https://retrogames.biz/> The Ultimate C64 motherboard replacement: < http://www.1541ultimate.net/content/index.php?option=com_content&view=artic… > The 1541 Mini: < https://www.thefuturewas8bit.com/shop/commodore/sd2iec-c.html?gclid=EAIaIQo… > Cases: <https://www.breadbox64.com/c64-peripherals/new-c64c-cases/> Are there other C64 reproductions available? -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 27 May '19

27 May '19

There was a CDL (makerspace) barbecue tonight, so Charlotte and I went early to do some organizing in the museum and warehouse. VCFed inherited an Eagle //e (CP/M computer) and Dan Roganti's PET 2001 during VCF East. We moved both of those out of the workshop and into the warehouse. We made room for the Eagle on the E-for-Epson shelving unit. The PET went with our other PETs; there was plenty of space in that section. We made a new "C" shelving unit for our two Canon Cats, and we're getting a third one soon. I am not sure what else will go on that unit. We made another P-for-portables shelving unit and filled it about halfway. Now all the of extra luggables that were piling up elsewhere are where they belong. Finally -- and this will make Jeff Brace happy -- we made a shelving unit for all of the VCF East show supplies. No more piling that stuff on pallets.

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B&C Microsystems EEPROM software
by Herb Johnson 27 May '19

27 May '19

> software > that goes with a B&C Microsystems Inc. UP100 Universal RS232 E(E)PROM/Micro > Programmer. If this is some modern unit with a single-chip microcontroller, you are probably out of luck. If not, if it's vintage enough to have a microprocessor and some ROM and some RAM: 1) confirm the unit is "RS-232" or serial. Many of them used a PC parallel port. YOu'll have to reverse engineer the circuits at the DB25 (or DB9) connector. 2) If it's really serial, chances are it can be operated with a serial terminal (or PC running a comm program). You may have to guess at the baud rates, it may be autobaud, using the first character received to determine a baud rate. "Hit return a lot.". If it's PC parallel, you are mostly out of luck. But there's still: 3) if all that fails, Pull the PROM out of the unit - chances are it has one - and dump it. Of course you'll need an EPROM reader, once, to do this. Also note the processor in the unit. You may need to disassemble the code, at least a little. But it may be informative even as an ASCII dump. - Um, this is the kind of thing done, lots of time in the past, to make sense of some unknown microcomputer. Is this "lost art" now? Puzzled, Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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B&C Microsystems EEPROM software
by Matt Reynolds 27 May '19

27 May '19

Hi all, This might be a longshot, but I was wondering if anybody has the software that goes with a B&C Microsystems Inc. UP100 Universal RS232 E(E)PROM/Micro Programmer. I picked this up at the Flea at MIT a couple years ago and it didn't have the software with it. I found software for a similar device they made, but I don't think it will work. If anybody can point me in the right direction I'dd appreciate it. Matt

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Binocular Loupe vs Microscope for vintage electronics repair
by corey cohen 26 May '19

26 May '19

So trying to decide on getting a binocular microscope or Binocular Loupe glasses for soldering and such on vintage computers. I don’t really do any SMD work, so $500+ for a good microscope vs $100 for a decent Binocular loop is a decision I need to make soon. Cheater glasses 2.5x used in conjunction with a large magnifier on an articulating arm just aren’t cutting it right now. What are your experiences with one vs another, if I don’t do surface mount work? Thanks, Corey corey cohen uǝɥoɔ ʎǝɹoɔ Sent from my iPhone

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Museum Report 2019-05-26
by Jeffrey Brace 26 May '19

