- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Mac OS 7.1 Terminal Emulator & BBS software
by Joseph Oprysko 03 Mar '18

03 Mar '18

I’m trying to “dial” out on my WiFi232 modem to various Telnet BBS Systems. I currently have Red Ryder as a terminal emulator. On VT100 mode, once it reaches the bottom of the screen it stops scrolling. Any suggestions for software that might work better? Also, I’m considering setting up a BBS on my SE/30, what’s a good BBS package that would work with it (running 7.1) as I only have 1.5mb of Ram. Thanks 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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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] You might wanna read this message :)
by Duane Craps 03 Mar '18

03 Mar '18

On 3/1/2018 7:08 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > Ahem: > http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/vcf-east-keyno… Yea Bill! No dash in 1219B. Never heard artillery used in reference ti guided missile systems. -- DuaneCraps sdɐɹɔ ǝuɐnp

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Is it just me or.....
by Joseph Oprysko 03 Mar '18

03 Mar '18

The quest for technology appears cyclic. All technologies go through their growing pains. Right now, one of the potentially disruptive consumer technologies is rapid prototyping, more commonly referred to as 3D printing m. 3D Printing in various forms has been a technology used by corporations and in engineering firms for years. The roots of which date back to the early 1980’s. I see the current environment around 3D printing in a consumer aspect appears to closely mimic the growth of the personal computer industry in the 70’s and 80’s. One difference I see is that in the late 70’s and early 80’s, the Open Source movement was also in its infancy, while now, a large share of the hardware and firmware involved in the current growth of 3D Printers embrace open source initiatives. But in contrast, many of the closed source 3D printer manufacturers often appear to have a more consumer friendly product. So this I suppose from a very high level is a good “test” of the open source ideology. Just as many early Linux users and developers thought that the majority of PC’s would be running open source software. (I’m intentionally separating the Personal Computers from mobile devices and infrastructure) While there are a good number of users of open source operating systems, it’s a highly splintered group, with many of the operating systems based on various major distributions of the software and operating system. The open source initiatives have forced the hands a lot of major players in various industries to embrace, or at least utilize openness in parts of their products, sometimes it may be a front end UI, sometimes the firmware or other components. Often there will be a mix of proprietary systems and open source systems to create a device. So, where will the 3D printing industry end up? What is your opinion on this? -- 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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[OT] Anyone Interested in an HP 5325a Universal Counter?
by J. Alexander Jacocks 02 Mar '18

02 Mar '18

All, I have an HP 5325a Universal Counter, and the original Manual. The counter is fully functional, and is rather attractive, in my opinion, due to the rugged design combined with the Nicie tube display. I’m bringing it to the workshop, this weekend. Please drop me a note if interested. Thanks! - Alex

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Needed for museum: temporary UPS
by Evan Koblentz 02 Mar '18

02 Mar '18

I'm working with someone at Schneider Electric (which owns the APC brand) to get a small rackmount UPS donated. This is necessary because apparently IA volunteers sometimes turn off the power without any notice. That won't fly if we are running a server. Until we get good one, can someone (preferably someone coming to the workshop tomorrow) bring a small UPS for us to borrow?

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NJ Maker Day (March 10)
by Evan Koblentz 02 Mar '18

02 Mar '18

We were invited to have a table for NJ Maker Day (Saturday, March 10) at the Liberty Science Center. I accepted and I'll bring the Apple II (Laser 128) + Lego robot demo. Can't get enough of that :), it makes our point well, and kids love it! https://lsc.org/explore/today/makers-day I emailed the LSC people to ask if they can give us any extra passes to distribute. Waiting to hear back.

