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Museum Report 2019-12-29
by Jeffrey Brace 29 Dec '19

29 Dec '19

A few moderate interest people on a cloudy/rainy day. I took the chance to start VCF East planning. John Cervini of the InfoAge electronic warfare museum dropped off a copy of the NY Times article on Chuck Peddle and we will display the article in the VCF Museum. Tony Bogan worked in the warehouse for a few hours and cleared some space. The warehouse is an area of constant work needed and VCF appreciates the work that Tony, Adam, Andy, and others have done in the warehouse to keep things organized. It's a lot of work, and greatly appreciated! -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Museum Report 2019-12-28 December 28, 2019
by Jeffrey Brace 28 Dec '19

28 Dec '19

About a dozen or two visitors mostly casual interest with some medium and some high interest visitors. Adam, Tony and Andy were working on warehouse and other VCF activities. They can fill you on that part. I got a chance to work on the chasing lights program on the straight 8 and got it working again. Next I will get the Teletype Paper Punch program to work again (with David Gesswein's help). -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Old AT power supplies - how to test?
by John Heritage 28 Dec '19

28 Dec '19

Hey folks, I have a couple of old DOS/Win98 (OS/2) era systems that I came across, and they both have AT PSUs I want to check out before powering on for the first time. I was thinking before powering on: - Open the PSU - Air spray the PSU - Look for obvious signs of failure - capacitor leakage, burnt PCB, burnt components If all looks OK - do these require a load, or can I at least test basic voltage with no load? I do have heat resistors (used to balance out ATX PSUs for a 3D Printer) that I believe I can plug in on the 5V or 12V rails and test voltage there.. How much testing should I do / what do you recommend? Thanks! John

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TRS-80 Trash Talk - Live Tonight!
by Peter Cetinski 28 Dec '19

28 Dec '19

Hi vintage computer afficianados, Join us tonight on YouTube and Zoom for TRS-80 Trash Talk - Live! We’re all about TRS-80s but Commodore, Apple, TI and Atari enthusiasts are welcome too. Find out the state of the TRS-80 community. Test our Tandy Radio Shack knowledge and try stumping the Trash Talkers! See a preview of a new TRS-80 game being developed by @pski <https://twitter.com/pski> called "RoundUp!” Join on Zoom and show us your TRS-80 collection! Let's make it an interactive fun time talking about TRS-80s! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXk...kpkMDylVQb9gfg <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXkGugvdCkpkMDylVQb9gfg> https://zoom.us/j/600248788 <https://zoom.us/j/600248788>

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School Preparation for Visiting a Computer Museum
by Herb Johnson 27 Dec '19

27 Dec '19

> Movies/YouTubes/Articles/Books to prepare high school students for a visit to our computer museum(s) "Our" being the System Source Computer Museum https://museum.syssrc.com I'm playing this straight, it's a real question. If I were making choices, I'd look at that museum's collection, decide what themes are present in the collection, and then look for materials that represent them 1) in a reasonably accurate way 2) present any considerations about how to "represent" them 3) are not overly long in time or overly technically challenging and 4) are geared for a pre-adult audience. Teachers have other criteria but I'll leave those to them. The collection in question, is of course about vintage computing - pre 2000 era - and seems to include printing and mobile devices and toy/instructional computers. One kind of choice might be, presentations about each or some of those subjects. A Web search of "documentaries about computers" finds all kinds of lists of *documentaries* about computers and computing. Why those and not "movies"? Documentaries are typically one or a series which often last about an hour (each), a convenient time interval. Movies are driven to be dramatic, entertaining, and sometimes non-factual; of course they last well over an hour. Some documentaries may have related course materials. Movies have been covered. I'm surprised documentaries haven't. Maybe someone has suggestions? There's plenty of them, and they are of course described on their own Web pages. One other thing. There's many ways to present vintage computing. My experience as a technical person FROM the 1970's era (and so an old person now), is that younger people today have a different view of "vintage" computing. One divide is an emphasis (or not) on video-game-enabled computing. Another divide, is between persons or objects "in the computing profession" and those not. There's others. So, a collection presents things and information, which supports one or more of these and other views. (shrug) Whoever runs a museum, makes some choices along these lines, deliberately or not. Of course instructors have their own views, as do producers of documentaries and movies. So do discerning viewers, if they are able and willing. "Does this present a point of view that serves my purposes? or doesn't? or someone else's?". It's a larger consideration in modern life. It's worth a thought for this particular matter and this particular museum. Regards, Herb Johnson old techie by profession -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT info

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Museum closing during the month of January
by Dean Notarnicola 26 Dec '19

26 Dec '19

FYI: The VCF museum will be closed for floor renovations during the month of January, starting Monday, December 30th and re-opening Saturday,February 1st. The January 25tth and 26th workshop will still take place.