26 May '19

Despite the good weather and holiday weekend, there was a dozen visitors and mostly high interest. One kid about 8 years old, who came with his parents claimed to know a lot about vintage computers. I told him, "That's a Lisa". He's like, "I know." He seemed to have some knowledge, seemingly to be from YouTube videos, etc. So he knew some stuff, but only a cursory knowledge. He was quite interested in trying all of them that he only saw on YouTube in person like the Osbourne, IBM PC, Macintosh, Apple 2, etc. He spent time on various computers and I let him try some of them out as best as I could. Not all of them have a lot of software with them. Another kid, of about 10 years old was with his parents and brother. He came to do a project on computers that he needed to graduate (his words) from elementary school. His father said that this was the only vintage computer museum within 200 miles. I gave him a full tour and let him try out some computers. I showed him how tedious it was to do a simple program on the HP 1000. I taught him the concept of octal in the process.. And I properly biased him towards Commodore computers. I said look at this Amiga from 1985 and look at that Macintosh from 1984, he was like "I would rather have the Amiga." ;) I also showed him how much better the C64 was than the Apple II. :-D He really enjoyed the tour. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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PDP-11 RL02 Locations?
by W2HX 25 May '19

25 May '19

Hi all, Still working (slooooowly) on getting a PDP (or two) up and running. I am now ready to mount two RL02s into a small DEC rack cabinet from which they came. I can fit two RL02s into one rack (with the CPU as well). I have 5 RL02 drives numbered 0,0,1,1,3. Meaning I have 2 zeroes, 2 ones, and one three. My question is whether there there is a standard about the location of the drive numbers. Let me clarify, I know that I can change the number by moving the numbered light cover so this is easily changeable. But in a data center, was 0 typically on top? Or 1? I am not sure which operating system I will run (probably several). If drive 0 is treated differently than the others (for booting for example) then it might make sense to have 0 on the top where I can access the drive from the top without needing to extend the drive. Or, if any operating system can be booted off any drive number, then maybe it truly makes no difference. Thanks for the bandwidth Eugene

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Whoa - HP acquires Cray
by Evan Koblentz 24 May '19

24 May '19

https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/17/tech/cray-jurassic-park-computer/index.html

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Maker Faire this year
by Herb Johnson 23 May '19

23 May '19

> -Alexander 'Z' Pierson: Two machines come to mind: The uKENBAK-1 and > the ELF membership card. I have the former, and I'm willing to lend > but the latter I'm sure someone else has on hand. http://www.sunrise-ev.com/membershipcard.htm For those not familiar: The 1802 Membership Card is a reasonable replica to consider. It's pretty close in design, to the original 1976 RCA COSMAC ELF. It's part of a long tradition of ELF-like systems sold over the decades. It has toggle switches and LEDs, like the original; all parts are like-vintage. And it's not hard to build, it's sold as a kit with how-to-assemble manual. All of that, is a deliberate effort to replicate the vintage experience. This model been in distribution for several years now. Interest is steady, people work with them in the ELF/COSMAC community. I can provide one for display, but I can't be there to run it. In operation, you either run it from a serial terminal (USB dongle to a laptop), or toggle-in programs and run those (blink lights, make sounds if there's a speaker, etc.), or run from ROM. The ROM runs a monitor, or BASIC, or of course any program in ROM. But even as a static display, it's pretty neat to see a small compact microcomputer. Since it's the size of an Altoids can, it won't take much table space. Contact me, or the developer Lee Hart, if there's interest in displaying a model. Cheers, 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 retrotechnology DOT info

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Maker Faire this year
by Evan Koblentz 23 May '19

23 May '19

> > the ELF membership card. I have the former, and I'm willing to lend > but the latter I'm sure someone else has on hand. > > http://www.sunrise-ev.com/membershipcard.htm > > For those not familiar: The 1802 Membership Card is a reasonable > replica to consider. It's pretty close in design, to the original 1976 > RCA COSMAC ELF. It's part of a long tradition of ELF-like systems sold > over the decades. It has toggle switches and LEDs, like the original; > all parts are like-vintage. And it's not hard to build, it's sold as a > kit with how-to-assemble manual. > > All of that, is a deliberate effort to replicate the vintage experience. > > This model been in distribution for several years now. Interest is > steady, people work with them in the ELF/COSMAC community. > > I can provide one for display, but I can't be there to run it. In > operation, you either run it from a serial terminal (USB dongle to a > laptop), or toggle-in programs and run those (blink lights, make > sounds if there's a speaker, etc.), or run from ROM. The ROM runs a > monitor, or BASIC, or of course any program in ROM. Fair enough -- yes we'd like to borrow that. Can you make (or refer us to) a cheat-sheet with some simple demo instructions?

