- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

OT / Looking for modems
by Herb Johnson 24 Jan '18

24 Jan '18

> Anyone have Hayes 2400 Baud Smartmodem > floating around? The two specific Hays models I am interested in are > 217AA and 07-00056. Why only 2400 baud modems? Don't faster modems fall back to 2400? Herb -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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HP 87XM and 82901M
by Mike Loewen 23 Jan '18

23 Jan '18

I recently picked up a 82901M dual-floppy drive to go with my HP 87XM. It took a little cleaning and lube, but it's up and running. I used ImageDisk to create a DEMO DISK and ran a few of the demo programs: http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/HP/HP87XM/ Software for the 80-series machines is available in Teledisk format on the HP Computer Museum site: http://www.hpmuseum.net/collection_software.php Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] eBay alert -- PETs nearby
by Jeffrey Brace 23 Jan '18

23 Jan '18

> > was one, I would consider making the long trip to go fetch them and then > find homes for duplicates. Besides, I have no idea where I would put them > all... > -Alexander 'Z' Pierson > What?!? Then you are not a true hoarder. A *true* hoarder would *find* a place for them ;) If you cannot, then you will be shunned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c2etjMl3WM

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Craigslist Free Demon Attack for Commodore VIC20
by Christian Liendo 23 Jan '18

23 Jan '18

https://newjersey.craigslist.org/zip/d/free-demon-attack-for/6467678817.html It's in NJ. so I figured someone would want it

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dropping a few bits (was modem error correction)
by Jeffrey Jonas 22 Jan '18

22 Jan '18

re: John Heritage Subject: Modem Error Correction - when/what baud/bps? > My questions are -- is this a correct recollection? > and when did error correction become pretty standard ... My memory may have dropped a few bits but I remember that error correction was first in the protocol the programs implemented, not the modem. Early modems had very little signal processing. The first ones didn't even auto-dial! "smart modems" added a microcontroller mostly for autodialing. That's why xmodem, uucp and such were developed. A checksum or CRC (cyclic redundency check) was added to each block. Any error caused the entire block to be sent again. Once micro-controllers were cheap enough, error correcting was moved into the modem hardware (so long as both modems supported the same "standard"). There were several totally incompatible families of modems - async (home users, bbs) - synchronous (mainframe links) - PEP (Telebit trailblazers, favored by Unix/uucp) > i.e. An early 300 or 1200 baud "client and BBS" (or server) > would typically send the 8 bits for an ASCII byte > and an additional 2 bits -- a start and stop bit ... Once modems gained DSP (digital signal processors), the data format you "fed it" externally bore little relationship to the symbols used among the modems. External modems usually use asynchronous serial via RS232 to a UART. Internal modems are parallel, so there's no stop/start bits. Early modems were FSK: frequency shift keying. One tone for a '1' or mark, another tone for '0' or space (thus the museum's all discrete-part acoustic-coupled modem in the wood box). Faster modems use frequency and phase shifting together. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-shift_keying https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constellation_diagram enough? -- Jeff Jonas

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Apple //e minor surgery
by Dean Notarnicola 22 Jan '18

22 Jan '18

While watching the NFL championships, I finally got around to fixing a non-working rescue ][e. After a power supply connector adjustment, chip reseating, keyswitch replacement, and a good cleaning, she's good as new. Not a big deal, and not my first restore, but I mention it because it occurred to me that, a few years ago, I wouldn't have had the confidence to do this. So, a huge thank you to everyone connected to VCF who have been so helpful, encouraging and generous with thier time and knowledge over the years. You know who you are, and you'll all be modest and say it's nothing, but it means a lot to me.

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parts bags, still on your grocer's shelves
by Jeffrey Jonas 22 Jan '18

22 Jan '18

I found nice zip-lock parts bags in the supermarket: box of 80: 3 1/2" x 5 7/8", double zipper on the top (short-way). They were originally "Hefty basics snack portion pack" in a yellow box. The same bags are now "Presto portion pack snack bags" in a rather generic looking box. Walmart sells teeny ziplock bags in the crafts section, next to the beads.

