- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

VCF East 2021 is coming! October 8, 9, 10
by Jeffrey Brace 01 Jun '21

01 Jun '21

I hope that everyone had an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. I'm in high gear planning for VCF East 2021. I'm excited that we will be able to do a live show this year. This year we have some exciting changes that I hope that everyone will like including: 1) Vendors mixed in with exhibitors (creates a more exciting atmosphere) 2) No more Saturday buffet dinner (everyone can freely choose where they want to eat) 3) After hours for exhibitors from 6PM to 11PM Saturday night. (Exhibitors have the chance to socialize outside of official exhibit hours) 4) Speakers spread out throughout the day (more things to do) 5) Early ticket desk opening and more efficient lines (no more rushing to first talk) 6) Overall flexibility (Common sense flexibility by the showrunner) 7) More changes to come. Registrations are open. If you want to *exhibit, * then please sign up here : https://forms.gle/V3BKoDuVSadewGSm6 If you want to *teach *a class, then please sign up here: https://forms.gle/1TGAYcqtAQjkKR2T9 If you want to be a *vendor, *then please sign up here: https://forms.gle/HdE4147K41ZZP8aq5 If you want to *volunteer*, then please sign up here: https://forms.gle/QATdT9XByfzK9AbE7 ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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IC sockets need a home
by William Dudley 31 May '21

31 May '21

Recently, there was a thread about buying IC sockets. That reminded me that I have a bunch that I will never use. Sadly, these are not machined contact sockets -- they're all "side wipe" sockets (they contact the broad side of the IC pin, not the narrow edge of the pin.) Here is the available inventory: 40 pin Robinson Nugent (RN) wire wrap - qty 9 40 pin Aries ZIF solder tail qty 1 40 pin Cambion wire wrap qty 4 40 pin "A" brand solder tail qty 34 28 pin AMP solder tail qty 60 20 pin AMP solder tail qty 105 The Museum gets first crack at these, and then y'all can figure out what to do with the rest (all) of them. All except the ZIF socket are NOS. All except the ZIF socket are tin plated. The large quantity items are in plastic "IC" tubes (the original packaging). The sockets are in Jackson, NJ. I can deliver to the Museum in Wall, NJ at the next workshop, or other arrangements can be made. Bill Dudley This email is free of malware because I run Linux.

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AES Plus 103 Word Processor Research
by Jeffrey Brace 30 May '21

30 May '21

A candaian researcher is looking for information on the AES Plus 103 word processor which was developed in Montreal, Canada. It was released in the US under the name: *Lanier No Problem* around 1978. If anyone has more info on the machine, please let me know. She had referenced this VCF forum article: https://www.vcfed.org/forum/forum/genres/other/46863-lanier-model-103-no-pr… Thanks! ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Nice story about getting into computers in the 80s
by Christian Liendo 30 May '21

30 May '21

https://madned.substack.com/p/a-teenagers-guide-to-avoiding-actual I thought this was a nice story because I got into IT roughly the same way. I was supposed to be a veterinarian not an IT person.

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Ken William's Sierra Book
by John Heritage 29 May '21

29 May '21

Hey All! - just a random opinion here, but I thought Ken William's book about Sierra ("Not All Fairy Tales have happy endings..") was great! I loved the variety of background and info -- on the business and how it was run at different stages, lessons learned from the various eras of Sierra, and especially the historical glimpse into what was going on behind the scenes in this market during my childhood. Lastly, having spent 20+ years in IT infrastructure, and always partnering with applications developers - it was cool to read the little interludes on 'how to be a developer', and especially how various games and even game genres came to be. I also took away that perhaps the PCjr (and Tandy 1000) were really the beginning of the end for Amiga and Atari ST -- because they set a standard for sound and graphics on x86 that made better fidelity gaming (and applications) possible in a "standard" way. Ken didn't mention the Amiga or ST, just my biased take from his discussions on what the PCjr offered (despite it's sales failures). Anyway, a lot of great stuff in the book! I'm thankful Ken took the time to write this. And I'm grateful the community is supportive of stuff like this so we get these kinds of insights. Thanks all! :).

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my first BYTE into computers (was My first computer memory was ...)
by Jeffrey Jonas 29 May '21

29 May '21

I got my first taste for computers while still in the crib. I teethed on tape write rings! Despite my dad programming computers since the 50s, it took a friend to really kick-start my interest. Ryan Junior High school had 3 programmable calculators in the vice principal's office for "independent study": a pair of Compucorp 025 Educators and an Olivetti Programma 101. Steven Popper showed me how to program them and I was hooked! I thought it was awesome being able to teach a machine to follow my directions. A key turning point was learning conditional branching. Now the machine was making DECISIONS! [using an "if" statement may sound trivial but those programmable calculators were very limited that way]. I learned the Compucorp so well that I wrote another folder of self-learn exercises and tutored others! I always adored using teeny FiloFax loose-leaf binders because I can rearrange the pages. I still have that notebook with my first programs. Francis Lewis High school in Queens may not sound prestigious but in the mid 70s, it was quite the "magnet school" with special programs such as the Math-Science Institute. The best math teachers were recruited and that spring-boarded the school's success, becoming the first public high school to achieve International Baccalaureate accredation http://ferretronix.com/flewis/#ib_footnote The math department taught computer programming as if it were a science lab experiment. Learn something (such as calculating the area under a curve), do it by hand, and then get the computer to handle the tedium of more and more points. We started by sharing one HP 9820A https://www.hpmuseum.org/hp9820.htm https://www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/hp9820a.html Then we learned EDU-25 basic on the PDP8/e with 2 terminals (originally ASR33 teletypes, later ADM3A). Having our own PDP8/e was a big deal. Few schools had a computer in-house. The main computers were batch. Programs were keypunched onto cards, using IBM 029 keypunches. Operators (such as myself) ran the IBM 3777 RJE (Remote Job Entry) terminal: a card reader and line printer to a modem. https://www.ricomputermuseum.org/collections-gallery/equipment/ibm-3777-mod… We dialed into 3 IBM mainframes: UAPC, MIDP or CCNY. Each was slightly different, requiring their own JCL (Job Control Language cards). Some ran HASP, others JES2. CCNY (City College of NY) had the student compilers: WATFIV, PL/C, SNOBOL, etc. UAPC (University Application Processing Center) was administration only: attendance, report cards, class scheduling. MIDP (Management Information Data Processing) was the board of education's mainframe, which was tolerable after the upgrade. I learned FORTRAN/WATFIV, PL/I, BAL, JCL and the operator commands among other things. The Cooper Union Computer Center was a PDP 11/45 running Unix version 6. What a joy to finally use INTERACTIVE TERMINALS (initially Olivetti teletypes, then ADM3A and Decwriters). Of course, K&R "C" was the main language. It was fun extending the Unix utilities with new features. I took ownership of the line printer system: LPR/LPD. See: http://ferretronix.com/cucc/ That's all for now!

