Re: [vcf-midatlantic] DC Area Head Count
[NON-Text Body part not included] Strange email, pine can't reply. I am in the greater DC area (Chantilly VA area.) I normally collect smaller systems these days like Atari, Commodore, etc. I do own an IMSAI, some Apple IIs, BeBox, Cray J932SE, and some other oddities. I am involved with a video game music and gaming festival called MAGFest. The next event is on Feb 18th-21st at the Gaylord National Harbor. Last year we brought back the computer museum spread, and this year it's moving to it's own room. It will mostly be plastic micros like Ataris, Commodores, TRS-80s, etc. There might be some rare stuff. Maybe a PC68000 from Japan (that game console that uses the 1.2MB floppies.) Quite a bit of macintosh, and IBM PC including 5150, 8088s, 286s, 386s, 486s, 5x86, etc. Thin net running Doom. It's a game / music fest so most things are certered around that. My role with the org is arcade room, we've got a 30,000 square foot room with 270+ machines expected. 40+ pinballs. Imported music games are getting higher in the numbers, classic arcades are suffering a bit (classic game #s aren't increasing or decreasing, we're just getting more of the 90s and 2000s stuff now.) We do trade badges in return for arcade machines, the games mostly come from collectors (although more of the collectors have started moving to renting maches for events.) Abbbbout 20,000 people expected to show up. People like the classic systems! Al Lowe was there 2 events ago! There are pics on the internet. I'm also a member of NovaLabs, the Northern Virginia makerspace. There is meeting space there, but at my membership level I don't have keys. If there was a desire for a get together that might be a good place. Could also do any restaurant if it's just to talk. - Ethan
I'm in the DC area ( Currently in Hagerstown MD ). My interest in retro systems has jumped around over the years. But I have a small collection of Macs, a couple C64's & 128's, a growing collection of calculators, a bigger Atari 2600 collection and a few misc bits. Mainly these days, I seem to like doing retro-ish things on modern computers ( The wonderful Raspberry Pi makes this pretty easy ). On rather amusing example is I got this Weird UNIX for Macs Called MachTen running in Real Memory mode on Minivmac. Some day, I'm going to go a big step further and fully restore my Mac Plus, and make it a UNIX workstation for no other reason than, "I can." I do have one question however ... how does one acquire a Cray J90 anything? or any Cray for that matter? An EL-92 or 94 ( so I can actually power it in a house ) has been on my wish list for decades. - Derrik On 01/30/2016 10:49 AM, Ethan via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
[NON-Text Body part not included]
Strange email, pine can't reply.
I am in the greater DC area (Chantilly VA area.)
I normally collect smaller systems these days like Atari, Commodore, etc. I do own an IMSAI, some Apple IIs, BeBox, Cray J932SE, and some other oddities.
-- -- Derrik Derrik Walker v2.0, RHCE dwalker@doomd.net "Those UNIX guys, they think weird!" -- John C. Dvorak
I do have one question however ... how does one acquire a Cray J90 anything? or any Cray for that matter? An EL-92 or 94 ( so I can actually power it in a house ) has been on my wish list for decades. - Derrik
I have a J932SE I would be interested in selling for near $10K. It's heavy though, I think a walk out double door basement or concrete floored garage would be the only way to have it in a residential house. It would use 90 amps @ 220VAC max. I can't remember what I actually measured it at, more like 20 amps give or take actual use. Power supplies on the Cray side is 5 x Pioneer Magnetics 5000 watt 48vdc things, similar to Sun E10K. - Ethan
On 01/30/2016 11:39 AM, Ethan wrote:
I have a J932SE I would be interested in selling for near $10K. It's heavy though, I think a walk out double door basement or concrete floored garage would be the only way to have it in a residential house.
It would use 90 amps @ 220VAC max. I can't remember what I actually measured it at, more like 20 amps give or take actual use.
Power supplies on the Cray side is 5 x Pioneer Magnetics 5000 watt 48vdc things, similar to Sun E10K.
- Ethan
I don't really have a place to put it ... and if I spent 10K on "some old computer," my wife would kill me. I'll stick with playing around with Raspberry Pi's ... They use practically no power and I can buy enough to make a nice cluster if I wanted to for a tiny fraction of the cost of a J90. -- -- Derrik Derrik Walker v2.0, RHCE dwalker@doomd.net "Those UNIX guys, they think weird!" -- John C. Dvorak
On 01/30/2016 10:15 PM, Derrik Walker v2.0 via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
I have a J932SE I would be interested in selling for near $10K. It's heavy though, I think a walk out double door basement or concrete floored garage would be the only way to have it in a residential house.
It would use 90 amps @ 220VAC max. I can't remember what I actually measured it at, more like 20 amps give or take actual use.
Power supplies on the Cray side is 5 x Pioneer Magnetics 5000 watt 48vdc things, similar to Sun E10K.
- Ethan
I don't really have a place to put it ... and if I spent 10K on "some old computer,"
A Cray J932SE is hardly "some old computer".
my wife would kill me.
http://www.plentyoffish.com/ http://www.match.com/ -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
my wife would kill me. http://www.plentyoffish.com/ http://www.match.com/
This got big laughs here at the workshop.
I don't really have a place to put it ... and if I spent 10K on "some old computer," A Cray J932SE is hardly "some old computer".
