- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

LINC-EIGHT pictures
by David Gesswein 16 May '20

16 May '20

Some pictures are here. http://www.pdp8online.com/linc-eight/linc-eight.shtml Nothing I have seen looks too bad but will still take a lot of time to go through and get working.

2 1

FREE DISCs
by Christian Liendo 15 May '20

15 May '20

Not my add figured someone may be interested https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/zip/d/brooklyn-free-floppy-discs-for-old…

2 1

My new toy
by David Gesswein 13 May '20

13 May '20

Now that I have possession of it might as well end the wondering about who got the first LINC-EIGHT. I was the lucky one. This one was the machine Charles Lasner used in his home office though not any time recent. Charles was well known to the PDP-8 community and passed beginning of April.

8 9

VE 75th anniversary: a piece of the puzzle
by Jeffrey Jonas 12 May '20

12 May '20

Honoring those in the crypto section who pioneered traffic analysis: https://www.gchq.gov.uk/information/the-brown-network The BROWN Story To mark 75 years since VE Day, GCHQ Historian Tony Comer tells the story of the final messages of a German communications network at the very end of the war in Europe

3 2

Atari promotional video from 1983
by Jeffrey Brace 12 May '20

12 May '20

I thought the Mindlink interface was fascinating. Too bad it was never released. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EphW6DjNEEk -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member, VCF East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

4 3

How To Geek article on floppy data recovery
by Herb Johnson 11 May '20

11 May '20

Jeff Brace suggests: https://www.howtogeek.com/669331/how-to-read-a-floppy-disk-on-a-modern-pc-o… A link to a literally geeky article, mostly on using USB devices that happen to operate certain floppy drives. Then it gets to real methods: find an old PC or Mac, read your disks, transfer the results (somehow). The article finishes up its review of USB devices to read common PC 3.5 / 5.25 diskettes and Mac 3.5" diskettes, with this wise advice for REAL floppy diskettes: "Luckily, there are other resources if you require something more complex, like accessing an 8-inch floppy drive that contains CP/M files. http://www.retrotechnology.com/herbs_stuff/s_drives_howto.html Herb Johnson maintains an impressive site full of technical data on various floppy disk systems if you’d like to learn more about how they work." http://www.retrotechnology.com/herbs_stuff/s_drives.html I couldn't have said it better myself. ;) The real meat on floppy drives and diskettes is: http://www.retrotechnology.com/herbs_stuff/drive.html I was going to post a more considered response to the article Jeff linked to. But Jeff only posted a link, why should I post a lecture in reply? I'll just say, that description and the modern items it references, versus the ancient things it references; simply reminds me of the gulf between 21st century consumer-digital-users, and 20th century computer owners and those who restore those systems and objects today. And, the kinds of junk that's sold which pretends to be some kind of "USB to floppy drive" device. I'm glad to find, my Web site still has utility; and why that's so. 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 retrotechnology DOT info

5 4

How To Geek article on floppy data recovery
by Herb Johnson 11 May '20

11 May '20

> There are a number of newer tools, for imaging of disks, for preservation. > > I've been closely watching this one [called Fluxengine] > http://cowlark.com/fluxengine/index.html > > The author is working on support for a lot of common formats, and > additionally, a number of the 80s-90s dedicated word processor formats. > It's a simple and rather nifty solution. > > Also, of course, it's 100% opens source hardware and software, which always > makes me happy! - Alex This reply is long, because I'm arguing in opposition, and that means I have to make a case about, and explain about. But I'll save some people, some time. I"m going to fuss about these microcontrollers becoming obsolete. If you don't care about that, save time and stop reading here. ----------- Well, I read some of the support information on the Fluxengine. Also I looked recently, at the Greaseweasel. Both these methodologies use some kind of $10 - $20 commodity microcontroller; and that's their problem in my opinion. Those interested can look up both and size them up, so I won't talk about details and features. The Greaseweasel uses a STM32 microcontroller chip on a board called "a Blue Pill". Problem with that (in my opinion) is, that chip isn't just one chip produced identically. There's knockoffs and fakes, that is less-featured chip versions remarked or not remarked. And since that "product" is more than five years old apparently, it's somewhat out of favor (that's my conclusion, it seems hard to find except on eBay). Bottom line, it's not now produced by bigger named hobby or industrial companies; they all seem to come from ebay/Amazon small producers. At literally a few dollars each, the only way to make more money from these, is to use cheaper components or reduced feature components. For instance: the 3.3V regulators fail because they are undersized for power. When I looked around Amazon for these, the reviews per seller were all "these are fakes because". This is not just Herb Johnson's problem. The Greaseweasel support page on github, has a section on how to recognize fakes with performance and visual tests. It does not have, a section on where to buy these. Apparently one has to join a Facebook group to get answers and further support. I won't do that, but someone offered to look there for me, to see if they discuss suppliers. No word yet on that. "Why is this a problem?" Specifically: some of the knockoff boards fail, apparently, because their 3.3V regulators burn up. Others, lack some useful features or even critical features (enough memory for instance). And in the longer term, the ability to obtain these items at all, may end. In between, the means to (say) assemble the code or download the code into the device, may become obsolete or unavailable. In general, the problem with end-of-production items is this: Because you and I are dealing with *vintage computing*. We deal with technology that's *decades* old, not last month. When products fall out of production, how do you get more? When things break, how do you fix them? When you can't get the programming debugging tools from the manufacturer (or producers), you have to find old archives of them. In the real world, this stuff is normal. Things don't persist. You just move on to what's current and throw out the old. We in vintage computing, can't do that by definition. OK? If you disagree, stop reading here, sorry I wasted your time fussing about stuff getting old. ----------------------- I described at length the problem with Greaseweasel hardware, because I'll make the same argument as a *prediction* for Fluxengine. It uses a "Cypress PSoC5LP CY8CKIT-059 development board" for $10. That's apparently some ARM processor with FPGA (programmable logic). At this point, Cypress (a leading chip producer) is selling them direct. Let's check... yep, $10 from cypress.com or $20 from major distributors, plus shipping. One expects delays due to Coronavirus disrupting manufacture and shipping except from USA stocks. I have another objection, to programmable logic. All those PLD's are unique by model and brand. They simply don't stay in production for many years. Worse, the software tools needed to program those specific devices, become unsupported in several years. There's no standards for such tools and software, other than some data formats, so you are stuck with that brand's tool-set. This is, of course, an intended consequence. Figure that out. I checked the datasheets for the product: they date from early 2015. That's about the same age as the "Blue Pill". But this is still produced (or at least offered as current) by Cypress. Also: since this has a very particular programmable-logic set-of-features, it may be hard to knock-off the chip by an unlicensed company. That's my guess. So: looking at Amazon, they only sell a book. Looking at eBay, There's a couple units from the UK for $28-$33 with shipping. I'd not buy from Europe right now... a few are US sold but essentially it's left-over stocks. So: again in my opinion: while this product is still in manufacturer's production, it suffers from being too proprietary - Cypress will lose interest someday soon. Also, there's that unique-programming problem, figuring out how-to-program those PLA's. If you aren't gonna reprogram one of these puppies, I guess that doesn't matter, until there's a Fluxengine update you can't update. And in closing .... The reason I'm familiar with this kind of "these go obsolete" arguments, is because I've seen this show before. Over the last few decades, various modern means to read ancient floppy diskettes have been produced. They have become in-favor and discussed and distributed. Then the developers lose interest; then the users lose interest; and they go out of production and use. Over geologic time (several years), these things simply come and go. So the vintage computers remain, but these modern devices do not. That's about as simple as I can put the argument. 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 retrotechnology DOT info

