- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

VCFMW
by Mike Loewen 19 Sep '18

19 Sep '18

VCF Midwest was the biggest so far, both in exhibits and attendees. If you haven't been to this show, you should plan on it for next year. Many familiar faces, including Bill Degnan, Alexander Pierson, Alex Bodnar, Ian Primus, Connor Krukosky, Mouse, Kyle Owen, Josh Bensadon, Mike Willegal, Jay West, Mike Lee, Jason Timmons, Will Donzelli, Jim Brain, Lee Hart. Mostly micros, but also some phone equipment, PDP-8, VAX 11/780, and my HP 3000 Series 37 running MPE-V. Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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PalmOS software?
by Joseph Oprysko 19 Sep '18

19 Sep '18

Would anyone happen to have a CD of old PalmOS software? Preferably sorted, even better if a backed up website of many different publishers apps. There’s very little easily found on the web anymore, I used to have several different websites backed up on a hard drive that crashed. I’m attempting to restore my library and move it to more stable media, but having to reinvent the wheel is a lot of work that doesn’t need to be done, since many of the sites were already sorted and had information on each product listed with them already. I could always find a way to export the data and import it into the system I’m going to be using. Actually, it doesn’t need to be a CD, as I have a gigabit Internet connection, just FTP access to the directory would be sufficient. The more apps, and more information in the existing sorting (HTML file) the better. It’s a very forgotten operating system since the webOS days which never really made it onto handheld devices anyway. If required, I can reward the top two people helping, with either a Palm Tungsten E2 or a Palm Tungsten TX. The E2 has the traditional sized color screen, the TX is a Full color screen, with the writing pad a pop-up component of the screen. Thank you, Joe -- Normal Person: Hey, it seems that you know a lot. Geek: To be honest, it's due to all the surfing I do. Normal Person: So you go surfing? Normal Person: But I don't think that has anything to do with knowing a lot... Geek: I think that's wrong on a fundamental level. Normal Person: Huh? Huh? What?

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pdp 8e on ebay getting expensive
by Bill Degnan 19 Sep '18

19 Sep '18

Check out this auction, getting pricey https://www.ebay.com/itm/DEC-PDP-8-E-Rare-Vintage-MiniComputer-Working-Comp… RX01/02 drive controller, 8K. Not the most powerful system, probably a newer / high serial number Bill

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] PAL C-64 on 1084-S?
by Dean Notarnicola 18 Sep '18

18 Sep '18

I have a few low cost LCDs that accept PAL signal, as I discovered by hooking up a new to me Amiga to the composite in. On Tue, Sep 18, 2018 at 1:14 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > If you have access to one, > You could run the video output signal of C64 though a multi-system or > multi-standard VCR. > Samsung had a really nice one back then. > It may allow you to select NTSC out and PAL input. > I don't have one to try, but I remember using them back in the late 90s - > 2k. > Also online there has to be converters that can do this. > > Mike > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > On Sep 18, 2018, at 12:36 PM, Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > >> On Tue, Sep 18, 2018 at 8:35 AM Chris Fala <chrisjpf33(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > >> > >> Not if it is a US version. > > > > > > So what can I do to display a PAL C64? > > > > > > > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> On Sep 18, 2018, at 1:03 AM, Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic < > >> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >> > >> Can anyone confirm that I can use a Commodore 1084S monitor to display a > >> Pal C64? I finally got around to converting my C64 to PAL, but my LED > >> monitor doesn't seem to work with PAL. > >> > >> -- > >> ========================================= > >> Jeff Brace > >> Vice President > >> Vintage Computer Federation > >> > > -- > > ========================================= > > Jeff Brace > > Vice President > > Vintage Computer Federation > >

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PAL C-64 on 1084-S?
by Jeffrey Brace 18 Sep '18

18 Sep '18

Can anyone confirm that I can use a Commodore 1084S monitor to display a Pal C64? I finally got around to converting my C64 to PAL, but my LED monitor doesn't seem to work with PAL. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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VCF helpers @ InfoAge Halloween event
by Evan Koblentz 18 Sep '18

18 Sep '18

Everyone, CEBOT -- "Camp Evans Base Of Terror" -- is InfoAge's annual Halloween scare-fest. It is the largest fundraiser of the year for InfoAge, so all of the member organizations are helping as event volunteers. The event schedule is 7pm-11pm, every Friday and Saturday, starting the weekend of September 28-29 and ending the weekend of October 26-27. InfoAge management needs to know exactly which volunteers to expect on which nights. This is a "firm commitment" situation. You all know how I feel about "sorry, wish I could but" or "I'll try to make it" or "I'll see if I am a free that night" or "I can only be there for 90 minutes" -- that won't fly. They need to know exactly who they can count on and when. Let me know ASAP (off-list, please) if you can help for any of the nights. FYI, most of the volunteer roles are outdoors and involve a lot of standing, such as parking lot duty, security, directing people for which way to walk, collecting tickets, and so on. This is very much a situation where what's good for InfoAge is good for VCF. Thank you, -Evan

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] PAL C-64 on 1084-S?
by Thomas Fuchs 18 Sep '18