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OT / Looking for modems
by Martin A Flynn 21 Jan '18

21 Jan '18

I have a home project underway to set up a Citadel BBS on reasonably current hardware (HP DL360 G8 with an 8 port Digi Neo Card) Where I'm stuck is modems. Anyone have Hayes 2400 Baud Smartmodem floating around? The two specific Hays models I am interested in are 217AA and 07-00056. Before anyone asks: Dial tone is from a PBX, BBS calls will be from other analog ports on the BBS. PSTN access is blocked at the moment) Martin

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Microsoft BASIC 1.0 for the Mac 128k
by Jeffrey Brace 21 Jan '18

21 Jan '18

Now at the VCF museum. Courtesy of Corey Little who copied it. I will play with it some more when grad studies are finished. Was there a Pascal for the 128k? -- Jeff Brace

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Museum Report 2018-01-21 January 21, 2018
by Jeffrey Brace 21 Jan '18

21 Jan '18

I was at the InfoAge front desk since it was VCF's turn. Steve Anderson filled in at the VCF museum. Much thanks to him to fill in at the last minute! About 20 visitors to Infoage, 10 made their way to VCF. Maybe Steve can report on their interest level. == Jeff Brace

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Modem Error Correction - when/what baud/bps?
by John Heritage 21 Jan '18

21 Jan '18

Techie questions -- IIRC -- Part of the reason modem error correction was a big deal was because in addition to improving transfer accuracy (i.e. less loss), error correction typically reduced the number of transmitted bits per byte from 10 to 8. i.e. An early 300 or 1200 baud "client and BBS" (or server) would typically send the 8 bits for an ASCII byte* and an additional 2 bits -- a start and stop bit, or similar, but later error correcting modems (i.e. 9600bps or higher) would only need 8 bits. In practice, a 2400bps modem without error correction would be limited to ~ 240 characters per second, while the same modem with error correction would be ~ 300 characters per second raw throughput. My questions are -- is this a correct recollection? and when did error correction become pretty standard -- was it the 2400 "baud" era or was it more like 9600 bps and above? I was lucky enough to go from 1200 bps to 9600 bps in one jump, though later someone gifted me a 2400 baud modem that also had error correction, and I used that for a second machine in the house.. Thanks, John *Yes, ASCII wasn't always a standard :)

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Museum Report 2018-01-20 January 20, 2018
by Jeffrey Brace 20 Jan '18

20 Jan '18

About a dozen or so visitors today in batches of 2's and 3's. Some were passers by. Some with moderate interest. One lady stayed for 30 to 40 minutes because she remembered a lot of the micros, especially the Commodore 64, which I was glad to show off ;) Another guy said that he worked with a Data General machine and wondered if we had any more of them. I keep telling everyone about the upcoming VCF East. Many seemed interested. A nice day even though a bit nippy.

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eBay alert -- PETs nearby
by Evan Koblentz 20 Jan '18

20 Jan '18

https://www.ebay.com/itm/142630770116 ________________________________ Evan Koblentz, 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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Has anyone read Introduction to the History of Computing: A Computing History Primer
by Christian Liendo 20 Jan '18

20 Jan '18

Has anyone read Introduction to the History of Computing: A Computing History Primer Gerard O'Regan. Looking for opinions before I try to get this to read. https://books.google.com/books?id=6u16DAAAQBAJ

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Please read
by Evan Koblentz 19 Jan '18

19 Jan '18

Everyone, This is very important. We need help. We've got a problem at the museum: there is a severe lack of tour guides. Jeff B. and I wind up doing almost all of the docent duty by ourselves. We almost never get a weekend off. There are 183 people on this list. We shouldn't have this problem. Dean, Corey, Doug, Todd, Bill Drom., and Steve A. all take some days -- we're grateful for their help -- but we desperately need more people. PLEASE, if you have any interest in being a tour guide at our computer museum, then email Jeff B. and I off-list. The requirements are simple: be enthusiastic about computer history, be good at interacting with families, be reliable, and represent VCF professionally. You don't have to be an expert on every aspect of computer history -- we will teach you everything you need to know. It is distressing when the only responses we get are "Wish I could, but" or crickets. In addition, every month or two, it is VCF's turn to have a front desk volunteer for Infoage itself. So we need people for that role too.