5 10

Gowanas E-waste Warehouse shutting down
by Jeffrey Brace 10 May '20

10 May '20

The Gowanus E-waste Warehouse which for the past (8 years?) has taken in electronics waste including vintage computers is shutting down. Most likely it is due to Covid-19 and a decrease in sales. They had a "store" where they sold used items which they sometimes refurbished. In any case you can call to make an appointment for 30 minutes to see what they have and there is a limit of 2 people inside at a time. You must wear a face mask and gloves. Here is their number: (718) 858-8777. Address: 469 President Street At Nevins Street Brooklyn, NY, 11215 Here is a YouTube of what they had 2 years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTWx3bIN7qs Here are photos from 1 week ago: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1W3kr346ayyvOcw5eQ03JM5e4q83W5wgT?us… There is no telling what they have available now without going there in person. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member, VCF East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

5 6

is there any way to archive / read Facebook offline?
by Jeffrey Jonas 10 May '20

10 May '20

I understand this circumvents Facebook's revenue model but I need a way to archive (or at least take a snapshot) of a facebook group's page. My google-fu is lacking: I found no stand alone utility, web site or browser plugin. Any clues or hints? Doing a "save page" resulted in a page that does not render properly.

1 0

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] How To Geek article on floppy data recovery
by gsteemso 10 May '20

