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Official exhibit registration is open as of December 27, 2022. If you want to do an exhibit, then please Click here to register for your exhibit. Exhibit registration closes March 24, 2023.
Current List of Exhibits
Mass-market Education and Edutainment – Adam Brisebois
A display of cost-effective computing from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s focused on educational and edutainment computing. Inexpensive home computers, classroom cost-savings, and software!
“Totally Normal” Computing & 40th Anniversaries – Michael Stanhope, Sean Malseed
Insanely Upgraded Macs and 40th Anniversary of Compaq Portable/Lisa/Apple IIe
Core64 – Interactive Core Memory – Andy Geppert
Core Memory was the predominant computer memory type in the 60’s. It was used as RAM and ROM in the Apollo Guidance Computer systems. A Core64 kit gives you the opportunity to weave your own Core Memory and bring it to life in an interactive way with a magnetic stylus and LED Array to show the states of the cores. Check out this exhibit to play a game of Pong in and through Core Memory!
Heathkit H-89 – Alex Bodnar
Alex will demonstrate the loading of vintage software from a windows 10 laptop.
Science and Music Education with Apple II computers – Eric Rangell
In the 1980s Apple computers were in many schools and many educational titles were written for them, some which required additional hardware. This exhibit will demonstrate the Broderbund Science Toolkit which included light and temperature sensors that attached to the Game I/O port. A similar title was published by Hayden software for the Commodore 64. Also, music education software by ECS was recently preserved on the Internet Archive. Some titles required a Passport Midi Interface card for the Apple //e or //GS. Attendees will be able to use this software and kids who try it will receive a name badge printed by a Sinclair ZX81. The exhibit will also display research materials related to the University of Delaware’s pioneering use of the Plato system and the GUIDO music education software.
Yugoslav School Computers – Vlado Vince
As a follow-up to my VCF East 2021 exhibit (Nonaligned technologies: 8-bit computers in Socialist Yugoslavia), this year’s exhibition will focus on the role of domestic Yugoslav microcomputers in school, with both a Galaksija and an original Orao school computer. Additionally, I will show a few of my hardware projects for Yugoslav computers, including the Orao PS/2 adapter and the Orao WiFi RS232 adapter.
Usagi Electric’s old stuff – David Lovett
Behold! My stuff. Hello, my name is David and I run the Usagi Electric YouTube channel. I couldn’t bring my big stuff (the full fledged Centurion Minicomputer) this time, but I do have some interesting things that I’ve been working on. Swing on by and let’s chat old minicomputers, homebrew computers and word processors!
Behind the Screens – Jesse Cardone
Ever wondered what powers The Weather Channel? How about Prevue Guide? We’re showcasing the weather stars that powered the local forecast in your area from the 1980s until today, ranging from custom machines to Pentium PCs. We’ll also be showing the secret Amiga in your cable headend that ran the scrolling Prevue Guide!
Dave’s Retro Video Lab: Camcorder Chaos – David Distinti
Dave’s Retro Video Lab showcases the history of the video camcorder. From the 1980s through the early 2000s, we have most of the iconic models which started the camcorder revolution. Our exhibit is fully interactive. Guests can travel back to the 80s, 90s and early 2000s all with the press of a button. Not only do we demonstrate old camcorders, but we have a TV production switcher which visitors can operate as well. Our retro video lab tech, Dave, is a broadcast television director with a major television network and is always happy to explain how these old camcorders inspired him to pursue a career in television. Dave can even provide tips and tricks of the trade for future Youtubers. Please visit our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@davesretrovideolab2709
Colossal Cave for Text to VR – Marcus Mera
TRS-80 Apple2 and IBM version of Colossal cave with original boxed games on display plus VR version to play.
DEC in Education – Ethan Dicks
Experience educational computing of the early 70s. Try your hand with BASIC and FOCAL programs on a Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-8-based “EduSystem” or learn about logic gates with a DEC Computer Lab.
TRS-80 Model II: TBD – Peter Cetinski, Alex Cetinski
My plan is to exhibit a running TRS-80 Model II and also to display many of the known expansion cards for the computer to showcase the lesser known advanced capabilities of the system.