18 Sep '18

Forgot to say, you likely need to have custom cables that work for this, either make them yourself (plenty of instructions online) or order one of eBay. (The C64 to S-Video is common and should be readily available.) Best, Thomas > On Sep 18, 2018, at 12:58 PM, Thomas Fuchs via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > <mime-attachment>

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Insanely OT: anyone got a cheap car for sale?
by Herb Johnson 18 Sep '18

18 Sep '18

I'm also looking for a small used car, for my wife. As she is five foot zero, the challenge is to find a car "sized" for her. But that's not why I'm posting (although if you have a small car in good shape near NJ, contact me). The problem I'm having, is that Craigslist posts "by owner", most of the time are actually from small (or tiny) dealers. They simply don't know the history of the cars they offer. In the NJ/PA/NY area, lots of cars have water damage from floods or sea-salt; less from road salt. It's not apparent after the car is cleaned (there's "tells" I can mention if anyone's interested). And a title for "flood damaged" can be "laundered" by changing states ot titling (NJ-PA-NJ for instance). CarFax tracks some of that stuff but not all. This is good info to know - hence the post. My point is, there's lots of value in finding a REAL owner of a used car, who honestly describes its history. So one reason this kind of post is not so "insanely off-topic" is that this list offers "real" owners and buyers; it's a social purpose and of short duration. Herb Johnson email address on my Web site (and in the header) -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Z80/6502/68000 on a Microcontroller (J. Alexander Jacocks)
by Herb Johnson 18 Sep '18

18 Sep '18

The proposed product is simply yet another thing that *can* be done, so someone is offering to do it. And there's plenty of soft-core hobby projects; pour in any processor you want. I myself as an old person, would not call a programmable-logic CPU a "real" classic microprocessor. But other people just want to run the software, never mind how; emulators, soft-core processors, whatever. And there's other reasons. There's actually vintage-computing history, about multiple processor systems. Generally they were not well-produced, because you can't optimize a computer with two or three very different processors; you don't get enough resources for either as a result. What worked were things like the Tandy that used a Z80 for peripherals and a 68K to run some Unix-flavor OS; or processor-per-use schemes like TurboDOS/S-100 systems. Or, a Z80 on an Apple II to run CP/M and Z80 compatible programs (from Microsoft). Funny to talk about "modern microcontrollers fast enough to emulate Z80's". When IBM-AT class computers could run emulated CP/M-80 in real time at say 2-4MHz - suddenly the market for used CP/M-80 computers DROPPED. Go figure. So history may not repeat, but it certainly rhymes. Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Interest in a Workshop at System Source, in Hunt Valley, MD?
by Herb Johnson 18 Sep '18

18 Sep '18

> OK, so after talking to Bob @ System Source, we're going to go for the > November 10th/11th date. Which day works better for everyone? Bob > would like to do a single day workshop. You may want to reserve both, one for a snow date; choose a week or so before. > If someone else wants to host for the September date, I'm up for that. Or, > we could try to find a cheap fire hall or similar to split the rental on? - Alex Kinda late to reserve a Sept 29/30 location on the 18th, ten days out. I'm interested in these sort of events but I don't like driving in any difficult weather. But it's a good idea, and half a dozen people is still a good repair event. 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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Dan
by Evan Koblentz 18 Sep '18

18 Sep '18

I realized what's missing from my Lego site -- a proper tribute to Dan -- without whom I never could have learned how to use the 1980s kit. So I added a link to a tribute page in the site header. Have a look.... http://www.mindsbeforethestorm.com

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Vote for InfoAge!
by Evan Koblentz 17 Sep '18

17 Sep '18

A local public radio station is having a contest for charity organizations from now through October 15, where the winner will be mentioned on the air every day for a month. That is some pretty good free advertising. InfoAge got on the list. Please vote now, don't put it aside and forget about it! https://wbjb.formstack.com/forms/voteforagoodcause ________________________________ Evan Koblentz, executive director Vintage Computer Federation a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit evan(a)vcfed.org (646) 546-9999 www.vcfed.org facebook.com/vcfederation twitter.com/vcfederation instagram.com/vcfederation

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CHIP / Pocket CHIP maker is no more :-(
by Jeffrey Jonas 16 Sep '18

16 Sep '18

I do not recall seeing this reported here before. Several of us have the CHIP and Pocket CHIP. The company is defunct :-( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHIP_(computer) CHIP is a single-board computer crowdfunded by now-defunct Next Thing Co. (NTC), https://hackaday.com/2018/04/03/is-this-the-end-for-the-c-h-i-p/ Is This The End For The C.H.I.P.? We ought to share all the documentation and updates we archived. -- jeff jonas

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Cool interview in progress...
by Evan Koblentz 16 Sep '18

16 Sep '18

I tracked down the guy in Denmark who was product manager for the Lego robotics kit in the mid-1980s. Got his name from one of the manuals, reached out to him on LinkedIn, and now we're corresponding by email. He already sent me some fascinating information. Tomorrow we are speaking by Skype at 1pm. Can't wait! I have so many questions. If any of you have questions, then let me know by tomorrow morning. For some of the technical questions, I'm thinking to myself: "What would Dan ask?"

