- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Kennett Classic Outdoor Event CANCELLED 9/23
by Bill Degnan 22 Sep '23

22 Sep '23

All Kennett Square outdoor events have been cancelled, including our event, Kennett Classic 4. We'll be open regular hours on Saturday, 11-3. The surplus items will still be available if you intend to brave the tropical storm weather. We're not near the beach/coast so it shouldn't be too bad, just cold, windy, and wet all day. Next event date: TBD Bill

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Kennett Classic 4 this Weekend
by Bill Degnan 21 Sep '23

21 Sep '23

We're having a low-key event this weekend to commemorate the 4th anniversary of the museum. Details here: https://www.kennettclassic.com/kennett-classic-4/ Bill

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Hershey PA on 9/30/23?
by Bill Degnan 21 Sep '23

21 Sep '23

Anyone on this list live near or in Hershey, PA who could receive a terminal if dropped off at your house or nearby on that afternoon? Weird request but the donor of a terminal is traveling from New Hampshire to western South Carolina and he's traveling South from NH and then taking rte 80 from the Hershey area to go south west, which is as close as he will get to Kennett Square, PA . But it's still a good hour and a half at least. My son has a marching band event so I can't be there then, otherwise I'd just drive up there to meet him. I'd can retrieve the terminal soon after 9/30, which is for Kennett Classic museum. I coincidentally have a matching keyboard, the guy has the terminal only with no keyboard. I am told it's clean and boxed. It should survive in a garage if you don't have space inside given this is a temperate time of the year. I would be happy to compensate you for your trouble with a KC T-shirt or something. Thanks Bill Degnan contact me here - https://www.kennettclassic.com/contact.cfm

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Semi-OT: many oscilloscopes for sale in NJ
by William Dudley 20 Sep '23

20 Sep '23

Instead of assuming these are all broken, it might be better to contact the seller? I don't think you can get a scope like the 2465 for a couple of hundred dollars. That's a FOUR channel 300MHz scope. It looks like the seller has more than one. Bill Dudley This email is free of malware because I run Linux. On Wed, Sep 20, 2023 at 12:35 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Bill has a good point. > > I’ve been working on equipment for many years and often, the time spent is > just not worth it. > But if you really have your heart set on an old Tek scope, then it is > worth it in the long run. > > Otherwise, for those who don’t want to spend the time, a digital scope for > a few hundred dollars or less is probably better. > > Mike R. > > > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > On Sep 20, 2023, at 10:40 AM, Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > If you ask me (and no one did, but...) I don't mess with vintage repair > > equipment unless there is no substitute (like a tube tester). For *me* > > given I am of limited skill to begin with, a scope should be fairly new, > > clean and calibrated. Unless you're into restoring voltmeters and scopes > > and such I would spend only $900 for a modern scope. Essentially I need > > working low-milage test equipment for my vintage repairs, if only so to > > control fault variables. > > > > Bill > > > >> On Wed, Sep 20, 2023 at 10:20 AM Devin Heitmueller via vcf-midatlantic < > >> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >> > >>> On Tue, Sep 19, 2023 at 7:38 PM William Dudley via vcf-midatlantic > >>> <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >>> > >>> On facebook marketplace: > >>> > >>> https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/3526479520940602/ > >>> > >>> Now, I already have all the scopes I can use, but some of you may need > >>> one (or an upgrade to what you already have). There are some good > scopes > >>> in here, as well as other things like signal generators. > >>> > >>> The seller shows no interest in selling the pieces one at a time. He > >> wants > >>> to unload the lot. His price has been all over the place. It started > at > >>> $500, > >>> then 400, then 300, then $1700 (!), and now it's down to $900. > >>> > >>> If several of y'all wanted to go in together on this lot it'd probably > be > >>> worth > >>> your while, if this stuff works. > >>> > >>> I have no connection to the seller. I just don't want the scopes to > end > >> up > >>> in > >>> the dumpster. > >> > >> Wow, my first real scope was a Tek 465 just like the one pictured. > >> > >> The price being all over the place makes combined with no idea whether > >> any of them work makes this feel like a gamble. Given the fact that > >> you can buy scopes new for so cheap I'm not sure it's worth it (I > >> bought a Tektronix dual channel 50Mhz scope for less than $500 a few > >> years back, and scopes by companies like Rigol are much cheaper than > >> that). > >> > >> I'm all for not seeing good test gear end up in a landfill, but > >> oscilloscopes are essentially a commodity at this point and there > >> isn't a significant cost advantage in not buying new (unless you can > >> get one for free). > >> > >> Devin > >> > >

