Year after year, the VCF presents an amazing line-up of speakers and workshops for the computer history and vintage computing enthusiast. We are proud to present the session line-up for VCF East 8.0.
This year we have multiple conference tracks. All talks that begin on the hour are in one track and the talks that begin on the half hour are in another. Each session is typically one hour in length and usually includes time for questions and answers at the end.
Make a selection below to view the session descriptions for each day, or click on the session title in the Session Summary to jump directly to a session. To read a brief biography of each speaker, click on their photo or name.
10:15-11:15: This session will cover tips and tricks for archiving and preserving cassettes as well as 8" and 5 1/4" diskettes. This class will get you started towards converting to and from the original source into a modern format and back again. Radio Shack TRS 80 Model II will be demoed by Kelly Leavitt.
11:30 AM
Dave McGuire
Introduction to Minicomputer Care & Feeding
11:30-12:30: You've graduated from microcomputers to minicomputers -- welcome to the world of big iron! But, evaluating and maintaining a minicomputer is much more complicated than similar goals on a microcomputer. This session, taught by collector Dave McGuire, will leave you with a wealth of useful beginner's know-how.
Sessions for Hotel 3
9:30 AM
Institute for Expl. Research
Learn to Solder Workshop (Saturday)
All day: Our learn-to-solder workshop is hosted by the Institute for Exploratory Research -- the Jersey shore's own hackerspace, based at the InfoAge Science Center. You'll build a fun LED "Blinky" kit, develop good soldering techniques, and learn basic electronics. The kit comes with 10 components, a printed circuit board, a battery connector, and instructions. Ages 8+; adult supervision required.
9:30-10:00: Start your VCF East weekend at this welcome session. Evan Koblentz, the VCF East Producer, will give a quick update on the state of the MARCH Computer Museum and last-minute updates about the show agenda. There will be prizes!
10:15 AM
Don Miller
How It's Done: 8-Bit Chip Music
10:15-11:15: Dino Lionetti, Don Miller, Andrew Reitano, and Patrick Todd -- all from the greater Philadelphia area -- at our 2007 event hosted an 8-bit multimedia concert. This year time, they'll show how their magic is made! In their own words: "The chip scene is a global movement of artists that use older videogame and computer hardware to create music and realtime visuals. In this session Dino Lionetti and Patrick Todd (of Cheap Dinosaurs) will discuss making music on the Game Boy (Zilog Z80) and Nintendo Entertainment System (Rich 2A03). Don Miller (NO CARRIER) will discuss creating real-time visuals on the Nintendo Entertainment System (MOS 6502) and Andrew Reitano (Batsly Adams) will cover video on the Sega Genesis (Motorola 68000)."
11:30 AM
ACGNJ
Amateur Computer Society of New Jersey Meeting #1 Reunion
11:30-12:30: Many computer history fans know about the Silicon Valley's famous Homebrew Computer Club, which formed in March 1975, but at the same time there were similar groups forming around the world. One was the Amateur Computer Society of New Jersey (now called the Amateur Computer Group of New Jersey) which had its first meeting on June 13, 1975 in Scotch Plains. Several people who attended that meeting will attend this panel to discuss the local microcomputer scene in its beginning.
12:45 PM
Thomas Kurtz, Ph.D.
Saturday Keynote: The Invention of BASIC
12:45-2:00: Dr. Thomas Kurtz, of Dartmouth University, co-invented BASIC -- Beginner's All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code -- in 1964. For 20 years it was the dominant beginner's programming language, most significantly on microcomputers of the 1970s and 1980s. Note: bring a USB drive, and Kurtz will give you an electronic copy of his original BASIC user manual!
] NEW
]
] 10 PRINT "DON'T MISS THIS!"
] 20 GOTO 10
]
] RUN
Sessions for Telecom 1
10:15 AM
Bil Herd
The History of Commodore, Part 2
10:15-11:15: Bil Herd, a Commodore engineer who designed the C-128, Plus 4, and others, will tell his tales from the heydey of Commodore. He'll pick up from where Commodore founder Chuck Peddle left off in our 2007 event, and he'll end with the Amiga generation. (Peddle's talk is in four parts on YouTube, starting 16 minutes into part one here.)
11:30-12:30: Commodore's most popular 8-bit microcomputers -- the PET, VIC-20, C-64, and C-128 -- are still among the collected by hobbyists today. Learn all about the fundamentals of keeping them running. This is an exclusive opportunity to learn your Commodore repair skills from Bil Herd, who designed many of the company's 8-bit systems! You'll also learn from collector Rob Clarke, who's coming all the way from Switzerland especially for the VCF. Rob will cover some of the great Commodore and community developed diagnostic tools as well as replacements for some of the hard-to-source components. Bonus: one lucky person attending this session will win Bil's oscilloscope!