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MOS 6501 seems to have sold for $5000
by Christian Liendo 19 Jan '18

19 Jan '18

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MOS-MCS-6501-CPU-IC-DATE-3475-VINTAGE-MICROPROCESS…

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TV alert
by Evan Koblentz 18 Jan '18

18 Jan '18

Reminder to everyone: tune to CBS on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 8:30pm. The "Young Sheldon" show (spinoff of Big Bang Theory) is featuring 10-year-old Sheldon getting his first computer, a Tandy 1000, which the set designers sourced from us. Here are some publicity photos: https://www.spoilertv.com/2018/01/young-sheldon-episode-112-computer.html

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New TestFDC Results Registry
by systems_glitch 18 Jan '18

18 Jan '18

I'd been trying to reach Dave Dunfield with new TestFDC results since apparently August with no results. So, I wrote a new TestFDC registry into my site: https://services.theglitchworks.net/ng/testfdc_results This registry currently includes Dave's last registry update from 2007. There's now a form for entering your results, you can find it as a link from the registry, or here: https://services.theglitchworks.net/ng/testfdc_results/new Result submissions have to be manually approved currently so that the registry doesn't get spammed. Text export forthcoming. Any suggestions welcome! Moderators, if someone wants to sticky this (here or in other forums), I think this would be a valuable resource for anyone wanting to use ImageDisk on non-PC formats. Thanks, Jonathan

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AT&T UNIX PC 7300 (3b1) disassembly video
by AJ Palmgren 18 Jan '18

18 Jan '18

While I'm thinking about it, for any/all who might be interested, just last week, I created a step-by-step video for disassembling a UNIX PC 7300 (with a few comments/comparisons for the 3b1) https://youtu.be/vYKS-jOdcsQ I've always found them tricky to work on with the way they are packed together, so I hope this could help others who might want to take a crack at a repair/restoration (or, heaven forbid...a "part-out") -- Thanks, AJ http://MightyFrame.com http://QICreader.com http://UnixPC.blogspot.com

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April 2018 Workshop Date
by Jeffrey Brace 17 Jan '18

17 Jan '18

I found out that April 14 isn't available, so the April workshop will be April 7 & 8. Signup here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15skPd9SrZ2WsHMoTBTrrvBNwG1nbixVNfey…

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OT: Looking for pinball machine repair
by Kelly Leavitt 16 Jan '18

16 Jan '18

Have a friend in Vernon NJ looking for someone to fix is 1950's era relay based pinball/baseball game. Contact me off list if you know anyone. Thanks, Kelly

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Successful workshop! : Jan 13 & 14, 2018
by Jeffrey Brace 15 Jan '18

15 Jan '18

We had 21 people show up and work on various equipment. Some things got fixed completely, some things need more work. It is always nice to meet with and learn from such a smart group of guys. Always a fun time with you guys! Special Thanks: Bill Dromgoole for working on the Univac Dave Gesswein for working on the PDP 8 Adam and John S for working on testing of joysticks and VCF Commodores Ian for helping everyone with everything. Tony for letting us use his van to transport and heavy lifting Jeff G for sweeping up And all others for overall helping with various things. The next workshop will be March 3 & 4. You can sign up here: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/123vqgOH6iteYwHwLiANXmdSUvZOTEMTArZR… > Here are some pictures that I took: < https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B9SJLfGXYiG5LTVDNnFYZ0RuamM?usp=sha… >

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Next Workshop March 3, 2018, April ?
by Jeffrey Brace 15 Jan '18

15 Jan '18

Thinking ahead. We have the next workshop scheduled for March 3 & 4. Which date for the April workshop? April 7 April 14 Vote now.