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Semi-OT: many oscilloscopes for sale in NJ
by William Dudley 20 Sep '23

20 Sep '23

On facebook marketplace: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/3526479520940602/ Now, I already have all the scopes I can use, but some of you may need one (or an upgrade to what you already have). There are some good scopes in here, as well as other things like signal generators. The seller shows no interest in selling the pieces one at a time. He wants to unload the lot. His price has been all over the place. It started at $500, then 400, then 300, then $1700 (!), and now it's down to $900. If several of y'all wanted to go in together on this lot it'd probably be worth your while, if this stuff works. I have no connection to the seller. I just don't want the scopes to end up in the dumpster. Bill Dudley NJ This email is free of malware because I run Linux.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Semi-OT: many oscilloscopes for sale in NJ
by Jeff Galinat 20 Sep '23

20 Sep '23

When I went looking for a scope, admittedly I was looking for that I was familiar with, like the scopes I used at IBM. As a customer engineer I used Tek 453, 454, 475 and a 2465. Shopping at hamfests I initially found a 454 for around $50 but a few years later I found an ex-IBM 475 with DM44 (digital meter module) for $60 and finally I found a 2445 (little 150mhz brother to the 2465) on Craigslist for $150. FWIW, I tested all of these scopes for basic operation using a probe and the calibration output before handing over the money. While I personally wouldn’t but a similar lot of condition unknown scopes, I just wanted to point out that decent used scopes are available at a decent price if you keep your eyes open. All of these scopes are great for the hobby and I have to admit that the user interface is much less confusing to me than the Rigol DS1054z digital scope I bought. I guess you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. 😀 Jeff On Wed, Sep 20, 2023 at 10:35 AM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Bill has a good point. > > I’ve been working on equipment for many years and often, the time spent is > just not worth it. > But if you really have your heart set on an old Tek scope, then it is > worth it in the long run. > > Otherwise, for those who don’t want to spend the time, a digital scope for > a few hundred dollars or less is probably better. > > Mike R. > > > > >

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PDP-8 Ebay Auction ends soon
by Bill Degnan 20 Sep '23

20 Sep '23

Get it now! https://www.ebay.com/itm/145293119327 ($25,000) Bill

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: Supermarkets with hot food in the area of infoage
by Chris Fala 20 Sep '23

20 Sep '23

Costco has hot, inexpensive, whole rotisserie chickens, and is very close to InfoAge. On Wed, Sep 20, 2023 at 3:29 PM rstaab via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Shoprite in Wall/Belmar is no more than 5 miles and has hot food for sale > including chicken. > -------- Original message --------From: Christian Liendo via > vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> Date: 9/20/23 2:50 PM > (GMT-05:00) To: vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> Cc: Christian Liendo > <cliendo(a)gmail.com> Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: Supermarkets with hot > food in the area of > infoage For the holiday party I normally go get chicken wings from Cluck > U.Now I like Cluck U, but I also like the chicken wings from thesupermarket > near me and they are cheaper.Are there supermarkets that also cater in the > area and I can check pricing?If I can get more wings for the same money and > the wings are good thenI will get them instead. I don't want to buy them > here and they getcold on the drive there.

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OT: Supermarkets with hot food in the area of infoage
by Christian Liendo 20 Sep '23

20 Sep '23

For the holiday party I normally go get chicken wings from Cluck U. Now I like Cluck U, but I also like the chicken wings from the supermarket near me and they are cheaper. Are there supermarkets that also cater in the area and I can check pricing? If I can get more wings for the same money and the wings are good then I will get them instead. I don't want to buy them here and they get cold on the drive there.

