- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

OT: Solar Eclipse sunglasses -- legit, better and still cheap
by Herb Johnson 18 Aug '17

18 Aug '17

I was an amateur astronomer. I advise against the referenced Harbor Freight goggles. Here's reliable information about Welder's glass. - Herb https://www.harborfreight.com/ etc. Set comes with both flip front and permanent #10 lens.... https://www.space.com/36941-solar-eclipse-eye-protection-guide.html Welding goggles quote from Rick Fienberg, press officer for the American Astronomical Society (AAS), said "There is a particular circumstance in which [welding goggles are] safe," Fienberg said. "We don't recommend it because it's too easy to get the wrong kind of welding filter." Only goggles made for electric arc welding can be used to observe the sun, and they must have a shade scale number of 12 or higher. Shade 13 is ideal for solar viewing, but that shade is typically not sold in stores, Fienberg added. -------------------- https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety Additional Safety Information Viewing with Protection -- Experts suggests that one widely available filter for safe solar viewing is welders glass of sufficiently high number. The only ones that are safe for direct viewing of the Sun with your eyes are those of Shade 12 or higher. These are much darker than the filters used for most kinds of welding. If you have an old welder's helmet around the house and are thinking of using it to view the Sun, make sure you know the filter's shade number. If it's less than 12 (and it probably is), don't even think about using it to look at the Sun. Many people find the Sun too bright even in a Shade 12 filter, and some find the Sun too dim in a Shade 14 filter — but Shade 13 filters are uncommon and can be hard to find. -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Test, ignore
by Evan Koblentz 18 Aug '17

18 Aug '17

Nothing to see here.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: Solar Eclipse sunglasses -- legit, better and still cheap
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 17 Aug '17

17 Aug '17

Chris Fala via vcf-midatlantic writes: >Brian, to where will you be travelling? I plan to drive to eastern >Tennessee. Would love to get copies of your photos. I have a sister who purchased a large horse farm down in South Carolina many years ago. She's in the path of totality; only 5 miles from center. We're planning to go to a HP rocket launch Saturday in extreme southern NJ and then, continue on the road to SC. We should be there for Sunday, Monday (eclipse) and Tuesday. I'll have my Manfrotto tripod but I wish I'd gotten an adapter to put the camera on my telescope's equatoral mount with drive. I'll be sure to suss that out in the next 99 years! :) It would be something to consider if I'm still walking this spinning ball of mud when the 2024 eclipse occurs.

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PSA: Amiga 600 and Amiga 1200 can have leaky capacitors that eat PCB
by Ethan 17 Aug '17

17 Aug '17

Learned the hard way after trying to use my Amiga 600 this weekend to archive some software. Green screen. Figured it was PSU. Got home, popped the RF shield off and sigh. Caps leaked electrolyte and it ate through some traces. Had no idea this was an issue, I know about the Lithium batteries in the A2000/A3000/A4000 and A500 RTC module. Going to have to try to repair, almost thinking about paying someone else to do it if there is someone reputable in the USA. :-( - Ethan

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: Solar Eclipse sunglasses -- legit, better and still cheap
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 17 Aug '17

17 Aug '17

systems_glitch via vcf-midatlantic writes: >Heh, don't know that I'd trust a Harmful Freight device with my >eyesight, but there are many other suppliers that will carry name-brand >eye protection. The goggle type devices are often called "cutting >glasses" or "cutting goggles" because they're only used when cutting or >welding with an oxy-fuel torch -- electric arc welding requires full >face protection from the UV given off by the arc as it'll sunburn any >exposed skin. Many big box hardware stores carry either Lincoln, Hobart, >or Miller branded safety gear, which is fine, safe stuff. > >We went in for new glasses last week, and the optometrist had cardboard >and film filter glasses for free in their lobby. > >Thanks, Jonathan FWIW, most of the "eclipse glasses" have been sold out. If you are nearby the InfoAge center and want some glasses, Avenues of the Sky (AAS approved) have produced glases for the Lakewood crowd. They're printed in Hebrew but, come on, it's pretty self-explanatory as to what to do with them. I picked up a 6-pack from the Madison Rx in Lakewood for $12. I've also spent $250 on a 7mm solar filter for my camera lens from B&H Photo Video. I'll be traveling shortly a location in the path of totality, so eat your heart out if you're not in the path!!! :P

