- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: Looking for a new job
by Alexander 20 Apr '17

20 Apr '17

It's fun crossing 66 and 495 on my commute to work, looking down from the overpass and knowing that I don't have to drive on either one to get where I'm going. 66 westbound out of the interchange is perpetually jammed. -Alexander 'Z' Pierson Sent from my pocket telephone. Chris Fala via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: >Oh yeah, Rt. 66 is fun! > > > >On Thu, Apr 20, 2017 at 2:17 PM, Systems Glitch via vcf-midatlantic < >vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > >> > It's in Arlington VA, where a $100K house costs like $550K. Or more. >> >> But you can have the convenience of living in a condo in Winchester -- >> just commute in! :P >> >> Thanks, >> Jonathan >>

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PC-sized rescue needed in Rockville MD
by Evan Koblentz 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

There's a Columbia MPC (http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=633&st=1) being donated to us in Rockville, Maryland. We need someone to pick it up and bring it to the museum. This is an interesting system. It's an IBM 5150 clone before Compaq. ________________________________ 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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Update - DEC and other equipment up for grabs
by David Comley 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

Folks, The response to my earlier post has been overwhelming - thanks to everyone who responded. Everything listed has now been provisionally claimed. As I start clearing out other items are bound to surface so stay tuned. Thanks, -Dave

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Bad disks
by Evan Koblentz 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

I went to format 5.25 disks from a NOS box still in shrink wrap. There were 11 disks in the box ("pay for 10, get one free"). Every disk resulted in a track error at a different track. If you can't trust never-opened disks to be good, then how do you acquire disks? Is there any good software to repair the errors? ________________________________ 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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DEC and other equipment up for grabs
by David Comley 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

We are moving house later this year so I have to downsize and trim down my gear list. The following items are available for weekend pickup. Anyone want to take on my DEC 11/750? It has an intermittent console problem and needs someone smarter than me to spend time on it. Includes a TU80 tape drive, two RL01s and an RL02 drive. I just won’t have room for it in the new place so if someone’s interested it’s yours. Roughly two dozen RL01 packs. I’ll have to count to confirm. Also up for grabs is my VT180. It’s unlikely I will ever use it again. A couple of Vaxstation 3100s and a Microvax 2000. Also still up for grabs from last year: Wang VS45 DEC RK07 drive All my HP64000 kit (5 mainframes; assorted pods and controllers; software and manuals) Two DG Nova chassis - a 4X and a 4C Non-functioning DECwriter III LA120 No doubt other items will emerge as time goes on. Everything’s located at my home in New Hope, PA, roughly 50 miles northeast of Philadelphia. -Dave

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replacing mono display DEC Rainbow
by william degnan 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

Anyone replace the mono display of the dec rainbow with a VT220 (or..)? The two VR201s I have screen rot. VR201 is the part number of the display that comes with the Rainbow. I can't be the first person to ask this questionj, most VR201's are pretty screen-rotted now. I am guessing it will take some doing to assuming the cable between the display and the computer is not a straight serial connection. In the meantime I will work on this and let you know what I find. There is a VR201 on Ebay for $100. b

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Rack shelves (two) needed for museum
by Evan Koblentz 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

We need two (non-sliding) shelves for our standard 19" rack. Preference to whomever can get them here fastest. :)

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Great vintage computer article.
by Herb Johnson 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

The referenced article was fine. It was the author's recollection of an era he/she experienced. It's interesting to me as an American, to see a British representation of 80's gaming-driven personal computing. surprisingly similar experiences. I refuse to be drawn into the argument that "gaming drove computing". It's one of a number of causal agents. I don't care today, to rank those agents, or to arbitrate their merits. Reasons not to, will become apparent in a moment. But what about neglecting pre-1980 or pre-"gaming" vintage computing? Simply put: the author very likely entered personal computing at that point in time with that class of hardware and software. He/she didn't know what happened before that. It's really that simple. We remember fondly our early days of discovery; we each start at some point in time. The article is a personal recollection of a time and place in personal computing. Many others share that set of experiences. The brands of software and hardware establish the bounds of that set. Most with interests in vintage computing, represent their own experiences, of their own era. An additional consideration. Many tens of millions played 1980's video gaming computing, because there were that many systems. The audience for 1970's computing was on the order of a few million; many from business, academic, industrial activity. And of course, some of us aren't around to report about it. Circumstances account for the differences between the decades. And so, any "vote" for "what drove computing" will skew accordingly, by count and by circumstances. I didn't take a vote, for my interests. Another reason I work at preserving MY computing era, is that before long there will be one less vote for it. I'm busy enough with that, not to argue the merits with others. Herb -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT info

