- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Repair Workshop reminder 1/14 & 1/15, 2023
by Herbert Johnson 13 Jan '23

13 Jan '23

Weather looks good for me to drive up Saturday, not Sunday. David Gesswein kindly accepts my request to read an MFM drive I have. I have some parts to pick up from various people. I'll bring a simple 6809 kit to assemble with some of those parts. And I'll float around to see if I can help others with repairs. Regards Herb Johnson -- 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 comcast DOT net

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Repair Workshop reminder 1/14 & 1/15, 2023
by Jeffrey Brace 13 Jan '23

13 Jan '23

Just reminding everyone that there is another repair workshop this coming Saturday and Sunday January 14 and 15. Signup here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-CzOmtnbGWwcNc53ewymcAe1Zt5xNTow4cm… ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner 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] Repair Workshop reminder 1/14 & 1/15, 2023
by Neil Cherry 13 Jan '23

13 Jan '23

On 1/13/23 10:34, Jonathan Sturges via vcf-midatlantic wrote: >> Reset sees a low (/RST) every 3s. So there is a watchdog timer setup. I traced it back to a MC14584B (yea!) which is a hex >> schmidt trigger (what? 😉 ). So I have to do some more tracing but the MC14584B is socketed so I'll build a manual reset >> circuit and figure out what is going on later. > Ahh, the Schmidt trigger. Pairs of those gates are good for fixing marginal amplitude issues and/or "squarifying" a > less-than-square waveform. If the RST signal looks well-formed, then the problem is probably upstream of the Schmidt trigger. I pop'd the chip out and soldered up a resistor, cap and NO PB on a carrier. I'll search for the watchdog later. That solves that problem for now. The new troublemaker is the USB dongle doesn't have enough oomph to pull up the 6803 Rx pin. I'm going to drive it with either a NOT or NAND gates or an opto to drive it a bit more. -- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry kd2zrq(a)linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies KD2ZRQ

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Repair Workshop reminder 1/14 & 1/15, 2023
by Jonathan Sturges 13 Jan '23

13 Jan '23

-----Original Message----- From: Neil Cherry via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Repair Workshop reminder 1/14 & 1/15, 2023 > Reset sees a low (/RST) every 3s. So there is a watchdog > timer setup. I traced it back to a MC14584B (yea!) which is a hex > schmidt trigger (what? ;-) ). So I have to do some more tracing but the > MC14584B is socketed so I'll build a manual reset circuit and figure out what is > going on later. Ahh, the Schmidt trigger. Pairs of those gates are good for fixing marginal amplitude issues and/or "squarifying" a less-than-square waveform. If the RST signal looks well-formed, then the problem is probably upstream of the Schmidt trigger. -Jonathan

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Jan 2023 Repair Workshop Info
by Jeffrey Brace 12 Jan '23

12 Jan '23

Signup for January 2023 Repair Workshop here: January 2023 Repair Workshop Signup Sheet <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-CzOmtnbGWwcNc53ewymcAe1Zt5xNTow4cm…> Spaces are first come first serve to the CDL space. Limited space available. Sign up to guarantee a space in your preferred area!!! *DATES*: January 14 & 15, 2023 *LOCATIONS:* InfoAge: 2201 Marconi Road, Wall Township, NJ Building 9059 (CDL Hackerspace - Formerly IXR) TIME: Saturday START time == 10 A.M. END time == 11PM. Sunday START time == 10 A.M. and END == 5 P.M. *SIGNUP HERE!*: Signup sheet Click HERE <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-CzOmtnbGWwcNc53ewymcAe1Zt5xNTow4cm…> ! Face Masks are required for non-vaccinated people. Vaccinated people have the option to wear masks, but they are highly recommended. *COST:*- $15 per person, PER day. This money goes to InfoAge and CDL. - $25 per night for those wanting to stay overnight (Money goes to InfoAge). Please pay ME upon arrival. Cash or PayPal is acceptable as payment. Ask ahead of time if you need to use a credit card. *OVERNIGHT*: Bring your own pillow, blankets, soap etc. We provide a bed frame and an uncovered mattress. There are showers and a kitchen for your use. - You can pay via PayPal to paypal(a)vcfed.org. or to me via cash or credit card in person. *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. - If you need particular tools that you don't own or particular parts, please post to the list for those going. They may have what you need. Let them know ahead of time. - Let everyone know what project you are working on ahead of time to inspire collaboration. *DRINKS*: You should bring your own. We have a refrigerator in CDL to keep them cold. VCF will buy some water and soft drinks for member use. *FOOD*: *Saturday Night Dinner at 7PM?*: Options: * Brick House Tap and Tavern * MJs * Patrick's Pub * Ottos * Robinson Ale House *Sunday Morning*: Blue Swan Diner *Sunday Afternoon*: Wawa? *PARKING:* Park in the main parking lot, unless you are unloading. Don't park on the lawn. QUESTIONS? PHONE: ( 7 3 2 ) 7 2 2 - 5 0 1 5 EMAIL: repairworkshops AT vcfed DOT org Have fun everyone! ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner VCF Mid-Atlantic Executive Director Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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[FS] Really Nice Fully Loaded and Boxed IBM AT with 5153 and 5154 Monitors
by Alexander Jacocks 10 Jan '23