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Looking for TI99 and OSI?
by Ethan O'Toole 18 Sep '23

18 Sep '23

Hello all! I am doing a little bit of international swap and buying with someone in England. He is looking for a TI-99/4A. Before I pull the trigger on something from eBay or Facebook marketplace, anyone have a boxed TI-99/$A you aren't in love with? Also some carts would be cool. I have some carts if I can find them, I just can't remember what I had. He also has an interest in Ohio Scientific. I am a bit surprised as I think he is younger but is into 70s era micros. Said he has a IMSAI and also he has one of the first micros ever produced in England. Looks like a BBC Micro model B is in my future, and he already picked up the Acorn Archemedies A4000 for me (which does need a little work.) That was the system I was mainly after. Hope everyone is doing well on your collecting and repairs! - Ethan

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Livestreamed talk tonight at 6:30PM EDT on VCFederation YouTube channel
by Jeffrey Brace 17 Sep '23

17 Sep '23

Hello everyone, Just a reminder to watch the livestreamed talk tonight on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@vcfederation I will be moderating this informal talk with Liza Loop, Cynthia Solmon, Brian Silverman, Margaret Morabito. You can send questions in the chat too! Thanks! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner VCF Mid-Atlantic Event Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Good inexpensive storage in NJ
by Jeff Salzman 13 Sep '23

13 Sep '23

Northern VA, I-81, or Northern VA, I-95? Sounds like a road trip from Southern PA here, Z! On Tue, Sep 12, 2023, 7:40 PM Alexander Pierson via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > I've had a storage unit in the boonies far enough away from the Northern > VA suburbs for the past decade to keep costs down. It was mainly to house > the stuff my dad gave me when he downsized and moved up north, so it was a > mix of all sorts of things, plus my then-meager vintage computing > collection. I'm paying about 2 grand a year for a climate controlled 10x20 > unit, which is close enough to visit in a ~75 minute drive each way. It's > some local company, rather than a big name franchise. > > Since moving from a tiny condo to a larger townhouse in 2020, a > significant portion of stuff came out of storage. However, I'm overdue to > find a crew of able-bodied folks to help me pull everything out, sort > through it, repack the stuff that stays, and pitch some of the crap. Maybe > I can reduce to a smaller unit, who knows. There's a handful of stuff I've > been slowly offloading at VCFs as my interests have focused on specific > things. > > > -Alexander 'Z' Pierson > On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 06:37:48 PM EDT, David Gesswein via > vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Enterprise truck was the best I found for liftgate trucks. Not sure if > the one I > rented was rated for 3000 pounds or is that in multiple separate units? > > 16' lift gate $89/day $.29 per mile with 300 free miles. > > On Mon, Sep 11, 2023 at 04:17:15PM -0400, Ethan O'Toole via > vcf-midatlantic wrote: > > > > I still have a storage unit in Norfolk VA. It's maybe 10x10 or 10x15 max. > > > > It's just some left over stuff, but the one computer in it weighs around > > 3000 pounds so I need to use a truck with a liftgate to move it. In > addition > > to that, Star Wars vector sit down arcade game, some relay racks, some > white > > boards, etc. Truck would cost around $800 I think to move from Norfolk to > > Northern VA, rental and fuel? So I haven't done it yet. Storage will be > same > > price or more where I live. > > > > I mean if VCF wanted to put the computer on display... would be cool to > have > > it running on display (208-240v @ 90 amp service, but really draws maybe > 12 > > amps or so as I recall.) Software kernel panics on boot. Not sure it's > > exciting to watch. > > > > > > > > > > > > OK. Now I have to ask, what percentage of fellow list members have > at > > > > least one storage place, defined by "not in my house or apartment" > that you > > > > pay for each month to store stuff including at least some vintage > computer > > > > gear? > > > > b > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Good inexpensive storage in NJ
by Christian Liendo 12 Sep '23

12 Sep '23

Many storage companies require you take their insurance policy for a fee. I'm paying $20 just for insurance. I dont know if infoage wants to get into that. It would bring in revenue, but it would also require a large initial capital cost and management costs. The revenue would have to be worth it and it may not be worth it. I would rather have my computers and stuff there because it would be convenient to do repair weekends and shows. But what is convenient for me may not be for infoage. On Sun, Sep 10, 2023, 9:48 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > You know I was thinking the same thing or something very similar. > There is so much storage space available in InfoAge that they could rent > out space, but that would be a liability and insurance issue. > > But if it ever did happen and that they wanted to rent out space I would > definitely do it. > > Mike R. > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Good inexpensive storage in NJ
by Jeffrey Jonas 11 Sep '23