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] CHIP / Pocket CHIP maker is no more :-(
by Brian L. Stuart 16 Sep '18

16 Sep '18

On Sun, 9/16/18, Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > On 09/16/2018 06:46 AM, Jeffrey Jonas via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > > Several of us have the CHIP and Pocket CHIP. > > The company is defunct :-( > > I hadn't heard either. I saw the astonishingly and obviously poor > decisions come, one after another, and expected this to happen > eventually, but somehow I had missed the news when it happened. I first heard something at VCF East this year. A visitor to my table was looking at one I was running the ENIAC simulator on. When I said something about having your own pocket ENIAC, he said "if you can find one now." At home, I did a little searching and came across the Hackaday article on it. > > We ought to share all the documentation and updates we archived. > > I agree. I have several of their boards in daily use here, and I want > to keep them running. I've got a couple here, but never did get around to porting Plan 9 like I had intended. About the only other thing I ever did with mine was run simh for a pocket 11. Alas it joins my Nanonote and Agenda in my collection of promising open designs that didn't make it. BLS

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Ideas for "analog" icon?
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 15 Sep '18

15 Sep '18

Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> writes: > >There is an under-construction page on my Lego robotics website about >analog computing. I need a simple image to represent the idea of analog. >Any suggestions? I'm not looking for a picture of hardware, I'm looking >for something more like an icon even if I have to make it myself... but >an icon of what? It needs to be something recognizable to regular >people. Perhaps... https://openclipart.org/image/2400px/svg_to_png/200637/primary-oscilloscope… Looks like a terminal with analog waveform.

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fire, all ok
by Dave McGuire 15 Sep '18

15 Sep '18

By now some of you have heard about the massive fire that just took out an entire block here in New Kensington. I'm sending this out because are phones are dead from having blown up all day over this. We are fine. There was no damage to the museum, which is on the adjacent block. Building 2 is right across the alley from the block that burned. (that's where Autumn and I live and work) That building filled up with smoke and was without power for much of the afternoon and evening. Power is back on and we are getting it cleared now; if it's cleared enough by later tonight we'll be able to sleep at home. We evacuated our cats (nine of 'em) to the museum for the time being. Suboptimal but it's the best we can do. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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Ideas for "analog" icon?
by Evan Koblentz 15 Sep '18

15 Sep '18

There is an under-construction page on my Lego robotics website about analog computing. I need a simple image to represent the idea of analog. Any suggestions? I'm not looking for a picture of hardware, I'm looking for something more like an icon even if I have to make it myself... but an icon of what? It needs to be something recognizable to regular people.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] fire, all ok
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 14 Sep '18

14 Sep '18

Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> writes: > > > By now some of you have heard about the massive fire that just took >out an entire block here in New Kensington. I'm sending this out >because are phones are dead from having blown up all day over this. > > We are fine. There was no damage to the museum, which is on the >adjacent block. Building 2 is right across the alley from the block >that burned. (that's where Autumn and I live and work) That building >filled up with smoke and was without power for much of the afternoon and >evening. Power is back on and we are getting it cleared now; if it's >cleared enough by later tonight we'll be able to sleep at home. We >evacuated our cats (nine of 'em) to the museum for the time being. >Suboptimal but it's the best we can do. Shhhh...tuff happens. Happy to hear you, Autumn, kitties and computers are all well.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Cool interview in progress...
by Thomas Fuchs 14 Sep '18

14 Sep '18

I think all the FT packaging showed the same mock-up computer, they just changed the label. I’ll double check later as I have one minty-fresh in box and it’s for IBM PC... Best, Thomas > On Sep 14, 2018, at 5:56 AM, Thomas Fuchs via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > <mime-attachment>

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Interest in a Workshop at System Source, in Hunt Valley, MD?
by Duane Craps 13 Sep '18

13 Sep '18

I would be interested in either date Duane Craps Hope it works this time. I keep forgetting what email address of mine that goes though On 9/13/2018 9:34 AM, J. Alexander Jacocks via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > Here are the current numbers: > > *September 29th/30th:* 4-6 (Dromgoole, Hendrickson, Loewen, O'Toole, > Perkins, Jacocks) > *November 10th/11th:* 7 (Degnan, Dromgoole, Gesswein, Koblentz, Lou, > O'Toole, Sturges, Jacocks) > > Anyone else interested in the 29th or 30th, please let me know ASAP. I'm > going to talk to Bob Roswell, to confirm his availability. > > Thanks! > - Alex > > On Wed, Sep 12, 2018 at 3:33 PM Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >> November >> >> >> On 09/12/2018 03:27 PM, Bill Dromgoole via vcf-midatlantic wrote: >>> I am interested in either date . Maybe both. >>> >>> Bill Dromgoole >>> >>> >>> From: J. Alexander Jacocks via vcf-midatlantic >>> Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2018 9:22 AM >>> To: vcf-midatlantic >>> Cc: J. Alexander Jacocks >>> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Interest in a Workshop at System >> Source,in Hunt Valley, MD? >>> Any other interest? So far, I don't think that we have enough folks for >>> either the 29th/30th or the 10th/11th. >>> >>> Here are the current numbers: >>> >>> *September 29th/30th:* 2-4 (Loewen, Hendrickson, Perkins, Jacocks) >>> *November 10th/11th:* 4 (Degnan, Lou, Gesswein, Jacocks) >> -- DuaneCraps sdɐɹɔ ǝuɐnp