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Freenode IRC drama
by Jeffrey Brace 28 May '21

28 May '21

I found out about this through Hackaday's article, but this has been going on for a little while now: https://hackaday.com/2021/05/20/freenode-debacle-prompts-staff-exodus-new-n… ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Kennett classic news
by Herb Johnson 23 May '21

23 May '21

https://www.kennettclassic.com/freestuff/ Among KC's free items, is an ASUS M5 motherboard. Yes, it's modern stuff. It happens I could use the parts or the unlikely chance the mobo works. This could be readily shipped but Bill reasonably is not offering that service. If someone travels to Kennett and is able to pick this item up with parts, and can simply pack it and postal ship, I'd pay postage to my ZIP 08618. Flat rate Priority Mail keeps the cost under $21 but may be less. Use some discretion in packing loose parts. Contact me privately for details as per my email addresses below. to Bill: I'll get down to the Kennett site sometime this season. What does June look like? Checking their calendar, I see they had a PDP 8/e repair session in April. How did that go? 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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My first computer memory was using a terminal
by Bill Degnan 23 May '21

23 May '21

I vaguely remember when I was in elementary school in the 1970s in delaware some U of Delaware students or a teacher gave me access to a computer via a terminal. It was a simple login prompt to connect to the library and look things up and play some kind of exercises that had conditional decisions to build a story. It wasn't Plato or anything like that. That was my first memory of computers, but I must have been very young as I don't remember much else. The thing that impressed me was how you could decide what to do next and it changed a story's outcome. I think we had a picture book that went with it (?) I always wonder what that was all about. It was a one-day thing and that was it. Many years later I heard about something called project Delta at the U of Del but I have no idea if that was the same thing or if it was just some U of Del student looking for nearby kids to experiment with. I remember going to the librarian in elementary school and asking to use the computer in the back office , maybe 5th grade, but there were no computers for kids to use. I started going to RadioShack and using their computers probably in 4th grade and the Hallmark had a Timex Sinclair on display there, but I did have a family computer until the later 80s. I somehow knew BASIC, which makes me wonder if I was taught BASIC too. I remember making the computer say "Bill is Cool" over and over and I thought that was really funny at the time. Bill

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Help with reversing some x86 code
by Richard Cini 23 May '21

23 May '21

All – Not sure I sent this to the list previously, but I’ve been working on a project on-and-off (http://cini.classiccmp.org/hal.htm) and could use some help from someone who’s very familiar with x86 code to give me the last push. The project page has the background and a link to the listing file with my detailed comments. This program bridges not only the original development of MS-DOS, but also the use of TOPS-10/TOPS-20. So, if anyone can help with this, I’d appreciate it. Thanks in advance! Rich -- Rich Cini http://cini.classiccmp.org http://altair32.classiccmp.org

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Volunteers need for VCF East 2021! Volunteer Registration
by Jeffrey Brace 21 May '21

21 May '21

Interested in volunteering for VCF East? Volunteers are the backbone of making the show run smoothly. This year, I'm creating a registration form to streamline volunteer support. I'm looking for volunteers for all areas of VCF East. The show doesn't happen without volunteer support, so let me know where and when you can help. Fill out this registration form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0yru702BssSMu8o_B9OemqYGe20HmXvp… It's much appreciated! Thanks so much! ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Sussex Hamfest July 18, 2021
by Sentrytv 20 May '21

20 May '21

> From: Sussex County Amateur Radio Club <W2LV(a)scarcnj.org> > Date: May 20, 2021 at 7:46:44 PM EDT > To: Sussex County ARC <hamfest(a)scarcnj.org> > Subject: Sussex Hamfest July 18, 2021 > Reply-To: Hamfest(a)scarcnj.org > > Hello Hamfester > > The Sussex County ARC Hamfest is "ON" for July 18, 2021 at the Sussex County Fair Grounds 37 Plains Rd. Augusta, NJ 07822 > > Fees for 2021 > > Buyer $8 > > Tailgate spot includes one admission $25 > > Indoor Tables $25 each > > Tailgate spots are on First to Arrive gets the spot they like. > > Contact us if you wish at ""Hamfest(a)Scarcnj.Org "" > > Tailgate and indoor setup on July 18th is at 6AM > > 73 from the Sussex Hamfest > > -- > Sussex County Hamfest Committee "Rain or Shine since 1979" >

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Kennett classic news
by Bill Degnan 20 May '21

20 May '21

Pending details announcement about the Kennett Classic event scheduled for September 25th...stand by KC will close early this weekend, special hours 10-2. https://www.kennettclassic.com/freestuff/ Bill

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Bernoulli Drives needed in working condition
by Herb Johnson 20 May '21

20 May '21

Dave responded to my points, with his points. I thought about it, but actually we see the same sorts of things in this discussion, and put some different values to them. That's good by me, discussions work that way. I see his points and I will consider them further. We aren't that far about, just differences in strategy and tactics. The action issue today, is what management will do about the donor's offer of data cartridges, and who might be found to execute if management want to accept conditions on that offer. So far, Dave and I are in neither category. So we are both "chatting" as I put it. He and I shared our views, I see no point in arguing between us, again it's not about either of us. I take his point, that discussion may lead to something and also has its own value. I'll leave it at that. Dave asks, what about the future, other such projects? "If you are going to shy away from a small thing, what happens when you have a big thing?" Yeah, that's a good question. I'd also call that "raising the stakes". It's a good way to consider policy. But that's not in play in this thread, I don't think. But it might be - I didn't know what Jeff would say next, when I wrote this. But I read ahead on the thread. ========================= Since Dave's post, before I posted what I wrote above, Jeff Brace blinds us with science, provides more facts. He explained what was potentially available. Like most "finds", it's an emerging situation. The drives are like the ones on my Web page - thus they are identified. There's 30, 40, 50 cartridges involved. And: two pairs of drives. Terms of providing the carts, are detailed. But my guess is, they are not final terms but done on-the-fly. They could change. That raises the stakes on the carts: at street value of the order of $20 a pop, that's several hundred dollars value minimum. And by the way: you'll also need cleaning carts, and often, to keep operating the drives. Maybe there's cleaning carts among the data carts Jeff saw. I know this much: I have a customer who says HE is still using these drives. So maybe these drives can be recovered and work again. So task one, is to get one drive inspected and working with one computer; maybe then both drives; maybe then on two computers. That's contingent on obtaining one or two controllers - without doubt. Getting something running is also necessary, to execute the deletion commitment. Task two - keep these running for a long activity, which I'll describe by guess. It's separate from running the system. Guessing about operation of the 10 MB Bernoulii drive, again what little I know. A "delete all files" operation must be tens of minutes effort, to load a cart, inspect, perform, inspect, remove. So that means some person-hours of work, to erase tens of carts, by simple math. Is this something the donor *really* wants to commit to, their personal or professional time? Where will they commit to do this? The systems may have to be moved, operated on the donor's site? Will that be practical? Can they be maintained? That's all I've got to say. I'm just guessing at the tasks involved. Maybe my discussion ("chatter") will be informative to whomever makes decisions about this acquisition and project. I can add, I have some IBM ISA controllers, which may be appropriate (I do not know), and which would have to be bought (not donated) and are not tested. Also cables, which may or may not be needed. I'll show them on my Web site when I get to it, in a day or two. It's pure circumstance that 1) I have these and 2) I happened to have a customer for them THIS WEEK. Otherwise they have been dormant for years. 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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Class Instructors for VCF East 2021
by Jeffrey Brace 20 May '21