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT Atari 800 key caps needed and Commodore VIC 20 case.
by Jason Howe 23 May '19

23 May '19

Call Brad at Best Electronics. He has key caps in Stock. He will ask a few questions about your keyboard as there were three different keyboard mechanisms used on the OG 800. --Jason On May 23, 2019 10:59:55 AM PDT, Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > -- Sent from my Android phone with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.

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OT Atari 800 key caps needed and Commodore VIC 20 case.
by Sentrytv 23 May '19

23 May '19

To all on this list: I am looking for a Commodore VIC 20 case (top & bottom) I have a working system but no case right now. ALSO I am looking for key caps "X" and " ]." for an Atari 800 computer. Please contact me if you have one or all of these, for sale or trade. Also, I will be at the workshop in June. Thank you Mike Rosen Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] New info about ol' MOBIDIC
by Evan Koblentz 23 May '19

23 May '19

>> sure some did call it MOBOL, was Sylvania part of RCA at this point? Nope On Thu, May 23, 2019, 6:46 AM Ben Greenfield via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > On May 23, 2019, at 1:45 AM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > Many of you know that my second-favorite computer -- the Apple //e is my > favorite -- is MOBIDIC. I wrote in my book ("Abacus to smartphone" in 2015) > that Sylvania gave it a COBOL compiler. Tonight I found a document that > goes into detail about that compiler. I learned that Sylvania called the > compiler "MOBILE", although it would've been much funnier if they called it > MOBOL, don't you think? :) > > I’m sure some did call it MOBOL, was Sylvania part of RCA at this point? > > > > Pages 4-1, 4-2, and 4-3 (pages 11, 12, 13 of the .pdf) explain the > programs that they wrote. Read all about it at > https://ia902808.us.archive.org/27/items/DTIC_AD0406874/DTIC_AD0406874.pdf > . > > Thanks for sharing. Archive.org is the closet thing I have experienced > that reminds most of the pre-graphics internet or just after mosaic hit. > > Thank you for sharing, > > Ben > > > > >

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New info about ol' MOBIDIC
by Evan Koblentz 23 May '19

23 May '19

Many of you know that my second-favorite computer -- the Apple //e is my favorite -- is MOBIDIC. I wrote in my book ("Abacus to smartphone" in 2015) that Sylvania gave it a COBOL compiler. Tonight I found a document that goes into detail about that compiler. I learned that Sylvania called the compiler "MOBILE", although it would've been much funnier if they called it MOBOL, don't you think? :) Pages 4-1, 4-2, and 4-3 (pages 11, 12, 13 of the .pdf) explain the programs that they wrote. Read all about it at https://ia902808.us.archive.org/27/items/DTIC_AD0406874/DTIC_AD0406874.pdf.

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Who's an ACM member?
by Evan Koblentz 22 May '19

22 May '19

I need to read a paper from 1978: https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1198367

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Hayes 1200
by Mike Loewen 22 May '19

22 May '19

The most expensive Hayes modem, ever! https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hayes-Smartmodem-1200-with-Power-Supply/2026859300… Free shipping, too. :-) Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 22 May '19

22 May '19

Interesting day. I arrived around 11:30 and caught the end of the IEEE milestone plaque ceremony at the Diana/TIROS site. Then I did some museum maintenance for a while. One visitor distinguished herself: an IEEE local section officer who stayed for a thorough tour. Turns out she once worked with Isaac Asimov!