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Bad disks
by Herb Johnson 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

I concur with everything that Jonathan AKA System Glitch states. I have no small experience with floppy drives and diskettes. Keeping floppy drive heads clean is the first priority when disks fail. Trying different drives confirms if it's the disk, or the drive that is failing - but a close visual inspection of the diskette will show most physical damage. A Web search of my domain, will provide more information on this subject, but start with: http://www.retrotechnology.com/herbs_stuff/clean_disks.html http://www.retrotechnology.com/herbs_stuff/drive.html HErb -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing

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Paging Tony Bogan
by Kelly Leavitt 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

Have you received any of my emails about the network card? I've not heard from you and I know your mail server has a tendency to bit bucket a lot of stuff. May need to white list my email address, or email me your phone number (direct). Thanks, Kelly

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F/S: my Commodore DTV
by Evan Koblentz 19 Apr '17

19 Apr '17

Anyone interested in my first-gen Commodore DTV? Hate to part with it but I need some $$. Works fine. No box. I have the manual around here somewhere; when I find it I'll hold for the buyer. Contact me privately to make an offer. ________________________________ 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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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: large UPS units free to whoever wants them!
by Bob Shuster 18 Apr '17

18 Apr '17

> Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2017 15:17:03 -0400 > From: Bob Shuster <Bob(a)TheShusters.com> > To: vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org > Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: large UPS units free to whoever wants > them! > Message-ID: <1879B96D-375B-4600-957B-0EA0ADFD2D04(a)TheShusters.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > I have two (2) Belkin F6C1500-TW-RK units that I just removed from service in my recording studio. These are heavy (24 pounds each!) and large units with 10 battery-backed outlets. They are 1500VA/830W units and most likely need the batteries replaced (two each.) They have also developed a hum. Definitely out of warranty. > > http://www.belkin.com/us/support-search?search=f6c1500-tw-rk <http://www.belkin.com/us/support-search?search=f6c1500-tw-rk> > > Before I send these to an electronics recycler, I thought I’d check here to see if someone might want these to restore/refurbish or otherwise use the parts. These were darned expensive - it’d be a shame to toss them if someone could breathe life back into them. > > Local pickup only (obviously) - I’m just northeast of Philadelphia - convenient to the PA Turnpike at Fort Washington. Email if interested! > > - Bob One taken, one still available. A little more info: The unit is 15” x 13” x 3.5”. I cannot bring it to InfoAge, sorry. The remaining one doesn’t turn on, but there was no smoke or smell. When I spoke to a Belkin rep, she thought replacing the batteries would fix it, but I am not confident that that is correct. I think it may need a few caps replaced. I’m sure someone on this list has the skills for this, just not worth my time! This was $250 new btw, with a little TLC I imagine it could give many more years of service. Again, please respond off-list if you’re interested. - Bob Shuster

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Workshop May 6 & 7, 2017
by Jeffrey Brace 17 Apr '17

17 Apr '17

Here are the details for the workshop DATE: May 6 & 7, 2017 LOCATION: InfoAge Building 9010C - Sandy recovery area, the cafeteria past the dorms. (2201 Marconi Road, Wall Township, NJ) TIME: Start about 1:30 P.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 here ==> : https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1waEqeNHZeYM9t7OprYWHbwBrIVS9EzGNGl7… COST: - $10 for all members attending the workshop, which VCF donates to InfoAge as thanks for providing the space for us. - $25 for those wanting to stay overnight. Please pay me when you get there so that I don't forget. 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. 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 in the main parking area, unless you are unloading. 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 - ark72axow(a)gmail.com Sent from my Commodore 64 ========================================================