10 May '20

Hi all, >> On May 8, 2020, at 2:45 PM, Herb Johnson <hjohnson(a)retrotechnology.info> wrote: > > So, Gordon S. writes, something like this. He buys-in, that these > floppy-recover solutions, are made from currently available hardware, > but that hardware goes away over time. So, he says, why not implement on > widely available and well-sourced hardware? Yep, pretty much. > Well, I reject the limitation "cheaply". > That constrains any modern > solutions to the hell of rapid obsolescence and proprietary solutions. > That's the current strategy. I'm being blunt but brief. At $10, $20 > single-board single-chip solutions, how does any hobbyist outdesign > *that* with more persistent hardware? *cough* Uh. I must apologize -- I was a bit sloppy in my wording, and should have written "inexpensive" there. By "cheap" I only meant "less expensive than buying, restoring, configuring, and operating an obsolete peecee for the same purpose". I quite agree that trying to do anything worthwhile with inadequate materials is a fool's errand. > The vintage hardware interface, is either a floppy drive for data > recovery; or a floppy drive controller, for diskette emulators (not > discussed but the complimentary device). Well, po-TAE-toe, po-TAUGHT-oe, > to a first order. That's not the hard part. I was fairly certain that would be the case, but it never hurts to check my assumptions. As you point out, if you go back a few years floppy controllers were not monolithic -- which (I infer) meant they did not necessarily present a wholly consistent interface to whatever host system was involved. A bit further back than that, there wasn't even a standard interface to the _drive_. How flexible _does_ a floppy controller have to be for maximal usefulness? > On FPGAs, and the hard part. [...] it comes down to the design practice, of massive > oversampling of floppy data streams, to extract arbitrary-rates of > binary data relatively fast. [...] So: one ether > borrows cheep ARM-class devices that do that, or cheep FPLA devices > which do that, or both. Because of that "cheap" constraint. Shrug. > > [...] the cheat is to sample like hell and let > post-1990's computers sort out the results in software. Fair enough. True. This all looks simpler in my eyes than I've been getting the impression is assumed, though. If the goal can truly be reduced, in hardware terms at least, to recording a high-resolution image of the disk's magnetic state -- why in the heck is that considered so challenging? Please check my reasoning here... I figure that current incarnations of 6502 and z80 CPUs are more than an order of magnitude faster than the first ones were. A parallel I/O chip to bit-bang the stepper motor controls is a _commodity_ item, as are ADCs to digitize the signal from the drive head. The rest is just dumping the digitized data into a buffer, and we all know that widely-used disk-image formats can remain actively supported for decades. Put a dirt-simple, old-school serial port on the wretched thing to control it -- they've been introducing "better" replacements for 40 years, and we still have RS232 et al because they were ubiquitous -- and voila. What am I overlooking, here? > I appreciate Gordon's point, that functionality in modern devices is a > matter of programming, and reprogramming. That's fine, for those who > enjoy modern embedded programming. This! This right here. Why is _every_ solution to this stuff I've seen done with some microcontroller? In a case like this, simpler is, well, _simpler_. We have, and maintain, and in many cases can _build_ hardware that works exactly the same as it might have 40 years ago, at four or five orders of magnitude lower cost. Is there really any hardware tinkerer on this mailing list who would resist designing something around (say) a 65C02, on the basis that there'd be no support for it in 5 years? Try and say _that_ about the FPGA of the week. > But when the hardware to be > programmed changes "too much"; the old software becomes obsolete. > Yesterday's FPLAs can't be programmed with today's FPLA tools. The codes > are changed too. The binaries are useless, even proprietary. That was my > point! And mine! This sort of conversation has been called "being in violent agreement" by a friend of mine. *grin* > [...] The 1990's solution - the Catweasel, an ISA or PCI > bit-sampling controller on PC's? Last I checked, there were five-six > "installation solutions" for running that puppy. Surprisingly, each > developer came up with their own software to drive it. Go figure. [...] That thing sounded great in principle... but getting one _and_ a host system which could actually run it was far beyond my means at the time, and the entire project was long-out-of-production unobtainium by the time that changed for me. The whole experience left a very foul taste in my mouth. > So: walk through this with me. What floppy control hardware is pretty > much standardized, available, and stable; year after year and even into > decades? and what software to support what software to drive it, has > those qualities? Answer: XT/AT/386 class PC's and MS-DOS. And that's why > solutions like "Imagedsk" / MS-DOS / ISA floppy controllers / IMG files > just keep on workin'. Yep. But if you never used one, never had a reason to get used to them, and really don't enjoy fighting with one to keep it operational, I personally feel that an imaging station built around one does not enhance the fun of retrocomputing. YMMV. > But they don't work for 68K Mac disk formats, Apple II disk formats, > etc. etc. Well, mostly. There are a handful of really clever programs that basically take over an older pc's floppy controller at the lowest possible level and do unnatural things to it, with impressive results; I vaguely recall using one called "Omniflop", or something to that effect, that was able to read & write Commodore 1581 floppies and -- IIRC -- read but not write an 800K Mac floppy. If you had a compatible FDC the thing could do a surprising amount -- though, as you point out, not everything. > [...] Sorry for the long lecture, I got a real question and it took time to > answer it. Hope this did that. It did indeed! Like all good explanations, it got me to think through just what my assumptions are -- and, potentially, what assumptions I ought to make instead. Regards, Gordon S.

1 0

Geeks, retro-geeks and curmudgeons - a reply to Dr. S100
by Jack Rubin 09 May '20

09 May '20

Hi Herb - Hard to reply directly to your post since I only get the vcf digest, but a couple of points re new modes of disc (I'm an HP fan) imaging. 1) The flavor-of-the-day MCU or whatever isn't as important as maintaining accessible disk images and metadata. Flux level transcriptions weren't really practical when Dave Dunfield was building his ImageDisk system, so we should be thankful for all the extra CPU cycles available to us today, especially in a $15 package. 2) The approach is a little different but the philosophy is the same - for ImageDisk stuff, I still have a Dell 486 with all the right stuff, including an FDADAP and a Thinker Toys 8" floppy, but I also have a couple virtual machines with the proper toolchains installed to control a few Arduinos and PSoCs for the new stuff that demands a full software ecosystem beyond the hardware. More important, today's cutting edge developers can still read (and write?) .imd files. I was thinking about this last night as I was installing and configuring all the stuff necessary to start working on my first Verilog project. It took me a lot longer to get the point where I could blink a light on the demo board than it would have to reconfigure a CP/M bios for a new serial card and sysgen a new system. Be well and stay safe, Jack

2 1

speaking of end times
by Bill Degnan 08 May '20

08 May '20

Ebay listing for an Commdore C128D "new in box" (more or less) https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Commodore-128D-Personal-Computer-NEW-IN-BO… $1600 and rising. Also there is a DEC LINC 8 north of $9000 right now. Bill

6 10

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] A sign of the End Times ...
by Christian Liendo 08 May '20

08 May '20

Well my 6501 cost me a lot of money, my 4004s not so much On Fri, May 8, 2020 at 1:59 PM Bill Dromgoole via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > 6501’s? > > > From: Christian Liendo via vcf-midatlantic > Sent: Friday, May 8, 2020 1:16 PM > To: vcf-midatlantic > Cc: Christian Liendo > Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] A sign of the End Times ... > > Still cheaper then 6502s > > https://www.ebay.com/itm/Early-MOS-MCS-6502-cpu-chip-white-ceramic-gold-leg… > > https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-white-MOS-MCS-6502-cpu-chip-with-gold-legs-Us… > > Seriously though something happened where they all shot up in price. >

1 0

A sign of the End Times ...
by Herb Johnson 08 May '20

08 May '20

https://www.ebay.com/itm/c4004-intel-central-processing-unit-vintage-cpu-1s… What other captions could one write, about this auction of nine ceramic-gold 4004 processors? Regards I guess, Herb -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT info