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Maker Faire this year
by Evan Koblentz 22 May '19

22 May '19

Yes please -- Kenbak! On Wed, May 22, 2019, 12:46 PM Alexander Pierson via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Two machines come to mind:The uKENBAK-1 and the ELF membership card. I > have the former, and I'm willing to lend that, but the latter I'm sure > someone else has on hand. > -Alexander 'Z' Pierson > > > On Tuesday, May 21, 2019, 11:24:56 PM EDT, Evan Koblentz via > vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Everyone, > > This year's idea for our World (NYC) Maker Faire exhibit is > replicas/workalikes. > > The registration opens next month, so for now this is conceptual. > Me/Dean/Jeff/Corey are planning it behind-the-scenes. > > We will bring: > > - Replica 1 (Not a Mimeo, because the former is hobbyist-friendly; > latter is for true aficionados) > > - Altair Mini > > - PiDP > > - Kim Uno > > - Commodore Mini > > - Glitchworks 8085 > > - Atari Flashback (maybe) > > Two questions: > > - Does anyone have Oscar's PDP-11/70, and if so are you willing to loan > it to us or (better yet) exhibit it personally at the event? > > - What other replica hardware should we consider for this exhibit? > > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: NJARC YouTube
by Alex Duboski 21 May '19

21 May '19

Done

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DC area people: Fwd: Vintage Computer Books
by Evan Koblentz 20 May '19

20 May '19

See below. Reply directly to Gerald, NOT to this list. PS. Attachments don't work well here, so I put his books photo at https://tinyurl.com/y5lc3af7. Nothing that the VCF museum needs. -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Vintage Computer Books Date: Mon, 20 May 2019 21:35:38 -0400 (EDT) From: GERALD TERLITZKY <gterlitzky06(a)comcast.net> Reply-To: GERALD TERLITZKY <gterlitzky06(a)comcast.net> To: evan(a)vcfed.org Good Evening, I found your name on the VCF Museum site by accident. I have a friend that develop Parkinson disease 5 years ago and I had to put him into an assisted living facility. He work as an computer operator for the Washington Gas Light company back in the 70's. I've been cleaning his house out for the past 6 weeks. He has a collection of computer books around 100 total. I'm attaching a picture of books in his library. I would like to sell them all, but I'm located in Bowie Maryland. Maybe you might know someone in the Washington Metro area that you can suggest for me to contact. All the funds that I make goes towards his living expense. Sincerely, Gerald Terlitzky

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Scopewriter Issue Resolved.
by Herb Johnson 20 May '19

20 May '19

> It’s interesting how many of the hobby designed products from the mod 70’s have marginal aspects to their designs. Whenever anyone recreates or restores any old electronic device, it often can be a tricky problem to determine whether a problem is introduced or original to the design > > regards, > Mike Willegal The very earliest microcomputers or microprocessor-based things from the early to mid-1970's, were often designed by people new to microprocessors and/or TTL logic. Some of course (TV Typewriter) were all TTL logic. The very earliest microprocessors needed odd voltages and timings. So some of the logic design was a bit, er, funky. A common practice was to use a resistor/capacitor circuit (R/C circuit) to create timing delays, or turn level-shifts into pulses. These don't age well, and didn't work well when new. The IMSAI front panel has a couple of these. Also, "straight" TTL draws a lot of current; later LSTTL and much later ALSTTL draws less current and is faster. Early CMOS was challenging too. Things got better, later on. And some brands (Compupro, etc.) produced pretty solid designs from the start. These are restorer's considerations which aren't documented. It's part of the fun, in my opinion. Notably, Herb Johnson 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 retrotechnology DOT info

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For Sale/Trade: AMD 5x86 DOS PC
by Vincent B 20 May '19