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Interest in a Workshop at System Source, in Hunt Valley, MD?
by Duane Craps 13 Sep '18

13 Sep '18

I would be interested in either date Duane Craps On 9/13/2018 9:34 AM, J. Alexander Jacocks via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > Here are the current numbers: > > *September 29th/30th:* 4-6 (Dromgoole, Hendrickson, Loewen, O'Toole, > Perkins, Jacocks) > *November 10th/11th:* 7 (Degnan, Dromgoole, Gesswein, Koblentz, Lou, > O'Toole, Sturges, Jacocks) > > Anyone else interested in the 29th or 30th, please let me know ASAP. I'm > going to talk to Bob Roswell, to confirm his availability. > > Thanks! > - Alex > > On Wed, Sep 12, 2018 at 3:33 PM Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >> November >> >> >> On 09/12/2018 03:27 PM, Bill Dromgoole via vcf-midatlantic wrote: >>> I am interested in either date . Maybe both. >>> >>> Bill Dromgoole >>> >>> >>> From: J. Alexander Jacocks via vcf-midatlantic >>> Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2018 9:22 AM >>> To: vcf-midatlantic >>> Cc: J. Alexander Jacocks >>> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Interest in a Workshop at System >> Source,in Hunt Valley, MD? >>> Any other interest? So far, I don't think that we have enough folks for >>> either the 29th/30th or the 10th/11th. >>> >>> Here are the current numbers: >>> >>> *September 29th/30th:* 2-4 (Loewen, Hendrickson, Perkins, Jacocks) >>> *November 10th/11th:* 4 (Degnan, Lou, Gesswein, Jacocks) >> -- DuaneCraps sdɐɹɔ ǝuɐnp

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IEEE article needed
by Evan Koblentz 13 Sep '18

13 Sep '18

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5344892/ Someone with an IEEE account, please get me this article....

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Z80/6502/68000 on a Microcontroller (J. Alexander Jacocks)
by J. Alexander Jacocks 13 Sep '18

13 Sep '18

Mike, I am curious exactly what the folks behind the campaign are thinking. I thought that it was an interesting project, but I definitely wasn't sure why it was necessary. - Alex On Wed, Sep 12, 2018 at 12:59 PM mike willegal via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > I would take a different approach. I think a number of modern > micro-controllers should be fast enough to run Z80/6502/68000 code at real > time speed in emulation and will cost less than $10 from places like > digikey. In addition, you will be able to easily upgrade capabilities as > micro-controller chip suppliers upgrade their chips and make use of their > development tool suite. > > Tricky part would be to implement an emulator that runs at an accurate > speed. > > regards, > Mike Willegal > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Interest in a Workshop at System Source, in Hunt Valley, MD?
by Evan Koblentz 13 Sep '18

13 Sep '18

November On 09/12/2018 03:27 PM, Bill Dromgoole via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > I am interested in either date . Maybe both. > > Bill Dromgoole > > > From: J. Alexander Jacocks via vcf-midatlantic > Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2018 9:22 AM > To: vcf-midatlantic > Cc: J. Alexander Jacocks > Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Interest in a Workshop at System Source,in Hunt Valley, MD? > > Any other interest? So far, I don't think that we have enough folks for > either the 29th/30th or the 10th/11th. > > Here are the current numbers: > > *September 29th/30th:* 2-4 (Loewen, Hendrickson, Perkins, Jacocks) > *November 10th/11th:* 4 (Degnan, Lou, Gesswein, Jacocks)

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Interest in a Workshop at System Source, in Hunt Valley, MD?
by Jeffrey Brace 12 Sep '18

12 Sep '18

Bill Dromgoole, I think that you may be misunderstanding something. The workshop that Alex is talking about is in Hunt Valley, Maryland, NOT at the VCF museum, NOT at InfoAge. Jeff On Sun, Aug 26, 2018 at 4:56 PM Bill Dromgoole via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Yes, I am interested In both days at the museum. > I want to survey Bob’s Univac 1218 and Univac 490 to see what is needed to > get them lit off. > I am pretty sure that Duane is also interested in powering up the Univacs. > > Do we have any firm dates or a signup list yet? > I have both suggested dates marked on my calendar. > > Bill Dromgoole > > From: Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic > Sent: Monday, August 20, 2018 9:05 AM > To: vcf-midatlantic > Cc: Bill Degnan > Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Interest in a Workshop at System Source,in > Hunt Valley, MD? > > certainly if possible to have one on both weekends so everyone interested > can attend at least one. I can help more with the November workshop but > I'd probably go to both at least one day each. > > For those of you who don't know, Bob has a private museum with a ton of > computer exhibits ranging the entire spectrum of machines. the official > web site > https://museum.syssrc.com/ > > I helped Bob organize a workshop in 2014: > http://vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=537 > It has been too long since we had a workshop there, I am glad someone is > taking the initiative. > > Bill > > On Mon, Aug 20, 2018 at 7:45 AM Jason Perkins via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > I'd definitely want to come. I'd think the September dates would be > better > > for me, I'm checking to be sure. > > > > On Sun, Aug 19, 2018 at 10:06 PM, J. Alexander Jacocks via > vcf-midatlantic > > < > > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > > All, > > > > > > Since we can't have a workshop at InfoAge, this fall, I propose (along > > with > > > Bob Roswell) that we have a workshop at Bob's System Source Computer > > > Museum, in Hunt Valley, MD. > > > > > > I talked to Bob, and he and I are both available on the following > dates: > > > September 29th/30th > > > November 10th/11th > > > > > > We're not yet sure if this will be a 1-day or a 2-day workshop. Please > > let > > > me know if you are available on either of the dates, and I'll tally the > > > results. > > > > > > Thanks! > > > - Alex > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > Jason Perkins > > 313 355 0085 > > > > -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Insanely OT: anyone got a cheap car for sale?
by Evan Koblentz 12 Sep '18