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Thank you to all for a great VCF Weekend!
by C.J. Slade 15 Jan '18

15 Jan '18

We wanted to thank Evan, Jeff, Ian, Eric & the many, many others at VCF who were so welcoming to Connor (age 10) this weekend at the Jan. VCF workshop. He had a great time learning from everyone and is already asking when the next VCF event will be that he can attend. Special thanks to Evan for the invitation & introductions, Eric for time teaching programming BASIC graphics, to Ian for resourcefulness to fix the ImageWriter II print head, and to person who brought Apple IIGS games. Since the workshop, Connor has spent all Sat night and all day Sunday programming in BASIC, including his new print program and playing Kings Quest on the Apple IIgs! He also enjoyed seeing the other computers and has been researching Tandy & Commodore computers as well. Thank you again for being so welcoming & inspiring interest in vintage computers! - Connor S. & Family

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Applesauce - .WOZ File Spec Released
by Henry S. Courbis 15 Jan '18

15 Jan '18

I'm happy to announce a major step in the Applesauce project: Preliminary release of the .WOZ file spec. File spec can be found here: http://evolutioninteractive.com/applesauce/woz_reference.pdf Applesauce info can be found here along with the file spec, detailed project info, and pics of the UI: https://wiki.reactivemicro.com/Applesauce More info about the different file formats of Applesauce can be found here: https://wiki.reactivemicro.com/Applesauce#Applesauce_Image_File_Format_.28.… Background: Applesauce is currently an Apple II targeted disk imaging solution which allows preservation of protected floppies. Other platforms are also supported like Atari. This goes WAY beyond what Catweasel or KryoFlux has been able to achieve. The creation of the .WOZ file format allows programmers to create their own software to use protected and unprotected images alike. Those who wrote emulators are now able to add support for example, and several of them are working on it as you read this. Applesauce allow original disks to be fully preserved. The ENTIRE flux state of the medium is read and preserved unlike other copy solutions like EDD. This means originals disks could be reproduced and the "art" which is copy protection is also preserved as a disk no longer needs to be cracked in order to be preserved due to the imitations of other file formats. Question: Why aren't other platforms supported? Answer: In short - they are. Other disk formats are very simple in comparison to Apple II. Once Apple II support is perfected then adding support for other platforms is trivial, and will happen later in the year. Congrats to John Morris for this milestone! And I and others look forward to working with him to help bing Applesauce to the Retro Community. In related news... Be sure to subscribe to the ReActiveMicro.com Newsletter to know instantly about project release updates (such as Applesauce preorder information): https://www.reactivemicro.com/news/email-newsletter/ 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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Lisa auction ending in 40 minutes
by Evan Koblentz 15 Jan '18

15 Jan '18

My guess is it'll sell for 60-70. http://tinyurl.com/y9vcxfaq

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DAT tapes
by Kelly Leavitt 15 Jan '18

15 Jan '18

I have a couple of NIB DAT tapes. Some DDS-4, some DAT 24 some DAT 72. I figured someone might still be running stuff that could use these. If so, send me your address. I'll drop them in a fixed rate box. There's some cleaning tapes too. First one gets them. Kelly

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Favorite quote at workshop dinner
by Jeffrey Brace 15 Jan '18

15 Jan '18

So 10 of us went to the Main Street Grill for dinner last night and the waitress remembered our group from last time. Evan said: “We’re geeks.” The waitress said: “Whatever you guys are into I don’t judge.”