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Interesting article about Silas Warner
by Andrew Diller 26 Dec '19

26 Dec '19

https://www.polygon.com/features/2019/12/24/21029936/castle-wolfenstein-sil… <https://www.polygon.com/features/2019/12/24/21029936/castle-wolfenstein-sil…> I always loved (and was horrible at) Castle Wolfenstein on the Atari. A very nice article just released about him (he died back in 2004) on Polygon. Seems like he was involved with the PLATO system as well as making the games. I was also always intrigued why Id's Wolfenstein 3D had the same name as that 8bit title. Now I know they just bought it from what remained of MUSE. -andy

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Need help in the museum doing prep work for the new floor
by corey cohen 26 Dec '19

26 Dec '19

Hi Everyone, I’m looking for a volunteer to help out on Thursday Dec 26th in the morning (around 10:00am) till the late afternoon preparing the museum for our new epoxy floor. While my son and I grind and clean up the flaking paint on the floor. I need someone to help clear out the workshop area floor and move items to the warehouse staging area. There may also be some light vacuuming and cleaning as we make sure the museum can still be open on this coming weekend. This is dirty work “shlepping” stuff back and forth to the warehouse so if you can come, please dress appropriately. Lunch will be provided for volunteers. If you can help with this project, please email me at corey(a)vcfed.org Thank you in advance for your help, Cheers, Corey corey cohen uǝɥoɔ ʎǝɹoɔ Vintage Computer Federation, a federal 501c3 designated charity 917-747-1408 mobile corey(a)vcfed.org www.vcfed.org

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Chuck Peddle has Passed Away
by Todd George 25 Dec '19

25 Dec '19

Saw some really sad news today, Chuck Peddle (inventor of the 6502) passed away on December 15th. https://www.team6502.org/ -Todd

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OT - Retro data transmission AX25 / X.25 protocol suite
by Martin Flynn 25 Dec '19

25 Dec '19

Back in the dawn of the Internet, the AX25 protocol was created for data transmission over amateur radio. AX25 is related to layer 2 of the X.25 protocol suite. One of the CDL Makerspace* projects under consideration for 2020 is building an X.25 / AX25 gateway, and integrating it's 802.11 related cousin, AREDN on 2.4 and 5.0 GHz If you are interested in participating, please reply off list to keep the list clutter down. Martin *the CDL Makerspace is adjacent to the the VCF Museum operated by the /VCF/ Mid-Atlantic chapter on the Camp Evans campus in Wall New Jersey.

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Merry Christmas!
by Jeffrey Brace 25 Dec '19

25 Dec '19

To all my VCF friends who celebrate Christmas. I hope that you all have a wonderful and blessed day with family and friends. Stay safe and enjoy the day! -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Chris Fala joins VCF East committee
by Dean Notarnicola 24 Dec '19

24 Dec '19

I’m very pleased to announce that Chris Fala is joining the VCF East steering committee, bringing us to a full complement of five members. For those who don't know Chris, here is some background: Chris Fala (chris.fala(a)vcfed.org) is an Information Technology Support Consultant living in Lansdale, PA. His first exposure to computers was as a young teenager when his school received a TRS-80 (Model I) on which he taught himself BASIC. Later, his sister, who worked at Commodore at the time, gave him a VIC-20. In high school, he used a TRS-80 Model III, and in college he learned Pascal and FORTRAN on an Apple IIe, and C on a VAX system. His love of vintage computers and desire to preserve history and hardware was kindled years later when he saw an Altair computer "in person" at a Maker Faire. He loves to teach BASIC to kids (and adults), and strives to foster an appreciation of the technology and history that are often taken for granted today. (He hopes that Adam will teach him 6502 assembly.) We look forward to working with Chris to help bring more improvements to everything we do. Please join us in welcoming him to the committee.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] School Preparation for Visiting a Computer Museum
by Bob Aviles 24 Dec '19

24 Dec '19

I remember the demo, a great choice! Bobby On Tuesday, December 24, 2019, 11:08:12 AM EST, Ben Greenfield via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: I would definately show the The mother of all demos. It really puts everything in perspective for me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJDv-zdhzMY > On Dec 23, 2019, at 3:24 PM, rar via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Looking for suggestions of Movies/YouTubes/Articles/Books to prepare high school students for a visit to our computer museum(s) > > I'll start with a few of my favorites, and looking for more suggestions > 1) Hidden Figures (book and movie) > 2) Steve Jobs (book and movie) > 3) Triumph of the Nerds > ... > N) War Games > > > Bob Roswell > broswell(a)syssrc.com > 410-771-5544 ext 4336 > > https://museum.syssrc.com > >

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Do we know anyone in Kansas?
by Christian Liendo 23 Dec '19

23 Dec '19

https://www.reddit.com/r/historyofcomputers/comments/eenj1v/help_preserve_t… My parents are moving and my dad is pretty overwhelmed with cleaning out the house. He's ready to toss these in the garbage but I convinced him to let me try to find someone on Reddit to take them. It seems like a real shame to send these to the landfill. If someone is willing to come to Kansas to pick them up, he'll give them away. What is pictured: -2 Compaq 1s luggables, one with a 10 MB hard drive -1 DEC RLO2 drive -1 pdp 11 rack for the drives -Numerous assorted 5 and 10 MB RLO disk packs Not pictured: -1 DEC RLO1 drive -2 DEC Rainbow 100s, working. 1 with a monitor and 10 MB hard drive -1 LA100 printer with pin feed tractors RLO1 and LA100 not pictured because they are currently in the dumpster. They should have had a pretty soft landing but be warned. DEC rainbows should be in perfect working order. Also 3 of the RLO disk packs fell during moving after the photo was taken. My dad insists they are useless after the slightest drop so they are also in the dumpster. Message me if you're interested or at least upvote for visibility. IDGAF about the fake internet points. I just want to preserve history if possible.