20 May '19

Looking to part with a "Baby AT" AMD 5x86 DOS PC that's been in my closet unused for a few years. Specs are as follows: 486 VLB system in a mini tower: Case has 2 x 5.25" slots and 2 x 3.5" slots. Includes 1.44 and 1.2MB floppies, IDE CDROM (have not checked if it reads CDR's and it is easily replaceable). Power, Turbo, Reset buttons, LED speed indicator (set to 133 and 8mhz currently) Hint 486 motherboard with 2 VLB slots (both used) and ISA A coin battery holder has been installed after the rechargeable one was removed (mounted on case wall for easy access) Evergreen CPU upgrade AMD 5X86-133 P75 X5 (its an AMD 486/133 surface mount CPU with jumper configurations and a small heatsink no fan runs very cool) 32MB RAM (8x4MB 30 pin SIMMS) Seagate ST 51080A 1083MB HD, no bad sectors. 1993 STB VLB Horizon video card (1MB I think CL-GD5426). CT28040 SB16 sound card 3COM Etherlink II/16TP Ethernet card VLB HD I/O card Looking to either sell it outright or trade it for an Atari ST. Contact me off-list to make a deal. <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> Virus-free. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>

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Museum Report 2019-05-19
by Jeffrey Brace 19 May '19

19 May '19

We still had visitors in spite of the nice weather. A father and his college-age daughter came in and he explained how modems worked to connect to other computers. She seemed perplexed. In the "Everything on this wall now fits into your pocket" display, the daughter couldn't identify the fax machine or digital answering machine, but she identified the Magellan GPS navigator. I like to quiz "younger" people on what the devices are in the display to see how they are unrecognizable to the younger generation. The next visitors were grandparents with their grandson of about 11 years old. I had him type in a short BASIC program on the C64 with the bouncing ball. He liked it so much that he recorded it on his iPhone. He typed it in pretty well, but I had to help him debug it. Then two couples with high interest. One of them did a picture on deluxe paint and took a picture of his masterpiece. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> Virus-free. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Help with installing 1980s DOS program
by Devin Heitmueller 19 May '19

19 May '19

Hi Herb, On Fri, May 17, 2019 at 11:16 AM Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Evan is correct. That is, this user wants what he wants for the reasons > Evan stated; and not as Devin speculated. This caught my attention, > because I resell old Macintosh computer parts and systems. "Old" as in > 68K and PowerPC based, 1980's and 1990's. <snip> Fair enough. I've done my share of maintaining legacy equipment when I was working at the Bell Labs EMC lab, where the computers running the test chambers were considered to be "calibrated equipment" and thus had to be 10+ year old AT&T PCs. I can appreciate the cases where this sort of thing would be necessary. I wouldn't have assumed this to be the case for a lawyer, since most of the ones I know have to share documents electronically with others (or have paralegals that weren't alive in the 1980's that they expect to be able to edit documents), and thus wouldn't still be using ancient word processors. That said, supposedly George R.R. Martin writes his books on WordStar, so I guess anything's possible. Cheers, Devin -- Devin J. Heitmueller http://www.devinheitmueller.com

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Scopewriter Issue Resolved.
by MikeWillegal 18 May '19

18 May '19

I finally found time to properly debug the Scopewriter issue that I have been having. This was noticed by many visiting my VCF east exhibit. Basically, with certain strings being displayed, the string would randomly change. I found that the issue was inherent with the Scopewriter itself, and didn’t have anything to do with the SCELBI interface. The Scopewriter uses a TMS3112 shift register a little bit like an Apple 1 or TV Typewriter to refresh display data. It turns out that the hold time of the low level phase of the clock wasn’t meeting the TMS3112 specs causing the recycled data to be occasionally lost. Changing capacitor C2 to a .1uF value increased the amount of time of the clock being held at low level and solved the problem. It’s interesting how many of the hobby designed products from the mod 70’s have marginal aspects to their designs. Whenever anyone recreates or restores any old electronic device, it often can be a tricky problem to determine whether a problem is introduced or original to the design regards, Mike Willegal