12 Sep '18

Mazdaspeed Miata. Doesn't matter, already sold. I am very sad about it. On Wed, Sep 12, 2018, 10:30 AM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > What model sports car? > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > On Sep 12, 2018, at 7:45 AM, Brian Schenkenberger via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > > writes: > >> > >> Time to sell my sports car. It needs a huge repair that I can't=20 > >> afford/justify. :(=C2=A0 Anyone got a (very cheap) SUV or hatchback for > >> s= ale? > >> > >> Please do NOT reply with sarcasm or off-topicness, I'm not in the > >> mood... > > > > I can't offer you info on cars for sale. I need to get one for my > > youngest son because I'm tiring of driving him to OCC every day and > > the college has only been in session for a week. If you'd care to > > share any leads, I'm interested. > > > >

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Z80/6502/68000 on a Microcontroller (J. Alexander Jacocks)
by mike willegal 12 Sep '18

12 Sep '18

I would take a different approach. I think a number of modern micro-controllers should be fast enough to run Z80/6502/68000 code at real time speed in emulation and will cost less than $10 from places like digikey. In addition, you will be able to easily upgrade capabilities as micro-controller chip suppliers upgrade their chips and make use of their development tool suite. Tricky part would be to implement an emulator that runs at an accurate speed. regards, Mike Willegal

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Z80/6502/68000 on a Microcontroller
by J. Alexander Jacocks 12 Sep '18

12 Sep '18

All, I just ran across this, on the CBM-hackers list: https://www.crowdsupply.com/chips4makers/retro-uc It seems like an interesting idea, though I'm not sure if there would be enough market. I'm guessing that even though it's being called an ASIC, in the description, it's a hybrid with some FPGA elements. What does anyone think? - Alex

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unusual S100 card(s) info needed: "Logistics Synthesis"
by Jonathan Gevaryahu 12 Sep '18

12 Sep '18

There was a 2-slot s100 peripheral available for $525 around 1977 called the "Logistics synthesizer" board (by a company called "Logistics"), which is almost impossible to google information about because of its generic name. It was a multi-purpose sound synthesizer, apparently. Does anyone have one of those beasts and/or documentation, or knows someone who owns one or has the documentation for it? -- Jonathan Gevaryahu jgevaryahu(a)gmail.com jgevaryahu(a)hotmail.com

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Insanely OT: anyone got a cheap car for sale?
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 12 Sep '18

12 Sep '18

Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> writes: > >Time to sell my sports car. It needs a huge repair that I can't=20 >afford/justify. :(=C2=A0 Anyone got a (very cheap) SUV or hatchback for >s= ale? > >Please do NOT reply with sarcasm or off-topicness, I'm not in the >mood... I can't offer you info on cars for sale. I need to get one for my youngest son because I'm tiring of driving him to OCC every day and the college has only been in session for a week. If you'd care to share any leads, I'm interested.

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Insanely OT: anyone got a cheap car for sale?
by Evan Koblentz 11 Sep '18

11 Sep '18

Time to sell my sports car. It needs a huge repair that I can't afford/justify. :( Anyone got a (very cheap) SUV or hatchback for sale? Please do NOT reply with sarcasm or off-topicness, I'm not in the mood...

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Maker Faire -- Sept. 22-23 -- sign up!
by Evan Koblentz 10 Sep '18

10 Sep '18

Only two people (Corey and I) signed up for the VCF booth at Maker Faire. That's not enough. We need people to sign up now so we're not scrambling later. We will have plenty of tickets to go around for those who sign up. Note: signing up means you're committing to bring a demo of a vintage computer hack (old or new, hardware or software); it's got to be unique vs. the existing signed-up hacks; and you've got to work our both most of the day, both days -- you can't set up something and walk away. Use the spreadsheet at https://tinyurl.com/ybb3729w to sign up. > > *From:* Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic > <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org <mailto:vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org>> > *Date:* August 6, 2018 at 2:49:53 PM EDT > *To:* vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org > <mailto:vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org>> > *Cc:* Evan Koblentz <evan(a)vcfed.org <mailto:evan@vcfed.org>> > *Subject:* *[vcf-midatlantic] Maker Faire demo sign-up* > *Reply-To:* vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org > <mailto:vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org>> > > World Maker Faire is September 22-23 at the N.Y. Hall of Science (Queens). > > We applied for a 10x20 demo booth. Our theme is "Cool hacks for old > computers." Any cool hacks will do! Modern, vintage, hardware, > software, etc. > > **** IMPORTANT >>>> Let's avoid redundancy. Sign up here for what > you'll bring: https://tinyurl.com/ybb3729w > > We have a hotel room for Saturday the 22nd. There are two beds. I get > dibs for one bed. Jeff B. has first right of refusal for the other. > > Anyone's welcome to crash on the floor, etc. > > There will be several tickets available. I don't have an exact number. > As always, the tickets are for people who put serious hours into > staffing our booth and bringing demos. They're not for general > freebies (unless we have extra at the last minute).