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Osborne 1 boot disk?
by Herb Johnson 14 Jan '18

14 Jan '18

Someone local to me, who has been helpful to some of us in the vintage community, has asked me about a boot diskette "for an Osborne 1". I told him to determine if he needs single or double density. I can't make such a disk for him, I suggested Dunfield's "imagedisk". Meanwhile, if someone has means to make and mail single or double density Osborne 1 boot diskettes, please email me privately [not in this email list!], discuss your terms to do so. I'll forward his request to you, you can reply to him accordingly. My email address can be found on my Web site, or you have it from this VCFed email discussion. Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Vintage CPUs doing OK with Meltdown/Spectre
by John Heritage 14 Jan '18

14 Jan '18

I just wanted to report my 68020 powered Amiga 1200 is surfing the web securely despite the new vulnerabilities.. My 68000 based Mega STE with NIC also seemed unaffected. I haven't dialed any BBSes lately on my Atari 800XL, but I'm pretty confident that machine is safe too. I felt these were pretty risky as they are "modern" machines with complex custom chips, but they seem to be doing OK. So far I haven't heard of any floppy virus variants of Meltdown/Spectre. I hope everyone else has vintage machines available to survive the security apocalypse this year :)

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Semi-OT: Meltdown-Spectre Confusion..
by Joseph Oprysko 14 Jan '18

14 Jan '18

It’s been said that the Meltdown/Spectre flaws affect CPU’s as far back as 1995. Which in some opinions possibly could put some of the affected processors into the ‘vintage’ range. But I’ve yet to see a comprehensive list of all processors affected. Intel released a list, but that only goes back to around 2011 or so with the branding change to “Core” and others released in the time since. I’m curious about exactly what CPU devices, regardless of manufacturer, other than those listed, that are also affected. So including ARM processors, AMD, PowerPC?, G3/4/5? that may vulnerable to those flaws. And where they got the 1995 date from, because there’s a fair number of disused processors in that timeframe as well. Anyone have any insights 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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Can Anyone Bring a CF-to-IDE Adapter This Morning?
by J. Alexander Jacocks 14 Jan '18

14 Jan '18

I brought one, but it seems to be broken. Thanks! - Alex

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Anyone with a QIC drive or original LaserDisc player coming to Festivus?
by Jason Perkins 14 Jan '18

14 Jan '18

The planets aligned, and it looks like I'll be able to make it to Festivus this year :D I have a QIC tape that has the OS for the TI MicroExplorer LISP card I got a few years back... and no way to read it. It's Mac formatted somehow. Does anyone have something that could read this tape? I've also got some somewhat degraded LaserDiscs from 1979 that don't play in my 1990s player. If someone has one of the original machines with a helium neon laser tube I'd love to see if the discs are salvageable. Thanks! -- Jason Perkins 313 355 0085

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Sold on eBay: Convergent Technologies S/50 a.k.a. Unix PC, AT&T 3B1 Unix Workstation
by AJ Palmgren 13 Jan '18

13 Jan '18

I'm just wondering if anybody here did (or knows who) bought this one. http://ebay.to/2DaRr13 Even though these were all manufactured by Convergent Technologies, this one is actually BRANDED by Convergent, as their model S/50. And there's software included here. I tried to buy myself, but just missed it. I'd really like to connect with the buyer here, to see if we can do a more expansive documentation project on this machine, as well as an archival of the software that was included. As far as I know, this is the only Convergent S/50 I've ever seen that has survived, especially with all the CONVERGENT software and manuals (vs the AT&T ones)! Thanks! -AJ http://MightyFrame.com

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Sunday breakfast
by Evan Koblentz 13 Jan '18

13 Jan '18

We'll be at the Princess Maria Diner, Rt. 35 in Wall, at 9am tomorrow

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Wow! 20 attendees at VCF Repair
by Blatboy 13 Jan '18

13 Jan '18

Oh man. I'm sorry I'm going to miss this one. I'm playing in Tuscon... :( Hopefully will be able to make the February one. I picked up a couple PET 4016s I need to bring in and work on... Have fun! Walter http://www.jwalterhawkes.com http://www.blatboy.com like to know where/when I'm playing? Click here <http://www.blatomaster.com/mlist.php> to sign up for my list, and let the babble begin.