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OT: large UPS units free to whoever wants them!
by Bob Shuster 17 Apr '17

17 Apr '17

I have two (2) Belkin F6C1500-TW-RK units that I just removed from service in my recording studio. These are heavy (24 pounds each!) and large units with 10 battery-backed outlets. They are 1500VA/830W units and most likely need the batteries replaced (two each.) They have also developed a hum. Definitely out of warranty. http://www.belkin.com/us/support-search?search=f6c1500-tw-rk <http://www.belkin.com/us/support-search?search=f6c1500-tw-rk> Before I send these to an electronics recycler, I thought I’d check here to see if someone might want these to restore/refurbish or otherwise use the parts. These were darned expensive - it’d be a shame to toss them if someone could breathe life back into them. Local pickup only (obviously) - I’m just northeast of Philadelphia - convenient to the PA Turnpike at Fort Washington. Email if interested! - Bob

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VCF Lunch Report - Saturday - NoVA
by Ethan 17 Apr '17

17 Apr '17

4 people in attendence, it was a nice day outside. Food was pretty good! We chatted for about an hour and a half then got a tour of the Fairfax Public Television studio! Which in itself was awesome! I was impressed by what Fairfax has going on! To the point I'm reluctant to tell friends because they will be trying to ma Someone on here suggested making it a continuous thing, Evan said he could put it on the calendar, and it was suggested to tick tock between VA and MD month to month. It all sounds good to me! Some weekends I have events and some weekends I need to get my diving in, but will make these whenever I can and hopefully enough others have interest to keep it going!

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A most interesting find!
by Neil Cherry 16 Apr '17

16 Apr '17

Actually finds would be more appropriate. I was cleaning out my garage and I came one box hidden in the back, behind the usual debris, forgotten. Upon opening it I am greeted by my first computer, my modified Atari 800XL with 256K and Omnimon. I thought I lost it or gave it to The museum. With it I've found 2 1050 drives and an 810 drive. Now that made me feel good. But there's more ... My SPO256 Talker board, a Peripheral Technologies PT-68K board, A modified Atari 520ST (with 2.5M of DRAM), an Atari 850 interface and a WD 1001-05 interface board. There are more things but I haven't really looked and I have more boxes. The return of my Atari 800XL really makes me happy! -- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry(a)linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] May 6/7 Volunteer Day / Workshop Shop Weekend
by Duane 16 Apr '17

16 Apr '17

-----Original Message----- From: Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2017 3:22 PM To: vcf-midatlantic Cc: Jeffrey Brace Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] May 6/7 Volunteer Day / Workshop Shop Weekend We are having another workshop weekend. This time with a twist. May 6 we are looking for volunteers to work for 3 hours from 10am to 1pm. This will be hard work of clearing weeds from behind the warehouse, fixing the field ruined from VCF East, removing plywood from the warehouse windows, etc. Anyone is certainly welcome to work beyond the 3 hours, but 3 hours is the minimum we are asking. Evan, Corey and I will be assigning volunteers to specific tasks for this event. This will help our group and InfoAge as a whole. In exchange for this volunteer work VCF will buy volunteers lunch, waive the workshop fee for the weekend and give two t-shirts (VCF West XI and VCF East XII). Understand that this is serious work and we need serous workers who are not there just to socialize. There are showers in 9010-D that one can use to clean up afterwards. After the volunteer work, then the workshop begins. We will be starting around 1:30pm on Saturday May 6 and going through Sunday until around 5 or 6pm. We will be having the workshop in 9010-D which is where we had Festivus. It will be in the cafeteria and the game room. If you are interested in volunteering, then please contact me directly and I will add you to the list of volunteers. If you are just coming to the workshop, then the usual workshop rules apply. I will send out that info later. -- Jeff Brace - ark72axow(a)gmail.com Sent from my Commodore 64 ========================================================

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6503 in PAiA Synth Controller!
by Douglas Crawford 16 Apr '17

