- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

I'm in the area for a bit this month
by Ethan Dicks 18 Jun '18

18 Jun '18

Hi, All, I know a lot of you from many years of VCF East (and other events). It was suggested I should pop on here and say "hi" (Hi) and mention that I'm working in Downtown Philadelphia for few days this week and next. I am on foot, staying near City Hall, so any excursions would likely have to be along public transport lines or withing walking distance. If anyone is close enough to meet up the early part of this week or next week (I'm not here weekends) that could be fun. Cheers, -ethan

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The next VCF repair workshop: June 30 & July 1. Signup here.
by Jeffrey Brace 18 Jun '18

18 Jun '18

Signup: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1n8M9h5ZVbcA4VixgDy3GHyN2HTWzS sS3fAgX30bqINE> -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Test
by Evan Koblentz 18 Jun '18

18 Jun '18

Test test testity testosaurus

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Test
by Jeffrey Brace 18 Jun '18

18 Jun '18

-- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Scotch glasses left during VCF East
by Jeffrey Brace 18 Jun '18

18 Jun '18

Did someone staying in the dorms leave some scotch glasses? If yes, then identify them and I will give them back, the next time I see you here at VCF. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Osborne Vixen obtained!
by Lou 18 Jun '18

18 Jun '18

Oh hey Mike! I remember seeing you at East with the portable CP/M exhibit and talking with you briefly about the Vixen, now you know why! As for disk imaging I unfortunately do not have the means to do that yet as my only other system that would take 5.25 floppies is a 486 that I have been trying to get up and running for months (throwing out inconsistent POST errors) and even so I am not sure if it would be compatible with that type of format. If you want to bring any disks that you may have down that would be awesome! I plan to bring everything I have gotten from this with me including the manuals, potential problem disks and the Epson dot matrix printer that was supposed to be compatible with it. After all you do not see too many of these surface often! I should be at the next workshop at the end of June as well hopefully. -Lou

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PAL c64 - Power supply
by Jeffrey Brace 18 Jun '18

18 Jun '18

So the PAL c64 has a different type of power supply. A european two prong type. Does anyone know what it will take to convert power to American 120V? I need to start planning on how to get this machine up and tested at the next workshop June 30. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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VCFestival videos
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 18 Jun '18

18 Jun '18

Have the VCFestival videos of presentations/classes been processed and been made available for download?

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Osborne Vixen obtained!
by Lou 17 Jun '18

17 Jun '18

One of the big things which I have been eagerly waiting to share about I finally can. As of yesterday I am officially an owner of an Osborne OCC4 "Vixen". The previous owner and I have been in talks about the purchase for awhile now and finally having a good day to go out for the 2+ hour drive I finally have my hands on this awesome piece of hardware. A few things to also note from this is that it came with a box of disks and what seem to be the original manuals/documentation for the system, while the system is in good cosmetic condition there seem to be some cracks at the hinges of the system which I am currently thinking of ways to repair in a form of lightly applied epoxy or something more unnoticeable, I do not want to do any massive changes to the look/feel of the system more so just want to clean it up and fix any potential weak points. Finally the previous owner mentioned that some disks might not work which he is not sure is related to disk rot or maybe the floppy drive heads need cleaning, Because of that I was thinking on bringing it to the next Workshop for that reason. Aside from those issues the system is quite immaculate, comes with the original back panel still and I even obtained an Epson dot matrix printer that was fitted to work with it. I cannot wait to dive into this system and I hope that any little bit of help from others who know of the system or may actually have the system (Such as Mike L. or DJ) could share any tips for maintaining the system long term and what to watch out for. Here's hoping a fun start on a unique system. -Lou

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Free VCF t-shirts
by Jeffrey Brace 17 Jun '18

17 Jun '18

There are a number of t-shirts leftover from previous VCF. The latest VCF t-shirts XIII are still for sale for $15 each. We don't have any X-Large or Large. We have S, M, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL in limited quantities. T-shirts from "old" VCF East and West are free for the taking. Keep in mind that there are limited size selections. We will not ship them. You must pick them up. I will have them available at the next two workshops. Anything not taken by the end of August will be donated to charity. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Museum Report June 17, 2018
by Jeffrey Brace 17 Jun '18