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School Preparation for Visiting a Computer Museum
by rar 23 Dec '19

23 Dec '19

Looking for suggestions of Movies/YouTubes/Articles/Books to prepare high school students for a visit to our computer museum(s) I'll start with a few of my favorites, and looking for more suggestions 1) Hidden Figures (book and movie) 2) Steve Jobs (book and movie) 3) Triumph of the Nerds ... N) War Games Bob Roswell broswell(a)syssrc.com 410-771-5544 ext 4336 https://museum.syssrc.com

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I got problems with you people...
by Bill Degnan 23 Dec '19

23 Dec '19

Happy Festivus. (I assume you get the joke and based on the past few days the irony that you all did not wait until today to have a flame war, eh?) Bill Degnan Co-founder of MARCH, Friend of Dan Roganti, Former V.P. of VCFed, and Presently proprietor of Kennett Classic. "don't complain if you're not willing to do something about it" vintagecomputer.net kennettclassic.com P.S. Karen and I are looking forward to our workshop January 4th. The response has been tremendous we're going to have to use the *entire bottom floor* ! There are a lot of new hobbyists from the area who have signed up and I am glad a lot of you all are coming to support this new project too..Stand by for more info. I am probably going to extend the hours.

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Slightly OT: Intel Chart on 80s PCs/90s Data Centers
by John Heritage 23 Dec '19

23 Dec '19

Found this interesting chart from Intel showing market share in the 80s for PCs, 90s for Data Centers: https://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Intel-Business.jpg Definitely shows Atari, Inc. blew their early lead with the 400/800 by not opening the hardware for developers, or investing in getting the hardware costs down earlier. (Also no thanks to FCC noise requirements that made for a costly computer). There's enough in the 80s section for other conclusions on Apple, Commodore, etc too! The 90s are interesting for a variety of reasons, especially seeing separate graphs for IBM RISC and CISC based server products..

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Warehouse Process
by Adam Michlin 23 Dec '19

23 Dec '19

Hi Everyone, As many of you know, I do a lot of work in maintaining the VCF Warehouse at InfoAge in Wall, NJ. I want to address some changes in process in the Warehouse. 1. As you know, we are more frequently varying the "Featured Artifact" in the museum. These changes are by Steering Committee decision (and you, please make suggestions!), not just me, but I store the unused featured artifacts in the Warehouse. We had a Canon Cat on display, we now have a BeBox on display and I am pleased to share that the Canon Cat is now safely stored in a double sealed plastic container in the Warehouse and the BeBox also has an equivalent plastic container. All featured artifacts will be stored in this manner for safety, cleanliness, and ease of more frequent rotation. 2. Going forward, if you donate an item that can fit in a reasonably sized plastic container, we will provide one. If you donate an IBM/360 (please!), we make no promises about plastic containers but are looking at other solutions. 3. There will be a new policy for checking out items from the Warehouse to work on them. Please understand, we are not able to just hand out anything to anyone, but there will be a process in place to request items and the decision will be made by the Steering Committee (again, not just me). Related to point 2, if you clean one of VCF's computers, it will be put back in the warehouse in a *sealed* container (big iron not necessarily included). The inaugural item for this new policy is our Atari MEGA STe which has been checked out for repair by member Bill Lange. Speaking of which, does anyone have a keyboard for said Atari they want to donate to us? We hope it will be a very near future Featured Artifact when we get it working! 4. Remember that Canon Cat? It will shortly be going on loan for display by mutual agreement at Bill Degnan’s Kennett Classic Vintage Computer Gallery <https://www.kennettclassic.com/> in Kennett Square, PA. Any organization will now be able to request a loan of an artifact for display and all loans will be assessed and approved by Steering Committee vote. It is our goal to get the amazing artifacts in the Warehouse out for public viewing in both our museum and other locations. 5. We are working on plastic bins in the Warehouse to both organize and protect artifacts and will be shortly asking for assistance in various sections to make this a reality. The Apple section is almost complete thanks in large part to the assistance of Tony Bogan. We will also be assessing all artifacts including removing any previously missed dreaded batteries as necessary as part of this process. Any and all suggestions about the Warehouse can be sent to me and/or the entire Steering Committee. Best wishes, -Adam adam.michlin(a)vcfed.org amichlin(a)swerlin.com amichlin(a)gmail.com

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Dessicant (was Warehouse Process)
by William Dudley 22 Dec '19

22 Dec '19

Dollar Tree sells small tubs of desiccant. They are approximately 3.5 x 3.5 x 6 inches. $1 each, obviously. Bill Dudley This email is free of malware because I run Linux. On Sun, Dec 22, 2019 at 7:12 PM Adam Michlin via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Hi Gordon, > > We are experimenting with two different types of containers. . . . We also place a desiccant in each container for moisture and expect to replace these on a regular basis. > > > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Warehouse Process
by gsteemso 22 Dec '19