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Opening around 10am tomorrow
by Evan Koblentz 12 Jan '18

12 Jan '18

Workshop attendees: Jeff B. won't be there until the afternoon, so I will open up around 10am tomorrow. On Jan 11, 2018 10:20 PM, "Jeff Galinat via vcf-midatlantic" < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: On Tue, Jan 9, 2018 at 2:11 PM, Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > Here is the signup link for those that are still interested: > https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P_V4ZK7gVPihRXoDL4Ij4o4tNpB4MlwU > djqiboLnESc/edit?usp=sharing > > I'm extending the time to signup until Thursday at midnight. > I recently obtained a smaller 5A Variac that is surplus to my needs as I already have 2. These are very useful in bringing up a linear power supply gradually to "reform" older caps I was looking for $60 for it so if anyone is interested please let me know before 6am Saturday & I will bring it. I will bring all my TTL/Microprocessor/RAM/discrete components parts stock along with soldering/desoldering tools and some test equipment if that is able to help anyone else out with their projects. Please let me know if you need something specific that I might have. Regards, Jeff

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[OT] Film Projectors at ReStore
by J. Alexander Jacocks 12 Jan '18

12 Jan '18

All, There was an assortment of film projectors, in excellent condition, at the ReStore, Frederick, MD: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-7Fw9ULlWWembNnpQPEEk3-NYM_aur90 Really brought back memories, for me, but I don’t own any film. If anyone is interested, let me know and I can pick them up. - Alex

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Wow! 20 attendees at VCF Repair Workshop January 2018 update
by Jeffrey Brace 11 Jan '18

11 Jan '18

Here is the signup link for those that are still interested: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P_V4ZK7gVPihRXoDL4Ij4o4tNpB4MlwUdjq… I'm extending the time to signup until Thursday at midnight. Looks like we have 20 people signed up for the workshop. I think that this is the biggest ever. I'm happy that we are going to have a great turn out. The weather looks to be warm on Saturday 50F with rain. And colder on Sunday with 30 degrees. I'm just glad that there is no snow. The snow that is on campus should be mostly melted by Saturday. Please make sure to park on blacktop and not the grass or dirt. We still have space available, but it is important to let me know ahead of time if you are coming so that tables are available, otherwise you get to carry tables from another building. Otherwise you get to buy me lunch for my troubles.

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Important note about this weekend's workshop
by Evan Koblentz 11 Jan '18

11 Jan '18

Everyone, I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that a precocious 10-year-old (Connor S.) visited our museum and wants to learn more about his Apple IIGS. He and his father Alan are attending the workshop Saturday. Our guest may be precocious but he's very young. Please keep the daytime drinking and (ahem) presidential language to a minimum when he is there.

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[OT] Does Anyone Have a Spare Touch Enabled LCD?
by J. Alexander Jacocks 11 Jan '18

11 Jan '18

All, Does anyone have a spare touch-enabled LCD monitor? I'm looking for one that's at least 10", for a CNC controller. They are available on eBay, but none are exactly what I want. I'd prefer an HDMI/USB unit, but will take VGA/USB, if that's what's available. It'd be great if anyone could bring one to the workshop, this weekend. Thanks! - Alex

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Possible updates to my book: feedback wanted
by Evan Koblentz 10 Jan '18

10 Jan '18

I'm pondering a second edition of my book, "Abacus to smartphone: The evolution of mobile and portable computers" (www.abacustosmartphone.com) A question for those who read the first edition: what if any significant changes/updates would you like to see?