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Museum Report 2018-09-09 September 9, 2018
by Jeffrey Brace 09 Sep '18

09 Sep '18

A very rainy day, but a decent amount of visitors came out. A small group of looking for the military vehicles got a quick tour, and they seemed to enjoy it. A father and his 8 year old daughter with autism were pretty interested. The first thing she asked when she came in was: "Which version of windows do you have?" So I told her Windows 3.1. I showed her how to draw with Paint on Windows and MacPaint on the Mac. She loved playing Bear on the C64, especially when the bear hit an enemy and flipped over. Her father said that the computers held her interest longer than the radio museum. A couple were looking for the military vehicles, but did a quick run through and seemed to enjoy it. Another couple of high interest with the wife, Rebecca who knew Claude Kagan. They knew a lot and I learned something from them. They stayed for a while and we talked about each artifact. It's always enjoyable to have visitors like this. The rest of the time I spent planning my exhibit for Maker Faire. Coming up with some neat ideas for the C64. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Dan's funeral
by Christian Liendo 09 Sep '18

09 Sep '18

So, finally home. It was a drive but worth it. Dan's family again was awesome to us and even allowed us to be part of the Funeral. They talked about VCF a lot. Ask Dave. I sent a few of you pictures. I didn't want to take too many. I was honored to be there and didn't want to abuse the honor. His daughters mentioned that they would like to to come next VCF East. So I would say that something should be done. It doesn't have to be an official VCF thing. I know I'm going to do something Once I find out what rank Dan was I am going to order this. https://infoage.org/gift-idea-hall-honor-tiles/ I think it would be a fitting tribute to him and it should be ready by the time VCFEast comes around. If anyone has any other ideas, I would appreciate. as for Sept 30, I cannot go that day but please have it and take pictures. I think his daughters would be happy to see that while people couldn't be there that day, they still care.

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Dan's obituary / local gathering?
by Herb Johnson 09 Sep '18

09 Sep '18

Jeffrey Brace wrote: > but my opinion is to do something soon that is a small gathering, > then do something at Festivus to honor him. I agree with Jeff, for reasons that I'm reluctant to discuss but I think should be considered. Memorials happen shortly after one's passing, as part of a period of mourning and grief. Festivus is more than two months from now, and Dan's family may be past their period of mourning. They should be consulted on the particular matters of a memorial event and its timing. But honoring someone at an event is a different matter. That's up to those gathered; it's a celebratory action, a time for reflection, but generally after a a period of mourning. There's generally more time to consider specific actions, and the focus is on that person's life and activities. I think Jeff suggested as much in his post. Also: Festivus has its own standing as an event for various purposes - which is not the subject right now. I don't wish to argue against use of Festivus for a memorial, it would make me appear to be unsympathetic. My discomfort about these two considerations, suggest to me WHY this is not a good idea. I think these are sufficient reasons to not delay a NJ/local memorial gathering, if one can be arranged; AND to plan some honors for Dan at the next VCFed-Midatlantic event, which happens to be the Festivus event. Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Selling Apple Lisa 2/10
by Lou 08 Sep '18

08 Sep '18

Blake: I might be interested but I will be honest I doubt I have the amount you might be looking for such a machine. A Lisa 2 is a nice little machine I have sat down with a few times and have had an eye for one for some time now but with the few people I know having them (including a guy I know that has 7 or so of them) usually want somewhere in the ballpark of 1k-2k which is not anywhere near my hobby budget currently. In any case I will put myself out there and say that I have an interest, and if you do see yourself selling the system for a number I might be able to afford feel free to contact me privately so we can do business. I live in the South Jersey area so travel should not be too difficult to make pick up happen. -Lou

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Selling Apple Lisa 2/10
by Blake Patterson 07 Sep '18

07 Sep '18

I think... Are there those on this list potentially interested? I am in the DC metro area. It's in excellent condition, comes with Lisa OS and manuals, orig mouse, printer cable, docs. Considering what to ask for it presently. Will post pics if I move forward. Thanks. bp -- Heisenberg may have slept here.

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Questia access?
by Evan Koblentz 06 Sep '18

06 Sep '18

Does anyone have access to the Questia academic research database? I need an article.