Living Books : Interactive Animated Stories – Peter Fletcher , Heather Fletcher
Living Books : Interactive Animated Stories In the early 1990’s, computers featuring multimedia capabilities arrived on the scene. Games and educational titles began to ship on CD-ROM. The CD-ROM format allowed for programs to become much larger and more dynamic than anything available on floppy disk. With all of the extra storage, graphics and sounds improved as well as the music and speech. Voices and music could now be streamed directly from the CD through the computer’s speakers. In 1992 Broderbund Software released their first in a long line of Edutainment games under the Living Books brand, “Just Grandma and Me”, based on the book by Mercer Mayer. “Just Grandma and Me” brought to life the children’s book through animation, mini games, and clickable objects. Broderbund soon spun Living Books off into its own division. With the brand’s success increasing, Broderbund partnered with Random House and Living Books was on its way in the educational space. Games featuring Arthur, Dr. Seuss characters and Berenstain Bears were released during this time. This media allowed teachers another way to introduce reading to younger children in a fun and educational way. The diverse “clickable” areas in the stories emphasized a whole learning approach to the young learner by combining reading with science, math, social skills and art concepts. For example “Stellaluna” a book about a young bat combined a heartfelt story with science based bat facts. Children could choose between interacting with the story or simply having the story read to them, they were inclusive of many learning types and skill levels that children have. Our exhibit will feature many Living Books for the visitors to explore.
Oddities and Commodities – Collin Mistr, Chad Baxter
A collection of heavily modified Apple and other vintage hardware.
Motorola M88k processor based systems – Maki Kato
I’ll have the following machines to show and talk about. Motorola Series 900. Tektronix ND88k. Omron Luna 88k. Motorola MVME system. Maybe a Data General 88k. NCD 88k XTerm.
Quantel’s Paintbox – Adrian Wilson
I will be exhibiting one of the world’s last remaining working Quantel Paintboxes, which attendees have the rare opportunity to use. There will also be period ephemera from Quantel. I will be bringing capture and output devices so that people can take home a copy of the art they create on the Paintbox
Tandyland – Mike Loewen
The Radio Shack TRS-80 Model I was part of the 1977 “Trinity” of home computers, and Tandy continued to market home and business computers well into the 80386 era. The exhibit will feature some of the larger business systems such as the the Model 16B and 6000, as well as a few of the smaller systems like the Model I, III and 4P. Special emphasis is placed on after-market accessories, including modern expansion and emulation.
Altos Multiuser Systems – MP/M & Xenix OS – Matthew Bergeron
Altos Computer Systems developed the small multi computer systems beginning in 1977. These systems were widely used in many office and inventory environments. It truly was a very robust, stable, and well built system for it’s time. These computers still operate today as if they were brand new. It’s impressive how well built they were. On display will be the following Altos server models 486, 580, 586/986, 886 which were built from 1982 on. Keep in mind these are not the processing speed, model numbers were based mostly on the amount of ports for terminals using the first digit. These systems include the 8086. 8088, 80186, and 80286 processors. The 580 is running MP/M II and the other models are running a version of Microsoft’s early Xenix 3.0 up to 3.2. This is before the SCO version V came out. They also ran a very interactive menu system for it’s time called the Altos Office Manager where users could easily access programs and custom applications. This limited the need for end users to have to launch programs from a prompt command. Altos introduced early the “Altos WorkNet” networking system they developed where multiple Altos servers could be networked together via a RS-422 port. Some of the systems even had TCP/IP ethernet capabilities.
TBD (A Big Iron exhibit!) – System Source: Ryan Schiff,
Something Big and Loud.
TeleVideo – Original and Enhanced – Patrick Finnegan, Alexander Younts
This year an original TeleVideo TS-806 multi-user system will be set up along side of a modern recreation, to show what the original experience was like, compared to an enhanced modern recreation, which operated with the same hardware and software.
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Any questions? Please email: vcfeast AT vcfed DOT org