8 7

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] How To Geek article on floppy data recovery
by gsteemso 08 May '20

08 May '20

On May 8th, 2020, Herb J. wrote: > This reply is long, because I'm arguing in opposition, and that means I > have to make a case about, and explain about. But I'll save some people, > some time. I"m going to fuss about these microcontrollers becoming > obsolete. If you don't care about that, save time and stop reading here. [Herb's cogent argument elided here] > And in closing .... > > The reason I'm familiar with this kind of "these go obsolete" arguments, > is because I've seen this show before. Over the last few decades, > various modern means to read ancient floppy diskettes have been > produced. They have become in-favor and discussed and distributed. Then > the developers lose interest; then the users lose interest; and they go > out of production and use. Over geologic time (several years), these > things simply come and go. > > So the vintage computers remain, but these modern devices do not. That's > about as simple as I can put the argument. I can't materially dispute any of this; in fact, it neatly lays out something that has bothered me for years without my having been able to work out why. The obvious next question, then, is -- to borrow the words of Charles Schultz -- "Now that we know that, what do we do?" It looks to me as though the common thread, amongst all of these unintendedly ephemeral solutions, has been their use of "easily available" hardware which failed to stay that way. Obviously, then, solutions of this type must be implemented on hardware which is widely available from multiple independent sources, _and_ will be straightforward to substitute for when that eventually does change. We use this stuff in support of systems which remain usable, if not always all that use_ful_, for decades. We already know what stays around, or at least remains well-documented and -supported. By sheer weight of installed base, it would be very hard to lose all support for x86 or 6502 software. Equally, despite their clumsiness, I find it very difficult to believe that we will suddenly become unable to substitute newer devices for EPROMs; hell, such substitutes are already made by at least two unrelated sources just amongst the retrocomputing community, let alone industry at large. The only real irritant, then, becomes working out how to cheaply do whatever it is these other projects are using FPGAs for. Those are the parts that get updated whenever someone works out a better technique, but... as a general rule, the interface to whatever vintage hardware is more or less invariant, correct? That would mean the alterable functions can be carried out in software rather than in (redefinable) hardware. Flash updates are still flash updates, regardless of whether they contain computer programs or FPGA configuration files. Can anyone poke holes in this? Gordon S.

1 0

Virtual Computer Museum Docents Wanted!
by rar 06 May '20

06 May '20

Did you ever want to be a museum docent or curator? Here is your chance! We are making a virtual tour of the System Source Computer Museum. Here is the beginning: https://museum.syssrc.com/tour/index.html I have tagged a handful of objects. Would you create (or submit) great audio, video, or web pages about any of the artifacts in the museum? I'll review and post! Thanks. Also, save the date for a VCF repair workshop November 14th and 15th in Hunt Valley MD. Bob Roswell broswell(a)syssrc.com<mailto:broswell@syssrc.com> 410-771-5544 ext 4336 Computer Museum Highlights<http://museum.syssrc.com/> [syssrclogo_38years]

3 2

How To Geek article on floppy data recovery
by Jeffrey Brace 02 May '20

02 May '20

https://www.howtogeek.com/669331/how-to-read-a-floppy-disk-on-a-modern-pc-o… -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member, VCF East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

1 0

Zenith I/O board
by Mike Loewen 29 Apr '20

29 Apr '20

I have what looks like a Zenith 4-port serial I/O S100 board: http://q7.neurotica.com/Zenith_front.jpg The Z100 Technical Manual mentions a Z-204 Multiport Input/Output board: could this be the one? Does anyone have a manual? Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

2 1

Another C64 Fastfingers MIDI Demo
by Jeffrey Brace 29 Apr '20

29 Apr '20

Dan Laskowski posted another video on his C64 MIDI software demo: https://youtu.be/QLgzjaVQE34 -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member, VCF East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

1 0

OT: Digitizing Magnetic Audio Tapes
by Jeffrey Brace 29 Apr '20

29 Apr '20

I recently found some old family audio reels with voice recordings: Cavalier Sound Magic 1807, Cavalier Sound Magic 905, Plastic-base audiotape. Pictures found here: < https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jxGDi4grZqLLeqWe2-9ygWwezVK9DdCQ?us… > What I want is to digitize these magnetic audio tapes to a modern audio format. I no longer have the player. I know that there are services that can digitize them, so if anyone has actually used a service, then let me know. Otherwise, maybe someone has a player and some mechanism to digitize them? -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member, VCF East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

2 2

Anyone in NJ want to take a crack at this?
by Dean Notarnicola 25 Apr '20

25 Apr '20

https://www.facebook.com/138645462866451/posts/3045688845495417/?d=n

2 1

UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supplies) was: How's Everyone Doing
by Herb Johnson 25 Apr '20

25 Apr '20

I'm surprised by all the interest in UPS's. I have generations of them, myself, in the few to several hundred watt range. Every digital device in my home has a small UPS on it, always has. Just makes sense. When I get a power hit, the birdies sing from each one. The older household buy-at-Staples ones work fairly well, when batteries are replaced every handful of years. They appear at thrift stores for several dollars; the salvage value of the gells is about a few dollars. Avoid the very smallest units, only buy units that take standard sized cells. Funny, some units WILL take standard sized cells, if you chop out the ribs molded into them, that hold SMALLER batteries - so they can sell them cheaper. That's my kind of 'creative destruction'. I have some old 1990's APC rack-mounters that I haven't populated in several years, 3000 watt. And some other floor models in the few thousand watt range, which need those larger 17VA batteries, not the several VA 12V common sized gell-cell units. I just scrapped two giant UPS's, 3-phase units, that took four car battery sized lead-acid cells. They also went back to the 1990's. Wiser heads told me "those are too old and inefficient for today's use". The steel went on the curb and disappeared. Anyone need 60 Hertz ferro-resonant chokes and transformers? Hey, I can use them for exercise equipment - if I don't mind losing a toe if I drop one! ;) If interest persists to when we get together again, I'll bring some around for purchase. Batteries not included. Regards, Herb "Amps" Johnson PS: does this still count for "how's everyone doing"? Do we all run on batteries now, or what? ;) -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT info