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Requesting help for local pickup from Inwood NY (near JFK Airport)
by malcolm＠avitech.com.au 10 Jan '18

10 Jan '18

Greetings all. Down here in Australia we've been putting together a reproduction of an early 1980's single-board computer called the Super 80. There's some information about the original Super 80 on this Wikipedia page -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Smith_Super-80_Computer The PCB reproduction has been completed, and we'll shortly be placing the custom manufacturing order for the keyboard kit. One part we've had trouble locating is a suitable transformer (it needs to have 12-0-12 and 7VAC secondaries). The only part we can find worldwide is manufactured in Inwood NY. They have stock on hand currently. Is there anyone who can help out by picking up an order of about 10 transformers (2.8 pounds each) and helping to get them mailed out to Australia via the U.S. Postal Service? We've not had any luck trying to work out a cost-effective international shipping arrangement with the manufacturer. There is no hurry to get this done - anytime in the next few weeks would be fine. Cheers, Malcolm (Melbourne, Australia)

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IDE DOM or CFCard for disk emulator
by corey cohen 10 Jan '18

10 Jan '18

So I’m trying to understand which is better, forgetting you can quickly remove a CF Card vs the IDE DOM. I’m just about done with my Lisa 2/10 and am using an XProfile drive replacement for the widget drive. With the way the XProfile is mounted both an IDE DOM and CF Card are easy to swap in and out but I’m worried that in the long run LisaOS does a lot of writing of state to the disk. For the occasional MacWorks use to run Macintosh software on the Lisa, I will use a CF Card. Does one have a different read/write duty cycle so it will last longer? Or are they really these days just the same thing in a different package/interface? Thanks, Corey corey cohen uǝɥoɔ ʎǝɹoɔ

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Who's going to VCF Pacific Northwest?
by Jim Scheef 10 Jan '18

10 Jan '18

The Living Computer Museum has been on my list of things to do since it opened. Combined with a VC Festival, it is irresistible. So I have my plane ticket and hotel reservation. Who else is going? If it makes a difference, I'm staying at the Georgetown Inn about 3 miles south of the museum. Jim

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Urgent: Anyone near Elizabethtown, PA?
by Evan Koblentz 08 Jan '18

08 Jan '18

Who can pick up a small item near Elizabethtown PA for the museum?

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IBM 1520 on EBAY
by Douglas Crawford 08 Jan '18

08 Jan '18

No doubt ebay frequenters have seen this, but I thought I'd post it for those that don't frequent it since I've not seen one come up since getting involve in vintage 7 ish years ago. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-IBM-5120-computer-with-documentation/12288…

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OT: Sinclair zx81 memopaks
by Tony Bogan 08 Jan '18

08 Jan '18

All, I recently acquired a memopak16 and memopak32 in original packaging for the Sinclair zx81. The 32k may have been used, the 16k was definitely used as you can see the insertion scratches on the edge connector pins. Both are in excellent shape, I have no way of testing these as I do not own a Sinclair. If anyone going to the workshop this coming weekend has any interest I will bring them with me. Otherwise contact me off list if you're interested. Not looking for much, they go for $15-$50 on eBay depending on the day of the week and the barometric pressure ;-) I'm happy with $15 plus shipping for the 16k and $20 plus ship for the 32k. Gets my $$ back for the stuff I picked up they were with which is all I am looking for. Tony Sent from my iPhone

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h89 in your neighborhood
by alex bodnar 07 Jan '18

07 Jan '18

Mike, just saw this on epay, but it looks ok and cheap too. "https://www.ebay.com/itm/Zenith-Data-Systems-Z90-80-Vintage-Computer-Z-90-P owers-On/112736191208?hash=item1a3f99c2e8:g:~6MAAOSw~y9ZF1J5" Alex Alex M. Bodnar amateur Radio: K3CIM Emergency Services: ARES/RACES

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OT: "storagebanner"
by Evan Koblentz 07 Jan '18

07 Jan '18

This is truly off-topic. Other than an Oct. 6, 2017 Tweet by @storagehulk, can anyone find me online references to a defunct data storage reseller called "Storagebanner"? Please reply to me off-list only. Thank you.

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