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OT: Re: Is it just me or.....
by Evan Koblentz 02 Mar '18

02 Mar '18

Thread needed OT: subject line prefix. On Mar 2, 2018 12:12 PM, "Joseph Oprysko via vcf-midatlantic" < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: The quest for technology appears cyclic. All technologies go through their growing pains. Right now, one of the potentially disruptive consumer technologies is rapid prototyping, more commonly referred to as 3D printing m. 3D Printing in various forms has been a technology used by corporations and in engineering firms for years. The roots of which date back to the early 1980’s. I see the current environment around 3D printing in a consumer aspect appears to closely mimic the growth of the personal computer industry in the 70’s and 80’s. One difference I see is that in the late 70’s and early 80’s, the Open Source movement was also in its infancy, while now, a large share of the hardware and firmware involved in the current growth of 3D Printers embrace open source initiatives. But in contrast, many of the closed source 3D printer manufacturers often appear to have a more consumer friendly product. So this I suppose from a very high level is a good “test” of the open source ideology. Just as many early Linux users and developers thought that the majority of PC’s would be running open source software. (I’m intentionally separating the Personal Computers from mobile devices and infrastructure) While there are a good number of users of open source operating systems, it’s a highly splintered group, with many of the operating systems based on various major distributions of the software and operating system. The open source initiatives have forced the hands a lot of major players in various industries to embrace, or at least utilize openness in parts of their products, sometimes it may be a front end UI, sometimes the firmware or other components. Often there will be a mix of proprietary systems and open source systems to create a device. So, where will the 3D printing industry end up? What is your opinion on this? -- 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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The important info for the workshop of repair occurring March 3 & 4, 2018
by Jeffrey Brace 02 Mar '18

02 Mar '18

As a reminder the workshop is $10 *per* person, *per* day. Sorry this InfoAge's rule and not our decision. So that means for two days it is $20. Some people didn't realize this last workshop. This has been in effect since June 2017. If you have signed up, then you are guaranteed a table, otherwise you have to beg for forgiveness and bribe me with my favorite snack. DATE: Mar 3 & 4, 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/123vqgOH6iteYwHwLiANXmdSUvZOTEMTArZR… > 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. Otherwise I will send my attack cat to find you. Seriously, it's a pain to have to chase people around for money. It's not a fun job, but it is necessary because we rent the place from InfoAge and the dorms from the Sandy group. 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. - We will have PayPal credit card swipes available. Let me know ahead of time if you want to use this and I will set it up, otherwise it will *not* be available. It takes me time to make sure it located and setup properly. 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! Attachments area

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You might wanna read this message :)
by Evan Koblentz 02 Mar '18

02 Mar '18

Ahem: http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/vcf-east-keyno…

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Epson QX-10 available in Long Island
by Evan Koblentz 01 Mar '18

01 Mar '18

Got a query through Facebook that a QX-10 is available in Long Island. That's all I know. Email a guy named Ronald: rdyke(a)optonline.net

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AS400 display station (att: Dave McGuire)
by Bill Degnan 01 Mar '18

01 Mar '18

Dave (or anyone with an AS400) Got this message through my site(below); the person has an AS400 display station for sale ( IO 2677D ). I don't know this person. I called and left a message to advise possible interest and to stand by. By coincidence I am heading up to the LSSM this weekend (business in Pittsburgh), I could thus deliver this weekend if you want to make a deal with this guy for it and he is willing to drop off at my house or meet me in Newark at a convenient spot along my travels. If Dave does not want I still get and hold it, but the person who wants it will have to contact the seller and pick it up from me. Dave - I leave noon tomorrow so I'd need it in my hands by then if you want it delivered, so call him directly, etc. Any inquiries, please contact me through my web site. Bill Degnan -------- Original Message -------- > From: ---- > Sent: Thursday, March 1, 2018 12:50 PM > To: ---- > Subject: VintageComputer.net Inquiry > > VintageComputer.net Inquiry Contact Information Name: John Shank > Email: jshank48-at-hotmail.com Phone: 3oh24481175 ------------------------- Comments: > To whom it may concern, > I recently found a older display station, made by a company called IO, still in the box, with all Packaging, I only opened it to see if the Box had been resealed or if it actually was new. Turns out it's brand new, I did some digging online to try to find a model number and I believe what I have is the IO 2677D. I know absolutely nothing about it, I was hoping you might be able to shed some weight. If you would be interested in purchasing it I live about 10 minutes from Landenberg. Thanks for your time > -skip shank > 3oh2-448-1175 > jshank48 -at- hotmail.com VintageComputer.net ---------------------------------------------------------------

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Saturday workshop weather
by Evan Koblentz 01 Mar '18

01 Mar '18

There might be strong winds and rain: http://www.nj.com/weather/index.ssf/2018/02/nj_weather_march_coastal_storm_… But at least it won't snow here.