2 1

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] How's Everyone Doing
by Ethan O'Toole 24 Apr '20

24 Apr '20

[NON-Text Body part not included] > Anybodyworking on interesting stuff? > BillInderrieden It's kind of a bummer when I look at my phone and it shows the calendar date for VCF East coming up that isn't going to happen. Shortly after the last how's everyone doing email the customer I work for laid off most of the workforce and went into Chap 11. Pretty crazy! They were building a low earth orbit satellite network to deliver internet around the world. Funding issues. Ooops! I still have a job though, and I am thankful for that. NERD WISE... SO.. MUCH.. NERD!! 1. Amiga 600 repair. Years ago a friend gave me an Amiga 600, and it worked and was awesome. Then capacitors leaked and damaged the board. Been working to fix it, kind of hit a wall where I made progress now I'm lost. Found some awesome resources, check out https://www.amigapcb.org/ ... The 600 has a lot of surface mount stuff, that site lets you walk around with the mouse and see the source/destination of every trace and signal line! And English Amiga board, and DiagROM. 2. Repaired a Yamaha Motif midi module. LCD went out. Bought new LCD, didn't fix. Fixed it though. 3. Managed to edit a video for youtube (channel is telmnstr) on Blackmagic Davinci Resolve. This was my first time taking a stab at a modern editing system doing HD stuff. I usually use Blackmagic production switcher so I don't have to edit. But yea, I got the hang of it and really enjoyed doing the project on it. Was quick, and I will do more. 4. Going to fix a APC UPS for a friend. Needs new caps. 5. Trying to track down a driver for my old Yamaha C1 midi portable 286-10mhz computer. I fixed the base functionality but now need to make more progress. 6. Finally finishing a CNC machine I started in 2012. Actually made some progress but then had to order a bunch of parts. No idea how long it will take ball screws to arrive from China. Going to get fasterns from local fastenal. 7. Started toying with OBS, a software video switcher. All the geek video conferences going on -- I had to try it and test out some other capture hardware that I had picked up for an event a friend and I were supposed ot do video / audio / gaming / vintage computers for (B-Sides Charm.) Have been really impressed, to the point that I'm planning to potentially sell my BMD ATEM TVS hardware rig. 8. 3d printing cases and enclosing some hardware for the laser projector controllers. Also hope to get around to rebuilding two laser projectors, but it will probably require a bunch of parts. 9. Listing some crap on ebay. And it's selling? Mostly arcade / pinball parts and broken consumer A/V stuff. 10. rebelted a cassette deck I found at a thrift store in NC. It's working 90%, and there is a random screw left over. 11. IRC, Slack, Discord, etc. I plan to jump int othe IMSAI 8080 again. Have an Atari 800XL to fix. And plan to start pulling out some systems and test thru them / cut interesting software disks to go with them. Mainly Apple IIGS, Apple IIc, Apple IIsomething, NeXT Slab, Atari 8bits (need to mod the floppy emulator with a 74LS07 IC or something so it still works with floppy drives), Atari ST, and maybe sort out stuff on Amiga. Right now the 600 is kicking my butt though. The Yamaha laptop did for 3 years until I had an idea randomly. Also need to recap an Amiga 4000T motherboard. Eeeek! So much to do! Some friends are going SCUBA diving on the weekends near Richmond VA, staying isolated. I might try to get wet soon. Some parts on order for this. The water is like 50F-60F which is pretty cold, though. Would be nice if it was 70's out and not 60's. If anything, I'm getting a lot of stuff done that has been in the backlog!! Hope everyone else is safe and okay and if it's your thing progress on projects!

10 20

VCF Italia 2020 Virtual Show Friday April 24 3:30PM EDT
by Jeffrey Brace 24 Apr '20

24 Apr '20

VCF Italia was cancelled due to Covid-19, but they are doing an informal show. The plan is for the following to talk: VCCI board of directors and our VIP guests among whom there should be Lee Felsenstein, Allan Alcorn, Liza Loop and maybe even Sophie Wilson. Date: Friday, April 24 Time: 3:30PM EDT https://mmnet.webex.com/mmnet/onstage/g.php?MTID=e0a83e848f2edd3c0bca59beba… <https://mmnet.webex.com/mmnet/onstage/g.php?MTID=e0a83e848f2edd3c0bca59beba…> Event number: 841 509 662 Password: VCFI It will be recorded for those that can't make it live. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member, VCF East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> Virus-free. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>

1 1

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] How's Everyone Doing
by Jeffrey Brace 24 Apr '20