11 Sep '23

A quick reply: nothing in my area is affordable since storage units - are NOT rent controlled - are now month to month leases, so the rent increases anytime - now include tax - are a monopoly/duopoly: Storage Post, CubeSmart My renter's insurance includes storage units, so that surcharge is waived. That is a much better deal because - there's a discount for the "umbrella policy": car and renter's insurance from same company/agent - the coverage is independent of the storage company, useful when their auto-billing fails. I've lost inventory from roof leaks and floods. Most LIE about "climate control": there's little to no ventilation let alone heat or air conditioning. It's too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter. -- jeff jonas

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Good inexpensive storage in NJ
by Tony Bogan 11 Sep '23

11 Sep '23

As mentioned, I have multiple units all for vintage computers and video games/consoles. Another couple for home/family/work stuff. Homeowners insurance covers damage/destruction/loss same as if it was in the house. A basic inventory and copious amounts of photos was all that was required to add the value of the items to the policy. I’ve used three different companies over the past 12 years. Two of them chains and one privately owned. None have ever forced me to use their insurance. The one I’ve been with the past 6ish years is not only reasonably priced and great people, but it’s literally less than 5 minutes from my house (and conveniently located across the street from the firehouse, so hopefully any fire disaster would be quickly extinguished!!) Tony

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Good inexpensive storage in NJ
by Jeff S 10 Sep '23

10 Sep '23

Unless laws in New Jersey say otherwise, it's not a liability or insurance issue. Storage unit companies in PA report no liability for stored items. Most homeowner insurance policies cover the liabilities of storage units. For those without homeowners insurance, storage unit companies offer monthly insurance policies for those who want it. On Sun, Sep 10, 2023, 9:48 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > You know I was thinking the same thing or something very similar. > There is so much storage space available in InfoAge that they could rent > out space, but that would be a liability and insurance issue. > > But if it ever did happen and that they wanted to rent out space I would > definitely do it. > > Mike R. > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > On Sep 10, 2023, at 9:44 PM, Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > How about InfoAge set up a member's storage service? > >> On Sun, Sep 10, 2023 at 4:29 PM Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic < > >> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >> > >> I don’t have that good of a rate. > >> > >> I have been using Extra Space Storage for a few years now. It was > >> reasonable at the beginning. Prices keep going up. I’m not liking it. > Jeff > >> Jonas seems to think that if you move to a new space within the > >> same building, then you can get the “new tenant” rate. So you would keep > >> shifting around once every 6 months or so. I will find out. Mine keep > going > >> up. I want to move one of my units closer to the other one anyway, but > may > >> just consolidate into one. I’ve been procrastinating the consolidation. > >> > >> I haven’t priced the smaller storage companies yet. > >> > >> On Sun, Sep 10, 2023 at 12:29 PM Christian Liendo via vcf-midatlantic < > >> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >> > >>> So I recently got storage in NJ because storage in NYC is just > >>> too expensive. I wasn't there a year and they greatly increased price. > I > >>> have a 5x12 and I went from $97 to $156. Does anyone have a > >> recommendation > >>> of a good storage company that is not that expensive? > >>> > >> > >

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Good inexpensive storage in NJ
by Christian Liendo 10 Sep '23

10 Sep '23

So I recently got storage in NJ because storage in NYC is just too expensive. I wasn't there a year and they greatly increased price. I have a 5x12 and I went from $97 to $156. Does anyone have a recommendation of a good storage company that is not that expensive?

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Good inexpensive storage in NJ
by Tony Bogan 10 Sep '23

10 Sep '23

Definitely check local/smaller companies. I use a place that (lucky for me) is literally 3 minutes from my house. Privately owned (not a chain) two stories, climate controlled inside units as well as non climate controlled outside units. My 10x10 units cost me just a little of $100 a month each. Might find something similar near you. Tony https://www.brickselfstorage.com/495-aurora-place-brick-township-nj-08723#/… Sent from my iPhone > On Sep 10, 2023, at 6:06 PM, Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > <mime-attachment>

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RE: [vcf-midatlantic] Good inexpensive storage in NJ
by Hopkins, Justin 10 Sep '23

10 Sep '23

$125 a month for car storage? I didn't know any places that were that cheap in NJ. I store mine down near the shore and have been paying $300 for a few years. From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic-bounces(a)lists.vcfed.org> On Behalf Of Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2023 1:49 PM To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> Cc: Sentrytv <sentrytv(a)yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Good inexpensive storage in NJ This message and any attachments are intended only for the use of the addressee and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. If the reader of the message is not the intended recipient or an authorized representative of the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail and delete the message and any attachments from your system.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Good inexpensive storage in NJ
by Bill Degnan 10 Sep '23