17 Jun '18

I had a decent number of visitors today, especially since it is father's day. Highly interested people with some background or interest in vintage computers. I spent 30 to 40 minutes giving a tour to each of two groups of three people. There were other casual visitors that went through as I was giving tours. I would say a good turnout for a sunny great weather day and father's day. I worked on cleaning dust from my modern 2011 Aurora R2, and assessing the physical condition of my newly acquired PAL C64. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] NeXT printer emulator/bridge
by Brian L. Stuart 17 Jun '18

17 Jun '18

On Sun, 6/17/18, Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > On 06/17/2018 01:33 PM, Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic wrote: >> I have two next laser printers..I thought they were just ho laser jet II's >> with an adapter > > No, they are very different. > > HP never got their hands on these; NeXT bought SX engines from Canon. > > The engine is modified to do 400DPI, from its default of 300DPI. No > rasterizer/video driver board is present, and the raw engine video and > timing handshake signals are brought out from the SX engine's DC > controller to the interface. Sun did something similar with their SPARCprinter back around 1990-ish. Not a bad printer for the time, but they got to where they wouldn't feed the paper correctly. When ours got to where it was more trouble than it was worth, we replaced it with a pretty nice Lexmark. BLS

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NeXT printer emulator/bridge
by Thomas Fuchs 17 Jun '18

17 Jun '18

Hi everybody! I’ve a NeXTstation computer that is hooked up to my local home network. I wonder if there’s a piece of software (for Mac ideally) that can act as a printing server for it bridging to printers connected to the Mac (directly or LAN). (Essentially emulate a NeXT printer so the NeXT machine can print on a modern printer.) Best, Thomas F.

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New list email address
by Evan Koblentz 17 Jun '18

17 Jun '18

The list is back! Its email address is no longer vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org .... now it's vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org. Basically what happened is our web hoster decided to change some DNS recordkeeping and didn't bother telling us. :( Fortunately the support people at the list company were awesome and walked me through what I needed to tell the web hoster to get it fixed. ________________________________ 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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New list email address
by Herb Johnson 16 Jun '18

16 Jun '18

> After completion any email to > vintagecomputerfederation would have no routing instructions. Since I access the maillist by Web, I discovered that http://vintagecomputerfederation.org was simply *gone*. An IP address which did not resolve to a hosted server. (shrug) Glad I finally got the memo from Evan. Thx. Hope this email gets to the new list. Herb "Testing" Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 16 Jun '18

16 Jun '18

I was museum docent today. Jeff B. was supposed to be at the IA front desk, but one of their own volunteers arrived so he came to the museum too. Two groups of visitors -- an older couple who wanted the full tour and stayed for 90 minutes, and then a family with kids who knew a little about programming. Fewer visitors recently as the weather improves. More people are enjoying the outdoors. Jeff and I worked on various projects. The most important: we installed four shelves in the workshop locker, so now its contents are neatly organized (gasp!) instead of just piled in there.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] New list email address
by Bill Degnan 16 Jun '18

16 Jun '18

> > > >> Basically what happened is our web hoster decided to change some DNS > >> recordkeeping and didn't bother telling us. :( Fortunately the support > >> people at the list company were awesome and walked me through what I > >> needed to tell the web hoster to get it fixed. > >> > >> ________________________________ > >> > > > > More than just DNS record keeping. This means they totally changed our > > master slave set up and did not take any mail server process into > account. > > Do they run this ISP out of their apartment? Ha ha > > What is wrong with that and what effect would it have on DNS? > > Ben > > > My guess is that vintagecomputerfederation.org <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> was rolled into vcfed.org as a slave A alias top free up an IP address, The master DNS record was removed. After completion any email to vintagecomputerfederation would have no routing instructions. They could have made this domain be an email routing MX alias but they did not. Probably better that they standardized things. This is the 2nd time DNS effected the hosting account, hopefully the last. Bill

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Computer terminal in WarGames
by William Sudbrink 15 Jun '18