I agree with that ... but ...
my wife would kill me. http://www.plentyoffish.com/ http://www.match.com/
Anyone on this list who this isn't true for is either: 1) not married 2) a millionaire ( still could be a problem ) 3) lying - possibly to themselves - or best case - 4) has a wife that's into it as much as they are ( yea, right!! ) Don't get me wrong. My wife collects Nintendo systems, so she kinda of understands. But she has her limits. -- -- Derrik Derrik Walker v2.0, RHCE dwalker@doomd.net "Those UNIX guys, they think weird!" -- John C. Dvorak
On 01/31/2016 09:28 AM, Derrik Walker v2.0 via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
my wife would kill me. http://www.plentyoffish.com/ http://www.match.com/
Anyone on this list who this isn't true for is either:
1) not married 2) a millionaire ( still could be a problem ) 3) lying - possibly to themselves
- or best case -
4) has a wife that's into it as much as they are ( yea, right!! )
Don't get me wrong. My wife collects Nintendo systems, so she kinda of understands. But she has her limits.
Mine has her limits too, but they're HER limits, not mine. Likewise, mine are not hers. Thus, I offer these additional cases in addition to your list above: 5) A compatible spouse 6) A spouse who doesn't seek to control her spouse's activities -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
Mine has her limits too, but they're HER limits, not mine. Likewise, mine are not hers. Thus, I offer these additional cases in addition to your list above: 5) A compatible spouse 6) A spouse who doesn't seek to control her spouse's activities
I'm not sure number 6 exists in nature. Perhaps only in a laboratory :-) Tony
On 01/31/2016 11:28 AM, Tony Bogan via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
Mine has her limits too, but they're HER limits, not mine. Likewise, mine are not hers. Thus, I offer these additional cases in addition to your list above: 5) A compatible spouse 6) A spouse who doesn't seek to control her spouse's activities
I'm not sure number 6 exists in nature. Perhaps only in a laboratory :-)
Nope. If fat, funny-looking me can find one, anyone can. But just keep in mind, it's a two-way street. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
On Jan 31, 2016, at 12:11 PM, Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
On 01/31/2016 11:28 AM, Tony Bogan via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
Mine has her limits too, but they're HER limits, not mine. Likewise, mine are not hers. Thus, I offer these additional cases in addition to your list above: 5) A compatible spouse 6) A spouse who doesn't seek to control her spouse's activities
I'm not sure number 6 exists in nature. Perhaps only in a laboratory :-)
Nope. If fat, funny-looking me can find one, anyone can.
But just keep in mind, it's a two-way street.
-Dave
-- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
I've been married for over 23 years. And while I like to think she hasn't been too successful, I can't say she hasn't sought to control my activities ;-) Tony
On 01/30/2016 11:06 AM, Derrik Walker v2.0 via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
I do have one question however ... how does one acquire a Cray J90 anything? or any Cray for that matter?
It's a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
An EL-92 or 94 ( so I can actually power it in a house ) has been on my wish list for decades.
I'm sorry to say you likely won't find any of those. There were very few of those models made, less than fifty as far as I'm aware. A J90 can easily be run in a house; my biggish config pulled about 5kW. Those are more attainable. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
Bob Flanders live near Fair Oaks mall in Fairfax ... almost Chantilly. I am mostly interested in the IBM1130, but I have also built an Altair 8800Micro and an ELF. On Sat, Jan 30, 2016 at 12:46 PM, Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
On 01/30/2016 11:06 AM, Derrik Walker v2.0 via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
I do have one question however ... how does one acquire a Cray J90 anything? or any Cray for that matter?
It's a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
An EL-92 or 94 ( so I can actually power it in a house ) has been on my wish list for decades.
I'm sorry to say you likely won't find any of those. There were very few of those models made, less than fifty as far as I'm aware.
A J90 can easily be run in a house; my biggish config pulled about 5kW. Those are more attainable.
-Dave
-- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
Wow...I had no idea that we had so many DC-area folks. I've been to System Source, and it's a neat place. I'd be happy to drive there, if an event happens. - Alex
On 01/30/2016 12:46 PM, Dave McGuire via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
On 01/30/2016 11:06 AM, Derrik Walker v2.0 via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
I do have one question however ... how does one acquire a Cray J90 anything? or any Cray for that matter? It's a matter of being in the right place at the right time. I seem to rarely get lucky like that. An EL-92 or 94 ( so I can actually power it in a house ) has been on my wish list for decades. I'm sorry to say you likely won't find any of those. There were very few of those models made, less than fifty as far as I'm aware. I realize this ... ( as witnessed by the fact I have yet to get my grubby hands on one )
A J90 can easily be run in a house; my biggish config pulled about 5kW. Those are more attainable. I've thought about a J90 ... but it's so damn complex. Getting a working one, along with the Sparc 5 needed to run it seem to be challenging. And still, 5KW is a lot.
-- -- Derrik Derrik Walker v2.0, RHCE dwalker@doomd.net "Those UNIX guys, they think weird!" -- John C. Dvorak
On 01/30/2016 10:11 PM, Derrik Walker v2.0 via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
A J90 can easily be run in a house; my biggish config pulled about 5kW. Those are more attainable. I've thought about a J90 ... but it's so damn complex. Getting a working one, along with the Sparc 5 needed to run it seem to be challenging. And still, 5KW is a lot.
Most any Sun of that era will do it, and they're extremely common. The machines are complex, yes, but there are people around who know them well and can help. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
participants (7)
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Bob Flanders -
Dave McGuire -
Derrik Walker v2.0 -
Ethan -
Evan Koblentz -
J. Alexander Jacocks -
Tony Bogan