20 May '21

Are you interested in teaching a class at VCF East? VCF East University Class of 2021 is on October 8 from 9AM to 5PM. Classes are usually about 45 minutes long with 15 minutes of Q&A. We are flexible if your topic has a need to run longer. We are looking for how-to classes ranging from programming to repair to informational. If you are interested, then please fill out this form: < https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeX86RAqQWN8O0b6EA5Qf0dyuq1UbwI0gh… > Keep in mind that this is an application and your submission will be considered for inclusion. We may ask you for clarifying information, so please provide as much information as possible. Deadline for registering a class is September 8, 2021. If you have any questions, then please e-mail the showrunner at vcfeast AT vcfed.org If you want to see examples of our previous classes from past years, then scroll down to classes: https://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/archives-show-summaries/vcf-east-archives/vc… Our virtual show had a lot of variety: https://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/archives-show-summaries/vcf-east-archives/vc… ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Which Amigas support 1.44MB/1.76MB floppy drives?
by John Heritage 19 May '21

19 May '21

Hey there - I was just curious which Amigas (and KS/WB versions) support 1.44/1.76MB floppy drives? I have an HxC emulator that can support 1.76MB ADF files, and I know some later Amigas can support this format, but it doesn't work on my Amiga 500, at least when booted to KS/WB 2.0 or 3.1. I believe the floppy controller on the Amiga is part of Paula, so what else changed that allowed this format to work? Would a stock 1200? Thanks! John

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OT: ham radio parts need home
by William Dudley 19 May '21

19 May '21

I'm going through my stuff and finding things I'll never ever use. Vacuum tubes and associated components are in that category. I haven't inventoried the (few remaining) vacuum tubes yet. Here are some oil filled high voltage can capacitors. If any of you have interest, you can have them for the cost of shipping (or local pickup in central NJ). One Cornell Dubilier "Dykanol A" Capacitor, 4uF @ 1500 V Two more in the same sized can, but no markings. Two Aerovox .25uF @ 2000 V One Sprague .25uF @ 2000 V Two similar sized cans with no markings (but painted olive drab) I don't really want to schlep this small amount of stuff to a hamfest. Recommendations of a "local to NJ" ham mailing list or antique radio mailing list would be useful. This email is free of malware because I run Linux.

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Photo Archive
by Christian Liendo 19 May '21

19 May '21

Did anyone ever get that going? I have a lot of photos I want to donate of MARCH/VCF events over the years.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Bernoulli Drives needed in working condition
by Gregg Levine 19 May '21

19 May '21

Hello! Same here! And Jeff B, then why did you react to mine when it came time to find the things. ----- Gregg C Levine gregg.drwho8(a)gmail.com "This signature fought the Time Wars, time and again." On Tue, May 18, 2021 at 9:50 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > I can never figure out why people take fuzzy blurry pictures and post them. > > > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > On May 18, 2021, at 9:41 PM, Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > <jeffrey(a)vcfed.org> > > > >> On Tue, May 18, 2021 at 5:06 PM Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic < > >> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >> > >> This caught my attention, because I likely have a clue about this tech. > >> > >> http://www.retrotechnology.com/aux/iomega10.html > >> > >> Are these the 'droids you are looking for? > >> > > > > Yes! They are the droids that I'm looking for! And FYI: Jedi mind tricks > > don't work with me ;) > > > >> First: the propositions, as stated by Jeff Brace: > >> > >>> Someone donated two 10x10 Bernoulli drives to VCF. They are in unknown > >>> condition. She gave us the manual, a cable and one cartridge. She wants > >> to > >>> donate the remaining cartridges, but would like to supervise the deletion > >>> of the data they have on them. So we need one in working condition first. > >> > >> and: > >> > >>> It is payroll data that the couple used for their business for many > >> years, > >>> so it is quite sensitive. > >> First: this appears to be a legal contract over property and services. > >> Not that I'm a lawyer. VCFed Incorporated may wish to examine these > >> terms, as Dave McGuire pointed out, and see if the Corporation wishes to > >> engage in such contracts with clients. Hint. Hint. > > > > Yes, Dave gave us some contract and we are looking to use it out of an > > abundance of caution. > > > >> Second: how many carts is this about, anyways? Ebay price - by luck I > >> happened to look recently - some tens of dollars each. Point being: why > >> spin all our wheels, just over a few carts? And: *are there any in the > >> VCFed Inventory already*? Just a thought. > > > > There are about 30 to 40 cartridges, maybe 50. I had them give me one for > > testing purposes because I'm pretty certain that VCF *doesn't* have any of > > these. Tony and the Inventory Committee would know better than me, but I > > have never seen any in the warehouse. > > > > Related: "two 10X10 drives" is ambiguous. Is it one cabinet with two > >> drives, as per my unit? That's my guess, and I show an example. > > > > It is two cabinets with two drives per unit. So two units like the one that > > you have. One is labeled "working", but who knows when it was last working. > > > >> Third: I see no "data recovery" in these terms, as suggested in the > >> chatter. Just data security. So: let the client keep the carts, if they > >> choose to destroy them, that would be sad. But that solves the problem, > >> no. further. fuss. needed. That's my recommendation. > > > > She wanted to destroy the cartridges. I didn't have time to research how > > rare they were, so I asked if we could have them. Then she said that there > > was payroll data that she wanted deleted. She wanted to go through the data > > herself and delete it herself once we got the drives working. > > ========================================= > > Jeff Brace > > Vice President & Board Member > > Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner > > Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity > > http://www.vcfed.org/ > > jeffrey(a)vcfed.org > "Be careful with that! It's an heirloom.", said the Doctor, as the guard were using a crude method to try to open his TARDIS.