16 Apr '17

Music Synthesis led me into microprocessors in the late 70s. Around the time I built an Elf for synth control (an unrealized dream eclipsed by college then by the C64 then by Midi ) I was buying bits and pieces from PAiA and inspired by their designer John Simonton and contributor Craig Anderton. At that time they were offering a microprocessor controller add-on, very much like a trainer, for their modular synth rigs and selling bits of software for doing effects and controlling keyboards actions like portamento and the like. My recollection was that these were 6800 systems just like on the small cardboard boxed Heathkit 6800 trainer. My recollection was off. I just ran across 1978 PAiA catalog to find it was a 6502 variant with membrane keys instead of switches. http://rtellason.com/catalogs/PAIA-1978.pdf The controller is on the cover page and detailed on page 11. The whole catalog is a hoot of hobby electronic music equipment of the era. A short article on PAiA is here for orientation of folks not familiar with PAiA. https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=PAiA%20Electronics&item_type=topic

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May 6/7 Volunteer Day / Workshop Shop Weekend
by Jeffrey Brace 16 Apr '17

16 Apr '17

We are having another workshop weekend. This time with a twist. May 6 we are looking for volunteers to work for 3 hours from 10am to 1pm. This will be hard work of clearing weeds from behind the warehouse, fixing the field ruined from VCF East, removing plywood from the warehouse windows, etc. Anyone is certainly welcome to work beyond the 3 hours, but 3 hours is the minimum we are asking. Evan, Corey and I will be assigning volunteers to specific tasks for this event. This will help our group and InfoAge as a whole. In exchange for this volunteer work VCF will buy volunteers lunch, waive the workshop fee for the weekend and give two t-shirts (VCF West XI and VCF East XII). Understand that this is serious work and we need serous workers who are not there just to socialize. There are showers in 9010-D that one can use to clean up afterwards. After the volunteer work, then the workshop begins. We will be starting around 1:30pm on Saturday May 6 and going through Sunday until around 5 or 6pm. We will be having the workshop in 9010-D which is where we had Festivus. It will be in the cafeteria and the game room. If you are interested in volunteering, then please contact me directly and I will add you to the list of volunteers. If you are just coming to the workshop, then the usual workshop rules apply. I will send out that info later. -- Jeff Brace - ark72axow(a)gmail.com Sent from my Commodore 64 ========================================================

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Bowmar Brain, MOS, C=
by Douglas Crawford 16 Apr '17

16 Apr '17

I had a "Bowmar Brain" calculator in high school that my Dad gave me. When calc prices dropped to nothing, it seemed fit for me to dissect the Bowmar and see what was inside and it never got put back together. I think I thought I could hook it up and drive it like a math coprocessor or something. That never happened. I just ran across this paragraph in the MITS Wiki linking Bowmar to MOS Technology, and then C=: MOS supplied Bowmar calculator ICs... Bowmar imploded, I suppose one of the cripplers of MOS... leading to C= buying MOS. Bowmar Instrument Corporation introduced the "Bowmar Brain", a four-function pocket calculator, in September 1971 and the $179 calculator sold over 500,000 copies in the first year. Bowmar then developed the "901B" calculator that was priced at $120.[30] In September 1972, Texas Instruments (TI) introduced the TI-2500 portable four-function calculator that also sold for $120.[31] The 901B and the TI-2500 both used the TI TMS0100 family of "calculator-on-a-chip" integrated circuit. TI was now directly competing with their IC customers. Other semiconductor companies such as National Semiconductor and Rockwell began selling calculators. Commodore Business Machines and other office equipment companies also got into the market. A frenzied price war started. By early 1974, Ed Roberts found he could purchase a calculator in a retail store for less than his cost of materials. The larger companies could sell below cost to win market share. Bowmar lost $20 million in 1974 and filed for bankruptcy.[32] Commodore acquired their IC supplier, MOS Technology. Texas Instruments won the price war but their calculator division lost $16 million in 1975.[33] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_Instrumentation_and_Telemetry_Systems

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 16 Apr '17

16 Apr '17

Good day at the museum. There was a grand opening today for the wireless operators' exhibit down the hall from us, so we have a lot of visitors. Around 20 total of all ages spread over several hours. Bill Dudley stopped by around 4pm. We began the process of transferring the kiosk system from a hidden directory on vcfed.org to an internal server (on a Raspberry Pi!) in the museum. We're going to need a static IP service for remote access to the kiosk server and our IP security cameras.