10 Jan '23

All, I just posted this on VC Forum, and wanted to make sure that everyone here saw this listing, as well. Please let me know if you are interested. - Alex https://forum.vcfed.org/index.php?threads/extremely-nice-foully-loaded-ibm-…

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VCF East 2023 Registration Links
by Jeffrey Brace 06 Jan '23

06 Jan '23

In case you missed the previous emails: Exhibitor Registration: https://forms.gle/iKZNPqFPSeobjnau5 Vendor Registration: https://forms.gle/zGsPxCcuDQBXm3fb7 Volunteer Registration: https://forms.gle/UEbiFYvgEiBk9MS27 Speaker Registration: https://forms.gle/yvV311ucBEWXzqpx9 ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner 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] What we can learn from vintage computing
by Jeffrey Jonas 05 Jan '23

05 Jan '23

Bob Jeffway posted: > I co-teach a class at University Of Massachusetts in Amherst > using Bob Applegate's KIM-1 replicas. An interesting choice for sure. Hex keypads & displays are definitely a step-up from toggle switches and individual bits. > We start with machine language programming, then move to an assembler, > and teach all the low-level stuff; address bus, data bus, controls, clock, etc. > and how to interface hardware. Very nice! Ben Eater advocates breadboarding everything yourself, learning every wire along the way: https://www.youtube.com/c/beneater One of my masters' degree pre-reqs was a 68000 lab course with this single board trainer: http://ferretronix.com/tech/sbc/index.html#68k The ROM provided an interactive debugger and a few run-time library calls for print, read, etc. http://ferretronix.com/tech/68k/68k_monitor_notes -- jeff jonas

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Bad bearing in Atlanta (ST-225)
by Neil Cherry 04 Jan '23

04 Jan '23

Michael Evenson of the FlexUsergroup (FuFu) email list (Flex, OS9, OSK, UniFlex) has a drive with a failing bearing. Is there a repair group down in Atlanta are like we have at the museum in Wall? Really like to help him keep going on his emulator. If not does anyone have a ST225 drive they're not using? -- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry kd2zrq(a)linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies KD2ZRQ

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OS-9!?! :-)
by Herbert Johnson 04 Jan '23

04 Jan '23

> On 1/3/23 10:09, Neil Cherry wrote: >> Dave I think we need to get you a 68000 OS-9 system for the LSSM! Taking >> the Large Scale technologies and putting them into the little scale devices. > > I would absolutely love that. What hardware do you think would be > appropriate? -Dave Mc Guire Maybe 20 years ago, I worked in the Princeton NJ area for a tiny company that produced a PC board imaging scanning system, for PC board component inspection. It used an analog TV camera on an X-Y mount, digitized images, and recognition software trained on other images. Of course it looked for component errors, misplacement, etc. The computer was a Motorola VMEbus 68000 system, running on OS-9 68K. The image processing code, was FORTH. Motorola produced a range of VMEbus 68K systems, as did other companies. But Motorola created the VMEbus. I believe OS-9 68K found a lot of industrial use, it was a bit pricey in hardware and software for home/hobby users. But many hobbyists and business people familiar with SS-50 and OS-9 6809 (and Flex), found their way to OS-9. And i think there was an OS-9 flavor for the Tandy Color Computer (6809) line. Early Sun stuff was 68000 I believe. Unix ran on 68000's. and of course, the Macintosh was 68K before PowerPC. Later in life, I've accumulated some VMEbus cards including various 68000 and 68010 boards and I/O cards and chassis. They are out-of-favor now of course, but I get requests occasionally for replacement boards, not much hobby interest. No software for them. An OS-9 port would not be hard, but too hard for me. To Dave's question. It's a decision in a vintage computing collection, to select industrial equipment, business equipment, or hobby equipment, or the crossovers. People choose what's familiar to them, from whatever domains where they encountered computers they found of interest. "Hardware appropriate"? Depends on your goals. But a 21st cent. SS-50 6809 running NitrOS9, next to a 68000 industrial thingy running something (OS-9, Unix), and a Tandy Color Computer nearby, would be a Motorola trifecta. Add the SWTPC 6800 running Flex on floppy to get something seriously vintage. Regards, 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 comcast DOT net