22 Dec '19

Hi all, Although I'm not expecting to be able to visit in person any time soon, I've been avidly following the evolution of your bricks-&-mortar museum. (There are always things only learnable by someone actually doing them, and in that respect your collective efforts may be even more important to our field than any of you expected.) Achieving closed storage for every individual system (artefact?) is a great objective for all of us, museum curators or otherwise. (Besides the usual tendency many of us share to acquire long-neglected, dusty and/or wildlife-befouled hardware, I work in fire & flood restoration. I can say with 100% certainty that if anything gets _on_ an object, particularly an older one, it's normally a serious challenge to get that thing entirely _off_ again in a fully non-destructive manner.) With that in mind, I'm very interested in the details of your planned program of storage in plastic cases. Identifying and sourcing appropriate containers is in no way a trivial project! Making plastic involves chemical softening agents called plasticizers. As some of us have learned the hard way, in the long term plasticizers will migrate out of the finished material -- escaping as gasses or, in especially problematic cases, forming greasy beads on the surface. The most well-known and graphic example of the havoc which can be wrought upon historical artefacts by decomposed plastic was discovered by antique-doll collectors, when very old self-blinking specimens appeared to gradually start crying blood. It was eventually found to be a reaction of the escaping plasticizers with the metal pivots in the eyes, which invariably terminates with the horrifying spectacle of the doll's head rotting in on itself entirely. I personally have found that well-sealed containers of computer stuff -- such as, most memorably, a big jar of surplus ADB Macintosh mice and random smaller items that I'd stashed away -- tend to develop a distinctive plasticky odour after only a few years. In the case of that jar of mice, the stored items had also undergone a slight but noticeable change of _texture_. It was difficult to characterize, but all of the synthetic materials felt less smooth-surfaced -- less "finished," somehow -- and the flexible parts such as cables seemed a bit stiffer, and made extremely faint crunchy noises when manipulated. Because of how problematically plastics can behave over the longer term, I'm very interested in what specific material(s) you plan to use. It's a complex balance between the cost of a given variety of plastic, its long-term stability in general, and the probability that any outgassed plasticizers will react chemically with whatever items are actually stored in the container. I am also curious as to whether and how the artefacts will be padded within the containers. Under normal circumstances, a storage box remains motionless until accessed -- but over a span measured in years, some sort of disruption is more likely than not. Anything from a minor rearrangement of furniture, to relocating the entire storage area, to an actual landslide can cause the box to be dropped, and finding out after the fact that the contents had merely been _placed_ within rather than securely _packed_ is not a pleasant experience. Sincerely, Gordon S.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Warehouse Process
by W2HX 22 Dec '19

22 Dec '19

Let me also suggest that for big items (or even huge ones) to go out and buy a crap-load of large, dirt cheap bedsheets (not fitted). Throw them over the equipment. Much of the dirt/grime/dust that gathers on this stuff settles from out of the air onto the top of the equipment. A simple gesture of covering with a bedsheet will keep them much cleaner. And you can always run a wash at the local laundromat when the sheets get too filthy. But I suggest this gets done otherwise the big stuff will need to be cleaned more frequently (and the cleaning has some risk too). Just a suggestion 73 Eugene W2HX From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic-bounces(a)lists.vcfed.org> On Behalf Of Adam Michlin via vcf-midatlantic Sent: Sunday, December 22, 2019 7:12 PM To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> Cc: Adam Michlin <amichlin(a)swerlin.com>; gsteemso <48bitsorbust(a)gmail.com> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Warehouse Process

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Museum Report 2019-12-22 December 22, 2019
by Jeffrey Brace 22 Dec '19

22 Dec '19

A steady stream of visitors due to the last day of the Holiday Model Train show. Some high interested visitors mixed in with the many casual visitors. A good day overall. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Regarding Evan Koblentz and VCFed
by John Heritage 22 Dec '19

22 Dec '19

I would donate for an in-museum plaque or something acknowledging the founder of VCF.. I also like the idea Ben has below. On Sun, Dec 22, 2019 at 7:12 AM Ben Greenfield via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > I would like to see the Board acknowledge Evans foundational work by some > sort of substantial naming, such as naming the archive to this date after > him. > > > Ben > >

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Hanukkah Sameach!
by Jeffrey Brace 22 Dec '19

22 Dec '19

To all my vintage computer friends who are Jewish: Happy Hanukkah! *Chag Urim Sameach!* I wish you all a happy time with family and friends. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Museum Report 2019-12-21 December 21, 2019
by Jeffrey Brace 22 Dec '19

22 Dec '19

Got to the museum at 12:30pm. I was a little late because I had to teach Taekwondo today and there were no other docents available. A visitor came about a minute later with high interest, so I gave him an extended tour. The day was filled with a steady stream of visitors due to the Model Train Holiday show at InfoAge. Most were casual visitors with children who were mostly interested in games, etc. Mouse came to help Martin to string network wire in the 9010-A section (where the museum is). They worked for about 5 hours to wire the 9010-B and 9010-A sections. Thanks Mouse and Martin! The physical wiring is done with some networking hardware and software configuration needing to be done next. VCF will soon have hard wire access to the internet and not have to rely on Mobile Citizen for internet access. I also tried out new bottoms for the stools in the museum. We have caster wheels which we felt were dangerous to child visitors because they could easily fall when the stools moved suddenly. The new casters are flat instead of wheels. We are trying it with one stool to see how it goes. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Dialup, was Museum Report
by David Gesswein 22 Dec '19

22 Dec '19

On Sun, Dec 22, 2019 at 08:08:23AM -0500, Tony Bogan via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > > As to other work, Evan and others have been planning a dialup bbs setup in the museum with multiple machines able to ???dial in??? to it, but it never seemed to get beyond the planning stages for a variety of reasons. We plan to build from that foundation and get those system up in the near future as well. > As to networking other machines, as Martin pointed out there is some capability already in place with one of the routers but Andy and others have already talked about other networking possibilities. > I was going to ask about what the plans for dialup were. For the museum 3b1 I was going to bring the "final" disk image to the next workshop. One of its somewhat unusual features was a built in modem. May have had something do do with AT&T selling it. Dialup was common for early unix networking. The 3b1 could demonstrate some of that. Could show uucp file transfer, its The Store! where you could download and install software, email, Usenet etc. It can also call into BBS or into other computers. I assumed dialup won't be done in a short time frame so wasn't planning to configure this now. I can update the image when dialup is supported and its capabilites are known or if planning gets far enough add support to the image I'm setting up.