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Connecticut auction tomorrow
by Evan Koblentz 17 May '19

17 May '19

Just heard about this: https://www.auctionzip.com/Listings/3270964.html

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Help with installing 1980s DOS program
by Neil Cherry 17 May '19

17 May '19

I know of Banks that hadn't stopped using IBM bisync equipment around 2000, I know of a large concrete company who still had DECnet (LAST and LAT) by 2005, a chemical company who has finally gotten rid of the PUP and XNS (not Novell) but still had DECNet LAT by 2010 and a Aluminum Company with DEC LAT and HP Bridging in 2011. I know many of the companies have a plan to migrate but they're milking the 'paid for' tech until they migrate. I'm a bit guilty of holding out, I learned Emacs in 1978 on a keyboard where you needed to know your ASCII to generate control sequences (CR - ^M, LF -^J, TAB - ^I, BS - ^H etc.). And since I learned to type on a typewritter, I do not know of this Enter you speak of. ;-) Oh, and they've changed the Windows applications (yet again) so the old key strokes no longer get you to the features directly. And the way they've hidden the features I need ... well I'm resorting to returning to nroff. ;-) -- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry(a)linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Help with installing 1980s DOS program
by Dean Notarnicola 17 May '19

17 May '19

I agree that it's imperative for us to help keep older systems alive and documented, for historic reasons, as well as to aid someone like this gentlemen who simply wants to continue working as usual. However, in these cases, I put on my IT hat and feel a responsibility to inform them of a data migration plan. Circumstances could prevent usage of the older systems, and data recovery may become challenging or near impossible. Users don't always think ahead to a point where they are not around and someone left behind may need access to what could be valuable information. I've seen it too often. On Fri, May 17, 2019 at 11:35 AM Tony Bogan via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Herb, you have described a good portion of my life with computers. Putting > aside my interaction with the Phreak/Crack scene in the early to mid 80s, > much of my life has been spent as a User, not a programmer. > I was 14 or so using Money Street on the Apple II to reconcile the > Checking accounts for our boats for the accountant. I used it till probably > 1990 or so, dot matrix printer and all. I could still use it today! > > I had an SE/30 running as a file server until the early 2000s, the list of > machines I’ve used for a decade or more after their discontinuation is long. > > They were a toy when I was 10 and got my first one (Apple II) in 1978. > They were both a tool and a toy from the time I was 12 or 13 right up to > the present. I certainly do more things in today’s world with my modern > machines than I did in the past (webdesign, app Dev, etc) but at my daily > job running my business I still run some software from 10 years ago and > more because it just works, doing the same job it did more than a decade > ago. Meanwhile I have modern machines and software working as well. > > Tony >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Help with installing 1980s DOS program
by Tony Bogan 17 May '19

17 May '19

Herb, you have described a good portion of my life with computers. Putting aside my interaction with the Phreak/Crack scene in the early to mid 80s, much of my life has been spent as a User, not a programmer. I was 14 or so using Money Street on the Apple II to reconcile the Checking accounts for our boats for the accountant. I used it till probably 1990 or so, dot matrix printer and all. I could still use it today! I had an SE/30 running as a file server until the early 2000s, the list of machines I’ve used for a decade or more after their discontinuation is long. They were a toy when I was 10 and got my first one (Apple II) in 1978. They were both a tool and a toy from the time I was 12 or 13 right up to the present. I certainly do more things in today’s world with my modern machines than I did in the past (webdesign, app Dev, etc) but at my daily job running my business I still run some software from 10 years ago and more because it just works, doing the same job it did more than a decade ago. Meanwhile I have modern machines and software working as well. Tony

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Help with installing 1980s DOS program
by Sentrytv 17 May '19