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May Repair workshop - sockets
by Herb Johnson 19 May '21

19 May '21

> David Gesswein > Tue May 18 23:59:58 UTC 2021 > > On Tue, May 18, 2021 at 02:34:01PM -0400, Herb Johnson > >> Much discussion occurred about IC sockets. No one suggested purchase >> of machine-pin sockets, which is my choice. >> > > So I'm no one now :-). [reference to his suggestion in kind] > That was a lot of email to try to follow today. Of course, my apologies. And you provided my excuse. There has been a lot of email, which has drawn my attention as well. And I see Dave McGuire agrees with both of us. Martin says he'll consider both and look at prices; perhaps accommodate both factions. It is the buyer's choice. Those who use IXR's sockets, I believe should contribute back to replace them. So the users will have a vote, in the long term. Another way to argue the point, is to repair with sockets to match, unless all/most sockets are damaged. I believe our friend Jon Chapman AKA Systems Glitch, uses machine-pin to replace vintage sockets when damage is widespread. 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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Bernoulli Drives needed in working condition
by Herb Johnson 18 May '21

18 May '21

This thread and subject-matter, seems to me to be "much ado about nothing". Sorry. But there is so. much. chatter. about this Bernoulli drive and cartridge business, reasonable people can't keep their focus on *what the tasks are*, what is reasonable to do, and unreasonable to do, and by whom. This caught my attention, because I likely have a clue about this tech. http://www.retrotechnology.com/aux/iomega10.html Are these the 'droids you are looking for? Note: I'm in the process NOW of selling the drive. I may have some IBM controllers available. I'm not giving them away, this is stuff I sell. That's not exactly why I posted. So: what is all this chatter about, and what seems a plausible path forward? First: the propositions, as stated by Jeff Brace: > Someone donated two 10x10 Bernoulli drives to VCF. They are in unknown > condition. She gave us the manual, a cable and one cartridge. She wants to > donate the remaining cartridges, but would like to supervise the deletion > of the data they have on them. So we need one in working condition first. and: > It is payroll data that the couple used for their business for many years, > so it is quite sensitive. First: this appears to be a legal contract over property and services. Not that I'm a lawyer. VCFed Incorporated may wish to examine these terms, as Dave McGuire pointed out, and see if the Corporation wishes to engage in such contracts with clients. Hint. Hint. Second: how many carts is this about, anyways? Ebay price - by luck I happened to look recently - some tens of dollars each. Point being: why spin all our wheels, just over a few carts? And: *are there any in the VCFed Inventory already*? Just a thought. Related: "two 10X10 drives" is ambiguous. Is it one cabinet with two drives, as per my unit? That's my guess, and I show an example. Third: I see no "data recovery" in these terms, as suggested in the chatter. Just data security. So: let the client keep the carts, if they choose to destroy them, that would be sad. But that solves the problem, no. further. fuss. needed. That's my recommendation. If there are objections: 1) Google "who bells the cat?" Hint: it's about finding volunteers for difficult tasks. 2) Google "the lady who put salt in her coffee". Old-person alert - this is 19th century technology. It's about solving problems. 3) - if you think YOU can make this work, convince Jeff Brace and the corporation, and that you can execute on it. I won't touch that, myself. I don't make that offer. 4) - if you think more 10MB carts are important - buy some off eBay. Or donate $$$ to VCFed Inc and they can buy them. Myself: I'll consider it, depending on what becomes of this donation, and my own sale of my drive (if that's the drive in question). So here's my specific advice, since I'm posting so much already. Tell the donor: "Thank you for the donation of the drive equipment and the single disk cartridge. Unfortunately, we are not in the business of data destruction and deletion. And we will not be able to operate the drive anytime in the near future: our resources to restore and operate equipment are voluntary and limited; it needs a controller we would have to acquire. "So we are not able to satisfy your terms of assured data destruction; so we cannot accept your data cartridges. If we become aware of such services, we'll provide you with contact information as a courtesy, for your own considerations. Thank you again for helping us in our goals of preserving vintage computing technology." This solves all problems, with no additional resources of time, money, materials or performance by individuals or VCFed Inc.. And that is my contribution to the discussion. That, and a link to what I think may be similar tech. At some point soon in time, I may add IBM controller information to my Bernoulli Web page. That may be useful for information. If VCFed has some interest in items I have, they or their donors can contact me for prices. Those items are untested, as-is, without warranty or fitness for use. 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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May Repair workshop - sockets
by Herb Johnson 18 May '21

18 May '21

> Dean, > I’m ordering sockets for CDL stock / is there a specific type that is preferred ? > > Martin Flynn > Martin, thank you. I’m not sure. Perhaps Jeff S, Herb, Ian, et al would > have a better idea of common sockets types we’re likely to go through > Dean Notarnicola Much discussion occurred about IC sockets. No one suggested purchase of machine-pin sockets, which is my choice. "Double wipe" sockets are preferred by others. CDL "should" purchase whichever style they find satisfactory. As to number of pins: some of all kinds should be stocked by CDL, they will get used eventually. But pin-counts above 40 are somewhat specialized. - 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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those S-100 connectors
by Dave McGuire 18 May '21

18 May '21

Those EDAC S-100 backplane connectors are $9.01/ea at DigiKey, FYI. I'm usually a Mouser man, but DigiKey's $9.01 sure beats Mouser's $16.80. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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Bernoulli Drives needed in working condition
by Jeffrey Brace 18 May '21

18 May '21

Someone donated two 10x10 Bernoulli drives to VCF. They are in unknown condition. She gave us the manual, a cable and one cartridge. She wants to donate the remaining cartridges, but would like to supervise the deletion of the data they have on them. So we need one in working condition first. As I understand it, the drives need a special card on an "older" PC to operate. She disposed of the PC that had that card. Is there anyone who has this card and can get these drives in working order so that the lady can delete her data? ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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H89 for museum; gotek?
by Herb Johnson 18 May '21

18 May '21

Preserving continuity of thread-subject; item below was posted in the May Repair thread. - Herb > [vcf-midatlantic] May Repair workshop > jsalzman at gmail.com jsalzman at gmail.com > Tue May 18 12:35:40 UTC 2021 > > > I did more work with my own recently acquired H89 that I brought. Herb was > eminently helpful in figuring out what I had available, and was able to get > it booted with the disks that came with the acquisition. I spent most of > the weekend working out some of its little issues after it had been sitting > for over 30 years. > > [other matters deleted] > > One of the last things I did before leaving the event was to take a closer > look at the Museum's H-89 that Herb was working on. I pulled the drive > controller card and found a great amount of green rot on the main > controller IC's socket and pins. There was no noticeable damage to the > board. I replaced the socket and cleaned up the pins of the IC. That > didn't change the behavior of the drive controller, but it was certainly a > needed fix. The rest of the board is all 74XX TTL logic. The board could be > refurbished easily if the primary controller chip is still good. There were > a couple TTL chips that had similar rot on them, but not nearly as bad. It > was running late for me, so I didn't repair/replace those sockets at that > time. > > Jeff Salzman Jeff, thanks for the Sunday follow up on the Museum's H89. If I can work on it again, I will contact Jeff Brace accordingly to set a date. I see mid-June is a workshop, but I could stop by when the Museum is open. On Saturday, the H89 was working, booting HDOS, but had some issues. I saw some socket and chip corrosion, probably due to some local moisture; I took no action, Jeff Salzman did his follow up, thanks for working on that floppy controller. I don't believe I saw problems with the floppy controller. The problems I found were: some keyboard keys did not produce the right ASCII code (garbage); cause undetermined. There's a 20V DC issue (details previously in this thread) which I haven't decided on a fix for, it is not "broken" just too high for known reasons. Also I did not restore the H89 external drive's gummy spindle; I did restore the H89 internal drive's spindle, same brand/model of drive. So the same fix is needed. If I'm smart, I'll bring a working drive of the same brand and model if I have one in my stock: save myself on-site time. Or I will rob one from another H89 in VCFed Inventory. (If people are curious, I'll identify the drive at some point.) Plan B, would be to restore another H89 from the VCFed Inventory. A backup unit is also a good Plan B for the Museum. I'll inspect the inventory of H89's if time permits or parts are needed. 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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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] GSA lighthouse offices available
by Christian Liendo 18 May '21