15 Jun '18

Alexander Pierson wrote: > That is very much not a Votrax SC-01A. It's far too intelligible > to be an SC-01A. > > I'm almost certain that the WOPR's voice wasn't synthesized at all, > and instead was made from modified voice recordings. > -Alexander 'Z' Pierson Wikipedia agrees: "John Wood as Dr. Stephen Falken and the voice of Joshua/WOPR" Bill S. --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Computer terminal in WarGames
by William Sudbrink 15 Jun '18

15 Jun '18

Alexander Pierson wrote: > That is very much not a Votrax SC-01A. It's far too intelligible > to be an SC-01A. > > I'm almost certain that the WOPR's voice wasn't synthesized at all, > and instead was made from modified voice recordings. > -Alexander 'Z' Pierson Wikipedia agrees: "John Wood <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wood_(English_actor)> as Dr. Stephen Falken and the voice of Joshua/WOPR" Bill S. --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Computer terminal in WarGames
by Jonathan Gevaryahu 15 Jun '18

15 Jun '18

From what I recall, WOPR's voice was made by having a person (John Wood, same actor as who played Dr. Falken) read back the lines to be said with the words in reverse sentence order, then the recordings were spliced back into the correct order and a bunch of filters (vocoder?) applied to them. I'm not sure if the words were spoken in monotone and pitched up down by varying the recording speeds or not, or if the vocoder did this? -- Jonathan Gevaryahu jgevaryahu(a)gmail.com jgevaryahu(a)hotmail.com

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Computer terminal in WarGames
by Richard Cini 14 Jun '18

14 Jun '18

Does anyone know what terminal was used as the operators’ console terminal in McKittrick’s office in WarGames? It’s the terminal that’s near the window that overlooks the war room. It has some words on the front but I can’t make them out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCWKZWieMSY If you fast forward to about the 4-minute mark you can see it. Thanks! Rich -- Rich Cini http://www.classiccmp.org/cini http://www.classiccmp.org/altair32

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Computer terminal in WarGames
by Bill Degnan 14 Jun '18

14 Jun '18

On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 9:47 PM Alexander Pierson via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > That is very much not a Votrax SC-01A. It's far too intelligible to be > an SC-01A. > > I'm almost certain that the WOPR's voice wasn't synthesized at all, and > instead was made from modified voice recordings. > -Alexander 'Z' Pierson > > > You can't be saying that movies aren't real, are you? *life belief system shattering sound* :-) > >

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Looking for Seattle Computer Products 300 S-100 board
by Ethan O'Toole 13 Jun '18

13 Jun '18

Howdy! I picked up a SCP 200B 8086 CPU board, and there is a companion board called the 300 board that contains bootstrap code, a serial port and a few other functions. By any chance does anyone know where I might find one? - Ethan

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Mr. Pierson's Cactus on Hackaday...
by William Sudbrink 13 Jun '18

13 Jun '18

https://hackaday.com/2018/06/13/vcf-east-cactus-retro-because-it-wants-to-be / --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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Announcement: VCF Midwest 2018!
by Jason T 13 Jun '18

