Since TCF is walking distance from my home, I was there this year. It was, as Evan says, much like the last few years. There's one or two vendors who bring vintage-computing items, and then several others you see at hamfests with modern computers, and a few parts vendors. It's early in the hamfest season so it's good to see these folks again. I bought some widgets, my friends bought some vintage things, I scarfed up the tossouts at the end. There was a 3D printer dealer there. The talks are of the same sorts as recent, mostly about doing modern computing in various aspects. Since early personal computing included "embedded" issues like networking, operating things, coding - modern computing topics in embedded work are of interest to many of us oldies. THey show off some college-engineering student work, some robotics. Neil Cherry's talk was fine, and I recommend looking at IoT stuff through the eyes of vintage computing "nuts and bolts". Frank O'Brian spoke on the Space Shuttle computer - he's part of Infoage, wrote about the Apollo Guidance Computer. Other talks may be of interest to some who read this. A surprising talk, was by a high-school student, who is making his own semiconductors in his garage. When his talk began with "here's how a semiconductor works...." I was worried. Spoiler: he's using 1990's class small-run semiconductor technology, and a bit of optical hacking, and some common household items. And he's getting it done. Best talk I've heard in years, me being a BSEE from the 1970's, that's what I learned then. Not sure the "gamers" would be interested, but the "makers" among us ought to be. The Sarnoff Collection had a table during the morning, and opened their museum in the afternoon which is a short walk away. Go there sometime, to see the COSMAC computers, some blue LEDs (RCA uncovered the breakthru technology), and radio/TV stuff if that's of interest. I work with them so they get my attention. The 1802 *is* a New Jersey microprocessor. TCF has topics of interest to modern computing technologists, and also a strong amateur radio component. You can get your ham license in a day spent there, like many hamfests offer. It's not the parking lot of old-tech dealers it used to be, but it's not a bad way to spend a day-of-tech. Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net
Was the semiconductor talk by Sam Zeloof? https://hackaday.com/2017/02/25/the-fab-lab-next-door-diy-semiconductors/ He has some pretty thorough videos on the subject and a basement full of things I wish I had access to :D On Wed, Mar 21, 2018 at 5:46 PM, Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
Since TCF is walking distance from my home, I was there this year. It was, as Evan says, much like the last few years. There's one or two vendors who bring vintage-computing items, and then several others you see at hamfests with modern computers, and a few parts vendors. It's early in the hamfest season so it's good to see these folks again. I bought some widgets, my friends bought some vintage things, I scarfed up the tossouts at the end. There was a 3D printer dealer there.
The talks are of the same sorts as recent, mostly about doing modern computing in various aspects. Since early personal computing included "embedded" issues like networking, operating things, coding - modern computing topics in embedded work are of interest to many of us oldies. THey show off some college-engineering student work, some robotics.
Neil Cherry's talk was fine, and I recommend looking at IoT stuff through the eyes of vintage computing "nuts and bolts". Frank O'Brian spoke on the Space Shuttle computer - he's part of Infoage, wrote about the Apollo Guidance Computer. Other talks may be of interest to some who read this.
A surprising talk, was by a high-school student, who is making his own semiconductors in his garage. When his talk began with "here's how a semiconductor works...." I was worried. Spoiler: he's using 1990's class small-run semiconductor technology, and a bit of optical hacking, and some common household items. And he's getting it done. Best talk I've heard in years, me being a BSEE from the 1970's, that's what I learned then. Not sure the "gamers" would be interested, but the "makers" among us ought to be.
The Sarnoff Collection had a table during the morning, and opened their museum in the afternoon which is a short walk away. Go there sometime, to see the COSMAC computers, some blue LEDs (RCA uncovered the breakthru technology), and radio/TV stuff if that's of interest. I work with them so they get my attention. The 1802 *is* a New Jersey microprocessor.
TCF has topics of interest to modern computing technologists, and also a strong amateur radio component. You can get your ham license in a day spent there, like many hamfests offer. It's not the parking lot of old-tech dealers it used to be, but it's not a bad way to spend a day-of-tech.
Herb Johnson
-- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net
participants (2)
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Herb Johnson -
Mark Whittington