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OS-9!?! :-)
by Herbert Johnson 04 Jan '23

04 Jan '23

> Douglas Crawford wrote: > I'm not sure what those user accomplished with [OS-9], that > would be interesting to hear about if someone wanted to start a thread > on that. Um, "read the fine Internet". Archives of old user group emails, archives of old user-group paper newsletters. It's fine to have conversations; but to "what users accomplished", look at the records, look at the works. In any event, OS-9 and SS-50 systems in the era were sufficiently robust to be used in industrial and business systems. A search for catalogs and conventions sponsored by OS-9 (Microware) using companies will suggest the range of customers and applications. It's from a time before the IBM PC monoculture, when microcomputers of all kinds flourished, and did real work. "Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work." - attributed to Mark Twain Herb Johnson -- 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 comcast DOT net

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MDD G4 MAC Power supply MOSFET needed
by Sentrytv 04 Jan '23

04 Jan '23

Hello to all you Mac people out there. I’m currently working on a power supply (Samsung P58) for a mirrored G4 Mac that has a bad mosfet W20NM50. Apparently this is no longer manufactured but is available from many Chinese and Korean outfits on eBay. Obviously I don’t want to wait that long to get one or take the chance that they are restamped. So, anyone out there in nj or near by, going to the January Workshop that may have a couple of these? Please feel free to contact me directly if you can help. Thanks Mike Rosen Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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Building a Frankenstein 64
by Christian Liendo 02 Jan '23

02 Jan '23

I didn't write this, I just thought this was a good article. https://celso.io/retrocomputing/2022/12/27/c64-from-scratch

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] New Year
by Jeffrey Brace 02 Jan '23

02 Jan '23

On Sat, Dec 31, 2022 at 9:11 PM Bob Aviles via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Happy New Year to all!! > I wish a Happy New Year to everyone here! May this year be a great one for you all! > Bobby >

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Volunteer Registration VCF East 2023
by Jeffrey Brace 01 Jan '23

01 Jan '23

*Hello volunteer!* Thank you for your interest in volunteering for VCF East 2023! Volunteers are key to making our show successful. As thanks for volunteering, you will receive: t-shirt, overnight stay in the Sandy visitor center, access to the show and the warm and fuzzy feeling that you volunteered for a great non-profit like the Vintage Computer Federation. We are looking for volunteers to help before, during and after the show. *Pre-show: 12 people* - Setup tables, chairs, tablecloths, signs. - Move items from warehouse. - Setup A/V. Setup signs, etc. *Show days: 8 people per day (4-hour shift)* - Front desk - Sell tickets, swag - Manage consignment. - Operate A/V. *Post-show: 12 people for 4 hours* - Stack/move tables, chairs, beds. - Take down tablecloths, swag, signs. - Move items to warehouse. Main Setup is Thursday 10AM to 10PM. Some setup will be done on Wednesday. The show itself is: Friday, April 14: 8AM to 5PM Saturday, April 15: 8AM to 5PM Sunday, April 16: 8AM to 5PM If you are interested in being a volunteer, then please fill out the form here: https://forms.gle/UEbiFYvgEiBk9MS27. If you have an questions, then please e-mail the showrunner vcfeast(a)vcfed.org <vcfeast(a)vcfed.org> Thanks so much! ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner 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] New Year
by Christian Liendo 01 Jan '23

01 Jan '23

Happy New Year to you too and to everyone. Hope to see you all soon On Sat, Dec 31, 2022, 9:12 PM Bob Aviles via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Happy New Year to all!! > Bobby >

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New Year
by Bob Aviles 31 Dec '22

31 Dec '22

Happy New Year to all!! Bobby

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1968 Longley-Rice model in Fortran IV
by Herbert Johnson 31 Dec '22

31 Dec '22

>> the RF propagation model by Anita Longley and Phil Rice, still widely >> used after a half century. Going from one old report to another, I >> found the original 1968 CDC-3600 Fortran IV source code as an appendix ...and there's some C++ code and Python code in the mix. This looks like fun stuff to an old engineer like me; and some of my amateur radio friends too. Radio propagation is still an art among some hams these days. FORTRAN, well, that was my first programming language. I've sent you a private email, and I'll see if I can poke at this code myself. Thanks for posting notice of this work; your Web page shows good historic technical preservation at work. That's how it's done. Regards Herb Johnson -- 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 comcast DOT net

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Soviet Project SPHINX
by Mike Markowski 29 Dec '22