13 Jun '18

Hello East-coasters! I met many of you at my first visit to VCF East last month and talked everyone's ear off about our little Midwest gathering and promised further details when I got back home. At long last, here they are. Hope to see some of you out here in September! --- Summer is almost here and that means it's time to get it in gear and start planning our next Vintage Computer Festival Midwest. Astute readers will note that this announcement comes many weeks later than in past years, but rest assured there is still plenty of time remaining to make your travel plans, reserve a table or get yourself into the mood for a full weekend of classic computing fun. Here are the necessaries: What: The Thirteenth Vintage Computer Festival Midwest When: September 15-16, 2018 (note that that's one weekend later than the usual dates!) Where: The Holiday Inn Elk Grove Village, Elk Grove Village, Illinois - about 30 minutes west of Chicago with a free shuttle bus from ORD! URL: http://vcfmw.org More info for the uninitiated and VCFMW veterans alike: - We do not charge admission. Thus, we are a community-supported show, so we humbly beg your kind donations, which can be made via two different links at vcfmw.org, or at the show. - Always an entertaining spectacle, there will once again be an auction! This is the other way we fund the show, so your donation of old computers (or anything even marginally related) is greatly appreciated. If it's a little too nice to put in the Free Pile, please consider donating it as an auction item. - Typical show hours are 9am Saturday 'til late night, and then 9am-4pm on Sunday (clean-up begins around 3pm). Early load-in is usually available on Friday afternoon, hours at the hotel's discretion. - The show really begins on Friday night, at least for exhibitors. We typically go for an informal group dinner and return to the hotel to complete setup. Don't worry if you're getting into town late, you can still set up Friday night (until 11pm or so). If you're arriving Saturday morning, your table will still be reserved. - Tables fill up quickly! If you'd like to exhibit, please fill out the table reservation form at http://vcfmw.org/signup.html. If the form is closed, it's because the buffer filled up and we're still processing requests. We don't want to reserve space we don't have! - Hotel rooms at the Holiday Inn are available at the group rate of $92/night via the link at vcfmw.org, or by calling the hotel at the number listed on our site. If the online room block is full, please try calling the hotel directly. - There is an on-site restaurant in the hotel that serves breakfast through dinner and a bar that is open late-ish. Consensus seems to be that they have good food and not having to leave the hotel to eat is a big plus. Feel free to forward this email or post its contents to your favorite forum. We'll see you in September! -j Twitter: https://twitter.com/vcfmidwest Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/248644859019545 ---

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Weekend project
by Eric Rangell 12 Jun '18

12 Jun '18

Hi all, This weekend I had the thrill of a 1976 experience of spending hours soldering a computer kit and it didn’t work. I worked on a Replica 1 Plus (functionally equivalent to an Apple 1). The power came on but the video test failed. When I put the rest of the chips in, the power LED went off shortly after power-on. I will bring it to Kansasfest so I can learn how to troubleshoot the problem. If Henry or anyone else has logic probe readings for a working model let me know. I also put together a Ramworks IIII card for my Apple //e. When I install it and go into 80 columns, there are quote marks in various spots on the 80 column text screen which do not go away. Another problem (I mean Opportunity) to learn troubleshooting. The best part of the weekend was the time I spent with Bill D. where he showed me how to launch missiles from the Univac. (Well, he explained how the radar and targeting systems were integrated with AD converters that translated 50V signals into numbers, and ran some blinky lights). It is fascinating to learn how the Navy got things done with what they had at the time. I’m wondering if a demo can be created using batteries to supply various analog voltages into the ports that would have received voltages from the ship systems. Also, several people at VCF East had detailed exhibits with a lot of info on displays that would be nice to preserve, or put the material online for people who’d like to learn more. I’m also enjoying the Kim Uno and Raspberry Pi 3 that I bought from Jeff G. Thanks, Eric

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FYI: VCF Docents for 6/16 & 6/17
by Jeffrey Brace 11 Jun '18

11 Jun '18

Evan will be docent at the VCF museum Saturday, June 16. I will be at the InfoAge front desk taking VCF's turn. I will be docent at the VCF museum Sunday, June 17. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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New Gazelle enclosure
by Richard Cini 11 Jun '18

11 Jun '18

Absolutely pristine condition for my Gazelle. [Image] Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>

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Repair Workshop June 9 & 10, 2018 Wrap-up
by Jeffrey Brace 11 Jun '18

11 Jun '18

Less than average turnout, but lots of stuff accomplished. Various members worked on their own and VCF equipment. I felt that everyone was tired of going to the same eating place (Princess Maria, Blue Swan, Main Street Grill), so I found us a new place not too far away: Brick House Tavern + Tap in Neptune City. Everyone felt that the food was good, reasonable price and lots of selection of beers. It's a sports bar so I enjoyed watching the Yankees game while eating dinner. We were put in the outside deck area and the weather was great. They take reservations, so next workshop I will reserve some spaces for us. Evan also worked on museum improvements which he can detail here. Does anyone want to chime in on details on what they worked on? -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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PAL Commodore 1702 monitor
by Jeffrey Brace 11 Jun '18