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Dan's obituary / local gathering?
by Evan Koblentz 04 Sep '18

04 Sep '18

https://www.thomasmsmithfuneralhome.com/m/obituaries/Daniel-Roganti/Memories Two things stood out to me. 1. Danny? Who knew! Mindy said he was always "Uncle Danny" to her cousins. 2. It's very humbling that VCF is the preferred charity. I was surprised by that. Dan was and still is all about helping his friends and doing things that are awesome. Does anyone want to have a local (NJ) memorial gathering? (I know lots of us including me would like to be there on Saturday but cannot.) Or do you guys think keeping it up virtually is the better way, knowing that Dan would certainly understand? This weekend is tough for me other than perhaps Saturday brunch. I think we should schedule something for another time (farther down the road) so more people can attend. I also want to do something to more permanently honor his legacy. I don't know what. I have some ideas and will share them with the VCF board. On Sun, Sep 2, 2018, 7:34 PM Evan Koblentz <evan(a)vcfed.org> wrote: > Dan asked me to share this after he passed. He said his sister took him > to see Stayin' Alive in 1977 and then his brother took him to see Star > Wars. He thought this mash-up was hysterical (via Jimmy Fallon show). > Per his request, here's a longer version thanks to editing from Amiga > Bill Winters. > > https://tinyurl.com/y74rbfet > >

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FYI, a new Facebook group re: vintage Lego robotics
by Evan Koblentz 03 Sep '18

03 Sep '18

I made a Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindsbeforethestorm/ This accompanies my vintage Lego robotics web site, http://www.mindsbeforethestorm.com. All are welcome.

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MakerFaire 2018 Bus Trip from Allentown, PA
by Chris Fala 03 Sep '18

03 Sep '18

Make Lehigh Valley, my makerspace in Allentown, PA is again organizing a one-day bus trip to the New York World Maker Faire on Saturday, September 22. This is a stress-free trip on a comfortable, air conditioned bus. If you can get to Allentown, PA, we will get you to New York. I hope to see you! Chris ———————— It’s official, we’re running the bus trip to Maker Faire NYC again this year! The drive to Queens is no fun at all. The bus trip with Make Lehigh Valley? Lots of fun. Get your tickets now! https://mlvwmf2018.eventbrite.com/ —

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A video for Dan
by Evan Koblentz 03 Sep '18

03 Sep '18

Dan asked me to share this after he passed. He said his sister took him to see Stayin' Alive in 1977 and then his brother took him to see Star Wars. He thought this mash-up was hysterical (via Jimmy Fallon show). Per his request, here's a longer version thanks to editing from Amiga Bill Winters. https://tinyurl.com/y74rbfet

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Memorial for Dan - Sep. 8
by Evan Koblentz 03 Sep '18

03 Sep '18

There's going to be a memorial for Dan, Saturday Sep. 8 from 2-4pm in the Pittsburgh area. Details TBD. Unfortunately I cannot go. My dad is moving to Florida and there's a going-away dinner that night.

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WTB: Altair 680, Any Condition, Any Configuration
by systems_glitch 02 Sep '18

02 Sep '18

All, I'm looking for an Altair 680. I've been working with Jeff Albrecht's A680 during the RAM board design process, and would like to continue working on a few things for the 680, but I'd also like to send Jeff's machine back to him! Configuration is not particularly important to me. I'd like something with a non-rev 0 motherboard in it if possible -- the easiest way to tell is that there will be a slot for the expansion riser. Front panel vs. turnkey, branding, etc. are not important to me. I'd potentially be interested in even an empty case! Thanks, Jonathan

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Dan Roganti has logged off :(
by Evan Koblentz 01 Sep '18

01 Sep '18

Hey guys. I'm very sorry to announce that my good friend Ragooman took his last breath this morning. Dan was among the first wave of 10-15 people to join MARCH back in 2004-2005. AFAIK, in the many years since then, we never lost any core members until now. Dan was one of those people who everyone liked being around. He was friendly to all, wickedly funny, and sharp as a knife. He was a US Air Force veteran, an electronics technician, a proud native of Long Island, and become a proud resident of Pittsburgh -- he even switched allegiances from the Jets to the Steelers. He lost his wife several years ago and took great care of his daughters Mindy and Katie. He put them both through college, and they both share his technical aptitude. He had a shirt that says, "Every great father teaches his children the ways of the Force." Here's a picture: http://snarc.net/dan_kids.jpg Dan loved all aspects of vintage computing. He was equally passionate about Apple IIs and Commodore 64s as he was about Star Trek and Star Wars. He loved his IMSAI and was a perpetual tinkerer. He drew most of the VCF East t-shirt designs especially in the MARCH era. He often suffered from feature creep .... he was so obsessed with making things better than he rarely got anything actually done. :) He also individually mentored Jeff Brace and I with a lot of programming subjects. Dan got sick a year or two ago and fought the dreaded "C"-word bravely, but unfortunately there was only so much the doctors could do for him. I miss him already. Mindy will let me (and/or Dave McGuire) know soon about the arrangements. At the very least, VCF will follow Dan's (private) wishes regarding his collection. I hope we can do far more to honor him. He knew about our 2018 t-shirt design and loved it. In the past I've found it helpful to focus on happy memories of lost relatives/friends, rather than the sadness of their death. So let's all do something: please reply to this list message and share your favorite Dan story! I can't wait to hear them. I'll go first. The last group event Dan was able to attend, due to his health, was VCF East XII (2017). He arrived a day early to help set up. I didn't want to give him any real labor due to his condition. So I gave him busy work. I told him to go to the party store and get some helium balloons. We'd put them on the doors of the buildings being used for the show. He did as asked, but I was so busy that I forgot to put up the balloons. Dan wasn't amused, but he understood, so as pretend "revenge" he put the balloons on my car! At first he denied it because he thought I was mad. Then I said, "No, it's funny." While never formally confessing, he replied, "Other people helped." (Looking at you, Brace!) Here is a picture: http://snarc.net/dan_balloons.jpg