29 Dec '22

An impressive looking Soviet project from 1987: https://www.inexhibit.com/case-studies/project-sphinx-when-the-ussr-tried-t… Mike Markowski, ab3ap

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9000 subscribers for VCF's YouTube channel!
by Jeffrey Brace 29 Dec '22

29 Dec '22

VCF's YouTube channel is up to 9K subscribers! Only 1K more to get to our goal of 10K! https://www.youtube.com/@vcfederation ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner 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] Slightly O.T., Main Street Bar and Grill Revisited
by Jeff S 29 Dec '22

29 Dec '22

That's a very thoughtful act, Bill. We're all going to miss Cheryl. And I, in particular, am going to miss the Black and Bleu burger and a good on-tap IPA to wash it down with. On Wed, Dec 28, 2022, 9:36 PM Bill Inderrieden via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > In an effort to show our last patronage, Jeff Jonas and myself went to > dinner at Main Street Bar and Grill in Ocean, NJ. > > Representing VCF, a letter of recommendation, pictures of our Festivus > visit, and a gift card were presented to Cheryl, > our loyal server, as a parting gift. > > She said to us that Friday, December 30th, is the last business day for > the bar, so if you want to make a last visit, > you have only two days to make the trip. > > > Cheryl is moving to Virginia on Saturday and not looking back. We wish > her good wishes and best of luck. > > Bill Inderrieden > > > > >

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Tech Luminaries that we lost in 2022
by Jeffrey Brace 29 Dec '22

29 Dec '22

The late David Walden appeared at VCF East in 2018. Ken Gagne included him in an article with others. The article was published today: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3682772/14-tech-luminaries-we-lost-in… ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Slightly O.T., Main Street Bar and Grill Revisited
by svcatitc＠aol.com 28 Dec '22

28 Dec '22

In an effort to show our last patronage, Jeff Jonas and myself went to dinner at Main Street Bar and Grill in Ocean, NJ. Representing VCF, a letter of recommendation, pictures of our Festivus visit, and a gift card were presented to Cheryl, our loyal server, as a parting gift. She said to us that Friday, December 30th, is the last business day for the bar, so if you want to make a last visit, you have only two days to make the trip. Cheryl is moving to Virginia on Saturday and not looking back. We wish her good wishes and best of luck. Bill Inderrieden

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May you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
by Christian Liendo 27 Dec '22

27 Dec '22

I hope everyone is nice and warm, because it is COLD!!!!! If you got yourself a nice present related to the hobby then please share. Its always nice to see what new things people got. Just remember April is not that far away.

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Vendor Registration - VCF East 2023
by Jeffrey Brace 27 Dec '22

27 Dec '22

Anyone wanting to be a vendor should register here: https://forms.gle/zGsPxCcuDQBXm3fb7 Thanks! ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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1968 Longley-Rice model in Fortran IV
by Mike Markowski 26 Dec '22

26 Dec '22

I just subscribed to the list last week, still getting a feel for topics and hope this one is of interest. I was recently looking into the RF propagation model by Anita Longley and Phil Rice, still widely used after a half century. Going from one old report to another, I found the original 1968 CDC-3600 Fortran IV source code as an appendix in a report. After correcting the many OCR errors with O/D/0/Q, I/l/1 and similar, I posted about it to the PiDP11 mailing list. Several folks joined in and the code now runs on several old OSes in addition to F77 if you want to run it on linux. The output is, well, admittedly not as fun as a game, but if you want some contemporary code for your retro computing or happen to also be an EE working in RF, it is at https://udel.edu/~mm/itm/ Merry Christmas! Mike Markowski

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VCF East 2023 Exhibitor Registration
by Jeffrey Brace 26 Dec '22

26 Dec '22

VCF East 2023 Exhibit Registration is now open. Register your exhibit through this URL: https://forms.gle/u6NZVYUaqtwEWyX67 Thanks! ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Fwd: Merry Christmas (Use fixed width font)
by Duane Craps 25 Dec '22

25 Dec '22

-------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Merry Christmas (Use fixed width font) Date: Sun, 25 Dec 2022 10:28:13 -0500 From: Duane Craps <duane1219b(a)gmail.com> To: VCF <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> CC: Duane1219B(a)gmail.com MMMMMMMMM M M MMM M M MMMMMMMMM EEEEEEEEE E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E RRRRRRRRR R R R R RR R R R R R R R R RRR RRRRRRRRR R R R R RR R R R R R R R R RRR YY Y Y YYYYYY Y Y YY CCCCC C C C C C C C C C C C C HHHHHHHHH H H H H H HHHHHHHHH RRRRRRRRR R R R R RR R R R R R R R R RRR I I I I IIIIIIIII I I I I S SSS S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S SSS S T T T TTTTTTTTT T T T MMMMMMMMM M M MMM M M MMMMMMMMM S SSS S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S SSS S from my 1219 emulator