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OT: Solar Eclipse sunglasses -- legit, better and still cheap
by Dan Roganti 17 Aug '17

17 Aug '17

This is a better option and it doesn't cost much, only $6 its not the gimmicky stuff that you see sold in stores, and its the same material specified for welding masks to filter the solar light. It's the same specification used by astronomers for their telescope equipment but these are welding goggles, so it's light weight and costs less, These are found at Harbor Freight and other places with tools pass it on https://www.harborfreight.com/welding/welding-helmets/2-piece-welding-goggl… <https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.harborfreight.com%2Fwelding%…> -- _ ____ / \__/ Scotty, We Need More Power !! \_/ _\__ Aye, Cap'n, but we've only got 80 col's !!

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What's a good way to upgrade my Amiga 1000
by Dan Roganti 17 Aug '17

17 Aug '17

What's a good way to upgrade my Amiga 1000. I like to get it setup which would let me download Amiga software online and transfer the files to my A1000 as I do with my C64 and Apple][. Is there something like the uIEC with the SD card from Jim Brain at Retro Innovations. This is the best one I've seen so far. Here you just swap the SD card after you download any software online, and pop this into the uIEC plugged into the C64. I still use it together with my cross-platform dev when coding new stuff. or is it more like ADTPro for the Apple][ by using the serial cable I heard it's a lot easier to find something for the later models which don't rely on Kickstart disks. Dan -- _ ____ / \__/ Scotty, We Need More Power !! \_/ _\__ Aye, Cap'n, but we've only got 80 col's !!

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Museum report
by Evan Koblentz 17 Aug '17

17 Aug '17

We had a few scattered visitor groups today. I got a parts bin at Harbor Freight and put it on the workbench. Bottom few rows are now full of screws and nuts and bolts and washers. Not as impressive as IXR's electronic components :) but at least it cleans up our workbench. The majority of the bin drawers are empty for future use. I noticed that two of our 15-ish tablets were misconfigured. They were set to get content from a folder on vcfed.org rather than from the Pi on our local network. I fixed that. Every few months someone from the Infoage board hosts a meeting for the various group leaders. There was one such meeting tonight. One of the highlights: Infoage got a grant to install ADA-compliant ramps for all the public buildings on campus. That includes our museum building ("9010-A" in Infoage parlance from the Army days). I think it will be installed in the next few months. ________________________________ Evan Koblentz, director Vintage Computer Federation a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit evan(a)vcfed.org (646) 546-9999 www.vcfed.org facebook.com/vcfederation twitter.com/vcfederation instagram.com/vcfederation

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Simple 3D Printable case for WiFi232
by John Heritage 16 Aug '17

16 Aug '17

I made a very simple 'slide in' sleeve case for the WiFi232 modem in case anyone is interested. It does not fully enclose, but at least keeps the electronics off of your desk surface, and leaves plenty of room for the USB and RS232 connectors, and to push the button. The plastic does cover the solder in point for power, but the sketchup file is there if you need to change it. ~ 827mm of 3.0mm plastic required. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2486879

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DC600 mag tape cartridges available
by William Dudley 15 Aug '17

15 Aug '17

I have a box of 49 DC600 (maybe some DC300's in there) cartridges, plus one tape head cleaner cartridge. Some have been used to backup my MSDOS system back in the 90's. Some have labels on them suggesting that they contain UNIX-y things for Sun computers. That may or may not be true. I will bulk erase the MSDOS backups. If anyone is interested in these tapes, contact me. I won't want money for the tapes, just money to cover shipping, if needed. Bill Dudley Jackson, NJ This email is free of malware because I run Linux.

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