10 Sep '23

I think you're going to see a lot of items go up for sale over the next 6 months due to storage cost increases or inability to pay storage. The cost increase comes from the fact that commercial real estate mortgage rates have gone up by 5 or more percent since many balloon mortgages were established and they're now coming due... a cost which has to be passed to the consumer. On the other hand a lot of former commercial office space is empty. Rather than look for just traditional storage places you might want to ask around to see if anyone who has an empty office complex, store, or warehouse building would be willing to accept payment for storing computers/electronics there. A thought. Bill On Sun, Sep 10, 2023 at 1:50 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > I have tried to find storage for my car. > They run anywhere from $275-$300 for something that will fit a 19 foot car. > I used to pay $125 in Metuchen New Jersey to store my car and I gave it up > this past April. > One of the stupidest thing I ever did. > > As for storage for my PC stuff I haven’t found anything reasonably priced. > > Mike R. > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > On Sep 10, 2023, at 1:29 PM, Christian Liendo via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > So I recently got storage in NJ because storage in NYC is just > > too expensive. I wasn't there a year and they greatly increased price. I > > have a 5x12 and I went from $97 to $156. Does anyone have a > recommendation > > of a good storage company that is not that expensive? > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Happy Start Trek Day!
by Jeffrey Brace 09 Sep '23

09 Sep '23

Happy Star Trek Day to you too! I saw this mentioned on the morning announcements at my new temporary position at a middle school. Very cool! On Fri, Sep 8, 2023 at 1:17 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Too All! > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] New Post cast and first episode we talk about VCF-East
by Jeffrey Brace 08 Sep '23

08 Sep '23

On Fri, Sep 8, 2023 at 6:09 PM Ryan Stapleton via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Hello All, > > I hope this is ok here. A friend of mine and myself started a podcast and > in our first episode we talk about VCF East. This is both of our first > times at VCF East and actually and VCF event. > Nice! Congrats! I will listen to it later on my way to VCF MidWest. Glad to hear that you liked our show Jeff Brace > You can listen on Apple Podcast: > https://podcasts.apple.com/.../r-n-r-does-stuff/id1706233662 > > Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Bdprr684vfBdFfOMhcTxB > > Our website is: http://www.rnrdoesstuff.com <http://www.rnrdoesstuff.com/> > > Thank you and happy Friday! > > -Ryan

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New Post cast and first episode we talk about VCF-East
by Ryan Stapleton 08 Sep '23

08 Sep '23

Hello All, I hope this is ok here. A friend of mine and myself started a podcast and in our first episode we talk about VCF East. This is both of our first times at VCF East and actually and VCF event. You can listen on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../r-n-r-does-stuff/id1706233662 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Bdprr684vfBdFfOMhcTxB Our website is: http://www.rnrdoesstuff.com <http://www.rnrdoesstuff.com/> Thank you and happy Friday! -Ryan

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Happy Start Trek Day!
by Sentrytv 08 Sep '23

08 Sep '23

Too All! Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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Hawley wheel mouse on Ebay
by Christian Liendo 07 Sep '23

07 Sep '23

This is a rather rare mouse, I don't think I ever saw one. https://www.ebay.com/bfl/viewbids/374917612212

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I Adore my 64 documentary fundraiser
by Jeffrey Brace 07 Sep '23

07 Sep '23

Someone is raising funds to produce a documentary on the Commodore 64. Goal is $25,000 and the deadline is October 4. Look here for more information: https://seedandspark.com/fund/iadoremy64film Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner VCF Mid-Atlantic Event Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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who was talking of QIC tape/drive restoration?
by Herbert Johnson 07 Sep '23