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A Mastodon Instance for VCF - an Invitation
by Andrew Diller 24 Dec '22

24 Dec '22

With support from the VCF Board I have created a new service for supporters of the Vintage Computer Federation: A VCF Mastodon instance. I have a direct invite to sign up below, or the public url if you just want to look around. I also have some Q&A words below that may help explain why we are doing this. Just go right to signup: https://social.vcfed.org/invite/QDJkojxi Take a look around: https://social.vcfed.org/public Why do we need this? Mastodon is a federated network of instances (servers) every person that wants to participate needs an account on an instance. Many instances have rules and themes around topics. I thought it would be interesting to have one centered around VCF, its supporters which acknowledges our charter and its goals. The Board agreed and we have created and then set up a server inside of VCF's AWS (Amazon) account. This hosts the Mastodon instance. Is VCF Leaving Twitter? No, VCF is exploring Mastodon in conjunction with continuing to use Twitter. Mastodon is an interesting federated technology and as such offers a unique and different way of engaging socially with others on the Internet. It complements Twitter and has some fun new ways of tracking events and postings, more like classic Twitter in terms of a straight non-influenced timeline. Why would I use VCF's Mastodon? There are a few reasons. One: we are here and offering accounts. Some of the larger M. instances have been overwhelmed with requests and are closed to new accounts. The VCF Mastodon Instance (VMI) is open and can allow an easy way for interested individuals to sign up and explore the fediverse with fellow VCF supporters. What did you just say? You can read more about the fediverse here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fediverse It's another interesting technology that has been around for a while but gained recent notoriety as more people have joined up. Mastodon is just one front-end application that participates in the larger fediverse. I have already seeded it with some interesting retro federated sites so you should see postings when you visit. If you decide to join up and start to follow people who are of interest to you it will widen the Federated stream on the site. Please feel free to click on the link and sign up for an account. So far I've found it interesting and fun. You can decide for yourself. If you have questions about using it once you sign up ask me via Mastodon DM me via Masto----> @dillera@social.vcfed.org Again, the VCF Instance is here: https://social.vcfed.org/public Happy Holidays -andy diller Social Media Manager, not Director, at VCFederation

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interesting unit
by Duane Craps 23 Dec '22

23 Dec '22

Looks like it could be a good storage device for 8 bit computers -- DuaneCraps sdɐɹɔ ǝuɐnp

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: Netflix studios coming to former Army base in Monmouth NJ
by Jeffrey Brace 23 Dec '22

23 Dec '22

On Fri, Dec 23, 2022 at 2:03 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > So how will this affect InfoAge(?) in the future? > There is no way to know for certain. The only way that I see it affecting InfoAge is in rental of different equipment. Of course there is a chance for someone at NetFlix to discover the history of InfoAge, do some filming and draw in more visitors. For the Vintage Computer Federation most shows that we have rented artifacts to in the past have been far away. This would be super close, so much easier to rent artifacts. As for VCF East, it may make it harder to get hotel rentals if there are a lot of people using up the local hotels. However this may incentivize more hotels to be built, which would be helpful overall. There are also plans to renovate or rebuild abandoned housing in the surrounding area since the Army moved out of Fort Monmouth. There have been other businesses that have moved into Fort Monmouth including churches, rehabilitation centers, CommVault, etc. This is the first really big named place to open up. There are still acres and acres and acres of undeveloped land (total area of Fort Monmouth is 1,126 acres). I know because I have read the local news and drive through the center of the campus periodically. I invited anyone when visiting VCF to drive through and see what I mean. Jeff Brace > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > On Dec 22, 2022, at 9:52 PM, Ethan O'Toole via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > > > "New $848M Netflix Studios Monmouth At Former New Jersey Army Base Is A > Firm Go; Co-CEO Ted Sarandos Sees “Billions In Economic Output” From 12 > Sound Stages – Update" > > > > "Netflix will pay $55 million for a big parcel of land in New Jersey, > then invest about $850 million to build a state-of-the-art production > studio, according to details of the streamer’s bid. " > > > > "The 289-acre site of Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth, a former army base, > would be one of the largest fully integrated production facilities in the > world and a very close second to Netflix’s biggest U.S. production hub in > Albuquerque, New Mexico, which totals 300 acres." > > > > > https://deadline.com/2022/12/netflix-studios-fort-monmouth-new-jersey-produ… > > > > So uh, this is really close to VCF. 10 mile drive according to the Goog > but much shorter as the crow flies. > > > > - Ethan > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: Netflix studios coming to former Army base in Monmouth NJ
by Christian Liendo 23 Dec '22