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Regarding Evan Koblentz and VCFed
by corey cohen 22 Dec '19

22 Dec '19

In my earlier email I mentioned the creation of a new VCFed steering committee managing the museum and the collection at InfoAge. Some of you have asked about Evan’s role in this transition. Evan has chosen to leave his official role at the Vintage Computer Federation. As a founder of our group we had hoped that Evan would continue in his role as Executive Director of the VCFed organization and as a member of the steering committee. Evan has chosen to not be a part of this new organization. We all recognize that, without Evan, there would likely not have been a VCF East. He was also responsible for so many of the artifacts in our collection that might have gone to the scrapper instead of being saved for future generations to appreciate and understand. Evan has been critical in getting out the word on our community and has been the “social media” face of VCFed. Evan has contributed so much more to our group and our hobby that it would be impossible to list it all. It is my hope that Evan will finally be able to enjoy attending VCF East instead of running it and that he will be able to exhibit his Lego robots there for us all to enjoy. We will miss Evan as we move VCFed to this new management structure and thank him for his years of service. We also would like to thank you, the members, as well for your understanding as we move forward with our commitment to being the world’s best grass roots forum for computer collectors and enthusiasts from around the world. Thank you, Cheers, Corey corey cohen uǝɥoɔ ʎǝɹoɔ Vintage Computer Federation, a federal 501c3 designated charity 917-747-1408 mobile corey(a)vcfed.org www.vcfed.org

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Regarding Evan Koblentz and VCFed
by Michael Brutman 21 Dec '19

21 Dec '19

In the interest of keeping things from escalating further please refrain from further replies to this thread. People have a right to speak and a right to defend themselves. But I think everybody will agree that doing it by email while emotions are still raw is not a good way to do it. Let's at least have a cooling off period ... it's just too easy to yell past each other and do further damage. Mike

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Dirty Laundry
by David Riley 21 Dec '19

21 Dec '19

Could we not? I'm all for transparency, but batting recriminations back and forth doesn't move anything forward or fix anything that might be broken. Just my $0.02. - Dave

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Regarding Evan Koblentz and VCFed
by laurakid 21 Dec '19

21 Dec '19

Evan, I understand why you are angry and don’t disagree. I know you created this. But I also know (and so do you) that you are not one who is flexible to accepting others’ opinions. Now that VCF is what it is, and is bigger than you, that flexibility is required. I agree with those who ask that you try to roll with it and not take it as a coup. People want to work WITH you. It’s not just yours anymore and can’t grow if it is. You can’t manage it by yourself. And if you want the help of others you have to be willing to accept their input and be flexible to new ideas. In short, you have to be a team player. Respecfully and hopefully correctly understood, Laura Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone On Saturday, December 21, 2019, 7:19 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: There was no hack.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Regarding Evan Koblentz and VCFed
by Dave McGuire 21 Dec '19

21 Dec '19

On 12/21/19 5:57 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > I advise everyone not to trust Jeff Brace. I did, and the result > is he goes on here and lies about me. Playing drama games has > always been his M.O., and I got a lot of complaints about him > from members in the last couple of years. At this point I'm guessing Evan did something with Windows and his email got hacked. This grammar and sentence structure doesn't even sound like him. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Regarding Evan Koblentz and VCFed
by Evan Koblentz 21 Dec '19

21 Dec '19

There was no hack.

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A top ten list
by Evan Koblentz 21 Dec '19

21 Dec '19

Jeff said I abhor and resist change. - Starting VCF East in NJ: my idea - Adding the Friday classes: my idea - Exhibiting at HOPE: my idea - Exhibiting at Maker Faire: my idea - Getting support from ACM: my idea - Getting support from IEEE: my idea - Cozying up to Bell Labs: my idea - Becoming a real non-profit: my idea - Merging with VC Forum: my idea - Bringing back VCF West: my idea Bonus: the last thing I did before resigning was propose a radical rearranging of the museum exhibits. Dean can vouch for this. Does that all sound like someone who abhors and resists change?

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Regarding Evan Koblentz and VCFed
by Evan Koblentz 21 Dec '19

21 Dec '19

I advise everyone not to trust Jeff Brace. I did, and the result is he goes on here and lies about me. Playing drama games has always been his M.O., and I got a lot of complaints about him from members in the last couple of years.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] I'm resigning
by David Riley 20 Dec '19

20 Dec '19

I’d second basically all of this. > On Dec 18, 2019, at 23:28, Bill Dromgoole via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Evan, I am sorry to hear that you have resigned. > I think we need you. > You are not unappreciated. > Please don’t be bitter. > Many people are used to not always getting their way. > We win some and lose some but we have to continue to fight on for our views. > Please reconsider. > How can you quit after fifteen years of struggle? > Try to adapt. > > Bill Dromgoole > > > > From: Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic > Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2019 4:28 PM > To: vcf-midatlantic > Cc: Evan Koblentz > Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] I'm resigning > > Fifteen years of blood, sweat, and digital tears ... totally unappreciated > by various people in recent changes to VCF so-called leadership. > > Ben, you changed my life for the better when you loaned your Lego robotics > kit. I thank you for that. > > Anyone can reach me at evan(a)snarc.net. > > Anyone who wants to know why I feel driven out could ask the other > "leaders" who think they know better than me. > > Basically there is no point in staying if it stopped being fun and too many > other people want to fuck with the vision. > > Maybe one day I will start a new endeavor. > >> On Wed, Dec 18, 2019, 4:14 PM Ben Greenfield via vcf-midatlantic < >> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >> >> Evan, >> >> This is horrible news and we deserve a better resignation/explanation then >> this. >> >> I have no doubt it was a lot of work… >> >> Thank you, >> >> Ben >> >>> On Dec 18, 2019, at 4:10 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < >> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >>> >>> So long and thanks for all the fish. >> >> >

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VCF Mid-Atlantic Steering Committee
by Dean Notarnicola 19 Dec '19