11 Jun '18

So I was unable to find anyone with a PAL C64 or even a PAL VIC-II, so I ordered one from Egypt on eBay because that was the only one that I found available. I plan on using this at HOPE for VCF's exhibit. It cost a pretty penny to buy ($130) and to ship ($70), but at least I have my PAL C64 that I have always wanted. I know many have told me that I can hook up my PAL C64 to any modern LCD monitor, but I was hoping to locate a PAL C64 monitor to be as vintage as possible. Does anyone have one? -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Next VCF Repair Workshop June 30 & July 1, 2018
by Jeffrey Brace 10 Jun '18

10 Jun '18

Sign up here < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1n8M9h5ZVbcA4VixgDy3GHyN2HTWzSsS3fAg… > -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Applesauce - The protected disk imaging solution
by Henry S. Courbis 09 Jun '18

09 Jun '18

It's official - Applesauce is now being offered for sale. https://www.facebook.com/groups/5251478676/permalink/10157597145223677/ For those looking to learn about Applesauce. https://wiki.reactivemicro.com/Applesauce In short - it's a preservation solution which allows raw flux images to be captured from floppy disks - protected and unprotected alike. It runs off platform via USB. It captures all floppy magnetic flux data which is a perfect preservation solution unlike cracking or other modification solutions. The original disk's contents are preserved 100% and unmodified. The protection schemes are left in place and working. >From raw images users can make .WOZ formatted files which are smaller, timing and bit correct images that can be run in emulators. Unlike other image formats one of the biggest advantage of .WOZ is the ability to produce "random bits" (correct emulation of the MC3470) which many of the Apple II protections depended on. Henry S. Courbis Office Toll Free: (800) REACTIVE (732-2848) Office/Mobile Direct: (856) 779-1900 www.ReActiveMicro.com <http://www.ReactiveMicro.com> - Sales, Support, and News, Our Headquarters on the Internet ReActiveMicro.com/wiki - Support, Software, Manuals, and History. Create your own page today! Facebook.com/reactivemicrousa - Our Social Media Outlet and Support

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Orientation of vented cover for airflow
by Richard Cini 08 Jun '18

08 Jun '18

All — I have a question regarding S100 cabinet airflow. Here’s the setup. I just bought a TEi enclosure (12-slot, impeccably clean) on eBay. The power supply is to the right of the card cage, the fan blows inward and it was delivered with the cover installed such that the air vents are on the right (power supply) side. To me, this seems counterintuitive. I would think that the vents should be on the left with the fan blowing out so as to draw air through the card cage, over the power supply and then out the back. On my IMSAI (both sides of the cover are vented) and the fan blows out, but the vents next to the power supply are sealed with tape. Any thoughts on this? Thanks! Rich Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>

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Final note for repair workshop June 9&10, 2018
by Jeffrey Brace 08 Jun '18

08 Jun '18

I will be getting there late around 1pm Saturday and 1pm Sunday. I have to work at Taekwondo Saturday and Uber Driving Sunday. Call Evan before 1pm if you need something. Also, please don’t touch my machine in the museum workshop area! I’m in the middle of taking apart my machine and I don’t need anyone to “help” by cleaning up and mixing up my screws and parts. I have it laid out so that I can put it back together properly. On Mon, Jun 4, 2018 at 9:29 PM Jeffrey Brace <jeffrey(a)vcfed.org> wrote: > There is still time to sign up for the workshop: <*https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FFHVS4PkImaj7jHk8_7BTcf-nTEAuOQacnOB940R7Ng/edit?usp=sharing > <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FFHVS4PkImaj7jHk8_7BTcf-nTEAuOQacnO…>* > > > > As a reminder the workshop is $10 *per* person, *per* day. I'm sorry, I > don't make the rules for the rent of the space. This is an InfoAge rule and > not our decision. This has been in effect since June 2017. > > Sign up now to reserve your spot! > > DATE: June 9 & 10, 2018 > > 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/1FFHVS4PkImaj7jHk8_7BTcf-nTEAuOQacnOB940R7Ng/edit?usp=sharing > <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FFHVS4PkImaj7jHk8_7BTcf-nTEAuOQacnO…>* > > > > 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. > > Please pay me when you get there so that I don't forget. Thanks! :-D > > 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. Ask me for the info at the workshop. > > 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. > > - 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: > You provide your own. We usually order pizza, subs or go out to a dinner > and everyone pays their own way. Usually, we make a decision when everyone > gets hungry. > > 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? > > Please ask me (Jeff Brace) or Evan. My cell is 732 759 1783 and Evan’s > is 646 546 9999 in case you need to contact us. > > See everyone there! And have fun! > > > -- > ========================================= > Jeff Brace > Vice President > Vintage Computer Federation > > -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Call now for VCF Repair workshop! Operators are standing by!
by Lou 08 Jun '18

