- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

OT - Camp Evans Specific - Firewall cluster upgrade
by Martin A Flynn 14 Sep '25

14 Sep '25

As a reminder, activation of the new firewall cluster supporting Camp Evans (the home of the MARCH / VCF museum) is scheduled for Saturday, October 11, 2025 * While the majority of the work has been done in advance, please expect the downtime window to run from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM * The the network, Wi-Fi, and telephones will be out of service, personal cellphones will not be impacted * All network connected computers and appliances should be rebooted once the work is done. To give credit where due, the work is funded and executed by the Camp Evans volunteers (AKA the usual suspect) Cheers! Martin Martin A Flynn / W2RWJ Computer Deconstruction Laboratory 2201 Marconi Road Wall Township, NJ 07719 Tel: +1 732-456-5001 Email: martin.flynn(a)compdecon.org Online: www.compdecon.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/compdecon/

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TRS-80 Model II unusual?
by W2HX 14 Sep '25

14 Sep '25

Anyone know the story behind these units? They look like some 3rd party enclosure, but it says Tandy Radio Shack https://www.ebay.com/itm/267391404094 Well, the seller also had a Model II CPU/display unit for sale with this same color scheme/design, but I can't find it now. 73 Eugene W2HX My Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@w2hx/videos

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MARCH Workshop Hack-a-Thon - Prize Announcement
by Jeff Salzman 13 Sep '25

13 Sep '25

For the upcoming Hack-a-Thon, "Free Pile Fabrication!", a prize has been picked out and will be presented to the winner of the contest. The prize is an Apple II+, Disk II card and drive, and Language card. Obviously, it's not a brand new system. However, it has been curated and tested to run a copy of Oregon Trail. And just like things were back in the day... Monitor not included! Official rules and details for the Hack-a-Thon are expected to be posted in a few days. We'll try to make the rules as simple as possible, mainly to define the time frame to be provided to work on the contest. When it starts, when it ends, along with who and how will be involved with judging the fabrications. Keep in mind that the goal is to repurpose or reimagine unwanted vintage computer items. After all, if they are on the Free Pile, they were put there because the original owner did not want them in their current condition. How you repurpose them, that's all up to you. Work your creativity! Jeff Salzman VCF Steering Committee member MARCH Workshop Manager

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] vcf-midatlantic] MARCH Workshop Hack-a-Thon
by Jeff Salzman 12 Sep '25

12 Sep '25

Still determining IF the junk after the Hack-a-Thon event will be a big issue or not. The Swapmeet rules state that anybody putting items on the Free Pile will be expected to remove those items before the end of the Swapmeet. So basically, if someone wants to participate in the Hack-a-Thon, they should attend the Swapmeet and gather what they think they will need for a project. There are no guarantees that any Free Pile stuff will be available after the Swapmeet. Nor are there any guarantees over what would still be available on the Free Pile any time during the Swapmeet. We do know from past experience that stuff is always ending up on the Free Pile all day long. There may be good stuff at the beginning of the Swapmeet, but then there might also be some good stuff at the end if Vendors decide to give stuff away instead of taking it home. There is a 99.9% chance there will be a prize for the winner of the Hack-a-Thon. I'm still waiting for official approval as to what prize will be offered. Jeff Salzman VCF Steering Committee member MARCH Workshop Manager On Sat, Sep 6, 2025 at 2:44 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > So here’s a question > At 6 PM or there after > What is to be done with all of the “ junk “ > That was used for this “contest” > Are you telling the people who entered the contest with all this junk > junk? They have to take it all home. > Which is not a bad thing > However Will you have enough stuff left from the free pile at the end of > the swap meet? > Or will there not be enough for others during the swap meet? > > To make it short > If everybody else takes the junk, then there won’t be anything left for > the contest > And if people take everything for the contest that there won’t be anything > for the people at the swapmeet > > Just curious to see if anybody thought > Or maybe I’m just analyzing it too much > >

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“ Maybe not OT”. GSARA Hamfest - Swapmeet Sept. 27th - vintage stuff
by Sentrytv 08 Sep '25

08 Sep '25

This Hamfest - Swapmeet is not too far from InfoAge in wall Township. I will have vintage Computer stuff there for sale, along with some radio equipment. https://gsara.club/ Mike Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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MARCH Workshop Hack-a-Thon
by Jeff Salzman 07 Sep '25

07 Sep '25

OK... we're trying this again. Setting up a Hack-a-Thon event at the next VCF/MARCH Workshop. Some of the feedback from the last attempt fell on the lines of the last Hack-a-Thon proposal being too complicated. So... this one will be simple. Since the October Workshop coincides with the VCF Swapmeet, the Hack-a-Thon challenge is: "Free Pile Fabrication!" Should you accept the challenge, grab stuff from the free pile at the VCF Swapmeet on October 18, 2025. Bring it to the Workshop at InfoAge in the 9032A room by 2PM on that Saturday, then make something useful out of that stuff. The contest will run until 6PM on that Saturday. The rules are simple... release your creativity! You can't bring something and simply turn it on and expect a win. You should do your best to renew or repurpose everything you grab from the free pile and make something better from it. We know the kind of stuff that ends up on the free pile, so we will be scrutinizing the end results. based on creativity and purpose. Sometimes "junk" can be made into something better. This is your chance to prove it. Don't worry, there will be a winner. The judges so far are ME. Other judges may volunteer, but the Judges will not be allowed to participate in the Hack-a-Thon challenge. So if you want to win, you must impress ME and any other volunteer judge. I (we) cannot be paid off in beer, but I (we) will certainly accept any that you give me (us). :) We're still working on a suitable prize. For now, the only prize is bragging rights. But there is a high degree of probability that the winner will receive a working Commodore VIC-20. I know, that's not a precious prize, but the prize correlates to the contest difficulty. I did say this contest would be simple, right? No matter. The contest is designed to invoke fun and camaraderie. Please consider and enjoy the spirit of the event for what it is... a chance to make something new from something old. Let your imagination shine! Jeff Salzman VCF Steering Committee member MARCH Workshop Manager