18 May '21

I have done work at some of them (USCG reservist), some of them get flooded and I think the salty air is not that great for computers . It would be cool to have an event there, but not store or keep computers there for a prolonged period of time. On Sun, May 16, 2021 at 6:28 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Here is a link that I found online after I read a newspaper article referring to the federal government, general services administration, providing free offices to Nonprofit organizations and others. > These “offices” happen to be old light houses that are no longer are used. > Would it be interesting if VCF were to have a computer museum in a lighthouse? > Link is below. > > https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mprnews.org/amp/story/2021/05/15/free-offi… > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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Vendor Tables at VCF East
by Jeffrey Brace 18 May '21

18 May '21

Hello vintage computer vendors, VCF East is planned to be a live in-person show October 8, 9 & 10. It looks like it will be the biggest show yet with lots of great speakers, exhibitors, classes and of course vendors. Would you like to have a vendor table VCF East? I have created a vendor registration for you to fill out. If you have any questions, then please ask me! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdbmxktA4G_Jb_ZtVYIOa66cJG7TebmKNd… ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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May Repair workshop
by Jeffrey Brace 18 May '21

18 May '21

Much thanks to Tony and Dean for managing the workshop on Saturday and part of Sunday. I had a much needed break from doing the workshops each month. The May repair workshop had half the number of usual suspects, but a lot got done. Lots of good work done by the people there. It also made it easier to find a place to go out to dinner as a larger group of 15 is harder to accomodate on a Saturday night. I know that Jeff Salzman and Herb were working on the H89, and got it mostly working. So hopefully at the June repair workshop we can get Alex Bodnar to come take a look at it since he seems to be highly recommended in repairing these machines. I know that Bill I and Jeff Jonas were making progress in the warehouse. I'm not sure what else went on. I got there at 1PM on Sunday. Maybe others can fill us in on their progress in different areas. Next repair workshop is June 12 & 13. Look for the next e-mail for the sign up. ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Bernoulli Drives needed in working condition
by Dave McGuire 18 May '21

18 May '21

On 5/18/21 10:59 AM, Ben Greenfield via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > That would make sense. They probably have old digital artwork.. I'm not sure why one would assume artwork. Heck I stored nuclear detonation simulation data on them at work, and 8051 assembler source code on them at home! -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Bernoulli Drives needed in working condition
by Jeffrey Brace 18 May '21

18 May '21

On Tue, May 18, 2021 at 10:56 AM Ben Greenfield via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > It’s important to realize that when I was introduced to Bernoulli’s in ’92 > they were already outdated. > What could this data possible be and who is a alive that would care... > It is payroll data that the couple used for their business for many years, so it is quite sensitive. > > > On May 18, 2021, at 10:54 AM, Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > On 5/18/21 10:49 AM, Ethan Dicks via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > >> Yes, you _can_ get edge bits and weak bits and all of that, but who is > >> going to go to that much effort? > > > > A lot of this (ok, ALL of this) is a psychological issue. Most people > > and organizations have a dramatically inflated opinion of the value of > > their data. The reality is that nobody really cares, in the vast > > majority of cases. > > > > LSSM has a boilerplate data protection/destruction contract (i.e., > > protect until we can destroy) that we've used to assuage the concerns of > > these types of people. It has satisfied the donor in the dozen or so > > times it has been used. > > > > One was a payroll company with live data on drives, and it was > > reviewed by their legal department. > > > > The contract is pretty simple, but I can send it over to VCF folks if > > it would be useful. > > > > -Dave > > > > -- > > Dave McGuire, AK4HZ > > New Kensington, PA > >

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The June Repair Workshop Signup
by Jeffrey Brace 18 May '21

18 May '21

The next repair workshop @ Camp Evans will be June 12 & 13. Signup is here: < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11iQyGDYyrFsAFQp73YwYnL-3soQIVDGOLid… > ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Apple Lisa XL and HP 41 for sale (not mine)
by Jeffrey Brace 17 May '21

17 May '21

David N. Hingston (dhingston(a)comcast.net) is selling the following: 1) Apple Lisa 2/10 It was converted to a Mac XL and it worked the last time it was turned off some 35 years ago. He has a pile of original apps for it (Odesta, AEC, Mac3D, etc.) with original documentation, and he may have the original Lisa motherboard somewhere. 2) HP41 calculator It has a number of accessories: a programming wand and a book of barcodes, specialty program cards, keyboard inserts, original manuals, etc. Contact him by e-mail if interested. ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] GSA lighthouse offices available
by Gregg Levine 16 May '21

16 May '21

Hello! Yes it would be. If there was one closer to the present location. or is that yet another museum? Especially as I thought the one that lives at InfoAge was part of the VCF commitment to the location? And remember that was written by the people who brought us that strange serial about a strange location in that area. ----- Gregg C Levine gregg.drwho8(a)gmail.com "This signature fought the Time Wars, time and again." On Sun, May 16, 2021 at 6:29 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Here is a link that I found online after I read a newspaper article referring to the federal government, general services administration, providing free offices to Nonprofit organizations and others. > These “offices” happen to be old light houses that are no longer are used. > Would it be interesting if VCF were to have a computer museum in a lighthouse? > Link is below. > > https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mprnews.org/amp/story/2021/05/15/free-offi… > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. "I said do be careful with that! That's an heirloom.", the Doctor might have said that about his TARDIS.