23 Dec '22

My crystal ball sees property value increases. Who knows, they may rent out the site for films, which will bring in some much needed cash flow. I say this is a good thing. Except for me because I can't move there now because it will be too expensive. On Fri, Dec 23, 2022 at 2:03 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > So how will this affect InfoAge(?) in the future? >

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OT: Netflix studios coming to former Army base in Monmouth NJ
by Ethan O'Toole 23 Dec '22

23 Dec '22

"New $848M Netflix Studios Monmouth At Former New Jersey Army Base Is A Firm Go; Co-CEO Ted Sarandos Sees “Billions In Economic Output” From 12 Sound Stages – Update" "Netflix will pay $55 million for a big parcel of land in New Jersey, then invest about $850 million to build a state-of-the-art production studio, according to details of the streamer’s bid. " "The 289-acre site of Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth, a former army base, would be one of the largest fully integrated production facilities in the world and a very close second to Netflix’s biggest U.S. production hub in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which totals 300 acres." https://deadline.com/2022/12/netflix-studios-fort-monmouth-new-jersey-produ… So uh, this is really close to VCF. 10 mile drive according to the Goog but much shorter as the crow flies. - Ethan

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What we can learn from vintage computing
by Herbert Johnson 22 Dec '22

22 Dec '22

Jeff Jonas discussed the IBM 1130 front panel. He noted well-labeled controls and computer operations to the single instruction or cycle or clock. It's good information. But Jeff ends with this: > All that was lost with the microprocessor :-( All the data busses and > registers are internal with no pins, thus relying on a monitor to > view/alter registers. That's the glory of REAL font panels: they're all > HARDWARE, they can't lie :-) The MITS Altair 8800, the IMSAI 8080, the MITS 680, the Ithaca Intersystems DPS-1; all supported MITS-class front panels. The earliest 1802 computers, same era, had a byte-level, single clock/instruction front panel (and little else). Home-built early 8008 and 8080 systems, often included front panels. Terminals were expensive, memory was limited, and front panels helped debug the hardware. People looking back today, don't appreciate the limited resources (and limited wealth) during 1970's micro computing. MITS people may not have known about the IBM 1130 front panel. But certainly, Ed Roberts knew about the Data General NOVA, which sat in his office, and which has a front panel. (David Greelish interview with Roberts.) The MITS front panel, like the Nova, permitted single-cycle and single-instruction operation of the 8080 microprocessor. It could not display registers, those are internal to the 8080. So, front panels were not "lost with the microprocessor". They simply fell out of favor, by the late 1970's. Briefly: as microcomputers became more powerful and hardware stabilized, software debugging was cheaper and preferable to hardware debugging. Computers designed for the office and home, were styled like office equipment. I lived through the era, it's hard to prove why something stopped happening. On "hardware panels can't lie". They can fail too. And some devices won't run at toggle-clock speeds. Problems may not manifest on a front-panel if they are intermittent. Front panels are a tool, like other tools they have utility or not. Should I say, "all that was lost, when personal computers became commonplace"? Things change, sometimes there's reasons. Regards, Herb Johnson retrotechnology.com -- 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 comcast DOT net

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NABU Disk images and Forum
by Andrew Diller 22 Dec '22

22 Dec '22

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqFx9Mc6vzY <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqFx9Mc6vzY> I love that they are tracking/working this out via the VCF Forums! https://forum.vcfed.org/index.php?threads/bad-disk-image.1240644/ What a change from just a few years ago when the forum seemed to be on the verge of fading away. Props to the VCF Team that has breathed new life into it. -andy

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[The Washington Post] Remember the pay phone? This man is bringing them back at no cost.
by Glenn Roberts 22 Dec '22

22 Dec '22

Interesting article about bringing back free “pay” phones. Hopefully everyone can click on the link below to read the story… (sent with the “gift” option in Washington Post app…) Remember the pay phone? This man is bringing them back at no cost. “There are lots of people who can’t afford a cellphone or a phone bill,” PhilTel co-founder Mike Dank said. By Cathy Free https://wapo.st/3YFblYX Download The Washington Post app. Sent from my iPad

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What we can learn from vintage computing
by Jeffrey Jonas 21 Dec '22

