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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] East XIII exhibit registration is open!
by Evan Koblentz 06 Mar '18

06 Mar '18

>> is their advanced tickets via paypal too ? or just wait till that wknd ? There will be. It's not ready. On Mar 6, 2018 12:18 PM, "Dan Roganti" <ragooman(a)gmail.com> wrote: is their advanced tickets via paypal too ? or just wait till that wknd ? Dan

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East XIII exhibit registration is open!
by Evan Koblentz 06 Mar '18

06 Mar '18

Aaaaaaaand ..... go! http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/vcf-east-exhib…

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Sign up: April 7-8 workshop
by Evan Koblentz 06 Mar '18

06 Mar '18

Here's the signup sheet for the April 7-8 workshop: http://tinyurl.com/yd3mxfsu

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[Semi-OT] 3D Printing Replacement Parts (Was: Re: About Bill's message)
by J. Alexander Jacocks 06 Mar '18

06 Mar '18

A concrete item that you can see today is the power switch on the IBM PS/2 Model 76, in the museum. It was broken at some point in the past, and I 3D printed a replacement. One way that you can deal with the limited number of colors available in PLA/PET/ABS filament is to dye the results. For an example, see this article in Make <https://makezine.com/2013/05/09/how-to-dye-your-3d-prints/> magazine. You can do quite a bit, and in very high quality, if you take the time to properly learn to design parts. All the things that are required for the design of professionally made injection-molded parts (clearance, tolerance, wear, etc.) are also necessary to get a good quality result out of FDM. And, of course, there is SLA, if you really need fine detail. And last, there are those, like myself, who also tinker in the subtractive manufacturing arena that is CNC machining. That produces quite a bit more robust parts, from any machinable material, including ferrous metals. The limiting factor in all these technologies is more the imagination and skill of the user, and less the technologies themselves. Sure, capabilities grow with time, but incredible things are made every day, with very basic tools. - Alex On Tue, Mar 6, 2018 at 5:16 AM, Dave Wade via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic- > > bounces(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> On Behalf Of Herb Johnson > > via vcf-midatlantic > > Sent: 06 March 2018 03:35 > > To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org > > > > Cc: Herb Johnson <hjohnson(a)retrotechnology.info> > > Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] About Bill's message > > > > > Creating a library of open-source vintage computing parts * IS * a > > > good idea. Bill: if you'd like to lead the effort then you have my > support. > > > > I agree, it's a good idea. If Bill agrees, I hope he changes the subject > line! hint > > hint > > > > There's a number of toggles that people try to 3D print, varying degrees > of > > success. Maybe keycaps? Light covers? These are small parts and printing > a > > few at a time gives some "scale" to the effort. Tricks like coloring the > plastics > > are good to know. > > > > I think Keycaps are better made with modelling moulding compounds. > > > > Nice thing about collecting models, is that most all 3D printers use the > same > > modeling language. There are some collections of models out there (no > > magic "git" thank goodness) so those could be pointed to. I think I know > a > > few locations .... > > > > I'm not against 3D printers - just skeptical about their results. But > these are > > not a big stretch. And if there's cooperative colleagues among us to > test, we > > can find out! IXR locally also has, or had, a 3D printer > > - Neil can speak to that. Our friend Matt with the $200 printer, can > participate > > too. We might pass the hat to buy plastic noodles... it is OK to call > them that? > > ;) > > The results can be good, but its not just point and shoot. I think where > they really com in is for new prts to adapt old machines. E.g. > > https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1592139 > > Dave > > > > > 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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OT: Re: Is it just me or.....
by Herb Johnson 06 Mar '18

06 Mar '18

> One major difference between the PC and 3DP is the latter will require > substantial materials advancements to make it usefully mainstream and there > doesn't seem to be a Moore's law driving that. That statement, hints at something important. I'm tired of every techie/consumer/science advancement in the last few decades, being compared to the personal computing revolution and to "Moore's Law". Digital technology - almost ALL of it - has advanced in doing THE SAME THING: representing a one or zero with smaller physical hardware. Below the microscopic, it's now below WAVELENGTHS OF LIGHT. OK? Re-read those statements. That's the corollary to Moore's Law. Now: will a 3D printer "advance", by printing pea-sized beer-can openers? Is a 3D printed car a revolution - if it's Hot Wheels sized? So, 3D printing + Moore's Law = zero. Detailed discussion of 3D printing is, as Evan noted, off-topic. But as an engineer, I see that 3D printers have to do more than print plastic forks to be useful to most consumers, and to many techs. But to handle more robust materials, you need more robust tools. A hot tip and a gear to extrude plastic noodles won't get you there. Sorry to those disappointed, but as I said, expectations are too high, the suggested comparison fails. But we vintage computerists, are in the best position, to deny the premise that "3D printing will be the next revolution, like personal computers". We (some of us) know WHY personal computing (and embedded computing) were revolutionary. From an engineering view, 3D printing will be at best, *evolutionary*, like many other advances in technology and materials and processes. Herb Johnson BSEE 1976 -- 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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About Bill's message
by Herb Johnson 06 Mar '18