08 Jun '18

I was really considering going this Saturday since I would actually be available however since there was a delay in getting a system that I was planning on bringing to the workshop the only systems I have currently that need repair I do not think would be of much interest aside from my old terminal. I am still debating my options on the matter, worst case scenario the next workshop I will have some real interesting beauties that might need some repair. -Lou

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Found: 2 New-In-Box TI-99/4a Machines
by J. Alexander Jacocks 06 Jun '18

06 Jun '18

All, I just picked up, at the Manassas, VA, hamfest, a pair of new-in-box Texas Instruments 99/4a machines. Both boxes are a bit scuffed and dusty, but one still has the factory tape on it. I opened the other box, since it wasn't taped, and looked at the contents, which are definitely factory new. The computer was in a sealed bag, which I opened to check it out. The PSU and RF modulator are in their cardboard wrapper, which the adhesive has failed on. So, I decided to keep one machine. I checked the PSU, and the voltages were within 1VAC on both the inputs, so given that they are internally regulated, that should be close enough. Via RF adapter, I get a grey screen, at power up. Via a homemade composite video cable, I get a stable tone, and a black screen. So, two questions: 1) Does anyone want a new-in-box, untested, TI 99/4a beige model? 2) Does anyone know anything about fixing TI 99s? I'd like to go through the one machine and figure out what's wrong. - Alex

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Call now for VCF Repair workshop! Operators are standing by!
by Jeffrey Brace 06 Jun '18

06 Jun '18

There is still time to sign up for the workshop: <*https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FFHVS4PkImaj7jHk8_7BTcf-nTEAuOQacnOB940R7Ng/edit?usp=sharing <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FFHVS4PkImaj7jHk8_7BTcf-nTEAuOQacnO…>* > As a reminder the workshop is $10 *per* person, *per* day. I'm sorry, I don't make the rules for the rent of the space. This is an InfoAge rule and not our decision. This has been in effect since June 2017. Sign up now to reserve your spot! DATE: June 9 & 10, 2018 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/1FFHVS4PkImaj7jHk8_7BTcf-nTEAuOQacnOB940R7Ng/edit?usp=sharing <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FFHVS4PkImaj7jHk8_7BTcf-nTEAuOQacnO…>* > 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. Please pay me when you get there so that I don't forget. Thanks! :-D 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. Ask me for the info at the workshop. 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. - 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: You provide your own. We usually order pizza, subs or go out to a dinner and everyone pays their own way. Usually, we make a decision when everyone gets hungry. 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? Please ask me (Jeff Brace) or Evan. My cell is 732 759 1783 and Evan’s is 646 546 9999 in case you need to contact us. See everyone there! And have fun! -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Makin' Ethernet...
by Evan Koblentz 05 Jun '18

05 Jun '18

We need a bunch of network cables to wire up the museum PoE security cameras. I have not yet measured. My estimate is about 200 feet total for four cables. Two questions: 1. Does anyone have a very long reel of cat 5 to donate? I prefer black. 2. Does anyone have the RJ-45 ends and the tool/experience to terminate the cables? (I used to know how, but it's been 17 years since I last did it.) ________________________________ 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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Soldering tutorial/workshop recommendation
by Thomas Fuchs 05 Jun '18

05 Jun '18

Hi everyone, While I’ve been collecting (and using!) old computers for a while, and can do some repairs, I never learned to solder. Obviously that would be a useful skill… :) What are your recommendations? I’m thinking this is something that you can probably learn best directly with another person but if there’s a good online tutorial or course, I’d be happy to hear about that as well. I do have the equipment, but I don’t really know where to start, and I don’t want to mess with old hardware until I have somewhat of a grip on it. What’s a good beginner project? Maybe an arduino or something like that? My main interests area is late 70s to early 90s, and I’d love to be able to identify and properly fix broken connections, weak solder points and (eventually) to recap boards; I’m located in Bucks county, PA. Thanks for any suggestions! Best, Thomas F.