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VCF East 2021 Exhibitor Registration is open!
by Jeffrey Brace 16 May '21

16 May '21

Sorry for the delay, but we wanted to make sure everything was in place as we start gearing up for VCF East 2021! Our assumption is that we will be doing a live show with few restrictions as things are looking really good in New Jersey and are expected to be even better by October. This is the link for registration of your exhibit: https://forms.gle/HMMqS5NbaS3Cu5c18 Over the next few weeks we will be sending out updates on VCF East 2021. We already have some exciting speakers lined up for the show and we have some changes to the show that I hope everyone will find exciting and make it a more festive Festival. ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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GSA lighthouse offices available
by Sentrytv 16 May '21

16 May '21

Here is a link that I found online after I read a newspaper article referring to the federal government, general services administration, providing free offices to Nonprofit organizations and others. These “offices” happen to be old light houses that are no longer are used. Would it be interesting if VCF were to have a computer museum in a lighthouse? Link is below. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mprnews.org/amp/story/2021/05/15/free-offi… Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Sun server not mine
by Bill Degnan 16 May '21

16 May '21

And i have a free sun server available Kennettclassic.com/freestuff/ On Sun, May 16, 2021, 4:26 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > https://www.facebook.com/groups/vintagecomputerswapmeet/permalink/400865625… > > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. >

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Sun server not mine
by Sentrytv 16 May '21

16 May '21

https://www.facebook.com/groups/vintagecomputerswapmeet/permalink/400865625… Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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H89 for museum; gotek?
by Herb Johnson 16 May '21

16 May '21

The subject of the Museum's H89 and the May workshop continues. I'm not discussing the GoTek. In short summary, it works but there's some problems. It is not ready for Museum operation. I did not have time, to work on the companion external floppy drive, but I am aware of certain problems with it. I counted the H89's in the Warehouse, there are several which I did not examine closely. I will follow up in due course. Thanks to Jeff Saltzman, he provided assistance and tools some bootable diskettes from the H89 he successfully was able to operate. Thanks to CDL for their tools and workspace. Thanks to the VCFed staff for their assistance and borrowing the Radio Club's Variac, and conducting me to the Warehouse to assess the H89's there. By "works", I mean I could boot a HDOS 40 track hard-sectored diskette to the HDOS prompt. But 1) two characters on the keyboard, I and K and J, produce odd results. So it's hard to operate the H89 if you can't "type" I or J or K. The H89 has a CPU/computer board and a seperate terminal board, they are connected by a serial link. so the problem is more likely on the "terminal" side. 2) The drive and controller are single-sided 40 track and hard sectored. So only HDOS and CP/M disks for the Heath H89 in that format can be used. The drive initially did not spin disks well because the hub mech was gummed up. I disassembled, cleaned, relubricated that mech. 3) There's tantalum caps on the CPU board of the system which are running just at rated voltage (20 volts). From my experience, they are at risk of shorting and catching fire. They could be replaced with higher voltage ratings, or possibly the DC voltage can be reduced, or the H89 can be run at reduced AC voltage (below 120VAC which is at-the-outlet at InfoAge). These are known issues with known solutions. (Readers: there's no need to go nuts about diagnosing these problems. They are known to any H89 owner who does repairs. I'm not stumped. I'm just sayin', these are the results of a day's work. ) The H89 as displayed, has a companion disk drive in cabinet. The drive in it matches the drive described in the H89. It has at least the same gummy-spindle problem. I did not power it up or work on it Saturday, I won't be there Sunday. In the warehouse are about six H89's, condition undetermined. Rumor is, some were provided as with issues. I did not assess their operating condition, I just counted them, they are stored where they should be. I emailed some details to Jeff Brace today, and put paper notes on the units for the Museum staff. I'll publish details on my Web site in due course. I may be able to work further on these items, to be determined. 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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Workshop schedule vs. Hamfest schedule
by Sentrytv 16 May '21

16 May '21

Hamfest schedule will determine whether I can make it or not, I had a full day at the hamfest yesterday. I just didn’t feel like making it to the workshop today, sorry. thanks for the invite I’ll try and make next one if I can Mike Rosen Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > On May 14, 2021, at 6:23 PM, Jeffrey Brace <jeffrey(a)vcfed.org> wrote: > > >> On Fri, May 14, 2021 at 5:14 PM Sentrytv <sentrytv(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >> I would love to come to the workshop tomorrow but I can’t. >> I will be selling my off some of my stuff up at the hamfest in Succasunna, New Jersey on Saturday. >> I may be able to try for Sunday but not sure yet. >> It would be nice to see these systems. > > Well I hope that you can make it, if not then the next repair workshop on June 12 & 13. > >> >> Mike Rosen >> >> Sent from: >> My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. >> >> > On May 14, 2021, at 3:52 PM, Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >> > >> > >> >> >> >>> On Sun, May 9, 2021 at 5:42 PM Jeff Salzman wrote: >> >>> I have an H89 that was donated to me, for my collection. I will not be >> >>> donating it to the museum. The museum already has one. However, I will be >> >>> bringing this system to the next Workshop to clean, troubleshoot if >> >>> necessary, and test. >> >>> >> >>> Along with what I received are about 150 SSDD hard sectored disks of >> >>> personal software from when this system was being actively used back in the >> >>> late 70s/early 80s. >> > >> >>> I don't see [the museum's] >> >>> need for more than three or four disks on hand for demonstration >> >>> purposes, just like the Osborne and Zorba. >> > >> > Looks like I'll be able to attend the Workshop tomorrow. So I'll be able to assist Jeff Salzman with the Museum's H89 and his new acquisition, if that would be useful. Otherwise I offer to look at the Museum's warehouse of H89's and assess them while Jeff does his work. I'll bring some component parts but it's likely Jeff will bring what he needs. I assume he can do some repairs, and likely he'll bring his own diskettes along with the ones he acquired. If not, we can work with what's available. There's variacs around and that's a good tool for dormant computers. >> > >> > The Heath H89 is a good example of early 1980's Z80 personal computers, and noteworthy as a Heath product. For those unfamiliar, Heathkit was a premier electronics kit company for many decades, in the mid-20th century where one could make a career and job from servicing electronics. They provided test equipment, radio amateur equipment; their products were both learning tools and teaching tools. The H89 was a good business computing system, with support from local Heathkit stores and local computer stores of the era. The Z-100 followed the H89 and became a noteworthy MS-DOS computer and an S-100 system; the H8 was an early 8080 computer before the H89. >> > >> > They are all entirely serviceable today as is much 1970's 1980's equipment if one has digital-component-level skills; that being my interests. They ran CP/M and Heath's HDOS and have VT52-class graphics, so there's lots of software they can run. For some time, SEBHC folks have made new Heath-class boards, so that generates 21st century interest. >> > >> > 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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more free stuff @ kennettclassic
by Bill Degnan 16 May '21