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Can someone donate an SSD?
by Evan Koblentz 28 Feb '18

28 Feb '18

Everyone, Martin is bringing us a server for the under-construction museum intranet (see specs below). I want to replace its HDD with an SSD. That way it'll be faster and quieter. Can somebody who is attending the workshop this Saturday contribute one, please? Please * do * reply on-list to avoid redundancy. Thanks! -Evan -------- Forwarded Message -------- Evan, Here's what I have: Supermicro SuperServer Atom / SYS-5015A-EHF-D525 - it's the same unit i used for the CDL / IXR firewall and the Diana site firewall. Blowing the crud out of it (dusty) Cut & paste from the website: Intel® Atom™ D525 (DMI) Up to 4GB single channel unbuffered, non-ECC DDR3 800/667MHz SO-DIMM memory 2x Intel 82574L Gigabit LAN 1 PCI-E 2.0 x4 (in x16 slot) Onboard Matrox G200eW video, 1x 3.5-Inch or Up to 2x 2.5-Inch Internal Drives, 200W power supply.

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Selling my Atari VCS (light-sixer)
by Evan Koblentz 28 Feb '18

28 Feb '18

No longer need my VCS. I rarely ever play it, but if I get the itch there are plenty at the museum. I know these are common as dirt. Not sure what it's worth ... light sixer, works fine, average cosmetic condition, bunch of common games (only uncommon game is Spy Hunter), cartridge box holder thingamajig, the usual joysticks/paddles. Please send me a private email if you're interested. ________________________________ 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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Xerox 820-II for sale, Philly area
by Mike Loewen 27 Feb '18

27 Feb '18

This is NOT my system, but would make a good addition to someone's collection: http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.php?62350-FS-Xerox-820-II-16-8-Comput… Appears to have a working hard drive, and also has the 8086 upgrade board. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moving and the new place is smaller, so paring down my collection... This one is first, the 3B2 is next! XEROX 820-II COMPUTER - w/ Expansion Box (8"HD / 8" FD), Software, and More Click image for larger version. Name: 20180227_205338.jpg Views: 13 Size: 96.8 KB ID: 44027 Just fired it up and it works. Booted CP/M 80 form the HD... It has the 16 bit "upgrade" (8086) and comes with MS-DOS 2 and CP/M-86 on 8" FD (untested). This sucka is HEAVY so probably needs to be picked up - local to Philadelphia, PA (Delaware County Suburbs) Posting here and one other site; wanted to give y'all first crack. MAKE OFFER via P/M.

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Urgent -- workshop, etc.
by Evan Koblentz 27 Feb '18

27 Feb '18

Guys, Jeff B. is taking leave from our group until the end of March so he can focus on a personal matter. He has our full support. (Don't worry, it is not health-related.) Please do NOT bug him with anything related to vintage computing. That includes all of his responsibilities with the group -- workshops, docenting, etc. -- contact me instead. He'll re-join us in April for the pleasures of VCF East XIII. Thanks, Evan

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Micros available to good homes
by Evan Koblentz 27 Feb '18

27 Feb '18

See below. Contact him directly off-list. He lives in Perkasie PA. -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: More donations for VCF Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2018 07:45:26 -0500 From: Alfred Poor <apoor(a)verizon.net> To: evan(a)vcfed.org Evan, our home of 30+ years is under contract, and I’m clearing out my office. I’ve got a lot of items that might be of interest to VCF, including a Kaypro II, a Compaq, a TRS-80 Model 100, IBM XT, IBM AT, and Dell 310. I’ve also selected some of my favorite reference books which could be helpful in keeping these things running, including the three-volume technical manuals for the IBM AT. I also have copies of Windows ME, Windows 2000, and other operating systems.

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Needed for museum: locker with shelves
by Evan Koblentz 27 Feb '18

27 Feb '18

We have a locker in the museum workshop. Standard 6 ft. tall, ugly, closes with a padlock. It's about a foot wide. It fits nicely into our available space, but it is relatively useless because it only has one shelf up top and there's no easy way to add more shelves I want to get rid of it and replace it with a similar unit (black or gray) but the kind that has several shelves from top to bottom. Anybody have one? Or can someone look online and find us one cheap that's within a reasonable drive for us to go get?