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RE: [vcf-midatlantic] VCF MidWest 2025
by danjfitzgerald 06 Sep '25

06 Sep '25

Case and I will be going. I'm eager to see if we can get any S/390 gear for DARE (our startup retrocomp group in Connecticut) as I'm getting very jealous of my friend who just got her own Multiprise/3000. I also am looking forward to a proper chat with the SDF/ICM guys about their S/370 and if they will let us migrate SDFVM back onto it.Regards,Dan FitzGeraldAdministrator, Classical Computing Laboratory at IBM Poughkeepsie -------- Original message --------From: Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> Date: 9/2/25 18:17 (GMT-05:00) To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> Cc: Jeffrey Brace <jeffrey(a)vcfed.org> Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] VCF MidWest 2025 So who's going to VCF Midwest next week?I will be there running VCF's 3 tables.Take care!Jeff Brace

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] vcf-midatlantic] MARCH Workshop Hack-a-Thon
by Dean Notarnicola 06 Sep '25

06 Sep '25

If I have to choose, I’d rather see the free pile go to the Hackathon. On Sat, Sep 6, 2025 at 2:44 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > So here’s a question > At 6 PM or there after > What is to be done with all of the “ junk “ > That was used for this “contest” > Are you telling the people who entered the contest with all this junk > junk? They have to take it all home. > Which is not a bad thing > However Will you have enough stuff left from the free pile at the end of > the swap meet? > Or will there not be enough for others during the swap meet? > > To make it short > If everybody else takes the junk, then there won’t be anything left for > the contest > And if people take everything for the contest that there won’t be anything > for the people at the swapmeet > > Just curious to see if anybody thought > Or maybe I’m just analyzing it too much > > > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > On Sep 6, 2025, at 2:03 PM, Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > that's a good plan :-) > > they used to do this at the HOPE festivals a long time ago, and there was > > even a guy there to sell basic IC's so you could get parts. > > Bill > > > >> On Sat, Sep 6, 2025 at 11:31 AM Jeff Salzman via vcf-midatlantic < > >> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >> > >> OK... we're trying this again. Setting up a Hack-a-Thon event at the > next > >> VCF/MARCH Workshop. > >> > >> Some of the feedback from the last attempt fell on the lines of the last > >> Hack-a-Thon proposal being too complicated. So... this one will be > simple. > >> > >> Since the October Workshop coincides with the VCF Swapmeet, the > Hack-a-Thon > >> challenge is: > >> > >> "Free Pile Fabrication!" > >> > >> Should you accept the challenge, grab stuff from the free pile at the > VCF > >> Swapmeet on October 18, 2025. Bring it to the Workshop at InfoAge in the > >> 9032A room by 2PM on that Saturday, then make something useful out of > that > >> stuff. The contest will run until 6PM on that Saturday. > >> > >> The rules are simple... release your creativity! You can't bring > something > >> and simply turn it on and expect a win. You should do your best to > renew or > >> repurpose everything you grab from the free pile and make something > better > >> from it. > >> > >> We know the kind of stuff that ends up on the free pile, so we will be > >> scrutinizing the end results. based on creativity and purpose. Sometimes > >> "junk" can be made into something better. This is your chance to prove > it. > >> > >> Don't worry, there will be a winner. The judges so far are ME. Other > judges > >> may volunteer, but the Judges will not be allowed to participate in the > >> Hack-a-Thon challenge. So if you want to win, you must impress ME and > any > >> other volunteer judge. I (we) cannot be paid off in beer, but I (we) > will > >> certainly accept any that you give me (us). :) > >> > >> We're still working on a suitable prize. For now, the only prize is > >> bragging rights. But there is a high degree of probability that the > winner > >> will receive a working Commodore VIC-20. I know, that's not a precious > >> prize, but the prize correlates to the contest difficulty. I did say > this > >> contest would be simple, right? > >> > >> No matter. The contest is designed to invoke fun and camaraderie. Please > >> consider and enjoy the spirit of the event for what it is... a chance to > >> make something new from something old. Let your imagination shine! > >> > >> Jeff Salzman > >> VCF Steering Committee member > >> MARCH Workshop Manager > >> > >

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VCF MidWest 2025
by Jeffrey Brace 04 Sep '25

04 Sep '25

So who's going to VCF Midwest next week? I will be there running VCF's 3 tables. Take care! Jeff Brace

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] VCF MidWest 2025
by Bill Degnan 04 Sep '25

04 Sep '25

Looking forward to seeing everyone at VCF MW this year. I will be arriving Friday night and will be making a b-line to the space to watch the setup. Bill On Thu, Sep 4, 2025 at 9:26 AM Ryan Stapleton via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > I will be there for my first VCF Midwest! I am looking forward to the > experience. > > I am not taking anything but a little space if I find something to bring > back. > > Thanks > -Ryan > > > On Sep 2, 2025, at 6:17 PM, Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > So who's going to VCF Midwest next week? > > I will be there running VCF's 3 tables. > > > > Take care! > > > > Jeff Brace > >

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