VCF East 8.0 - Sessions [from the VCF-E 8.0 Web page at vintage.org] Saturday, May 5th, 2012 Saturday Welcome Session 9:30 AM Lounge Learn to Solder Workshop (Saturday) 9:30 AM Hotel 3 The History of Commodore, Part 2 10:15 AM Telecom 1 How It's Done: 8-Bit Chip Music 10:15 AM Lounge Introduction to Vintage Software Restoration 10:15 AM Hotel 2 Introduction to Commodore 8-Bit Maintenance 11:30 AM Telecom 1 Introduction to Minicomputer Care & Feeding 11:30 AM Hotel 2 Amateur Computer Society of New Jersey Meeting #1 Reunion 11:30 AM Lounge Saturday Keynote: The Invention of BASIC 12:45 PM Lounge Sunday, May 6th, 2012 Sunday Welcome Session 9:30 AM Lounge Learn to Solder Workshop (Sunday) 9:30 AM Hotel 3 Build a Vector Graphics Kit! 10:00 AM Telecom 1 Introduction to Apple II Maintenance 10:15 AM Hotel 2 History and Impact of Analog Computing 10:15 AM Lounge Introduction to S-100 Zen & Innerworkings 11:30 AM Hotel 2 The Life, Death, and Afterlife of Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine No. 2 11:30 AM Lounge Sunday Keynote: Apple's Early Years 12:45 PM Lounge VCF East 8.0 - Exhibition, Registered Exhibits [from the VCF-E 8.0 Web page at vintage.org Jan 2016] Start of the Art 1985 Alex Jacocks (Queenstown, MD, United States) Here's a demonstration of the technological innovations present in microcomputers of 1985. This includes the Apple Macintosh Plus, Atari 1040ST, and Commodore Amiga 1000. Digital Equipment Corp. Original PDP-8 David Gesswein (Bethesda, MD, United States) This is an exhibit of the very rare original DEC PDP-8 -- known as the "Straight 8" colloquially -- in restored condition. There were only 1,500 made and very few exist today. Rutgers University Vintage Computer Club Matthew Mikolay (New Brunswick, NJ, United States) A new student club at Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey, is devoted to learning about vintage computers and documenting the history of computing at their college. They will exhibit for the first time at the VCF East 8.0. The Apple-1 Single-Board Computer Corey Cohen (Matawan, NJ, United States) Touch and play with a working replica of the Apple 1. Play vintage computer games -- prizes will be handed out daily for the highest score. Multiple Apple-1 systems based on the Mimeo platform will be available for demonstrations of the Apple Cassette Interface, Woz Integer Basic Language and 6502 machine code games. Check out comparisons between the Apple-1 and Apple II design and architecture; learn classic Apple trivia and history. Learn how you can build your own Apple-1. Apple II Before Floppies Mike Willegal (Tewskbury, MA, United States) The Disk ][ didn't become available for the Apple ][ until about a year after the first Apple ][s were shipped. Starting with a bare bones 4K Apple ][, there will be demonstrations of a wide variety of authentic pre-Disk ][ era software, games, hacks and upgrades throughout the weekend. S-100 Retrospective Herb Johnson (Ewing, NJ, United States) S-100 and IEEE-696 systems were a major part of personal, business and scientific computing from 1975 into the 1990s. S-100 participants also supported the next waves of personal computing. This critical role is rarely reported today, but there's still fans old and new of S-100 systems. I'll display or operate several systems to show developments over time, from early systems to late multiuser systems. I'll chose among Northstar, Cromemco, Compupro, Heath/Zenith, and less-known brands. There will be individual cards, and literature as well. I "engineered" these in the era and support them today, and I'll discuss all this in the exhibit. HP 2109E Minicomputer Mike Loewen (State College, PA, United States) The Hewlett Packard 21MX series 16-bit minicomputers were popular for real-time applications. The 2109 was available from 1976 until 1995, typically running the RTE operating system. Featured will be a 2109E (circa 1983), 9895A dual 8-inch floppy drive, 2647A intelligent graphics terminal and a modern HPIB drive emulator. The Long Overdue IBM PC Recognition Exhibit Bill Degnan (Landenberg, PA, United States) IBM finally adapts an open source approach to computer design and the IBM Model 5150 Personal Computer was the result. IBM's hugely successful 2nd generation PC system had many revolutionary product features including the sharpest and clearest display available at the time, IBM/Microsoft BASIC, IBM 16-bit MS DOS OS, “Parallel / Centronics” printer port, an outstanding keyboard, and excellent documentation. This exhibit will contain a comprehensive inventory of IBM PC 5150 systems, software, peripherals, and technical information. Yes, it's time to give the 5150 it's due! Handmade Computers Ben Greenfield (Williamstown, MA, United States) This exhibit focuses on three handmade computers: an Autonetics D-17 missile guidance system, Nixdorf 820 business computer, and a mystery computer from Digital Techniques Inc. What's New For the Old Commodore 64 ? Jeffrey Brace (Ocean, NJ, United States) Did you know there are still new accessories made in 2012 for the Commodore 64 computer of 1982? This exhibit highlights such devices which use modern technologies to enhance and extend the popular 8-bit computer. Examples include ways to connect to the Internet, backup software, large storage devices, and alternative input devices. Fahrfall, An Original Game for the Tandy CoCo 2 John Linville (Mebane, NC, United States) Fahrfall is a platform game, where the platforms scroll from the bottom of the screen to the top. The player has to navigate the platforms both to avoid falling off the bottom of the screen and to avoid scrolling off the top, where flames are -- it's like a bad dream. :-) This exhibit may also include a digital video player for the CoCo 3. Little Computer People Justin Jernigan (Belle Mead, NJ, United States) Before The Sims, before Tamagotchi, there was Little Computer People. Interact with the little computer person living inside my Commodore 64. Includes a sub-exhibit on emulation using modern (10+ year