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eBay Damage
by Chris Fala 26 Feb '18

26 Feb '18

I have WAY too many horribly sad stories about shipping damage. I have tried to suggest to sellers to pack carefully. Sometimes they do OK, sometimes they fail miserably, and sometimes they get angry and offended that I dare tell them how to do anything. I wish there was a fool-proof solution (other than local pickup which isn't always an option). On Feb 24, 2018, at 1:49 PM, John Heritage via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: And I need to vent a little further. This was in good shape before the seller didn't pack it properly :(. Anyway, thanks for listening fellow retro enthusiasts :) John On Sat, Feb 24, 2018 at 1:46 PM, John Heritage <john.heritage(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Folks, > > I'm still on the lookout for an Atari 810 drive to match my Atari 800 > computers. There are two types -- one with a 'barn door' that opens up, > and another with the middle flip lid. I want the middle flip lid type. > > I just ordered one on Ebay and of course the guy packaged it horribly, so > the case became heavily damaged so now I have deal with returning it. :(. > > Anyway, It doesn't have to work perfectly I just something for > nostalgia/collection sake. > > I have cash and 1050 drives to trade if appropriate. > > Thank you! > John >

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Museum upgrade :)
by Evan Koblentz 25 Feb '18

25 Feb '18

Sent the museum report just now and forgot to mention something important! Jeff B. got us a very nice new chair for the staff PC in the museum workshop. $200 chair which he found on sale for $60. We dumped the old blue one.

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 25 Feb '18

25 Feb '18

Super busy day. Pete was our docent. Moderate number of visistors today. Tony spent a couple of more hours working on Apple IIs. Chris L., his s/o Kim, and Brian C. were surprise visitors. Adam, me, Pete's son Alex, and a new volunteer Laura did warehouse projects. Here's what we got done in the warehouse: - Put all three of the old but still useful long display cases in one spot - Organized and consolidated the OS/2 collection - Put aside seven of our luggables for sale at VCF East (three Compaq, three Kaypro, one Osborne) - Moved the rack of IBM 1130 punch cards to be with the other punch cards + create space in the IBM aisle - Moved two AS/400s from the unsorted area into the IBM aisle - Sorted (and put duplicates aside to sell) of Atari, Coleco, Intellivision, and Odyssey cartridges - Started working on a plan for what to do next time we're here

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OT: How to store old ICs?
by John Heritage 25 Feb '18

25 Feb '18

Hi folks, A "noob" question -- I have some old ICs -- custom chips, RAM, etc.. that I'd like to properly store. Is storing these in antistatic foam and in a (3D printed) plastic drawer of some kind OK? should i be buying/using IC Chip tubes instead? What's the best way to get reasonably priced supplies for safely storing vintage chips? Thanks! John

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Museum Report 2018-02-24 February 24, 2018
by Jeffrey Brace 24 Feb '18

24 Feb '18

Tony was at the museum from about 1pm to 4pm. Surprisingly Bill Dromgoole was already here! I arrived around 3pm stayed until 5pm. Dromgoole worked on the Univac some more. Did some memory testing. He took out a fan is going to work on it at home to repair. He will be back next weekend for the workshop. Tony did docenting and worked on repairing VCF apple machines. I talked with them and VCF member visitors Don Caselli and Nick Lordi. There was an InfoAge talk given with about 100 people in attendance. It was Alice Bowman NASA operations manager. About a dozen visitors throughout the course of the day. Evan, Adam, and Pete will be at VCF tomorrow. == Jeff Brace

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Be a docent at the next workshop mar 3 and/or 4, 2018
by Jeffrey Brace 24 Feb '18

24 Feb '18

For those attending next weekends workshop we have a signup list. We just want one hour per person to share the load and have lots of fun! Signup here: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uJklCb5HcA1c1uKQFVCSLcHhxzhKTiFQhfu… >

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OT: Looking for Atari 810 Drive
by John Heritage 24 Feb '18