24 Apr '20

On Tue, Apr 21, 2020 at 11:03 AM Bill Inderrieden via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Nowthat Mke Ruane has extended the closure of IA until June, I figured it > would be a goodtime to continue the shout out that Jeff Brace started and > see how everyone’sdoing. > > Stuffhere in Brick is moving like Ground Hog Day, although business > paperwork seemsto keep me focused if not only for a little bit of time and > I have to come backto it later. > > Waitingon shipments of PCMCIA stuff for the HP660LX so I can play further. > > Anybodyworking on interesting stuff? > I am finishing up working on The Print Shop C64 exhibit in the 80's bedroom exhibit in the museum. It took some effort to figure out how to backup original Print Shop disks so that I can return them to the lender. I had to find an old copy program called Kracker Jax that had parameters on the disk to make the backups useful. VCF owns two copies of The Print Shop disks, but they were unusable. I'm also working on the Commodore 128 exhibit in the museum to put GEOS 128 on the machine. The current plan is to use a 1541 Ultimate drive to run the software. This is a fun activity because I have primarily used the Commodore 64, and rarely used the C128 in 128 mode. I have used GEOS 64, so it will be fun to get GEOS 128 working. I was able to track down various disk images for applications for GEOS 128. I think I will also add a RAM expander to the machine to make it work a little better and faster. My other plan is to go through my two storage lockers that I am renting and consolidate into one. So I will be selling items once I get a list. My first item will be a Coco drive (new in box). > > BillInderrieden > > -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member, VCF East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> Virus-free. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>

1 0

VCF 2020 T-shirts For Sale!
by Dean Notarnicola 22 Apr '20

22 Apr '20

VCF 2020 is postponed until October, and while we can’t be there (yet), we can feel like we are, and make others envious at the same time! VCF 2020 T-shirts are on sale now and they are looking good! You’ll cut quite the fine figure working on your vintage gear in one of these quality shirts! See this page for detailed pics and size/color options: http://vcfed.org/wp/t-shirts/ - Order through this Google form: https://forms.gle/NkFnsyC8knS6E1fD6 - US addresses only for the moment Socially distance in style! Support VCF and improve your wardrobe at the same time!

2 1

Earth Day 50th
by Herb Johnson 22 Apr '20

22 Apr '20

http://www.retrotechnology.com headlines the 50th anniversary of Earth Day today, with my Flag of Earth from 40 years ago; for the reasons noted on my home page. Thought I'd share my thoughts of the day and of recent events. Details on the Flag itself are at the link given. http://www.retrotechnology.com/earthday2020.html 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 retrotechnology DOT info

1 0

Retrofair 2020 - Virtual VCF PNW 2020
by Jeffrey Brace 22 Apr '20

22 Apr '20

I'm not sure how many knew this, but after VCF PNW 2020 was cancelled in March, an individual allowed exhibitors to post their own videos to this website http://www.retrofair2020.com/ As I see the original date of VCF East and VCF Italia approach I feel sad and hope that this can help others feel some joy in seeing some vintage computer goodness! -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member, VCF East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

1 0

Dan Laskowski's C64 Midi interface program
by Jeffrey Brace 22 Apr '20

22 Apr '20

Dan Laskowski was supposed to be one of our exhibitors at VCF 2020 and is still expected to exhibit in October. Here is a preview of what he has done: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWQyMnFSINM -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member, VCF East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

1 0

Computer People for Peace
by Bill Degnan 22 Apr '20

22 Apr '20

I was reading through some People's Computer Company newspapers and came upon a reference to a group called the Computer People for Peace. I did some research and found that they were active from 1969-1973 and they put out their own newsletter, based out of Brooklyn, NY. So, for you who care about MidAtlantic history, here is a link to the archive and articles I compiled. http://www.vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=761 Some of you may not know exactly how militant they were against IBM back then. Someone bombed one of their offices back during this time. I have a 1968 ComputerWorld article about it. The late 60's have a rich computer history if you care to explore beyond the 80's :-) I plan to make an exhibit of some of this at Kennett Classic some day, after the current exhibits are done. Bill

2 1

Gallery talk about Univac 490
by rar 21 Apr '20

21 Apr '20

The System Source Computer Museum has been closed due to Covid 19, so we started making video gallery talks. The first one is about our Univac 490 real time computer from 1963. It is about 10 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq7aVCc2GP8 Bob Roswell https://museum.syssrc.com museum(a)syssrc.com<mailto:museum@syssrc.com>

2 1

How's Everyone Doing
by svcatitc＠aol.com 21 Apr '20

21 Apr '20

Nowthat Mke Ruane has extended the closure of IA until June, I figured it would be a goodtime to continue the shout out that Jeff Brace started and see how everyone’sdoing. Stuffhere in Brick is moving like Ground Hog Day, although business paperwork seemsto keep me focused if not only for a little bit of time and I have to come backto it later. Waitingon shipments of PCMCIA stuff for the HP660LX so I can play further. Anybodyworking on interesting stuff? BillInderrieden

1 0

OT: HP 660LX Color Palmtop PC available
by svcatitc＠aol.com 19 Apr '20

19 Apr '20

HP 660 is up and running. Amazingly, for the age, the NiCd packs charged up fine. Now I am looking for PCMCIA memory for the thing so as to bring over other files and programs, from the main PC's. Once you get used to the stylus operation, it is a neat little thing. Thanks again to Bob Shuster for all his assistance. Bill Inderrieden svcatitc at aol.com svcatitc at aol.com Tue Apr 7 09:23:07 EDT 2020 - Previous message (by thread): [vcf-midatlantic] ACM digital library is free thru 30-June - Next message (by thread): [vcf-midatlantic] Wanted: Disk Jockey 2D/B - Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] So that the final disposition of the HP palmtop is not in question, it has been spoken for. Many thanks to Bob Shuster for his assistance. Bill Inderrieden ---------- Original Message ---------- Jim Scheef js at sdf.orgTue Mar 31 23:21:59 EDT 2020 The HP660 is eminently collectible along with the other four or five models in the HP palmtop product line based on WinCE. The DOS-based palmtops starting with the 95lx are even more interesting although not as 'rare'. Hopefully someone will take Bob's offer.Jim

1 0

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] ADM-3A display problem
by Garrett Nievin 19 Apr '20