17 May '19

Can't blame these people. Newer versions of software require newer OS, hardware, or peripherals. "If it ain't broke don't fix it!" I have several older systems that I almost never use, but I can if I need to, with older software I have. Mainly older DOS and windows games. Besides I never throw anything out! Mike R. Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > On May 17, 2019, at 11:00 AM, Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > <mime-attachment>

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Help with installing 1980s DOS program
by Evan Koblentz 17 May '19

17 May '19

>> there's no intrinsic (look it up) Why would you think we don't know that word? On Fri, May 17, 2019, 11:09 AM Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Devin Heitmueller: I would assume there's a good chance that the user > isn't so much > > interested in using an ancient word processor for nostalgia, but > > rather to gain access to some old documents. > > > > Evan Koblentz: Nope. He refuses to upgrade! He had it running for eons > on XP, then that > > went haywire, so he was desperate for someone to get it back running for > > him. > > Evan is correct. That is, this user wants what he wants for the reasons > Evan stated; and not as Devin speculated. This caught my attention, > because I resell old Macintosh computer parts and systems. "Old" as in > 68K and PowerPC based, 1980's and 1990's. > > While many of my customers are just playing with old Macs for nostalgia, > or for non-use interest; a good number of them are "desperately" trying > to keep their original, now-vintage systems running with now-vintage > software. > > Why? 1) they have a stable environment, which they learned to use. It > supported their line of business or work for decades. It still does. So > there's no intrinsic (look it up) reason to change. > > 2) "modern" programs on modern computers add complexity or undesired > features. The MS-DOS environment was either pure command-line, or used > an 80 X 24 text display (in color sometimes) and "escape sequences" on > the keyboard to navigate that screen. Or, yeah, a mouse. For touch > typists, and for users who do repetitive work, keystrokes are faster > than a mouse. Oh - and no networking needed. > > 2a) Some modern equivalents of now-vintage programs, can't do what the > old programs did. Or they do something different. That's annoying to > persons who find it hard to change their established habits. It's more > than annoying, when you don't get the results you want from a "new" > program. The forms look wrong, the images aren't the same, the > calculations aren't the same. Sometimes that matters. > > From a business point of view, they would find it hard to rework > "scripts" and forms to perform the same tasks. Or worse, hard to find > someone able to both understand the "old" and provide the "new". *And*, > provide patient training and support, to the now-new user of this new > set of hardware, operating system, software... on and on. > > I don't offer any of that service, by the way. And many of these > customers know, if they try to go the "replace everything" route, they > will be abandoned with new stuff that won't work for them; and old stuff > that's now "broken" and doesn't work either. In short: total failure. > That's their view, and who am I to argue otherwise? Without offering to > fix it? > > 2b) For some who use their computers with embedded equipment - say a > mass spectrometer - they *can't* change the programming. Or possibly > they can't change the hardware interface, or internal bus-hardware card > (NuBus in the case of desktop Macs, ISA for old PC's, etc.) > > 3) Given the decades of use so far, these users simply want to run the > clock out. They will retire soon; why make efforts to change everything, > only to walk away from it a few years from now? And when the new-person > will simply abandon whatever they've left behind, most likely? "We don't > do that anymore, it was obsolete and the person retired." > > You-all should get the idea, at this point. For many people, use of a > computer was yet another part of the "mechanics" of doing their job or > running their business or service. They weren't programmers. Changing > programs and computers, was simply not necessary, for a stable service. > And believe it or not, there are still niche businesses, and > long-running equipment, where "stability" is more important than "new". > And where "new" doesn't necessarily mean "better". > > Many of you reading all this, if you haven't stopped already, have > decided this is dead-end thinking, old-people who lack flexibility, or > just incomprehensible. I only bothered to post it, because, well, this > is a list about vintage computing, right? You are interested in vintage > computers, right? Do-ya-THINK, some people used these for *purpose* at > some time? And if so, maybe some people *still* use them for purpose, now? > > And, even so, it's worth preserving how and why these computers and > programs were used. It's already largely forgotten. But that's another > discussion. > > regards, > Herb Johnson > > > > -- > 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 retrotechnology DOT info >