24 Feb '18

Hi Folks, I'm still on the lookout for an Atari 810 drive to match my Atari 800 computers. There are two types -- one with a 'barn door' that opens up, and another with the middle flip lid. I want the middle flip lid type. I just ordered one on Ebay and of course the guy packaged it horribly, so the case became heavily damaged so now I have deal with returning it. :(. Anyway, It doesn't have to work perfectly I just something for nostalgia/collection sake. I have cash and 1050 drives to trade if appropriate. Thank you! John

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Another Microcomputer?
by Peter Cetinski 24 Feb '18

24 Feb '18

Just throwing this out there based on Evan’s other thread about the NeXT. And I am sure this will come as no surprise to many of you. If there is room for another microcomputer in the museum, after the NeXT, I would like to nominate the TRS-80 8” business machine, ie. Model II/12/16/16B/6000. This was a significant machine in the small to medium business microcomputer market during the first half of the 80s. For awhile, the Model 16B running XENIX was the most popular Unix based workstation on the market. The Model II was reviewed as superior to the IBM PC when the 5150 was released in 1981. The MC68000 subsystem introduced in the Model 16 made for a very fascinating dual CPU microcomputer architecture. There are a lot of Apples currently on display but only one TRS-80 on display. :) I would certainly volunteer to help restore one of the museum’s 8” TRS-80s machines for display. I know a few others on this list who have experience with these machines that would also help, I’m sure. Thanks Pete

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Broken / Parts Model M?
by Jason Perkins 24 Feb '18

24 Feb '18

I'm looking for some IBM Model M keycaps so I can change the layout of a 122 key terminal board. Specifically, the main enter, function, bracket, backslash, escape, numlock, and left shift. A broken M with those caps still on it might be the easiest way to get all those parts, if someone has a parts board I would be interested in that too. Thanks! -- Jason Perkins 313 355 0085

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NeXT cube
by Evan Koblentz 23 Feb '18

23 Feb '18

Soon we're going to have space for one or two more microcomputers in the museum. I would like one of those to be a NeXT cube. It's the computer Tim Berners-Lee used to develop his program called "Worldwide Web". But VCF does not have a NeXT cube. We have two slabs. They're awesome but it is not the same. :) Does anyone have a cube they can donate?

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Possible monitor pickup in SE PA
by Mike Loewen 23 Feb '18

23 Feb '18

This isn't a definite, but I'm exploring the possible of acquiring a 25" monitor in Souderton, PA (north of King of Prussia). Is there someone near enough to pick it up, who is also going to VCF East? Please reply via private message. Gas bucks would be forthcoming. Thanks! Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Help! We need a VCF East keynote speaker
by Duane Craps 23 Feb '18

23 Feb '18

Too late for this year, but I might be a good idea ti set up a good video conferencing setup. Most companies and large museums have them. Not the same as in person, but you might get some killer west coast people who would not travel across the country to VCF. On 2/23/2018 12:50 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > >> What about bringing back old speakers from like 10 years ago that were >> good? Some people never saw them, some would like to see them again. >> There's no reason not to bring back speakers after a long period of >> time. > > I agree there's nothing * stopping * us from doing that, but I'm still > focusing on Plan A which is to find exciting new people. > -- DuaneCraps sdɐɹɔ ǝuɐnp

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Help! We need a VCF East keynote speaker
by Evan Koblentz 23 Feb '18

23 Feb '18

Three months until VCF East. I need to find a keynote speaker for Saturday, May 20. Right now I don't really have any good leads. Looking for realistic suggestions: people who did something important and live reasonably close. ** Nobody should contact any potential speakers on our behalf. Needs to go through me.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Help! We need a VCF East keynote speaker
by Eric Rangell 22 Feb '18

22 Feb '18

Hello all, Jason Scott and I would like to recommend Ed Smith, if he is available and willing to talk. He can be contacted through Benj Edwards. Here is an article about him written by Benj: http://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/1230/ed-smith-interview Thanks, Eric

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Hello World
by Matt Reynolds 22 Feb '18