21 Dec '22

I could go on and on about the glory of the IBM 1130 front panel until I froth at the mouth and fall over backwards (arrrrrrrrrrrrgh!) Here's an attempt to summarize all its goodness. Lookit the panel itself https://www.technikum29.de/en/computer/ibm1130.php Everything is clearly labelled, easy to read. Logically arranged: registers on the left, status in the center, instruction and interrupts on the right. First of all, you SIT at the console with the keyboard and most of the switches in easy reach. Quite the "personal computer" of the time. The number of buttons & switches was minimal because many were multi-purpose depending on the magic "mode switch" on the far right of the display. "run" mode was the usual mode: run at full speed. Too fast? Interrupt-run caused a level 5 (low priority) interrupt after every instruction for tracing, breakpoints, watchpoints, etc. Still too fast? SI: single instruction. Each press of the "START" button ran ONE instruction and the CPU halted, showing the full status on the indicators. Still too fast? Try SMC: Single Memory Cycle. Core memory was a limiting factor so each instruction had 1-7 memory cycles: I1 I2 IX IA E1 E2 E3. I cycles were instruction fetch: first word, 2nd word, indexing, indirect addressing. E cycles were execution: depending on the number of memory accesses required (single word or double-word). The 1130 was somewhat unique in that addresses were for each 16-bit word. There was no byte access, thus no need to address bytes. Still too fast? Use SS: single clock cycle. There were usually 8 clock cycles per memory cycle, sometimes many more as controlled by the cycle control counter. This is where the machine internals REALLY show. A manual gave the flowchart of every instruction for you to follow along clock cycle by clock cycle. The top center shows 1-8 for the clock cycle. The bottom indicators were available for the CE (customer engineer) to wire up as required to debug circuits. There were even a few spare gates to help with 'watchdog' circuits when debugging the hardware. All that was lost with the microprocessor :-( All the data busses and registers are internal with no pins, thus relying on a monitor to view/alter registers. That's the glory of REAL font panels: they're all HARDWARE, they can't lie :-) -- jeff jonas

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Herb's Website made front page on HackerNews
by Herbert Johnson 19 Dec '22

19 Dec '22

It's a bit hyperbolic, to say my site "made the front page" of HackerNews. So, the precipitating event, possibly was https://www.retrotechnology.com/dri/d_dri.html#gaby an update in mid-June 2022 to the license that DRDOS Inc CEO Brian Sparks gave to the CP/M archive site some years ago. Sparks essentially owns CP/M. Read the fine Web pages for details. Otherwise, someone on HackerNews noted one of my many Digital Research Web pages http://www.retrotechnology.com/dri/ - home page for DRI https://www.retrotechnology.com/dri/d_dri.html - early DRI CP/M work http://www.retrotechnology.com/dri/dri_16bit.html - later probably found while Web searching for CP/M ownership information. My pages get attention, because "content is king on the Web" still holds. Here's what I mean. Few Web sites have followed the trail of sales of Digital Research assets, ending with Brian Sparks and DRDOS Inc. associates' final purchase. Few cover all the products of DRI, and their relationship to other software products, particularly 16-bit class products. Scope of content matters. I did all that, before Kildall's story became well-known in 2004, in a biographical write up contained in "They Made America". And, before the IEEE honored Kildall's first business location on the 40th anniversary of Kildall's first boot of CP/M (a date not well-established, by the way). Persistence of content matters. The scope of DRI and CP/M is a rich story. But most accounts of CP/M focus on Dr. Gary Kildall's life when CP/M began with him, and end with MS-DOS and the IBM PC in 1981. Nothing could be further from the truth. Kildall made other contributions after Digital Research, and had other issues. These I do not cover. I followed the CP/M trail from where it started, to many products and people impacted by it, and to wherever that led. Regards Herb Johnson retrotechnology.com -- 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 comcast DOT net

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Herb's Website made front page on HackerNews
by Christian Liendo 19 Dec '22

19 Dec '22

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34039000

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Televideo
by Bill Degnan 17 Dec '22

17 Dec '22

My apologies about the public post....Dimitri...call me at the shop about the Televideo. I still have the 286. Sorry I lost your original message. Thanks Bill

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Micro C issues are gone
by bob＠corshamtech.com 16 Dec '22

16 Dec '22

Micro Cs are spoken for? Bob

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8-bits and 80 columns
by John Heritage 16 Dec '22

16 Dec '22

Hey all -- Which (popular) 8-bit computers gained "easy" or even "standard" 80 column support? I know there are a ton more 8bits than I'll list below, but my understanding is: Atari 8bit -- XEP80 official accessory but almost no one bought it; used joystick ports.. slow and limited 80 column (black and white?). Atari did have a 60 column graphics/text mode IIRC. there is a software hack that uses narrow characters for '80 columns' but hard to read, and came out after the machine was no longer commerically sold. Apple II - supported via cards. If 80 column support became common, when did it become common? what was normal for color count, etc? C64 - C128 mode natively offered 80 column support; millions of these sold. So maybe common later on? 16 colors. PET - no 80 column? C Plus/4 - software hack? ZX Spectrum -- available via some clones only, not common? BBC Micro - Looks like a native mode for 80 column support? TRS-80 - no native 80 column support? Thanks! John