07 Sep '23

>> Several folks at a recent VCF workshop were discussing ways to restore QIC >> drives with new rollers. >> Who was that, and has anyone made recent progress? Summary for the impatient: old tape drives have "rubber" rollers that turn to goo. Tape drives need rollers to pull the tape at constant speed. Find companies that either sell replacements, or custom-repair your old roller. Tapes are still a thing, moreso for audio. This is an old problem, with any cartridge tape-driver "pressure roller". The rubber (silicone) either turns to goo or becomes hard and brittle. The rubber roller presses against the tape capstan. The capstan is the metal roller that rotates at constant speed. Rubber wheel and capstan, pull the magnetic tape past the heads at constant tape speed for recording/playback. I show some of this technology. Web search "tape drives site:retrotechnology.com". Digital tapes are out of favor, but there's always someone producing some kind of digital tape drive. There's always a need to read old tapes. The repair solutions are: 1) buy a capstan of correct size and bearing from a company that sells them for your brand/model of tape drive. or 2) send your roller to a company, that molds new silicone around your old roller's bearing; milled to the correct diameter. Web-search for "cartridge tape drive rollers". Pinch rollers, drive wheels. In principle, one could mold 2-part silicon to reproduce a roller. Possibly, find some other roller and transfer the rubber part. Few know how to do such work, err, successfully. It's a discussion topic (witness this thread). These companies are mostly supported by audio tape enthusiasts, but also by customers operating old digital cartridge-tape drives. There's other applications. Regards Herb -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA https://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT comcast DOT net

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who was talking of QIC tape/drive restoration?
by Jeffrey Jonas 06 Sep '23

06 Sep '23

Several folks at a recent VCF workshop were discussing ways to restore QIC drives with new rollers. Who was that, and has anyone made recent progress? I have many full size QIC cartridges I didn't copy-up in time. ALL my drives (Wanktek, Archive Viper) have failed with gummy rubber rollers :-( And some cartridges have "relaxed" tension bands. Are there any SIG/BOF or "discussion groups" for folks to continue such projects? Has anyone seen such discussion elsewhere: VCF-nationwide, Computer History Museum, etc? -- jeff jonas

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EEPROM burners in the early 1980s?
by John Heritage 05 Sep '23

05 Sep '23

How common and costly were EEPROM burners in the early 1980s? I’m watching Adrain’s Digital Basement where he covers the Apple II clones. Was it pretty cheap to buy large enough blank EEPROMs and then copy them yourself or were the burners expensive back then?

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Potentially lost media/art
by Dmitry _ 05 Sep '23

05 Sep '23

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] EEPROM burners in the early 1980s?
by Jeffrey Jonas 05 Sep '23

05 Sep '23

If you're talking about ultraviolet-erasable programmable read only memory, that's EPROM. EEPROM is electronically-erasable programmable read only memory, which I believe was pioneered by General Instrument in the early 80s. As to programmers, my college had none at the time. Clever classmates made their own: a box of toggle switches for address & data, all the required power supplies and a one-shot timer for the programming pulse. Very tedious, no read-back or verify. Circuit Cellar, Popular Electronics, BYTE, Nuts and Volts were the hobbyist periodicals of the day. They had advertisements for the low-end programmers (parallel port, ISA bus) and medium price "economy" programmers. ProLog made the high end gang programmers that handled several at once. Steve Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar published build-your-own EPROM programmer kits. UV EPROM erasers are easy to get as germicidal lamps, still sold for Covid precautions. -- jeff jonas

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EEPROM burners in the early 1980s?
by Herbert Johnson 05 Sep '23