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Giving a talk at BSidesDC
by David Riley 01 Sep '18

01 Sep '18

Hi all, I don’t mean to take up space around the news about Dan, which is very sad indeed, but this is somewhat time sensitive: if anyone’s interested, I’m giving a more security-oriented version of my Reverse Engineering for Vintage Computers talk at the BSidesDC security conference in Washington, DC toward the end of October. If anyone’s interested in coming to see (it’s a great show if you’re into security in general), tickets are limited but can currently still be acquired here: https://bsidesdc2018.busyconf.com/bookings/new I don’t know what day I’ll be presenting yet, but let me know if you’re coming and I’ll be glad to try to meet up! If you’re unable to acquire a ticket but really want to go, let me know and I may be able to scare something up for you. - Dave

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Dan Roganti has logged off :(
by Bill Degnan 01 Sep '18

01 Sep '18

On Sat, Sep 1, 2018, 4:30 PM Bill Dromgoole via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Its funny , the things you remember. > I remember Dan testing my SD Sales Z80 card in his Imsaii for me at a > workshop held at Bill Degnans house. > He wasn’t afraid to plug it into his working computer. > Although he did use a meter to make sure it had no shorts first. > He was working on an Altair, I think a 680, putting wire jumpers on the > front panel with little pins so the panel could be removed. > He had also brought four or five large multi-drawer cabinets of parts to > help fix other peoples computers. > There were actual wheelbarrows full of TRS-80s there for some reason. > I gave him those trs80II's but they ended up at MARCH. There's a photo of me loading them into his minivan on my website from a wheelbarrow Also, that was my altair8800 that he added the white jumpers. I lent him my altair for a few years, he was working on a few projects with it. Maybe I'll exhibit that one again next year. We should all exhibit machines dan touched as a tribute, eh? B >

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 01 Sep '18

01 Sep '18

I was docent today. A moderate amount of visitors due to Labor Day weekend. Steve A. is docent tomorrow. It may have been sunny outside, but obviously our day was cloudy because of the news about Dan. A lone bright spot: Anthony S. dropped off those mysterious AT&T "Counterpoint" Unix workstations that I mentioned here a week or two ago. You'll recall that the person who donated them was a Bell Labs engineer. He said AT&T commissioned the design, about 1,000 were made, and most were bulldozed when the project got canceled. As far as he knows, the units donated to VCF today are probably the * last * ones around.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Dan Roganti has logged off :(
by systems_glitch 01 Sep '18

01 Sep '18

I never had all that much interaction with Dan; actually I think most of the communications with him was via the Altair Owners' listserv. One of his last conversations with me was regarding a new RAM board that several Altair Owners' members had helped nail down and that I was laying out. Dan pushed for a simpler design, and to ignore some of the features requested as committed to copper in favor of a solid basic RAM board design and lots of prototype area, so that hobbyists could hack together what they wanted! That was ultimately what was decided: fewer base features, more prototype space. I just ran the first PCB prototype about a week and a half ago. It's not 100% ready for prime time yet, but I think Dan would be happy with how it's turned out, and I think the design is *much* better off thanks to his input during the design stage! If you end up with one of these RAM boards for your Altair 680, you have Dan to thank for it not taking *another* year to get wrapped up :) Thanks, Jonathan On Sat, Sep 1, 2018 at 2:10 PM Tony Bogan via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > So let's all do something: please reply to this list message and share > your > > favorite Dan story! I can't wait to hear them. > > I only met Dan a handful of times since 2013 when I got involved with the > group. We had some great discussions at VCF East XII, probably the most > time I spent with him spread over a couple of days. > > I have to say as good as it was seeing him then, my favorite Dan story is > when I saw him last month at his Daughters home. I ended up spending about > 4 1/2 hours just shooting the shit with him talking about everything and > anything. His passion for computers in general and VCF and our Museum > specifically were as strong as ever, and much of our time was spent talking > about how things got to where they are today and where he hoped they would > go in the future. > > Probably the best 4+ hour long conversation I've had with anyone in quite > a long time. We laughed, we yelled about things that pissed us off, we > joked about Evan whenever possible ;-) (he really loved cracking jokes, not > just about Evan!) > > I'm also glad that while he didn't get to see them, he got to see pictures > of his apple II+ up and running and got the word I had resurrected his > original Apple II as well. He was very upset he could not get them for me > to bring home and fix when I saw him, but through the efforts of Dave > McGuire and Jeff Brace I was able to get them with enough time to at least > let him know they were breathing again and would be returned to his > daughters in the condition and with the accessories he requested. > > It was so little on my part but was at least something I could do. > > That conversation will remain with me forever as a fond memory of sitting > down hanging out with one of the nicer people I've met in my life. > > A tribute to Dan is how much of an impact he could have on people with the > smallest amount of contact. > > Tony

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