old) hardware, for attendees interested in getting hands-on without the full investment of vintage hardware. SWTPc, Vectors, Vectrex, Cousins? Bill Sudbrink (Silver Spring, MD, United States) I will be exhibiting an SWTPc 6800 computer with a PERCOM floppy system and a homebrew vector graphic card. Hopefully, I will have Spacewar running on this system. In case I don't get the Spacewar port done, I will also display a Vectrex game system from 1982 that will definitely be running Spacewar. Interestingly, it is somewhat appropriate to have these two machines side-by-side as the Vectrex uses a 6809 processor, the same processor that SWTPc moved to in its second generation computer offering. Pimp My PET Michael Hill (San Francisco, CA, United States) The Commodore PET - a classic 6502 machine. Check out some newly constructed devices to make your PET do all sorts of crazy things. Pimp Your PET! PCs before Apple, Radio Shack, and Commodore Michael Holley (Seattle, WA, United States) Before Steve Wozniak got his first 6502 microprocessor chip for the Apple I, hobbyists could buy a Sphere computer kit with a Motorola 6800 CPU, dynamic RAM and a memory mapped video display. It even included a keyboard, power supply and case. Before the Apple II, fellow Homebrew Computer Club members Bob Marsh and Lee Felsenstein were selling the Processor Technology Sol-20 "Personal Computer". Steve Jobs though the Walnut side panels were tacky. There were scores of computer kits on the market in the two years before the consumer-oriented Apple II, Radio Shack TRS-80, and Commodore PET arrived in 1977. This exhibit will show advertisements for these early personal computers. Silicon Graphics 3D Workstations Brian Cirulnick, Chris Liendo (New York, NY, United States) During the 1980s and 1990s, Silicon Graphics was a leader in 3D graphics technology. For eight consecutive years, all films nominated for an Academy Award for Distinguished Achievement in Visual Effects were created on Silicon Graphics computer systems. We will be displaying a number of SGI workstations for people to view and play on. DEC PDP-15 Real-Time Restoration Mike Ross (Mamaroneck, NY, United States) In this exhibit, collector Mike Ross will attempt to make his very rare DEC PDP-15 minicomputer do something interesting by the end of the show -- and you can watch and ask him questions during the process. Will he get it running by close of business? Will it even pass the smoke test? Will we need the fire department? Luckily, Mike himself is a fireman. Modified Atari Computers and Game Machines Ralph Dodd (Fairfield, N.J., United States) Three highly modified systems will be displayed. First is a Kaypro 4 case containing a modified Atari 800XL computer with 32 different operating systems and a modified Atari 2600 Video Computer System, both sharing a 9.6-inch LCD monitor. Second is a modified Atari 800XL computer that has 78 built in 8K games and 2 programming languages that are switch selectable from the top of the computer. It also has a built in SIO2PC connector enabling it to load programs from a laptop computer's hard drive via a serial cable. Thid is an Atari 2600 with built-in stereo speakers, S-Video, and composite video output making the video very clear and sharp. Other homebrew Atari items may also be present. Vintage TRS-80 Desktops and Pockets Ed Wilborne (Danville, VA, United States) This exhibit will feature a TRS-80 Model I with expansion interface and disk drives and a TRS-80 Model III. There will also be many of the TRS-80 line of pocket computers. Large-Scale PDP-11 Installation Dave McGuire (New Kensington, PA, United States) The PDP-11 was one of the longest-running families of computer systems in the history of our industry, spanning small desktop machines to large-scale datacenter-based timesharing systems. In this exhibit you will see, hear, and get to use a running PDP-11/70, the largest member of this very successful and elegantly designed family of minicomputers, circa 1974. Sit down in front of a VT-52 or a VT-100 and hack some FORTRAN or BASIC-PLUS code, re-live days gone by with the wonderful EDT editor, play a round of Dungeon or Super Star Trek, or just stand back and watch the lights blink and feel the rumble. Vector Graphics Workshop Kit Dan Roganti (New Kensington, PA, United States) This exhibit will show a demo of the workshop kit where you get to build a vector graphics kit which can be operated by your vintage computer using a vector monitor or oscilloscope. More information about the workshop can be found here: http://www.vintage.org/2012/east/session.php#163 AT&T/Teletype 5620 terminal Andy Meyer (Clark, NJ, United States) The BLiT (Bell Labs Intelligent Terminal) was designed in 1982. I will display the 1984 version made by Teletype, which features the iconic red half-sphere 3 button "Swiss mouse". PRINTERS! Michael Kelly (Jersey City, NJ, United States) Life didn't used to be instant laser prints and photo-realistic glossy inkjets. Let this VCF exhibit bring us back to a world of mechanics, noise, and waiting... On display will be an assortment of vintage 80s printers of varying printing methods: Apple Imagewriter I/II and Okidata 120 (dot matrix); Apple Scribe (thermal); Apple Color Plotter; and a daisywheel printer. Several vintage computers will be running various word processing and desktop publishing programs of the era. In addition, a modern workstation will be setup with printer drivers to demonstrate this equipment can still be used today! Apples to Apples Ian Primus (Niskayuna, NY, United States) The revolutionary Apple II was a unique design... until it wasn't. Explore a sampling of Apple II clones, from the legitimate to the gray area, to the out and out bootlegs. With genuine Apple computers for comparison, you'll see just how little imagination some copycats had. Interactive Fiction Games Ethan Dicks (Columbus, OH, United States) This exhibit will demonstration several famous examples of text-adventure games -- from the era before 'video' was part of the equation.