19 Apr '20

This project finally got popped of the stack and finished, and I wanted to "close the loop" on it. The culprit turned out to be C112, a 47uF 50V in the monitor section. Ian nailed it. Thank you! Cheers, Garrett On Fri, 26 May 2017 15:22:48 -0400 Garrett Nievin via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > Hi, Ian! > > http://imgur.com/a/Z4s7V > > Here is the image on imgur. I turned the brightness way up, put a > loopback on the serial port, and typed all these characters. Everything > seems to work correctly except for this negative video drive. > > I'll definitely check those caps. I replaced the 2.2 uf tantalums just > because I had some on hand, but haven't replaced any other caps yet. > > Thank you! > > Cheers, > Garrett > > > > On Fri, 26 May 2017 08:36:31 -0400 > Ian Primus via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > I've been really busy lately - sorry I didn't see this earlier. The > > picture did not come through - the list doesn't support attachments, > > could you upload it to imgur or something? > > > > IIRC, there isn't a way to invert the video on the ADM3A with a > > switch, it sounds like you have a failure in the monitor section. It > > is very possible for a component failure to drive the video negative > > like that. Check C119 and C112. > > > > -Ian > > > > On Sun, May 21, 2017 at 4:07 PM, Garrett Nievin via vcf-midatlantic > > <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > I'm restoring a Lear Siegler ADM-3A, and I'm not the most CRT-savvy guy > > > around (but I did really enjoy Ian's excellent class at the most recent > > > VCF-E). > > > > > > Attached is a photo of the issue. If I crank the brightness to clearly > > > see the raster, I can see that the text is actually displaying as dark > > > instead of bright. > > > > > > Pointers? > > > > > > Cheers, > > > Garrett > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

1 0

Collection of Commodore items for sale in Facebook Group
by Christopher Gioconda 18 Apr '20

18 Apr '20

Sharing this to everyone because it’s a private group on Facebook and folks may not be members- there’s a pretty impressive collection of Commodore items being sold up in Schenectady NY, but it sounds like the owners aren’t aware of the value of the collection. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2006480029587942/?ref=share is a link to the group. There’s a CMD RamLink, SuperCPU, CMD hard drive, SX-64 amongst others. Good luck, and hope everyone is staying healthy. Chris

1 0

InfoAge update from Mike Ruane (CEO of InfoAge)
by Jeffrey Brace 18 Apr '20

18 Apr '20

To All - Due to the continued impact of the coronavirus, InfoAge is now scheduled to be closed until June 29. A further decision to open on June 29 or to remain closed will be made in mid-June. In the meantime, as I mentioned in my March 16 email, some organizations and/or volunteers will want to work on their museum projects, exhibits, buildings, etc. These organizations/volunteers can use their own discretion as to whether or not they wish to work on their sites or various projects. However, many of our volunteers are in the “at-risk” category and should stay at home if at all possible. Again to repeat what I put out before, be aware that the COVID virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person, and especially between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet). COVID is transmitted through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes and these droplets land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Therefore: if you have any common flu symptoms — coughing, sneezing — please refrain from visiting InfoAge. It is an unnecessary risk, even if you are not presenting the additional COVID symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath. If you are coming to InfoAge make certain you observe the following guidelines are observed to insure your good health: 1. If you feel sick, stay home. Do not come to InfoAge. 2. If you do come, practice social distancing. If you are working alone, there is no problem. However, if you are working with someone else, keep at least 6’ apart and wear an N95 mask or another mask that protects your face. Remember, a mask pulled below your nose is of no help at all. 3. Remember to continue to always practice good hygiene: Wash your hands frequently, especially after touching any frequently used item or surface. Avoid touching your face. Sneeze or cough into a tissue or the inside of your elbow. Disinfect frequently used items and surfaces as much as possible. To learn more about the virus and what you can do to protect yourself and your family and friends, please visit the Centers for Disease Control website https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html.” Organizations – Please pass this email to all your members. Thank you and be safe. This will end!! Mike -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member, VCF East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

1 0

COBOL wise-guy
by Jeffrey Jonas 16 Apr '20

16 Apr '20

Bill Degnan posted Q. State the four divisions of a COBOL program A: earth air fire water: the 4 elements that make everything :-)

13 14

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] MITS Altair 8800 C&K switches
by Herb Johnson 15 Apr '20

15 Apr '20

My apologies for all the fuss. Again: who knew this was difficult? > Jeff Galinat writes: > > According to Mike Douglas AKA deramp .. the American > Switch brand was used in the original Altair not C & K. > > S1 Toggle Switch On-None-On (Silver) APEM 5236AB > S10-S25 Toggle Switch On-None-On (Gold) APEM 5236CDB > S2-S9 Toggle Switch (On)-Off-(On) (Gold) APEM 5237CDB > > Take this as you wish but I do value Mike's opinion on this Um, I also saw this information 1) in the VCFed discussion list referenced earlier in this thread and 2) on notes it referenced on the deramp site, about a MITS Altair front-panel replica. But... But: those references to a replica, have confused me, as to whether the original Altair switches were of that brand; or if these identified switches are reasonable replacements; or if these are for the replica. Pardon my confusion. Also: in my most-prior post here, I acknowledge I *do not know* what brand was in-use. My error, to suggest C&K. That's why I'm asking. Again: proof beyond doubt, would be a photo of an original switch, in place, on an original front panel. Such a photo seems to be surprisingly hard to produce, hard to find. I certainly don't want to disassemble my MITS Altair just to take an internal photo. And my apologies, this is not a "personal trust" issue. I appreciate the identifications given, it's a "lead". My request for evidence is not unreasonable. I'm surprised it's so obscure! At least in year 2020. I've seen BUNCHES of photos of lots of MITS boards. But not of the original front panel, in profile. I'll be sure to provide those, should I tear my Altair apart. (No it's not for sale). 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 retrotechnology DOT info -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT info

3 5

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] COBOL wise-guy
by gsteemso 15 Apr '20

15 Apr '20

On (Tue, 14 Apr 2020 15:36:58 -0400), Dean Notarnicola <dnotarnicola(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Last time I did any COBOL was 1987. Never looked back. Ah, but /did you inhale?/ (Not Sorry) :¬) G.