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Help with installing 1980s DOS program
by Herb Johnson 17 May '19

17 May '19

> Devin Heitmueller: I would assume there's a good chance that the user isn't so much > interested in using an ancient word processor for nostalgia, but > rather to gain access to some old documents. > > Evan Koblentz: Nope. He refuses to upgrade! He had it running for eons on XP, then that > went haywire, so he was desperate for someone to get it back running for > him. Evan is correct. That is, this user wants what he wants for the reasons Evan stated; and not as Devin speculated. This caught my attention, because I resell old Macintosh computer parts and systems. "Old" as in 68K and PowerPC based, 1980's and 1990's. While many of my customers are just playing with old Macs for nostalgia, or for non-use interest; a good number of them are "desperately" trying to keep their original, now-vintage systems running with now-vintage software. Why? 1) they have a stable environment, which they learned to use. It supported their line of business or work for decades. It still does. So there's no intrinsic (look it up) reason to change. 2) "modern" programs on modern computers add complexity or undesired features. The MS-DOS environment was either pure command-line, or used an 80 X 24 text display (in color sometimes) and "escape sequences" on the keyboard to navigate that screen. Or, yeah, a mouse. For touch typists, and for users who do repetitive work, keystrokes are faster than a mouse. Oh - and no networking needed. 2a) Some modern equivalents of now-vintage programs, can't do what the old programs did. Or they do something different. That's annoying to persons who find it hard to change their established habits. It's more than annoying, when you don't get the results you want from a "new" program. The forms look wrong, the images aren't the same, the calculations aren't the same. Sometimes that matters. From a business point of view, they would find it hard to rework "scripts" and forms to perform the same tasks. Or worse, hard to find someone able to both understand the "old" and provide the "new". *And*, provide patient training and support, to the now-new user of this new set of hardware, operating system, software... on and on. I don't offer any of that service, by the way. And many of these customers know, if they try to go the "replace everything" route, they will be abandoned with new stuff that won't work for them; and old stuff that's now "broken" and doesn't work either. In short: total failure. That's their view, and who am I to argue otherwise? Without offering to fix it? 2b) For some who use their computers with embedded equipment - say a mass spectrometer - they *can't* change the programming. Or possibly they can't change the hardware interface, or internal bus-hardware card (NuBus in the case of desktop Macs, ISA for old PC's, etc.) 3) Given the decades of use so far, these users simply want to run the clock out. They will retire soon; why make efforts to change everything, only to walk away from it a few years from now? And when the new-person will simply abandon whatever they've left behind, most likely? "We don't do that anymore, it was obsolete and the person retired." You-all should get the idea, at this point. For many people, use of a computer was yet another part of the "mechanics" of doing their job or running their business or service. They weren't programmers. Changing programs and computers, was simply not necessary, for a stable service. And believe it or not, there are still niche businesses, and long-running equipment, where "stability" is more important than "new". And where "new" doesn't necessarily mean "better". Many of you reading all this, if you haven't stopped already, have decided this is dead-end thinking, old-people who lack flexibility, or just incomprehensible. I only bothered to post it, because, well, this is a list about vintage computing, right? You are interested in vintage computers, right? Do-ya-THINK, some people used these for *purpose* at some time? And if so, maybe some people *still* use them for purpose, now? And, even so, it's worth preserving how and why these computers and programs were used. It's already largely forgotten. But that's another discussion. regards, Herb Johnson -- 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 retrotechnology DOT info

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FYI: Interesting event at InfoAge
by Evan Koblentz 16 May '19

16 May '19

This Saturday from 10am-noon the IEEE is dedicating a plaque at the Diana site (location of the big satellite dish, a few hundred yards down the road from the main campus). The event is open to all. Unfortunately I can't be there until 11ish.

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