22 Feb '18

Hello, At Evan's suggestion I'm reaching out with a Hello World note. I know some of you from my years spent at InfoAge. I am an active member of the NJARC located there, have a thing for vintage electronics, and have been a lifelong tinkerer. I am a network engineer and for the time being am employed at a large chemical company. I've always been more on the tech\hardware side of IT, and have always been fascinated by the machines and equipment that preceded what we have today. I haven't spent much time playing around in the vintage computer hobby in the last few years, and being 32 I may have just caught the tail end of the wild west era of home PCs (or came in right after it). Most of the old tech I have played with was already old when I was goofing with it, even in the past. I do still have a few older 8 bit era machines, but it's been awhile since i've played with them, mostly due to space\time constraints. at some point I'll fire some of them back up and get back into it. For now I'll lurk and see what everyone else is up to!. Hope everyone is well. Regards, Matt Reynolds

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Looking for Lomas Color Magic board
by Richard Cini 22 Feb '18

22 Feb '18

Guys — I’m coming to the April workshop to bring my Gazelle replica and I thought I’d ask to see if anyone had a working Lomas Color Magic board that they want to part with. If so, let me know off-list. Thanks. Get Outlook for iOS

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 21 Feb '18

21 Feb '18

I had a meeting at InfoAge at 6:30 tonight, so I spent the afternoon there to get some work done. Arrived at 1pm and found Tony there working on assessment + repair of VCF's Apple II collection (above and beyond the initial assessment/repair that Adam and I did a few months ago). Tony was able to repair some of the systems that Adam and I couldn't. He also helped me do some warehouse tasks and various museum things. NJARC's John Dilks has been a friend to us since many years ago and spoke at VCF East one year. Of course he's known as the man behind the Personal Computing '76 show in Atlantic City. Today he brought us some cool posters. One is a custom-made, full-color map of the "Adventure" cave. Another is a Cromemco poster from the '78 edition of the Personal Computing event (after it moved to Philly). Yet another is some Cromemco schematics, and a booth layout of one of his events (I think '78 as well) -- unfortunately the booths only show numbers, not company names. A few updates about InfoAge from tonight's meeting: - They're planning to install an ADA ramp to our building this summer - There may be more paving this summer, giving us a smoother path for moving things between our building and the front buildings - The annual WW2 weekend is August 27-28. I will see about giving a talk for that event on computing during the war period. - Next month is the 25th anniversary of when the local daily newspaper (Asbury Park Press) ran an article titled "Camp Evans likely to fade into oblivion" yet here we are with a vibrant community!

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Techno-Swap-Fest at the National Electronics Museum
by William Sudbrink 21 Feb '18

21 Feb '18

For anybody down DC way this weekend: http://www.nationalelectronicsmuseum.org/events-calendar.shtml Bill S. --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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Kemner Surplus visit
by Mike Loewen 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

It was a nice day for a drive, so I finally paid a visit to Kemner's Surplus Warehouse in Pottstown. Interesting place, with something for everyone. Vintage computer-wise, there are piles of Apple ][e systems and disk drives, various Mac vintages, C64s, Vic 20s, TRS-80 Cocos (all versions). I saw a TRS-80 Model I and a couple of monitors, and two Model II disk expansion bays (one with 1 drive and the other with 3 drives). Printers, joysticks, software, game cartridges, plotters, monitors, keyboards galore. Test equipment-wise, there were many varieties of oscilloscopes, meters, signal generators. Old radios, tape machines, slide and movie projectors. Several aisles worth of electronics components: resistors, capacitors, sockets, switches, transformers, ICs, lamp sockets, fuse holders, cables, probes, etc. I was briefly excited when I noticed an HP1000 under a pile of stuff. Too good to be true. Written on it was "bad power supply, bad memory controller, bad backplane". Plus, it was missing the front panel switch/indicator assembly. It was a model 2112A, one of the earlier models. Oh, well. I even found a disc pack for my 404MB HP drive, but it was dusty outside AND inside. I picked up several bags full of parts and a new scope probe. The prices on the small parts are pretty reasonable. However, the prices on the vintage computer stuff are way too high, IMO. $125 for a ][e, $65 for a TRS-80 Model I monitor, $150 for a Model I CPU/keyboard. You may be able to negotiate for slightly better prices. If you visit, you should be able to get a system tested and configured for your needs. Oh yeah - an IBM System 34 for $9,000 or "Make a good offer". Rusty and dusty. The systems in the vintage computer room are generally clean, but many of them on the shelves on the main floor are dusty and dirty. All in all, it was a worthwhile trip. If you need parts, it's a good place to check out. Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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VCF East Exhibit
by Joseph Oprysko 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