16 May '21

Items for free I wish I had time to work on everything but here is what's currently free for the taking to help keep the space free of clutter. Located in Kennett Square, PA. - Sperry XT-class PC (no power supply) - IBM Selectric II Typewriter (partially working, needs TLC) - Dell Server-class UPS (needs new battery) - Heathkit H89 (has power supply and other issues, donated by Alex Bodnar) - 3 XP/Vista class laptops with UBUNTU installed - modern Asus M5A99X EVA R2.0 motherboard (unsure status) - Kilobaud magazines - Various cables all types (Take one if you need one) Updated weekly: https://www.kennettclassic.com/freestuff/ https://www.kennettclassic.com/contact.cfm FIRST COME FIRST SERVED. It's free so you get what you pay for. If you must have something from this list, meatball sandwiches talk. Bill

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] more free stuff @ kennettclassic
by Bill Degnan 16 May '21

16 May '21

1st come first served. You are the 2nd person to ask...I am not in the office tomorrow, but someone will be from 9-5 mon-friday and 11-5 saturday. If someone takes it I will update the kennettclassic.com/freestuff directory. Bill On Sat, May 15, 2021, 8:50 PM Bob Aviles via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Hi Bill, > I don't know if you remember me, I brought a couple of stuff from you > like the TRS monitor, Commodore Pet Disk drive 8050, and IEEE cable. > Anyway, I am very interested in the Heathkit 89, and Kilobaud magazines if > you still have it? I can pick it up. > Have a nice weekend. > Thank you Bobby > On Saturday, May 15, 2021, 04:15:35 PM EDT, Bill Degnan via > vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Items for free > > I wish I had time to work on everything but here is what's currently > free for the taking to help keep the space free of clutter. Located > in Kennett Square, PA. > > - Sperry XT-class PC (no power supply) > - IBM Selectric II Typewriter (partially working, needs TLC) > - Dell Server-class UPS (needs new battery) > - Heathkit H89 (has power supply and other issues, donated by Alex Bodnar) > - 3 XP/Vista class laptops with UBUNTU installed > - modern Asus M5A99X EVA R2.0 motherboard (unsure status) > - Kilobaud magazines > - Various cables all types (Take one if you need one) > > Updated weekly: > https://www.kennettclassic.com/freestuff/ > > https://www.kennettclassic.com/contact.cfm > > FIRST COME FIRST SERVED. It's free so you get what you pay for. If > you must have something from this list, meatball sandwiches talk. > > Bill > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] [OT] Workshop visit
by Dean Notarnicola 15 May '21

15 May '21

There’s only two of us here., four others went to dinner. Not much going on otherwise, but you’re welcome to come by! On Sat, May 15, 2021 at 6:13 PM laurakid via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Hey all at the workshop. As I mentioned before I am stuck procrastinating > on my taxes (I should have just come, I’ve been completely unproductive). > I am gonna finally get started soon but if there are no objections I would > love to stop by for a social visit and see what everyone’s up to. Also > willing to help out if anyone needs help. > Let me know. > - Laura 908-456-5580 > > > Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone >

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[OT] Workshop visit
by laurakid 15 May '21

15 May '21

Hey all at the workshop. As I mentioned before I am stuck procrastinating on my taxes (I should have just come, I’ve been completely unproductive). I am gonna finally get started soon but if there are no objections I would love to stop by for a social visit and see what everyone’s up to. Also willing to help out if anyone needs help. Let me know. - Laura 908-456-5580 Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] H89 for museum; gotek?
by Jeffrey Brace 15 May '21

15 May '21

On Sat, May 15, 2021 at 6:38 AM laurakid via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > I may not be able to make it. I am going to try. Didn’t get my taxes > done yet 🤦‍♀️ > OK. Sorry you can't make it. I have to do my taxes too! Hope to see you at the next repair workshop! Also, please create a separate topic thread when changing the subject. This is helpful when when someone is going back to research a particular topic (i.e. Heathkit H89). Thanks and take care! > > > Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone > > > On Saturday, May 15, 2021, 3:19 AM, Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > On Fri, May 14, 2021 at 9:40 PM Gregg Levine <gregg.drwho8(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > > > Hello! > > Jeff are late registrants allowed? If possible I might be able to make > > > > Yes. Late registrants are allowed. We have plenty of room. > > > > the Sunday one. Can't completely commit to that though. If not, then > > it might be the June one. Except where will that one be held? There's > > one that needs Amtrak not NJ transit. > > > > June is @InfoAge. July is @System Source. > > > > > > Reason being is that I have a Compaq Portable 2 who shot itself in the > > harddrive not too long ago, I want to replace its 21M harddrive with a > > 32MB CF device. > > > > OK. > > > > ----- > > Gregg C Levine gregg.drwho8(a)gmail.com > > "This signature fought the Time Wars, time and again." > > > > On Fri, May 14, 2021 at 6:23 PM Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic > > <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > > > On Fri, May 14, 2021 at 5:14 PM Sentrytv <sentrytv(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > > > > I would love to come to the workshop tomorrow but I can’t. > > > > I will be selling my off some of my stuff up at the hamfest in > > Succasunna, > > > > New Jersey on Saturday. > > > > I may be able to try for Sunday but not sure yet. > > > > It would be nice to see these systems. > > > > > > > > > > Well I hope that you can make it, if not then the next repair workshop > on > > > June 12 & 13. > > > > > > > > Mike Rosen > > > > > > > > Sent from: > > > > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > > > > > > > On May 14, 2021, at 3:52 PM, Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic < > > > > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > > > > > > >> > > > > >>> On Sun, May 9, 2021 at 5:42 PM Jeff Salzman wrote: > > > > >>> I have an H89 that was donated to me, for my collection. I will > > not be > > > > >>> donating it to the museum. The museum already has one. However, I > > will > > > > be > > > > >>> bringing this system to the next Workshop to clean, troubleshoot > if > > > > >>> necessary, and test. > > > > >>> > > > > >>> Along with what I received are about 150 SSDD hard sectored disks > > of > > > > >>> personal software from when this system was being actively used > > back > > > > in the > > > > >>> late 70s/early 80s. > > > > > > > > > >>> I don't see [the museum's] > > > > >>> need for more than three or four disks on hand for demonstration > > > > >>> purposes, just like the Osborne and Zorba. > > > > > > > > > > Looks like I'll be able to attend the Workshop tomorrow. So I'll be > > able > > > > to assist Jeff Salzman with the Museum's H89 and his new acquisition, > > if > > > > that would be useful. Otherwise I offer to look at the Museum's > > warehouse > > > > of H89's and assess them while Jeff does his work. I'll bring some > > > > component parts but it's likely Jeff will bring what he needs. I > > assume he > > > > can do some repairs, and likely he'll bring his own diskettes along > > with > > > > the ones he acquired. If not, we can work with what's available. > > There's > > > > variacs around and that's a good tool for dormant computers. > > > > > > > > > > The Heath H89 is a good example of early 1980's Z80 personal > > computers, > > > > and noteworthy as a Heath product. For those unfamiliar, Heathkit > was a > > > > premier electronics kit company for many decades, in the mid-20th > > century > > > > where one could make a career and job from servicing electronics. > They > > > > provided test equipment, radio amateur equipment; their products were > > both > > > > learning tools and teaching tools. The H89 was a good business > > computing > > > > system, with support from local Heathkit stores and local computer > > stores > > > > of the era. The Z-100 followed the H89 and became a noteworthy MS-DOS > > > > computer and an S-100 system; the H8 was an early 8080 computer > before > > the > > > > H89. > > > > > > > > > > They are all entirely serviceable today as is much 1970's 1980's > > > > equipment if one has digital-component-level skills; that being my > > > > interests. They ran CP/M and Heath's HDOS and have VT52-class > > graphics, so > > > > there's lots of software they can run. For some time, SEBHC folks > have > > made > > > > new Heath-class boards, so that generates 21st century interest. > > > > > > > > > > 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 > > > > "Don't do that!", goes the Second Doctor. > > > > > >