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vintage laptop museum web site in Russia
by william degnan 15 Apr '17

15 Apr '17

http://vintage-laptops.com/?page_id=2&lang=en This guy has been collecting and photographing his collection for years now, he has one of the most comprehensive collections I have seen. Bill

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Vintage Computer Lunch - Falls Church VA Saturday
by J. Alexander Jacocks 15 Apr '17

15 Apr '17

I really wish that I could make it, but I'm still in the middle of this moving-house nightmare. Maybe we should try to make this a regular thing, and put something on the calendar, once a month? We could alternate between weekends and weekdays, and flip back and forth between VA and MD, to try to give everyone local the opportunities to attend? - Alex On Sat, Apr 15, 2017 at 01:14 Alexander Pierson via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > I will pick a similar past t-shirt. However, my derby will probably be > the dead-giveaway. > -Alexander 'Z' Pierson > > > On Friday, April 14, 2017 10:45 PM, Ethan via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > >>> How about Vintage Computer Lunch in Falls Church VA this Saturday > >>> April 15th, 12:30 at Don and Claires Beach Shack? > > I will wear my red VCF East shirt from this year to make it easier to find > me. Maybe I'll bring an 8" Floppy Disk or something for the table but the > shirt should give it away. > > See whomever tomorrow at 12:30! > > - Ethan > > > > > | | Virus-free. www.avast.com | > >

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Vintage Computer Lunch - Falls Church VA Saturday?
by Ethan 15 Apr '17

15 Apr '17

How about Vintage Computer Lunch in Falls Church VA this Saturday April 15th, 12:30 at Don and Claires Beach Shack? This can be the first of a repeating thing? I don't really want to use meetup like the scuba group does as meetup charges a fairly hefty fee for the service. - Ethan O'Toole

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TESTING...5...4..3..2..1...
by Dan Roganti 14 Apr '17

14 Apr '17

ACK made it back on the List after the extreme Lag problem Dan

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Lear Siegler ADM-3A terminal with GraFix board / Tektronix 4015-1
by william degnan 14 Apr '17

14 Apr '17

New projects... Anyone seen/have a Lear Siegler terminal with GraFix board? I discovered a GraFix board in the belly of this one: http://www.vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=673 Naturally the terminal does not work, not sure how worth it is to dive into yet another ADM-3A. For now it'll go onto the list. * * * Related news, I also picked up a Tektronix 4015-1 terminal. Blew the fuse when I powered it on. Needs restoration, etc. http://www.vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=671 I documented the rescue for future fun watching. Rescues are one of the best parts of this hobby. You never know what you'll find. Bill

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Someone's ebay sale...
by Evan Koblentz 13 Apr '17

13 Apr '17

Not endorsing, just posting: http://m.ebay.com/itm/252862057276?_mwBanner=1

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List check. Please disregard
by MailmanLists Support 13 Apr '17

13 Apr '17

17:20 EDT 07:20 AEST List check. Please disregard.

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Test
by Jeffrey Brace 13 Apr '17

13 Apr '17

Where is my prefix? -- Jeff Brace - ark72axow(a)gmail.com Sent from my Commodore 64 ========================================================

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TESTING 3...2...1
by Dan Roganti 13 Apr '17

13 Apr '17

TESTING 3...2...1 Please Ack checking lag with alternate server at work for this List I still get 12+hrs lag at home on rcv'ing posts from this List I noticed this after comparing with the List archive Everything is fine with sending posts from home Gmail is fine with all my other Lists, no Lag with them Right now, I'm suspecting Comcast until I see what happens with this Test Dan

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WTB: BYT-8 Computer/Chassis
by Systems Glitch 13 Apr '17