Unfortunately, this year, I don’t really have the energy or strength to do an exhibit for this VCF-East. But if someone nearby (Philly and northern suburbs or maybe slightly into NJ near the PA Turnpike Extension) is looking for help for the upcoming event, I’m available. I’ve just been in too much pain lately, and haven’t been able to focus much, since the doctor that was treating my anxiety, etc., closed down without warning or notifying the patients. So I’ve had an extremely difficult time accomplishing much of anything these past few months. 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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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] semi OT: need help with terminal server
by Jeffrey Jonas 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

Many thanks to Neil Cherry for the prompt reply of notes and manuals!

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Museum Report - Sunday 2/18/2018
by Douglas Crawford 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

We had two sets of interested visitors that both enjoyed the exhibits. Chris Fala was co-docent for the day. We car pooled on the way. Its way more fun to docent in pairs, folks! Also- a bonus for us- Tony Bogan dropped by in the afternoon for continuing MAC restoration work and stayed with us till closing, and also helped docent while our two sets of guests had a period of overlap. Tony also told us about the changes that had been made to the Apple II and showed us how to start the disk slide show from the integer ROM prompt. He also showed us how to get the NeXT started and properly shut it down without logging out. (So no login is needed on the next power up, which is nicer) The first visitors were a couple that had been in the industry and had operated punched card equipment. They didn't stay really long but were very appreciative of what we had to offer. They mentioned they might have a photograph of the two of them back in the day, at their job with the computer equipment, that they may share with us. The second visitors were a father/son who spent a long time The boy was about 12 years old and was captivated by the 80s micros. It was clear he had been exposed to a lot of vintage tech on the web and knew that the C= 1541 was an intelligent device that could (his words) "handle the work of the drive management itself compared to the 'UNintellegent' Apple drive that tied up the computer while disk reading and writing" :O I think Tony was out of earshot for that unfortunately :) Impressive. In all fairness though, I told him how Commodore had botched the communication to and from the drive making the accesses still slow. And HE asked a great question- if there was a fix- and told him there were products from other companies that replaced the ROM code and greatly sped up the transfers. He got to write a little bit of BASIC on the C64. The day went smoothly and we had a nice time working together. Docenting is rewarding. You never know who will walk through the door and what they have done. Its not unusual for folks in the industry drop in and tell you interesting things they have done. If you live within a few hours of Wall Township consider doing it once a quarter. And keep in mind, if you don't docent, its really nice to have club members drop by and visit. Its yet another opportunity to meet face to face with your vintage computer colleagues.

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FS: Reproduction Solid State Music IO-2 Boards
by systems_glitch 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

All, I've finally got my reproduction SSM IO-2 board squared away! Pictures of the dev process and the final result: https://imgur.com/a/MbmWO These boards are reproductions from Gerber files scanned at 4000 DPI from my oldest original IO-2 board. I simulated the original blue FR4 that SSM used by doing a solder mask relief for all of the copper on the board, so all of the traces and pads are 100% exposed like the original, and the blue solder mask is just over what would've been bare FR4 in the originals. The edge connectors appear a little short as the fab had to extend the HASL and solder mask a little to get good results with the hard gold edge connector plating. Price is $30/board plus shipping. Shipping in the US is $5 for one (padded envelope), $12 for two or more (box). Overseas shipping is $16 for one or $25 for two or more. Contact me off-list with interest. Thanks, Jonathan

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HOPE Ticket Avail (low price)
by Bill Degnan 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

My plans have changed and I can't make it to HOPE this year. I bought one of the early bird tickets for $100, they'll be $200 (?) a the door. So, if you're planning on going might as well buy my ticket for $100. ... contact me through: http://www.vintagecomputer.net/contact.cfm first person to contact me via my web site wins. Cash or "Instant payment as friends/family via paypal" required. Bill