06 Mar '18

> Creating a library of open-source vintage computing parts * IS * a good > idea. Bill: if you'd like to lead the effort then you have my support. I agree, it's a good idea. If Bill agrees, I hope he changes the subject line! hint hint There's a number of toggles that people try to 3D print, varying degrees of success. Maybe keycaps? Light covers? These are small parts and printing a few at a time gives some "scale" to the effort. Tricks like coloring the plastics are good to know. Nice thing about collecting models, is that most all 3D printers use the same modeling language. There are some collections of models out there (no magic "git" thank goodness) so those could be pointed to. I think I know a few locations .... I'm not against 3D printers - just skeptical about their results. But these are not a big stretch. And if there's cooperative colleagues among us to test, we can find out! IXR locally also has, or had, a 3D printer - Neil can speak to that. Our friend Matt with the $200 printer, can participate too. We might pass the hat to buy plastic noodles... it is OK to call them that? ;) 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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Connor's famous (again)
by Evan Koblentz 06 Mar '18

06 Mar '18

Front-and-center on IBM.com right now.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] About Bill's message
by Dave McGuire 06 Mar '18

06 Mar '18

You wrote: > I know I've seen 3D printed switches for mini's show up a few times. > Back in 2015, Christopher Parish had a handful of 3D printed > replacement switche paddles for his HP minicomputer. > While I can't put my finger on it, I seem to recall seeing similar > ones for the PDP-8/e but maybe that's a fig newton of my imagination. > Am I remembering this right? (Alex, man, I love ya like a brother, but for the love of God PLEASE fix your mail client) Vince Slyngstad has designed a number of things for the DEC world, including front panel switches: http://so-much-stuff.com/pdp8/cad/3d.php I've printed a few of these with good results. There are three 3D printers here in my lab. I use them with some frequency to make random replacement parts, and quite a lot for customer prototyping applications. I.e., "real work". These are not toys. For all of the assertions in this thread about them being so fiddly, etc, that's really not the case today. These are all Monoprice-branded models (one each of their Mini, Plus, and Ultimate models), and they are essentially plug-and-go, right out of the box. This is not news. I am not a 3D printing "hobbyist" or "hacker". I have enough time-sinks in my life and I do not need or want another. I do, however, need to get work done, which occasionally means making parts, without screwing around, as I have no time to waste. With today's affordable 3D printers this is very much a practical thing, and I do it all the time here with excellent results. Yes, you do need to learn how to use them properly. But the same goes for any tool, even a hammer or a screwdriver. But I would expect a mailing list full of computer people, i.e. thouse with a significantly higher I.Q. than the average slob on the street, should be able to figure that out. Sometimes it's not for work purposes. I messed up my thumb pretty good a few days ago and needed a splint. I found a thumb splint on Thingiverse, and...less than half an hour later, my thumb was in a splint. Nay-say all you want, folks, but it's here. Come see if you don't believe me. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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About Bill's message
by Evan Koblentz 05 Mar '18

05 Mar '18

Bill Deg. wrote: >> I keep giving away good ideas and then they're taken without giving me credit The short comment is, "He's right." And that should be rectified. Since day 1 of MARCH -- around fall 2004 -- Bill has been my top adviser. Various MARCH and then VCFed officers have come/gone, but Bill's always been there to give us great ideas and help me understand ways to improve my own ideas. Repair workshops were Bill's idea. (I said they wouldn't succeed.) The holiday party was Bill's idea. (I said nobody would go.) A sales area at VCF East was Bill's idea. (I said it would be too difficult.) Hands-on restorations of the museum items were largely Bill's idea. (I said we couldn't pull it off.) The list goes on... I hope to learn my lesson one of these decades, which is "Listen to Bill." Creating a library of open-source vintage computing parts * IS * a good idea. Bill: if you'd like to lead the effort then you have my support.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Mac OS 7.1 Terminal Emulator & BBS software
by Joseph Oprysko 05 Mar '18

05 Mar '18

Oh, my mistake, it’s not 1.5 mb, it’s 8mb. But my hard drive sounds very gummy. Where it’ll slow down and stop spinning occasionally. I haven’t opened it up to see which model hard drive to see if there’s something I can do to clean up the spindle motor/bearings On Sun, Mar 4, 2018 at 3:20 PM Ben Greenfield via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > > On Mar 4, 2018, at 2:29 PM, Dean Notarnicola via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > > I've got 128MB (unofficial maximum) installed in mine. Makes a big > > difference. > > > Wow! I have got to try that, > > > > > > > On Sun, Mar 4, 2018 at 1:42 PM Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic < > > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > > > >>> on my SE/30,... (running 7.1) as I only have 1.5mb of Ram. > >> > >> What? An SE/30 has eight 30-pin SIMM slots. Get some 4MB SIMM's! Fill > >> that puppy *up*! - Herb > >> > >> -- > >> Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA > >> http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net > >> > > -- Normal Person: Hey, it seems that you know a lot. Geek: To be honest, it's due to all the surfing I do. Normal Person: So you go surfing? Normal Person: But I don't think that has anything to do with knowing a lot... Geek: I think that's wrong on a fundamental level. Normal Person: Huh? Huh? What?

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