05 Sep '23

> ow common and costly were EEPROM burners in the early 1980s? > > I’m watching Adrain’s Digital Basement where he covers the Apple II > clones. Was it pretty cheap to buy large enough blank EEPROMs and then > copy them yourself or were the burners expensive back then? I suggest you look back further, to the mid-1970's. There were computers and EPROMs back then too, equipment used in the 80's also. Situations with EPROMs changed as personal (or impersonal) computing changed. Read the hobby computing and electronic magazines of the era for details, prices. The story follows the history of microprocessors and US electronics manufacturing. Check the electronics and early personal-computing magazines of the period. There were construction articles on building your own EPROM burners, all the way back to the mid-1970's for the first personal computers. The kit companies and electronic parts companies, had ads for their products in the same magazines. YOu can find prices for EPROMs and burners in the same magazines. Byte and Popular Electronics would be first-choices. Look up prices for new/used autos, to get an idea of economics. Or, there's simple multipliers for inflation, found by Web search. A number of small companies, offered their own EPROM burners, that ran as serial devices usually connected to the computers (or terminals) of the era. There were also Apple II cards, and S-100 cards, and SS-50 cards - as EPROM burners. Prices were comparable to other cards for a given bus or computer-type. The engineering companies, manufacturers, bought the commercial EPROM burners at more expense, to get support for all the kinds of EPROMs and PALS produced. Early EPROMS varied greatly in programming requirements. For commercial production of microcontrollers (controls for industrial equipment, consumer items) these professional burners could burn several ROMS at a time. Cheaper and hobby EPROM burners, used slower programming schemes, didn't cover all kinds of EPROMs. Newer EPROMS became simpler to burn. Why would hobby computer owners, burn EPROMs in the early 80's? To put software into early computers, especially before floppy-disk systems became affordable and available (cassette based software was popular but it was slower). I'm not big on apple II history, but copying Apple BASIC ROMS saved a lot of money. I don't know when Apple II computers were "cloned", but maybe later in the 1980's? BASIC in ROM on many computers, was a fast way to boot up BASIC. Later on, personal computers came with BASIC in ROM already. Meanwhile, a lot of hobbyists wrote software to run in ROM. ROM monitors were popular to create, modify. And kit-builders, and roll-your-own-computers builders, needed ROMS to boot. People adding floppy controllers and floppy OS's, needed boot ROMs and PROM boards. Later in the 1980's, floppy disk systems (while expensive) were fast enough that people just loaded software from disk files. Later 1980's computers ran with plug-in carts. Companies made EPROM-based carts, to copy games. But as IBM PC's became "cloned" later in the 80's decade, people needed to copy PC ROMS. Lots of people resold clone PC's. ISA boards to burn EPROMs were popular, as were PROM burners connected to the "PC parallel port" and running under MS-DOS. In the 90's it was very popular to copy PC ROMs to put into clone PC motherboards, and probably Apple II ROM-copying was still active (now for the IIe enhancement). So, the story of EPROM burning by individuals and small companies, mirrors the history of personal computers and the copying/cloning of the more popular computer brands (IBM, Apple). It's also a story of the rise (and fall in the USA) of microprocessor-based products and companies who designed and manufactured them. Once computers became commodity items in the 90's, sold with all the EPROMs needed, EPROM burning by computer hobbyists and dealers was less of a thing, mostly associated with IBM PC compatible EPROM burners. HObbyists still made kits and put software in ROM, for controllers as well as S-100 and SS-50 and other microcomputers. Again, the electronic hobby magazines of the era had ads for those. Regards Herb Johnson -- Herb Johnson, New Jersey USA http://www.retrotechnology.com or .net preserve and restore 1970's personal computing email: hjohnson @ retrotechnology dot com or try later at herbjohnson @ comcast dot net -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA https://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT comcast DOT net

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OT: Any interest in old Motorola HTs
by Kelly Leavitt 05 Sep '23

05 Sep '23

These are about 30 years old. A lot. I would guess at least 20. Located in Sandyston, NJ. Must pick up. Let me know, Kelly

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AES Data Superplus CPU card
by Dmitry _ 04 Sep '23

04 Sep '23

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Re: OT: Older TiVo available for free
by Jonathan Sturges 03 Sep '23

03 Sep '23

From: Bob Shuster <bob(a)theshusters.com> To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: Older TiVo available for free > Before I recycle it, is anyone interested in a TiVo HD XL (Series 3) DVR? The hard drive died after many > years of faithful service, so it has no drive, but it does have a lifetime subscription. Bob, I'd be happy to take the TiVo if it's still available. thanks, Jonathan

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OT: Powder Coating
by Martin A. Flynn 03 Sep '23

03 Sep '23

I am making 19" rack panels that are color matched to equipment we already own. Since this is basically a one-shot project, and I ended up purchasing more of the RAL 7022 color that what was needed (minimum order required) If anyone in the VCF world has need to parts coated with this color, email me Martin

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Help identifying a memory/program card case
by Bob Shuster 02 Sep '23

02 Sep '23

The consensus is PCMCIA jewel case. I still have no idea what came in those although I have a vague recollection of at least one sampler/snyth that used them back in the day. In any case, thanks for the help! I added these to my for sale pages for free if anyone can use them. - Bob

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Holiday Party 2023 Dates?
by Christian Liendo 30 Aug '23

30 Aug '23

Has the dates been set yet for the 2023 party? I want to start putting things in my calendar so I don't double book weekends.