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Docent schedule
by Jeffrey Brace 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

Doug made a great suggestion about letting everyone know ahead of time who will be docenting. Let me try this out. Wednesday = Evan Sunday = Evan, Pete, Adam Saturday = TBD = Still trying to find someone ... Lately Tony has dropped by to fix VCF compact Macs

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Anyone in the DC Area Interested in Helping to Restore an ASR-33?
by J. Alexander Jacocks 19 Feb '18

19 Feb '18

All, If anyone in the DC area is willing to help a non-VCF member to restore an ASR-33, a guy in another club (DC Machinists' club called CAMS) is looking for help. Thanks! - Alex

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Warehouse work Wednesday
by Evan Koblentz 19 Feb '18

19 Feb '18

I didn't go today. I know this is a long shot but is anyone available Wednesday? I have a meeting at Infoage at 6:30pm, so I'd like to put in a full day of warehouse work. Please let me know by tomorrow night or sooner.

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semi OT: need help with terminal server
by Jeffrey Jonas 19 Feb '18

19 Feb '18

I have a Bay Networks "micro Annex xl" 8 port terminal server. Model AXM-D-8-S-173 AUI and 10-base-t interfaces. Xylogics became Bay Networks became Nortel Networks. Is anyone familiar with setting up and administering it? thanks -- Jeff Jonas

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OT: ThinkPad for trade
by Jeffrey Jonas 18 Feb '18

18 Feb '18

I vaguely remember some folks <3 ThinkPads. I salvaged an IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad R60 9462-95U laptop. No power supply, TAB key is missing. I just want a laptop hard drive in exchange for it, else I'll yank the 60 gig hard drive and save just the "good parts". Oh teh horrorz :-0 -- Jeff Jonas

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Signup for the March 3/4 workshop
by Jeffrey Brace 18 Feb '18

18 Feb '18

Looks like we will have another good turnout for the next workshop March 3/4. Signup up here if you are interested: <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/123vqgOH6iteYwHwLiANXmdSUvZOTE MTArZRvSk2RR3Q/edit?usp=sharing>

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Odd stuff while cleaning up ...
by Neil Cherry 18 Feb '18

18 Feb '18

So today I decided to dispose of a ton of useless books. Like Java (1.1, 1.2, 1.3 ... ) and older C++. Anyway, like many of us I saved notes and print-outs in binders. A number of the binders contain class related things (Awk, Networking, etc.) all going but that's when things start getting interesting. I found an unopened box of 3.5 HD DS diskettes I found a ton of older software on 5.25 and 3.5 diskettes. Most likely Atari 5.25, the 3.5 HD are a bit of a mystery. It might be OS9. There should be some 360, 1.2 and 1.44 diskettes for MS DOS. I also have a I'll probably need help with that. I found my notes on the PT68K (Microware OSK), the Sardis ST2900 (Microware OS9), an original Omnimon manual (I think I have more than the Archive has). I found installation notes on installing Linux 0.92.. I'm pretty sure I have several Older SLS or Yggdrasill CDs. Finally I have some notes on the 7300/3B1. I'll bring the stuff on March 3rd. So if anyone wants a peek I'll share. I'll also try to get this stuff scanned. -- 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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GW-BASIC joystick programming
by Evan Koblentz 18 Feb '18

18 Feb '18

How do I program joystick input in GW-BASIC? It's insanely easy in Applesoft: you use the PDL(0) and PDL(1) commands to determine where the stick is located along X/Y (0-255 on each scale) and then tell it what do based on those locations. For example, in Applesoft, my Lego robot navigation code looks like this: 3000 REM NEVIGATION 3010 FB=PDL (1):LR=PDL (0) 3020 IF FB < 75 THEN M=5 3030 IF FB > 180 THEN M=10 3040 IF LR < 75 THEN M=9 3050 IF LR > 180 THEN M=6 3060 POKE L,M: REM SEND COMMANDS (The variable L is the address of the interface card to the control box. The variable M gets translated into binary to turn the relevant bits on/off at the control box, which runs the motors, sensors, and lights.) How do I do this in GW?

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