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Free to the first caller:
by Martin Flynn 16 Dec '22

16 Dec '22

Qty 2 SKU: FC1020042-01G Description: EMULEX FC1020042-01G 2GB 64BIT 133MHZ PCI-X FIBRE CHANNEL HOST BUS ADAPTER If there any takers, will leave in the top of the toolbox in the Makerspace

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] What we can learn from vintage computing
by Jeffrey Brace 16 Dec '22

16 Dec '22

On Thu, Dec 15, 2022 at 5:26 PM bob jeffway.com via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > I agree 100%!! > I co-teach a class at University Of Massachusetts in Amherst using Bob > Applegate's KIM-1 replicas. > We start with machine language programming, then move to an assembler, and > teach all the low-level stuff; address bus, data bus, controls, clock, etc. > and how to interface hardware. > > Bob Jeffway > > This is my first post, hopefully I did it right? Is a Reply All correct? > Hi Bob! Good to see you on the list and post. Yes your post worked and you are cleared to post in the future. I always do reply all to be safe. The Google app defaults to reply to sender and not all, so one has to go out of their way to reply all. Jeff Brace > On 12/14/2022 8:51 AM EST Jonathan Chapman via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > This is from a programmer's point of view but still interesting reading > > https://github.com/readme/featured/vintage-computing > > Decent article! There's absolutely value in learning this old stuff. I > still maintain that hacking on old computers at the architecture/machine > code/asm level gave me a distinct advantage over "academically stronger" > (better at memorizing, mostly) folks in college. > > I don't know if they're still doing it, but at some point in talking with > folks at the MIT Flea, someone had related that MIT was still offering > either a comp arch or comp org type of course using the PDP-11. This was > some time between 2010 and 2015. Like the article says, before a point it's > possible to understand all parts of a whole system. > > Thanks, > Jonathan > > -- ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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What we can learn from vintage computing
by Christian Liendo 14 Dec '22

14 Dec '22

This is from a programmer's point of view but still interesting reading https://github.com/readme/featured/vintage-computing

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Festivus 2022 Wrap-up
by Jeffrey Brace 13 Dec '22

13 Dec '22

It was really nice to see everyone and felt really festivus this weekend. It's a labor of love to spend hours planning, setting up and breaking down this event. I'm sorry that some couldn't make it. I'm sending out a note now before I forget and life takes off again and I'm too busy. So please excuse the rough and quick nature of this email. I know that if I don't send it now, then I may never remember. I felt like everyone really enjoyed Festivus and all that went on. First I want to thank David Riley for cooking all the burgers, hotdogs and bratwurst Saturday night. I want to thank Bernie S for cooking the Perogies on Sunday. Thanks to Ian for bringing lots of video games as well as CJ, Jeff Salzman and others who I'm forgetting. Thanks to Bill Inderrieden and others who helped me setup on Friday night. Thanks to Ian Litchefield who helped put the tables, chairs, couches, and beds back last night. Thanks to Doug for keeping the museum running smoothly with all the extra visitors from the Holiday Train Show and Bill, Ian, and Rick for supporting. I'm sure I'm forgetting some people. Please let me know what things that you liked and if you have any constructive criticism, please send that to me privately. I'm always looking to improve the event. Now I'm off to VCF East planning! ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Steering Committee Results
by Chris Fala 12 Dec '22

12 Dec '22

I was just reminded that only the people attending the Town Hall on Saturday evening know this information. Regarding the Steering Committee election, Doug Crawford and Alex Jacocks were reelected, and Jeff Salzman won the other seat. Congratulations to all three!!! I will be departing my position on the SC in January. It has been a pleasure serving VCF-MA. Chris

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8 mm data tapes new in box
by Sentrytv 11 Dec '22

11 Dec '22

Good morning to everybody who attended the non-Festivus event. On my table in the mini swapmeet area I had 8mm Data tapes Brand New in the box. They were not purchased by anybody but someone took them off my table last night. So I’m putting it out there for that person to come forward and pay me for them please. Or return them now please. Thank you Mike Rosen Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] What's the code for the door?
by RETRO Innovations 09 Dec '22

09 Dec '22

/me discovers new (to me) Weird Al song I now need to listen to... Thanks for the Friday pick-me-up. Jim

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Name Tags at Festivus
by Jeffrey Brace 09 Dec '22

09 Dec '22

I will be giving everyone a name tag at Festivus to know people's names. There will be some new people, so it will help everyone, not just the forgetful like me ;) ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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