13 Apr '17

All, I'm on the virge of making a deal with vintagecomputermuseum on eBay over his BYT-8 he's had up for years. It's still overpriced but I can probably sell the boards out of it and make it a reasonable purchase. I already have a board set so really I just need the empty chassis. Before I commit to buy from him (gag!) does anyone have a BYT-8 they want to sell me? The turnkey or full front panel versions are both acceptable. It can be totally empty, or if you want to sell the cards with it I can pay accordingly. Thanks, Jonathan

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Great vintage computer article.
by corey cohen 13 Apr '17

13 Apr '17

The only downside is the writer must be British so it mentions a few machines that weren't common here in the states. http://www.denofgeek.com/us/games/pc-gaming/263581/21-things-we-miss-about-… corey cohen uǝɥoɔ ʎǝɹoɔ

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Article about Jeri Ellsworth
by Christian Liendo 13 Apr '17

13 Apr '17

http://www.polygon.com/features/2017/4/12/15257842/jeri-ellsworth-profile-c…

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OT: looking for Ethernet card for IBM Eduquest 35
by Tony Bogan 13 Apr '17

13 Apr '17

All, I have a friend who has an IBM Eduquest model 35 and he's looking for an Ethernet card for it. This is way out of my wheelhouse so figured I'd reach out to the list for help. I can put you directly in touch with him or play middle man, whatever is preferable. Thanks! Tony Sent from my iPhone

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Great vintage computer article.
by Mike 12 Apr '17

12 Apr '17

Really, various instant communications technologies and cloud computing is getting most of the attention from technology investors theses days. A lot of people would like to see advanced forms of what we used to call client-server technology do away with the traditional idea of a stand alone personal computer. Because of graphics performance needs, gaming may be one the remaining sectors where that still doesnt work that well. There is a huge trend in gaming towards retro styled games, which might help a little in building the vintage computer hobby. There is also a growing interest in table top games, young people are starting to learn the fun in honest to goodness face to face social interaction. Mike W. > On Apr 12, 2017, at 9:00 AM, vcf-midatlantic-request(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org wrote: > > Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Great vintage computer article.

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GoFundMe for Cap'n Crunch
by Evan Koblentz 12 Apr '17

12 Apr '17

https://www.gofundme.com/crunch-medical-fund Help if you can. We all owe a debt to John Draper aka the Cap'n.

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The museum needs a Raspberry Pi
by William Dudley 11 Apr '17

11 Apr '17

We wish to make a small web server to source the pages for the tablets that are used to show the exhibit labels. A Raspberry Pi (not the Zero, it should have wired Ethernet) would be perfect for this use: low power, no rotating machinery to wear out, etc. I think one or more of you sell Raspberry Pi "kits" -- Pi, case, power supply, maybe even the SD card with Linux on it. Rather then buy the Pi from Joe Random on Ebay, I thought we'd ask on the list first if any of you want to sell (or even donate!) a Pi to the museum. Thanks for your attention. Bill Dudley This email is free of malware because I run Linux.

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A 1986 bulletin board system has brought the old Web back to life in 2017
by Derrik Walker v2.0 10 Apr '17

10 Apr '17

Well, this is interesting ... https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/04/a-1986-bulletin-boar… -- -- Derrik Derrik Walker v2.0, RHCE dwalker(a)doomd.net "Those UNIX guys, they think weird!" -- John C. Dvorak

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Collision detection 101
by Evan Koblentz 10 Apr '17

10 Apr '17

My first try at BASIC collision detection: "find the kitten". https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5thK4McllfJOWVMQy1HWDItM1E Next I'll experiment with making the hidden spot random. Problem is it'll be a PITA to test! :) (Just kidding. I will print its coordinates so I know it's working. Hide them in the real version and make it more than just a point so it's not too difficult.) ________________________________ 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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VCF East -- 500 people
by Evan Koblentz 09 Apr '17

09 Apr '17

When you add up all the ticket-buyers, exhibitors, speakers, volunteers, and so on, you get a number around FIVE HUNDRED people at VCF East XII. That blows away every previous record of ours.