19 Dec '19

All, As some of you already are aware from Corey's previous email and the Festivus announcement, VCF has formed a new governance and operations steering committee. This committee will be operating under a set of principles laid out in a charter that is under development and will be circulated to the list membership before the end of the year. With this new committee, our goal is to operate efficiently, openly and for the best interest of VCF, its membership and our visitors. The overarching goal of the committee is the care and maintenance of VCF-MA facilities and artifacts, in accordance with VCF’s overall mission of preservation and education. As well, we aim to operate as transparently as possible, communicating on a regular basis, as well as soliciting feedback, advice and critiques from our membership. The committee will initially consist of five members (four until we fill a currently vacant seat), including myself as committee chairman. At least two of these seats will come up for election next year, and we will invite the membership to nominate candidates at that time. For those of you unfamiliar, I'd like to introduce them to you here. They have all been active and significant contributors to VCF and will contribute even more in the coming year. Andrew Diller (andrew.diller(a)vcfed.org) is a technology professional living in Philadelphia, working for a large telecom firm while trying to balance family life and his obsession with Silicon Graphics workstations. He is committed to increasing member involvement in VCF events. Adam Michlin (adam.michlin(a)vcfed.org) serves as the Director of Technology and Computer Science Teacher at Golda Och Academy in West Orange, NJ and as an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at Drew University in Madison, NJ. His interests in vintage computers are wide and varied, but his primary missions are to educate the next generation about vintage computers and to teach the world how to program in 6502 assembly. Tony Bogan (tony.bogan(a)vcfed.org) is a fourth generation boat captain at Bogan's Deep Sea Fishing Center in Brielle, NJ. His introduction to computers started in the late 70's with the arrival of his first Apple II, and his passion for vintage computers started when he attended his first VCF East in 2014 and realized his first computers, like himself, were now "vintage." He has been an active VCF member and museum docent for almost 6 years, during which time he has committed himself to expanding and improving the VCF museum, VCF as a whole, and the public's involvement with and interest in vintage computing. Dean Notarnicola (dean.notarnicola(a)vcfed.org) is Director of Solutions Architecture for Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. in Basking Ridge, NJ. His vintage computing background began in 1979 when he purchased a TRS-80 Model I for his 14th birthday, and his passion for vintage computers has continued ever since. Dean first joined VCF (formerly MARCH) in 2014 and joined the local chapter board in 2016. As mentioned above, we would like to hear any comments, concerns, questions and suggestions. Please feel free to email any or all of us directly. We have some ambitious projects lined up this year that we hope will improve the quality of the museum experience for everyone. To help do so, we sincerely ask for everyone's help and input. We have a great team, but what we can accomplish is nothing compared to what we can all do together. We look forward to a great year. Regards, Dean Notarnicola Committee chair, VCF-MA dean.notarnicola(a)vcfed.com

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Happy Holidays from the VCF Board and an announcement...
by corey cohen 19 Dec '19

19 Dec '19

Greetings, First let me say Happy Holidays to everyone here on the list. Many of you know me as the Apple-1 guy, but I’m actually the Treasurer and a founder of the Vintage Computer Federation along with Evan Koblentz and Jeff Brace. I was the one who personally worked with our attorney and accountant to get our 501c3 charity status which has benefited the hobby tremendously and allowed us to give back more to the community. Over the years a great many changes have taken place at VCFed. We have expanded our activities beyond the mid-atlantic area to directly host shows in Seattle and Silicon Valley. We have brought on new board members and merged with other organizations such as taking over Erik Klein’s vintage-computer.com <http://vintage-computer.com/> website forums, the largest and most active vintage computer forum on the internet. We have though our outreach worked with museums and other vintage computer shows around the world. For those of you who do not visit our governance page at vcfed.org <http://vcfed.org/>, I’d like to briefly reintroduce our board of directors. Erik Klein - Many of you already know Erik, he lives in Silicon Valley and was one of the early founders of our hobby and of the vintage computer community. Erik is also the show runner for VCF West at the Computer History Museum in MountainView California. Mike Brutman - If you are a member of the PCjr community or frequent the VCFed.org <http://vcfed.org/> forums you know Mike. Mike is also the author of the most popular TCP/IP application for DOS (mTCP). Mike lives in the Seattle area and is the show runner for VCF Pacific Northwest at the Living Computer Museum in Seattle. Dag Spicer - For those really interested in the history of vintage computers, you will know Dag from his role as senior curator at the Computer History Museum in MountainView California. Dag’s extensive experience and knowledge have helped us really step up our game. Jeff Brace - If you have been to a workshop, you know Jeff. Jeff lives near Infoage in NJ and basically organizes and runs all our workshops at InfoAge and has been the main project manager for VCF East for the past few years. I am also a member of the board. If you want to learn more about the board members and our experience, please visit http://vcfed.org/wp/about/governance/ <http://vcfed.org/wp/about/governance/> Recently VCFed began the process to make a major change to how the activities at InfoAge are run by instituting a steering committee. This committee comprised of local VCF members will allow us to grow beyond one person making all the decisions about the museum and warehouse. The committee is currently working on their charter and governance rules which will allow the membership to be more involved in the decision making processes. We announced the committee at our Festivus party earlier this month. I do believe it is the intention of the steering committee to begin the migration process to have elections for positions by this time next year. They are currently working on their bylaws and mission statement, but have already taken over many of the day to day activities at the museum and warehouse since they were generally the people who were performing these tasks anyway. I will introduce one member here, Dean Notarnicola who is the chairman of the new Steering Committee. Dean will be sending an introduction email out to everyone explaining the new committee in more details. Thank you and have a very happy holiday… Cheers, Corey corey cohen uǝɥoɔ ʎǝɹoɔ Vintage Computer Federation, a federal 501c3 designated charity corey(a)vcfed.org www.vcfed.org