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Museum report, etc.
by Evan Koblentz 04 Jun '18

04 Jun '18

Tony was at the museum Saturday. Jeff B. was there Sunday. Overall a slow weekend with moderate visitorship, but it gave everyone a chance to work on projects and take it easy as we continue recovering from VCF East and the several months of hard work before that. I'm looking forward to the workshop this weekend.

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Ideas on replacing a backlighting on a laptop
by Neil Cherry 04 Jun '18

04 Jun '18

Okay I have a T1000SE which now boots on it's original NiCad battery (it's roughly 32 years old). I found out I needed to throw a switch on the battery so the red dot is visible (on the side facing the PC and in the middle of the lever assembly). The fact that it charged the battery and now boots astonished me. The one issue I have is I can barely read the screen. The contrast works and it goes from light to dark screen but the letters are really difficult to read. The second dial does nothing and I'm pretty sure that's the brightness. Has anyone attempted this before? Any hints? Thanks -- 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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Idea for an Exhibit - Novell
by Bill Degnan 04 Jun '18

04 Jun '18

To my knowledge no one has done an exhibit about Novell / Netware networking at least directly. I envision a simple file sharing network installed on some MS DOS 5-era machines, a simple email system, security features, etc to illustrate the product. As with VMS, Novell declined in usage when TCP/IP became dominant. Not a lot of people know that Novell helped commercialize SUSE Linux. There is a good story here, someone with experience with Novell should take it up. Bill

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Former NASA Amiga 2500
by CJ Reha 04 Jun '18

04 Jun '18

A friend of mine sent me this eBay link...an Amiga 2500 formerly used by NASA as a telemetry lab workhorse. Interesting! The $5,000 pricetag seems ridiculous to me, but who knows...maybe someone out there will find it reasonable. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Amiga-2500-NASA-Telemetry-Lab/183241576598?hash=it…

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Ted Dabney, Atari co-founder, dies at 81
by Jonathan Sturges 04 Jun '18

04 Jun '18

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/06/01/616191252/ted-dabney-co-… -Jonathan

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Thanks & VCF
by Jeff G 03 Jun '18

03 Jun '18

First off - had a blast at VCF as usual. Glad I ended up staying on Saturday although I had some conflicting events it all came together in the end. The consignment room was NUTS this year! Next year hopefully I'll be able to volunteer or exhibit again. Also, thanks to the person that had the Altair w/video camera setup; he let me take a picture of his TI Silent 700 power supply, and going by that pic I was actually able to find one on Ebay and verify it was the correct one, so huge THANKS for checking off another item of my vintage computing todo list! Jeff G / Bags

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PAL C64 at workshop?
by Jeffrey Brace 01 Jun '18

01 Jun '18

Is there anyone coming to the workshop that has a C64 that is already configured in PAL format? -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Found: Boxed Fairchild Channel F
by jaj＠totallyamused.com 01 Jun '18

01 Jun '18

>Do you think its a reasonable price? Wouldn't mind having one someday. My >parents had one. > >Matt Not a bad price, leans to the high end of the market. I can't see the link through work security, but if it is clean and the box is in nice shape, it is worth it -- they are pretty rare to find in the wild. I always prefer the version with the hardwired joysticks, the earlier releases. Channel F drag racing is one of my all time favorite games because you actually shift and the have to let off the gas to not blow the engine. I haven't played mine in a few years, I may have to dig it out tonight. For reference I got mine about 20 years ago in the box with a 1/2 dozen games for $35. One note, if someone picks it up for you, have them check the music section of the store (if it is a thrift store), the cartridges are often mistaken for 8 track tapes, you might be able to get some games to go along with it.