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Random numbers
by Evan Koblentz 09 Apr '17

09 Apr '17

Got a line in my game to pick random whole numbers between 1-38. I use these numbers to determine the secret spot a player must find. It says: R=INT(RND(1)*38)+1 I read about RND in the Apple II programming manual but I determined the exact code from a Google search (stack overflow method...) Problem: it's only giving me even numbers. No odd numbers. Why? And how do I fix that? ________________________________ 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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more vcf e 12 photos uploaded
by william degnan 09 Apr '17

09 Apr '17

I have processed my exhibit photos and uploaded them. Sorted by the last name of the exhibitors to make it easy to locate. Photos, nothing that exciting. http://www.vintagecomputer.net/vcf12/ The photos I took do not do justice to the actual exhibits and how they looked in person. First off they were all an amazing amount of work, classy, and great teams. All three mega exhibits were "best" in show as far I am concerned. We were talking about what we'll do next year with teams, never too early to start planning. I'd like to propose we try a vintage networking cluster, "pass the packet" or something like that. I like this idea because any type of connected computer can particpate. I'd also like to thank the panel participants for helping me at the Sunday keynote. I also got a lot of good video to work with, I am looking forward to putting something out sooner than later. The DEC M9312 ROM card I bought from the consignment table worked (yay), I have had trouble finding one on Ebay. These cards are used to bootstrap devices on your PDP 11 UNIBUS system de jure. Next year I'm back, I plan to exhibit my DEC industrial/11 computer which is mostly restored functionally, I just need to pretty it up. Lastly, I hope to be able to make it to VCF SE, my schedule looks to be opening up for that. I will be bringing my camera. Bill

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Northern VA Lunch (was: Looking for IBM TS3500 etc.)
by Ethan 09 Apr '17

09 Apr '17

> I would also be up for lunch with y'all. > A few months ago, I recall a similar thread of people saying they were > up for something in the NOVA area that ultimately went > nowhere. Anyone ever eaten at Clare & Don's Beach Shack on 29 in Falls > Church? If I had to pick a place to recommend, that would be it. That is wild, I just ate there Tuesday night. I go there monthly for the NoVA SCUBA diving meetup group. Service was slightly week but they had a business crowd in the other room that was throwing off the balance I think. Maybe some sorta MLM pitch group. The venue has a video projector and a screen as well. Anyways, should we do this on a weeknight or weekend? Mondays are bad for me due to pinball league and Tuesdays once a month due to the SCUBA diving group. Other than that, game on!

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More VCF East XII pics
by Dan Roganti 08 Apr '17

08 Apr '17

here's some more pics from VCF East XII I apologize if I missed anyone, or few pics of each exhibit It's very easy to get distracted and lose track while there But between the 4 of us in the A/V group I think we got it covered really good And Dave Riley has a ton of pics to deliver still I have the exhibit names and their exhibitors, But I couldn't fit the descriptions of the exhibits on there, it would just scroll off the screen, So I just placed a link on my site to the VCFed website, so you can refer to the complete descriptions I noticed after the show there seems to be a couple of people in the photos who I think were standing in for the exhibits. They weren't listed on the VCFed website, so I didn't know to get there names beforehand. http://www.rogtronics.net/blog/?page_id=730 Dan -- _ ____ / \__/ Scotty, We Need More Power !! \_/ _\__ Aye, Cap'n, but we've only got 80 col's !!

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VCF pictures
by Evan Koblentz 08 Apr '17

08 Apr '17

Someone posted very detailed pictures on Facebook this morning or last night. I can't find them now and I don't remember who it was. Anyone? ________________________________ 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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Game up, something to show
by Evan Koblentz 07 Apr '17