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Holiday gifts your family will understand
by Herb Johnson 19 Dec '19

19 Dec '19

http://www.sunrise-ev.com/projects.htm#tree This is a gift I've given in years past. It's a simple kit to solder up, and it's a satisfying result. Unlike other "blinky LED" products, this is one you could have built in 1975; so it's vintage. It operates CMOS logic inverters as capacitor/resistor monostables (timers). And, the earliest versions I have from Lee Hart are on PC boards he made in his basement, by *drawing* the circuits with a resist pen. My card dates from 1987, it was his Christmas card for that year. Wow, 32 years ago! and we still fight! That's friendship. ;) Regards and good holidays, Herb -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT info

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Kennet Classic Workshop 1/4/2020
by Bill Degnan 19 Dec '19

19 Dec '19

All, Politics aside we have computers to restore, people. This is a reminder about the Kennett Classic workshop on 1/4/20-, mark your calendars. https://www.kennettclassic.com/events/ A lot of you have signed up on the meetup.com site, including new people from the local area (Kennett Square). Some will need help, experts are welcome. Seating preference will go to those who sign up on meetup.com or RSVP to me via the web site contact form. We can host about 20. Here is a blast from the past (workshop) ten years ago at my old office: http://vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=310 (Dan Roganti and I organized a CP/M-themed workshop) Bill

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] I'm resigning
by Glenn Roberts 19 Dec '19

19 Dec '19

The governance structure of the VCF 501c3 is on the web: http://vcfed.org/wp/about/governance/ I agree it would be great to see more transparency from the board on governance topics for the group - vision, priorities, budgets, investments and other decisions. Before retiring I served for almost 20 years as a research director for a large non-profit (also a 501c3) research and engineering company in Northern VA. I can say from that experience that communication, transparency and input from constituents are critical elements of organizational governance. I also served in a voluntary capacity for a number of organizations (FIRST Lego League, Boy Scouts of America, and our local Homeowners Association) and I found those volunteer efforts to be much more stressful, so I fully sympathize with what I imagine Evan may be going through. Though, by chance, Evan and I still haven't had an opportunity to meet in person, from what I know from these postings and observing a few of the VCF events he has been consistently a strong leader and a passionate proponent of our cause. I certainly hope that the Board fulfills its duties and works to resolve any personal differences within its ranks. We all share a passion for the preservation of computing history. I truly believe that, but for the efforts of groups like VCF, much of this critical history would be lost forever. Our mission is too important to be jeopardized by personal disagreements. * Glenn From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic-bounces(a)lists.vcfed.org> On Behalf Of Ben Greenfield via vcf-midatlantic Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2019 6:57 AM To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> Cc: Ben Greenfield <ben(a)cogs.com>; Evan Koblentz <evan(a)vcfed.org> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] I'm resigning

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] I'm resigning
by jaj＠totallyamused.com 19 Dec '19

19 Dec '19

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] I'm resigning
by Evan Koblentz 18 Dec '19

18 Dec '19

Fifteen years of blood, sweat, and digital tears ... totally unappreciated by various people in recent changes to VCF so-called leadership. Ben, you changed my life for the better when you loaned your Lego robotics kit. I thank you for that. Anyone can reach me at evan(a)snarc.net. Anyone who wants to know why I feel driven out could ask the other "leaders" who think they know better than me. Basically there is no point in staying if it stopped being fun and too many other people want to fuck with the vision. Maybe one day I will start a new endeavor. On Wed, Dec 18, 2019, 4:14 PM Ben Greenfield via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Evan, > > This is horrible news and we deserve a better resignation/explanation then > this. > > I have no doubt it was a lot of work… > > Thank you, > > Ben > > > On Dec 18, 2019, at 4:10 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > So long and thanks for all the fish. > >

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I'm resigning
by Evan Koblentz 18 Dec '19

18 Dec '19

So long and thanks for all the fish.

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How to best store vintage ICs
by Herb Johnson 18 Dec '19