Bil is so excited about this session that he made a promotional video. Check it out:
10:15-11:15: The Apple II, II+, and IIe were the longest-lasting series of 8-bit microcomputers. In this session, Apple expert Mike Willegal, known for this Apple 1 replica kits, will teach you all about keeping your own Apple II system happy.
11:30 AM
Jonathan Chapman
Introduction to S-100 Zen & Innerworkings
11:30-12:30: Owning an S-100 computer is unlike anything else. Jon Chapman, better known as "Systems Glitch," will educate you on the entry-level knowledge you'll need to do personal computing like they did it in 1975.
Sessions for Hotel 3
9:30 AM
Institute for Expl. Research
Learn to Solder Workshop (Sunday)
All day: Our learn-to-solder workshop is hosted by the Institute for Exploratory Research -- the Jersey shore's own hackerspace, based at the InfoAge Science Center. You'll build a fun LED "Blinky" kit, develop good soldering techniques, and learn basic electronics. The kit comes with 10 components, a printed circuit board, a battery connector, and instructions. Ages 8+; adult supervision required.
9:30-10:00: For those energetic enough to attend this Sunday morning session, you'll get last-minute notes about the agenda, fun tales of the Saturday adventures, and more prizes.
10:15 AM
Kent Lundberg, Ph.D.
History and Impact of Analog Computing
10:15-11:15: Despite the ubiquity of all things digital, electrical engineers owe an enormous debt to analog computing. Many of our tools, technologies, and theories are descended from mechanical and electronic analog computers that were built in the early (and late) twentieth century. From the mechanical computers of Lord Kelvin and Vannevar Bush to the electronic systems of John Ragazzini and George Philbrick, analog machines helped win WWII, launch the space race, and solve thousands of industrial problems. Analog machines were used well into the 1970s, and some researchers still find pragmatic yield in their use today. Dr. Lundberg will discuss the history, personalities, impact, and legacy of analog computing in the fields of simulation, circuit design, and engineering education.
11:30 AM
Marcin Wichary
The Life, Death, and Afterlife of Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine No. 2
11:30-12:30: Come hear the fascinating story of Charles Babbage, esq., the 19th-century English inventor (maybe) of the earliest computer (maybe) powered by steam (maybe.) Why was his machine so fascinating and groundbreaking? How did it feel to use it? And why did Babbage claim, at his deathbed, that he “never lived a happy day in his life?” This talk is presented by a former operator and docent of a replica Difference Engine from the Mountain View, Calif. Computer History Museum.
12:45-2:00: Dan Kottke was Steve Jobs' college buddy, India travel companion, Apple 1 board builder, and engineer on the Apple II series, Apple III, and Macintosh. For the first time, he is giving an east coast history lecture! If you love Apple, then you MUST attend this session.
Sessions for Telecom 1
10:00 AM
Dan Roganti
Build a Vector Graphics Kit!
Reduced price!!
Important -- This workshop is a separate $89 admission and is limited to the first 10 people. Admission includes all parts needed to build the kit, along with personal instruction. To register, please send PayPal to vcfeastworkshop@gmail.com. Note: There may be a limited amount of extra kits available for sale at the show, but not extra workshop spaces.
10:00-12:15: In this workshop you'll build a box that lets your vintage computer display vector graphics on a vector monitor or oscilloscope. The design will have a vintage look and feel by using common parts, DIP-style chips, and very little memory! The kit will include all of the parts to build this including a PCB and enclosure. It will have options to connect via a parallel port or serial port, which most vintage computers can support. It will be flexible enough to let most systems communicate with this type of display controller. The output will have connector options for using an Atari vector monitor or an oscilloscope. The design will be open source and a webpage will be available to share information.Parts include a Z80-based controller with 32KB Eprom, 32KB RAM, and a pair of 12-bit digital-to-analog converters providing a resolution of 4096x4096 points including a 16-level Z-axis shading output. It will include on-board firmware to let it operate standalone and also contain grahics primitives to let you draw any type of shape and perform image transformations such as move, rotate, etc. Additional on-board RAM is available for storing predefined images which you can download from your host system.
A video demonstration will be posted here soon!
The workshop will also have a drawing for the attendees to get a chance to win an 19" vector monitor, the same type used in the Atari Asteroids arcade game.
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