3 2

MITS Altair 8800 C&K switches
by Herb Johnson 13 Apr '20

13 Apr '20

An odd thing. I was trying to buy some C&K brand "toggle switches" for a MITS Altair 8800 front panel. I could not find on the Web, a good photo of it's front-panel PC board "naked" to see the original switches; so I could buy one of the proper size. Specifically, the length of the "neck" below the toggle lever. Does anyone have such a photo, of the unmounted PC board with switches, or a photo of of the actual real original switch bodies, or a measure of the physical length of that mounting-shaft? The length does vary. Just to be clear and exact. I'm talking about the original model of the MITS Altair 8800. NO 8800a, no 8800b. These switches have a narrow round "toggle" - not the flat wedge-like toggle on the 8800b and 8800a. And no, MITS doesn't have a C&K number, and no sketch in their original manuals (that I could find). And a Web search for such images is a nightmare. Bunches of faux Altairs, faux front panels. Some number of original Altairs - with the front-panel PC board covered of course with the decorative front-panel. Or poor, low-rez photos from 15 years ago. I've made a good guess, without disassembling my own 8800. Looks like 11/16 inches from base of threaded shaft to top of same. Looks like a 3/4" net length from the base of the C&K body to the top of the threaded shaft. These are eyeball measures and are not likely what are in the C&K 1975 data sheets; but these provide clues. Can anyone measure the damn thing? Or take a clear photo and point me to it? Looks like I'll haveta take a lot of photos, next time I repair the real deal. Regards, Herb "missed" 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 retrotechnology DOT info

4 6

COBOL
by Michael Pohl 09 Apr '20

09 Apr '20

The State of New Jersey needs COBOL help - https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/08/business/coronavirus-cobol-programmers-new-j…

1 0

Wanted: Disk Jockey 2D/B
by Mike Loewen 08 Apr '20

08 Apr '20

Does anyone have a Morrow Disk Jockey 2D/B for sale or trade? I have other S100 boards for trade. Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

3 2

OT: HP 660LX Color Palmtop PC available
by svcatitc＠aol.com 07 Apr '20

07 Apr '20

So that the final disposition of the HP palmtop is not in question, it has been spoken for. Many thanks to Bob Shuster for his assistance. Bill Inderrieden ---------- Original Message ---------- Jim Scheef js at sdf.orgTue Mar 31 23:21:59 EDT 2020 The HP660 is eminently collectible along with the other four or five models in the HP palmtop product line based on WinCE. The DOS-based palmtops starting with the 95lx are even more interesting although not as 'rare'. Hopefully someone will take Bob's offer.Jim

1 0

Free: Radio Shack CoCo disk interface
by Jason Perkins 05 Apr '20

05 Apr '20

Cleaning up. Found a RS Color Computer disc controller cartridge. Email me and it’s yours for postage. Thanks! -- Jason Perkins 313 355 0085 Sent from my iPhone

2 2

ACM digital library is free thru 30-June
by Jeffrey Jonas 04 Apr '20

04 Apr '20

Paywalls and membership only databases are annoying. One obstacle has been temporarily removed: The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) announces: "To help support our community working remotely during COVID-19, we are making all work published by ACM in our Digital Library freely accessible through June 30, 2020." e.g. http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=307824.307853 -- on MindForth AI -- is now freely accessible to read or download as a Portable Document FIle (PDF).

1 0

State of New Jersey needs COBOL programmers
by Jeffrey Brace 04 Apr '20

04 Apr '20

https://josephsteinberg.com/covid-19-response-new-jersey-urgently-needs-cob… -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member, VCF East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

1 0

IBM Selectric Prestige Elite 72 element available for free
by Martin Flynn 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

IBM Selectric Prestige Elite 72 element available Will leave in the top of the CDL red tool box for pickup on Saturday the 11th. Martin Flynn

1 0

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Commodore Vic-20 Visual Companion Book Free
by Christian Liendo 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

https://www.oldcomputr.com/product/commodore-vic-20-a-visual-history-pdf-ed… On Thu, Apr 2, 2020 at 7:57 AM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Website? > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > On Apr 2, 2020, at 2:17 AM, Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > Due to the Covid-19 outbreak the author is offering his book free as a PDF > > from this website. I had already bought the book form of this, so a PDF is > > a great companion. > > > > > > -- > > ========================================= > > Jeff Brace > > Vice President & Board Member, VCF East Showrunner > > Vintage Computer Federation > > http://www.vcfed.org/ > > jeffrey(a)vcfed.org >

4 4

Commodore Vic-20 Visual Companion Book Free
by Jeffrey Brace 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

Due to the Covid-19 outbreak the author is offering his book free as a PDF from this website. I had already bought the book form of this, so a PDF is a great companion. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member, VCF East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

2 1

Important IBM 701 Anniversary
by Bill Degnan 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

On this day in history, April 1 1952 The IBM 701 computer successfully calculated with highest precision the universe "atomic core number" is 41.99349992(etc). rounded up to 42. This is the source of the tongue-in-cheek Hitchhiker's Guide book reference.

3 2