07 Apr '17

Someone on VCForum joked that I should make it "Find the kitten" -- apparently that's a thing on the internet -- so I did: https://tinyurl.com/kwalvsy It's silly but it uses everything I learned so far: how to move a sprite, how to make the joystick's 256 increments match the lores screen's 40 increments, how to combine static images with the moving image, how to generate random(ish) numbers, how to do collision detection, how to animate an image (by primitive method of redrawing over old image in background color, etc.), and how to restart by using the joystick button (already learned from previous Lego robot experiment). The real game will be a bigger challenge. Have to merge the robot code into the game framework (hey Brace and Dan, yes the main program is all subroutines), make additional collision detection for when you drive the robot over the screen boundaries, make obstacles, make a scoring system, improve the graphics, and optimize the code (even I understand it WILL get slow as it grows). Tools I learned to use in the robot + game process so far -- ADTpro, Cidepress. (Dan: turns out using Ciderpress is easier than you and I both thought. Just open the .dsk image, select your .txt file with the "convert to .BAS" option, and that's it -- it automatically adds it to your disk image; you don't have to re-save the image or use any compression formats. Discovered this by accident when I reloaded the program, but I forgot to re-save the image, and yet the new code was magically on the disk already.) ________________________________ 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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1977: The year of the appliance computer
by william degnan 07 Apr '17

07 Apr '17

Here is a PDF from the Sunday Keynote, "1977: The year of the appliance computer" http://vintagecomputer.net/vcf12/1977ApplianceComputer.pdf I will post photos asap. Bill

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iMac G4 ("iLamp") free to a good home
by William Dudley 07 Apr '17

07 Apr '17

I realize this is a bit too new, though if I was Evan I'd be playing the "long game" and collecting "soon to be classic" computers. Aaaanyway, I have the following machine to give away: iMac 800Mhz G4 OS-X 10.4.11 256M SDRAM 60GB disk DVD-RW usable screen size: 15" diagonal. It's tested and works (boots, ethernet works, sound works). It looks like this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMac_G4 The computer is in Jackson, NJ and I'm not interested in shipping. I can bring to a VCF workshop or meetup somewhere in central NJ. Bill Dudley This email is free of malware because I run Linux.

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What's wrong with my program experiment?
by Evan Koblentz 07 Apr '17

07 Apr '17

A month-ish ago I posted about my Applesoft learning experiment in which I figured out how to make a point (in lo-res and hi-res alike) move around the screen with the joystick. At the time I couldn't figure out how to keep other images stationary (vs. redrawing themselves every time the joystick-checking code looped). Last night I solved that by (duh!) drawing a stationary point first and then looping back only as far as the joystick code. At first it left a trail, but then I added a line to immediately re-draw the same coordinates in black. 10 GR:COLOR=2 20 PLOT 10,10 30 X=PDL(0):Y=PDL(1) 40 X=X/6.4:Y=Y/6.4 50 X=X+0.5:Y=Y+0.5 60 X=INT(X):Y=INT(Y) 70 IF X>39 THEN X=39:IF Y>39 THEN Y=39 (because at one point I got an illegal quantity error when I moved the stick to the right) 80 PLOT X,Y:PRINT INT(X),INT(Y) 90 FOR W=1 TO 50: NEXT W 100 COLOR=0:PLOT X,Y:COLOR=2 110 GOTO 30 This works: the point at 10,10 remains solid while only the stick-controlled point moves. (I don't want to hear any snobby insults about "spaghetti code". This is not the actual application I'm working on. It's just a code snippet for the learning experiment.) (The results are the same if I eliminate lines 50 and 60. Those lines only exist to round up the numbers on .5, because INT only rounds down, and to eliminate remainders when it prints the coordinates.) However there may be a problem with the joystick or maybe a bug that I'm not seeing. All four corners are reporting the correct values: 0,0; 0,39; 39,0; and 39,39. When the stick centers I get 21,12. :( But if I adjust the trim wheels then the corners aren't right. Is this a joystick problem or a software bug?

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FS: Two Remex RIR-PDP-11 Unibus PDP-11 Paper Tape Reader Interfaces
by Systems Glitch 06 Apr '17

06 Apr '17

Board 1 link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/272621568579 Board 2 link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/272621571035 Two Remex paper tape reader interface boards. These are Unibus boards for interfacing readers to PDP-11s. Looks like you can populate the missing circuitry to run a Remex paper tape punch, too. I don't have any documentation on these, or Remex punch/reader units to test with. They were acquired with a lot of surplus CNC Unibus boards. Presumably some old Unibus PDP-11 was controlling a CNC off of paper tape, but it looks like Remex provided readers to many OEMs for both CNC step loading as well as binary tape loading. Thanks, Jonathan

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