18 Dec '19

Henry S. Courbis (and others) suggest "antistatic foam is better than nothing" and suggests sealed antistatic bags to store the antistat'ed ICs. Also suggested are antistatic IC tubes, which Bill Degnan correctly states are superior. But many people (including Henry, myself) end up, piling chips in black anti-stat foam "in a shoebox", as he posts. I'm not ragging on Henry; everyone has these problems and uses the solutions reasonably available. Or we inherit collections of chips stored this way. Due to my age it's clear to me, these are serious problems over a few decades. Since many vintage computers and components are 40, 50 or more years old, it's a more serious problem for those things. Some science and engineering of materials comes into play when dealing with old IC's and their storage. If such discussions are not of interest, stop reading here. http://www.retrotechnology.com/restore/res_ithaca.html I don't have a specific Web page, about problems with "black rust" AKA "silver oxide". But many have observed that certain TI (Texas Instrument) IC's from the 1980's 90's have had IC pins turn black and become brittle. In sockets these IC's must be replaced; soldered in they seem to mostly perform OK (until they don't). Other ICs in general may suffer similar brittle-rust-pin problems. I don't have a factual scientific finding on the chemistry of the problem But there's no doubt problems occur for certain runs, brands, and eras of IC's. Solutions to the old chips that rust-out? one simply avoids them. They now stand out with their black and sometimes brittle "legs". My expedient (described on the Web page cited) was to use De-Oxit per pin and socket and pray. Antistatic-plastic tubes are available and not overly expensive in bulk. One accumulates these or just buys them. Replacement every few decades is simply a fact, because they *break up* otherwise. Other than the tube's decay, I'm not aware they cause other problems. I and others have seen chips, stored for decades in antistatic foam, fall apart when pulled out. We have all seen such foam become dust or mud. So, it's a problem. I'll detail what I know. I did some research several years ago about the nature of black antistatic foam. I had to recover chips stored since the 1970's in black foam in a cardboard box; others were packaged in individual little hard-plastic containers, also with black foam. The classic conductive material in these foams, appears to be carbon-black. Some carbon-black is produced by burning (with acids I believe) *sugar*. Consequently, some resulting carbon black contains sugar and acid. Over time and in the presence of oxygen and moisture, these contribute to *corrosion*. And over decades, the base material of anti-static "foam" degrades, as does almost any plastic. When these anti-static foams are cheaply produced, these problems seem to occur sooner. Antistatic foam is intended to be a temporary storage, generally, for transport. I'm sure someone with more industrial knowledge, can inform me about long-term storage methods. I'm generally aware, those involve sealed plastic and antistatic or conductive baggies. There's likely other and better (or worse) materials used in storage in recent years. Among the decades-old ICS, I observed there was much less damage among the individual containers than in the "black foam in a box" items. I hypothesize that the somewhat sealed containers reduced oxygen and moisture exposure. I left those items alone. The chips stored in sheets of crumbling black foam? As an expedient, I repackaged them in "aluminum wool" sheets and sealed anti-stat bags. "aluminum wool" is like steel wool, only made from aluminum. It was awful, cheaply made, crumbly stuff. But it wont' rust or induce rust in other metals, and it provides conductive protection. Instead of 'cardboard boxes" I used acid-free archival boxes. Most cardboard is full of acids, from the paper-making process. Again - these choices were an expedient of time and cost. I didn't and don't have cheap solutions to these "black-foam" problems; but I've not looked lately. I'm glad the subject came up for discussion (if anyone has read this far). I don't know of a better and relatively cheap material to use as an antistatic embedded "pad", than the black (and pink) foamed plastics in current use. It seems prudent to replace the foam every several years, and to sealed-bag such things: yet I don't follow my own advice out of convenience. Conductive tubes are reasonable for batches of like chips; inconvenient for individual chips. IF somone has factual/engineering data about some modern material alternatives, I'd love to hear about it. Don't forget the material facts. 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

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] How to best store vintage ICs
by Jeffrey Jonas 18 Dec '19

18 Dec '19

I'd say tin boxes are best. Naturally conductive. I use AOL tins but they're no longer free in your mailbox :-/ Altoid/mint tins are fine, after cleaning. After that, consider chip rails. That's what the manufacturers use. Never any residue or chip fouling. JUST SAY NO TO FOAM! Bad foam damaged my vintage chips by corroding the pins so much that some fell off :-( -- jeff jonas

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How to best store vintage ICs
by John Heritage 17 Dec '19

17 Dec '19

Hey folks, I'm looking for some advice. I have a number of old CPUs -- 8088s, a few 286's, some 486s and early Pentiums sitting in a box stuck in some packing foam from years ago. I'd like to store these a little better as some now have bent pins and they're a little haphazardly in the box. I kept most of these because these (at least pre-Pentium) CPUs were keepsakes from my BBS that didn't go to Microsoft and Novell when they raided my BBS :). What's a better way to store these? I assume just get some anti static foam of some kind from Amazon or another source (Mouser?). I see some plastic boxes with anti static foam in them that seem like a decent idea for keeping them protected.. Thanks.. John

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3.5" Floppy Belts
by Ryan Burke 17 Dec '19

17 Dec '19

Hi all, I have some internal laptop 3.5" floppy drives that need belts, and I can't seem to find any. Does anyone have any suggestions of where to find them? Thanks, Ryan

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Repair Workshops January 2020
by Jeffrey Brace 16 Dec '19

16 Dec '19

Signup Sheets: January 4, 2020 : Kennett Square, PA. at Bill Degnan's Kennett Classic Let him know that you are coming: Website: <https://www.kennettclassic.com/> January 25 & 26, 2020: InfoAge CDL Hackerspace building 9059 < https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LmYNLLK6CEOLCeOQCClhe1J20gpmVlyzmSs… > -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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Museum Report 2019-12-15 December, 15, 2019
by Jeffrey Brace 15 Dec '19

15 Dec '19

Today was very busy with lots of visitors due to the model train holiday show. So I was busy from 2:30 to 4:30 almost continuously. One visitor was one of the RESISTORS and came with his son, so I showed him the PDP 8 and told him the history of it. The father corrected some of the story. Also met a guy who was best friends with Ken Thompson's son. So a very interesting day with a range of visitors and interest levels. Tony and Adam were here also removing the Featured Artifact (Cannon Cat) and replacing it with a BeBox. Tony and Adam also worked on other museum warehouse stuff. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President Vintage Computer Federation

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OT: Do we have a VARIAC in the VCF/CDL lab?
by Martin Flynn 14 Dec '19

14 Dec '19

Camp Evans had a bit of an electrical supply issue a few weeks ago, so the usual suspects from CDL are deploying a power quality / power loss alarming system. ANSI C84.1-2011 states that 197.6 to 218.4 VAC is the acceptable voltage range on our service type (120/208 3ø AC) I need a way to simulate an out of range voltage in order to confirm the trigger relays operate as intended Martin Flynn

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