[vcf-midatlantic] A good class for the Altair 8800 50th birthday...

[Christian Liendo]

I agree with Bill. The idea I was going for was an intro as to how the
machine works, basic fundamentals and operation geared towards new comers.
The idea is to get people interested in these computers that were not once
interested or didn't really know about them.

For those who already know they have written resources and the club has
repair groups for help. I don't expect people to learn everything they need
to about S100s, but enough to have an idea on what to expect and gain
interest. In the class you can direct to additional documentation or videos
or even have another class/repair session.

If this can't be done that's fine it was an idea, maybe a talk like those
about collecting other computers. What to look for? Common problems. How to
test and not blow up the power supply?


On Fri, Apr 26, 2024, 4:08 PM Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic <
vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org> wrote:

> FOr VCF 3 (I think) I did a class on using the front panel and explained
> the basics.  You'd need a progression of classes so that a person can join
> in at their comfort level.  Some would start right from the last class some
> would go to all classes in order, and so on
>
> On Fri, Apr 26, 2024 at 3:24 PM Dean Notarnicola via vcf-midatlantic <
> vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
>
> > I think a class that started with the fundamentals of microcomputer
> > architecture (with the examples Neil gave) would be a great start. It
> would
> > be a great launching point toward understanding any early platform, as
> that
> > knowledge is easily built upon.
> >
> > On Fri, Apr 26, 2024 at 3:00 PM Neil Cherry via vcf-midatlantic <
> > vcf-midatlantic at lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
> >
> > > On 4/26/24 14:33, Jonathan Chapman via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
> > >
> > > > Starting from "I bought this Altair on eBay!" would be a week-long
> > > course, assuming the individual(s) taking it had enough
> > > > background for the material in the first place! There's a lot
> involved
> > > in getting them fully operational and *stable* and having
> > > > an unstable machine is a nightmare for someone who's just getting
> > > started on S-100.
> > > >
> > > >> and S50s
> > >
> > > I'd say it somewhat depends on your background. I started in the
> industry
> > > as an
> > > EET. Worked in a small company and learn every step of embedded
> systems.
> > >
> > > With the exception of things like the 4004/4040 I can look at a
> computer
> > > and
> > > figure it out. The 4004/4040 is strange software. The rest of various
> > > processors
> > > don't look that different to me. TTL or transistor computers are a bit
> > > harder
> > > to follow. :-)
> > >
> > > Now someone who started in software but wants to play with hardware is
> > > going to
> > > have a different view of the world. I know I've seen a lot of software
> > > folks
> > > struggle with the hardware. I'm not always good at explaining the
> > hardware
> > > to help
> > > them understand.
> > >
> > >  > Assuming you mean SS-50, these things aren't really related, the
> > > (usually) completely different processor architecture changes a
> > >  > lot of things.
> > >
> > > Start with the basics, Serial (RS232, current loop, TTL 5v0/3v3) and
> > > parallel.
> > > Then work in to the logic.
> > >
> > > I will agree starting with an unstable system is not a great place to
> > > start but
> > > it will teach you how the systems work. And that's where the repair
> > > workshops
> > > come into play.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Linux Home Automation         Neil Cherry       kd2zrq at linuxha.com
> > > http://www.linuxha.com/                         Main site
> > > http://linuxha.blogspot.com/                    My HA Blog
> > > Author of:      Linux Smart Homes For Dummies   KD2ZRQ
> > >
> > >
> >
>