- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] FS: Non-Linear Systems X-2 Nixie Meter
by Dave McGuire 09 May '22

09 May '22

On 5/9/22 19:22, Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > I have one of their multimeters! I have the model with the edge-lit displays. Gorgeous. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

2 2

FS: Non-Linear Systems X-2 Nixie Meter
by Jonathan Chapman 09 May '22

09 May '22

All, I don't usually post about test equipment here, but this one is made by Non-Linear Systems, so I figured there's enough overlap that folks might be interested: https://www.ebay.com/itm/275305278929 NLS is probably better known for the Kaypro series of computers, but they invented the digital multimeter back in the 1950s! Their first unit was an electromechanical beast, using stepping relays and edge-lit numerical displays. This is of course a later model, and is fully solid state, with Nixie tube displays. I went through the meter around three years ago, replaced a cap in the HV supply for the Nixie anode voltage, reformed the logic and analog supply caps, and cleaned up a previous repair that was causing excessive leakage on the 1000V range. A basic calibration was done following the manual, using a Fluke 343A DC Calibrator and a calibrated Fluke 8842A. Three years later, it's still holding calibration! Anyhow, I'm letting it go as I don't use it much, I have a number of Nixie meters, and though this one is both very nice and historically significant, it's DC-only. The option boards for AC and ohms conversion are not present. The schematics are available, and it'd be possible to recreate them on protoboard with the appropriate Elco connectors. Thanks, Jonathan

4 3

Free stuff Weds Night (semi OT)
by Bill Degnan 09 May '22

09 May '22

This is s a follow up to my earlier email about the large lot of computer and some electronics/consumer items I am trying to offload here, the entire lot for $100: https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/sys/d/kennett-square-vintage-computers/… I have received some interest in some items, all offers considered. Some of the items are from the 80's, most are from the 90's and a few things are from the earlier 2000's. I get it that many consider a lot of this post-vintage. For those who are interested anyway - whatever does not sell it will be unceremoniously moved into the parking lot. At that point it will be free to a good home. What remains after that will be recycled. We're filming the museum on Thursday so it needs to be gone by then. Bill P.S. From a bargain collectors' standpoint - the strategy of picking up the nice things before everyone else considers them "vintage" has it's merits. That's what I do. Some of these CRTs will be hard to come by eventually. People are practially giving away late 486/early Pentium stuff now, but not forever.

1 0

Looking for 16-bit ISA memory board
by Joseph Giliberti 09 May '22

09 May '22

Greetings all! I'm looking to expand the RAM in my IBM PC/AT and I'm having a hell of a time finding an expansion board. It has one megabyte onboard, but I'd like to get it to eight. It seems that everyone hung on to their 8-bit boards but nobody has 16-bit ones and the few that I found are barely populated. Does anyone here have such a board that they'd be willing to part with? Thanks in advance! Joe Giliberti

2 1

OT - Anyone Want to Meet up in Nashville, This Week?
by Alexander Jacocks 08 May '22

08 May '22

I’m going to be at a conference this week, so if anyone wants to meet up, let me know. - Alex

1 0

today's shelfware
by Jeffrey Jonas 08 May '22

08 May '22

Is anyone still using the Intel Edison or Galileo modules? I have spares to trade/swap. -- jeff jonas

3 2

on topic and in tune but out of time :-)
by Jeffrey Jonas 07 May '22

07 May '22

I just stumbled upon the BBC archives https://www.youtube.com/c/BBCArchive/videos The first part is the radiophonic studio but then there's a delightful 80s computer with a light pen! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZuf0LIU-2A Peter Howell gives the DOCTOR WHO THEME an 80s REMIX | The Music Arcade | Making of | BBC Archive Peter Howell of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop demonstrates how he reimagined Ron Grainer's classic Doctor Who theme - which was first realised so startlingly by Delia Derbyshire and Dick Mills in the 1960s - to make it 'brighter and more modern sounding' for the 1980s. He uses modern polyphonic analogue synthesisers like the Yamaha CS-80, an ARP Odyssey Mk3 and a Roland Jupiter-4, a vocoder and an old, malfunctioning phase shifter unit he found in the back of the Workshop. Gent that he is, he then pops over to the Music Arcade studio to demonstrate the extraordinary new Fairlight CMI Series II synthesiser to the some kids from St Mary's Balham Primary School and hosts Tim Whitnall and Lucie Skeaping. This clip is from The Music Arcade: Electricity in Music. Originally broadcast 2 February, 1982.

2 1

OT: Cool Ham Radio History
by Chris Fala 07 May '22

07 May '22

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaTm_LUifUI

1 0

FOR SALE: SemiOT: Too many computers
by Bill Degnan 07 May '22

07 May '22

I have a large lot of computers, parts, software, and consumer electronics for sale. See it all here: $100 takes the whole thing, a donation to Kennett Classic. https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/sys/d/kennett-square-vintage-computers/… To me some of this stuff is post-vintage but now is the time to pick up things like CRTs and Pentium 1's while they're still shunned by collectors as too new. That's what I did when 286/386 was considered to new. Time marches on. Bill

1 0

information overload and all that jazz [was Mastodon]
by Jeffrey Jonas 07 May '22

07 May '22

Raymond Scott's 1960 album "The Secret 7: The Unexpected" predicted this: Citing the liner notes: "A Message from Where" is a gentle protest based on Scott's feeling that "we're getting too many messages from too many places". This was DECADES before the Internet, cable-tv, texting and all our wonderful new-and-improved sources of "information overload"! The man saw the future and knew it was ludicrous. samples of the tracks: https://www.raymondscott.net/music/streaming-audio/s7/ An amazon comment finally unmasks the men of mystery: This late-'50s album by the amazing Raymond Scott boasts a truly ALL-STAR jazz supergroup line-up: Elvin Jones Milt Hinton Kenny Burrell Eddie Costa Sam "The Man" Taylor Harry "Sweets" Edison "Wild" Bill Davis Jean "Toots" Thielemans

1 0