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Found: Boxed Fairchild Channel F
by J. Alexander Jacocks 01 Jun '18

01 Jun '18

All, I just saw, in a store in Hagerstown, a boxed Fairchild Channel F. They’re asking $125. If anyone is interested, let me know. Picture is here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/s3mh109pb4vigb3/54956337427__ED72638A-9BF5-4CB8-8… - Alex

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BBC Micro
by Evan Koblentz 01 Jun '18

01 Jun '18

>> Glad to hear you have a BBC Micro now. They’re fine machines, and as you rightly point out, require 240V power plus some sort of monitor. Ignore the PAL outputs and go straight for the RGB which is on a DIN connector. I vaguely recollect making up a special cable when I got mine going and hooking it up to a Sony studio monitor. Watch out for the X2 cap in the power supply which is a known point of failure. It’s easy enough to replace if that hasn’t already been done, but annoying to have it fail... 240 ... What were they thinking!? What do we do for a disk drive? On Fri, Jun 1, 2018, 7:24 AM David Comley via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > Glad to hear you have a BBC Micro now. They’re fine machines, and as you > rightly point out, require 240V power plus some sort of monitor. Ignore the > PAL outputs and go straight for the RGB which is on a DIN connector. I > vaguely recollect making up a special cable when I got mine going and > hooking it up to a Sony studio monitor. > > Watch out for the X2 cap in the power supply which is a known point of > failure. It’s easy enough to replace if that hasn’t already been done, but > annoying to have it fail... > > Dave > > > > On Jun 1, 2018, at 1:36 AM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > > Well that was interesting! > > > > Several of us were there: me, Doug, Chris F., Dean, Chris L., Brian C., > Bill Lange (not Bill L. the auction seller), and Jason Scott. All of us but > Bill made it into a photo (https://tinyurl.com/ydbuy6pd) kindly taken by > Chris L.'s girlfriend. > > > > The auctioned started at 3pm. I was the last to leave at midnight -- but > the auction was still going strong! They had another hour or two remaining. > > > > Some people got amazing bargains (valuable nuggets discovered after > buying boxes of inexpensive items) and other people paid full retail or > higher for various things. We spotted a few people who were professional > sellers, but most of the people (maybe 100?) were individual collectors, > and most of those were gamers, not computer collectors like us. However we > did see a few people who said they attended VCF East, and I couldn't help > myself from recruiting a few new folks. > > > > VCFed itself had a good night: > > > > - Dean purchased a box of stuff which happened to contain a CGA/EGA/VGA > adapter -- exactly what I posted about us needing a few days ago -- so I > commandeered that item for us. :) > > > > - VCFed has several S-100 computers, but there was one item I'd never > seen: an industrial (rackmount) chassis with a keyboard built into the > front edge of the case. It is from a company called MBR. No boards inside, > but it looked unique. At my request, Dean entered an absentee bid for it > (it would be one of the last items auctioned due to placement in the room). > He'll donate it to us if he wins. We will find out tomorrow. > > > > - VCFed has an Amstrad 640 and various Sinclair computers, but we didn't > own a BBC Micro. There was a first-gen (1981) unit available in the > auction. At my request, Bill (and his wife Lucy) successfully bid on it and > donated it to us. It also has some nice software. We'll have to get a power > adapter for it to use an American outlet. > > > > It was fun hanging out with several group members all afternoon/evening. > There were a few times where some of the group members bid against each > other ... a little healthy competition! > > > > Overall a very successful time for Bill Log. and all buyers. > >

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Introduction
by CJ Reha 01 Jun '18

01 Jun '18

Hello! Evan suggested I introduce myself since I am new to the VCF community, and it seems like a good idea, so here goes. I'm CJ. I was introduced to the world of VCF through some friends who frequent here as well, mainly Lou, Ian, and Z. I did go to VCF East last weekend, so if you saw a kid in an Atari jacket running around with a bunch of systems it was probably me. I'm pretty young, since I just turned 16 on the 24th, but I like to think I still have a decent-sized system collection. My current projects are resurrecting a half-rust-eaten Mac Plus I bought from Ian as well as all of the other stuff I ended up with, and a few "newer" items like an Epson PC clone. Anyway, I am very glad to be here and happy to be surrounded by like-minded hobbyists. I had a ton of fun at East and hope to attend many more future events. Regards, ~CJ

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