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H89 for museum; gotek?
by Herb Johnson 15 May '21

15 May '21

> On Sun, May 9, 2021 at 5:42 PM Jeff Salzman wrote: > >> I have an H89 that was donated to me, for my collection. I will not be >> donating it to the museum. The museum already has one. However, I will be >> bringing this system to the next Workshop to clean, troubleshoot if >> necessary, and test. >> >> Along with what I received are about 150 SSDD hard sectored disks of >> personal software from when this system was being actively used back in the >> late 70s/early 80s. >> I don't see [the museum's] >> need for more than three or four disks on hand for demonstration >> purposes, just like the Osborne and Zorba. Looks like I'll be able to attend the Workshop tomorrow. So I'll be able to assist Jeff Salzman with the Museum's H89 and his new acquisition, if that would be useful. Otherwise I offer to look at the Museum's warehouse of H89's and assess them while Jeff does his work. I'll bring some component parts but it's likely Jeff will bring what he needs. I assume he can do some repairs, and likely he'll bring his own diskettes along with the ones he acquired. If not, we can work with what's available. There's variacs around and that's a good tool for dormant computers. The Heath H89 is a good example of early 1980's Z80 personal computers, and noteworthy as a Heath product. For those unfamiliar, Heathkit was a premier electronics kit company for many decades, in the mid-20th century where one could make a career and job from servicing electronics. They provided test equipment, radio amateur equipment; their products were both learning tools and teaching tools. The H89 was a good business computing system, with support from local Heathkit stores and local computer stores of the era. The Z-100 followed the H89 and became a noteworthy MS-DOS computer and an S-100 system; the H8 was an early 8080 computer before the H89. They are all entirely serviceable today as is much 1970's 1980's equipment if one has digital-component-level skills; that being my interests. They ran CP/M and Heath's HDOS and have VT52-class graphics, so there's lots of software they can run. For some time, SEBHC folks have made new Heath-class boards, so that generates 21st century interest. 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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Cp/m for c128
by Eric Rangell 14 May '21

14 May '21

Hello all, If anyone has a CP/M master disk or any other Commodore CP/M disks for the Commodore 128 I'd like to try preserving them with the Applesauce in the museum. I am bringing a bunch of GCR and MFM disks to test the latest version for other computer models. Thanks, Eric

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CP/M for Mac
by Jeffrey Brace 14 May '21

14 May '21

Interesting emulator for OS/X on the Mac: https://hackaday.com/2021/05/13/apple-gets-cp-m/#more-476308 ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Mac IIci, dead after power on
by Herb Johnson 14 May '21

14 May '21

I'm a little confused by the telegraphic (short) descriptions that Ethan gives for what he's repaired on and the symptoms of his IIci. (Hint: I think his Mac may be running but it's not producing a VGA-compatible video.) Here's the translation and the gloss to explain it. My read is: the Mac when bought, was dead, no power no video no audio. (Macs "chime", a musical chord, on power up. He describes "chime" but maybe he means "when the power button is pressed to start the Mac".) He then recapped the what? motherboard? power supply? - still no video or maybe no audio. But he says he measures DC power. The 68K Macs (ones with a 68000 series processor), like PCs, operate the power supply from a start-up circuit which is activated by a push-button to the motherboard (mobo) starting circuit. There's a button on the motherboard, and there's also a power key on the Mac ADB-type keyboards (as he describes). There's a way to short two pins on the DC power connector to force the power-supply to "wake up" - Web search for that. The IIci, IIcx and 700 models use the same power supply. Look it up. "screen is black, monitor wakes up" decrypts to "maybe my VGA monitor is showing there's a signal, but it doesn't display it". That may be correct! The Mac has a video connector which needs a quote "Mac to VGA adapter" which mechanically rearranges signals but does nothing to them. The IIci native video, is *not. VGA. compatible.*. The native IIci video (on mobo) however, will never EVER run a VGA only monitor. So it's possible the IIci is producing a video signal. On my Mac IIci, I have a Nubus video card and use that video for VGA compatible results. The Macs "sense" which video connector (on mobo or NuBus) has a cable attached, and route video (and video signal rates) *according to the connector that's cabled up* (which video you connect the monitor to) and select video mode (horizontal vertical signal rates, resolution modes) according to *specific grounded pins on the Mac DB-15 video connector*. The "Mac to VGA adapter" selects those grounded pins. What about the chime? Well, it's common for these Macs to lose their audio. The circuits which produce the audio, tend to corrode out, from both the failing electrolytics PLUS actual corrosion as a consequence of being near the clock circuits. Huh? Well, the Mac time-of-day clock, has constant battery power. That constant DC current creates a galvanic copper rust. Some of that current "creeps" over to the audio circuits. There may be some audio but it may be very quiet. Of course the power supplies fail too, like other switching power supplies. One can research these 68K Mac behaviors on the Web, and Apple had some internal repair diagnostic documents, and "Apple service manuals" per model. Look on the Web for these. But Apple did not document what happens 30 years later; that gets described on the Web by those who repair these things. I don't have much on Mac repairs on my site, I just sell Mac parts, like these. regards, Herb Johnson unexpected Mac geek -- 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 -- 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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VHS tapes for backup drives back in 80s/early 90s?
by John Heritage 14 May '21

14 May '21

Hey all - just curious if anyone actually used modified VHS tape players/recorders for backing up their BBS or computer in generally back in the actual day? I understand you can get a few GB on the tapes which would have been a huge amount in the late 80s and still useful up until at least the mid-90s.. If yes what was the setup, and how did it attach to your computer? what software was used?

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OT: Camp Invention at InfoAge in July for kids K-6
by Jeffrey Brace 13 May '21

13 May '21

Camp Invention is doing 2 one week long programs at InfoAge in the CDL building for kids K-6 in July. The info and signup information is here: https://invent-web.ungerboeck.com/programsearch/moreinfo.aspx?event=34904&_… ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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