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OT: minor help needed in Delaware
by Dave McGuire 28 Aug '23

28 Aug '23

Hey folks, there's a small(ish) rackmount radio receiver that I need to get picked up in Wilmington, DE. Can anyone here grab that for me and sit on it for a bit? Thanks, -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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PDP-8/L for $15k, YMMV
by Christian Liendo 28 Aug '23

28 Aug '23

I'm not a DEC person so I don't know if this is a good price, but someone has one https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/sys/d/brooklyn-vintage-digital-equipment…

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Breakfast tomorrow at Blue Swam at 9AM
by Jeffrey Brace 26 Aug '23

26 Aug '23

Let me know if you will be there so that I know how many to expect.

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Off topic, but check out this guy's basement..
by Herbert Johnson 25 Aug '23

25 Aug '23

Impressions: 1) not off topic 2) amazingly tidy 3) screen saver 4) someone get the back story 5) 2024 VCF T-shirt - caption wanted Regards Herb Johnson not so tidy -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA https://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT comcast DOT net

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Playstation controllers to repair workshop
by Jeffrey Brace 25 Aug '23

25 Aug '23

Anyone coming to the repair workshop, if you have any Playstation 1/2 controllers, please bring them. I need 3 more to test something. Thanks! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner VCF Mid-Atlantic Event Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Off topic, but check out this guy's basement..
by Dave McGuire 25 Aug '23

25 Aug '23

On 8/25/23 09:08, Peter Cetinski via vcf-midatlantic wrote: >> https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/674-Montrose-Ave-SE-Roanoke-VA-24013/496… >> > > Many of us will probably say "Hold my beer". But I love the phone booth in the backyard! His neighbors probably think he's "weird", but he's probably the only person in his neighborhood with a brain. Absolutely fantastic! -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Repair Workshop overflow space 9032-A (Aug 26 & 27, 2023)
by Alexander Jacocks 25 Aug '23

25 Aug '23

When we work in 9032-A, we never take CDL tools there. CDL tools are for the CDL maker space area. - Alex Sent from my iPad > On Aug 24, 2023, at 10:10 AM, Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > <mime-attachment>

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Off topic, but check out this guy's basement..
by Andrew Diller 25 Aug '23

25 Aug '23

There are two booths that I saw! Apparently you can call from the back of the garage to the back of the house, or more. I'd take it only if all the furnishings are included. Then you shoot a nice set of period videos in that house. -andy > On Aug 25, 2023, at 9:08 AM, Peter Cetinski via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >> On Aug 25, 2023, at 9:02 AM, Hopkins, Justin via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >> >> https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/674-Montrose-Ave-SE-Roanoke-VA-24013/496… >> > > Many of us will probably say "Hold my beer". But I love the phone booth in the backyard! >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Off topic, but check out this guy's basement..
by Richard Cini 25 Aug '23

25 Aug '23

That’s great. It’s even a cute house. I see WWII radios there too. Rich -- Rich Cini http://cini.classiccmp.org On 8/25/23, 9:03 AM, "vcf-midatlantic" <vcf-midatlantic-bounces(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote:

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Off topic, but check out this guy's basement..
by Peter Cetinski 25 Aug '23

25 Aug '23

> On Aug 25, 2023, at 9:02 AM, Hopkins, Justin via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/674-Montrose-Ave-SE-Roanoke-VA-24013/496… > Many of us will probably say "Hold my beer". But I love the phone booth in the backyard!

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Off topic, but check out this guy's basement..
by Hopkins, Justin 25 Aug '23

25 Aug '23

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/674-Montrose-Ave-SE-Roanoke-VA-24013/496… This message and any attachments are intended only for the use of the addressee and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. If the reader of the message is not the intended recipient or an authorized representative of the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail and delete the message and any attachments from your system.

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IMPORTANT PARKING FOR Repair workshop Info 8/26/2023
by Jeffrey Brace 24 Aug '23

24 Aug '23

As a reminder there is drop off only in and around CDL. Park in the main parking lot please. Or in the dirt area near 9036. https://vcfed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/InfoAge_Campus_Map_with_Buildi… There is limited parking inside the campus.The car and firetruck show is from 11AM to 3PM so that area needs to be clear. You will need to check in with me at the front desk to pay for the repair workshop and get a wristband. I'll be there from 10:30AM to 5:30PM. After 4PM Saturday Parking inside the campus must be on one side of the road: Parking is available along 9032, 9400, 9034, 9036. NO ONE may park next to the 9010 building. Have no idea what the building numbers mean? Here is a crude map of where you can park marked in yellow: https://vcfed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/InfogAge_Map_with_Building_Num… Any questions? Please let me know. Thanks! Jeff Brace

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