Website errors

Posted on by Jeffrey Brace Category: General Announcement, Website

Hello everyone,

You may have encountered some 503 and other server errors trying to access our website for the past year or so. It is a problem with out WordPress installation. We have been trying to troubleshoot the existing installation for the past few months, but the fixes haven’t lasted. Locating the exact problem has been elusive and our fixes haven’t worked. So we will be installing a fresh copy of WordPress onto a completely new server and copying our web pages over. We are hoping that fresh install will alleviate the problems that we have been having for the past year. We hope to complete this change over the next week. There many be a few hours when the website is unavailable. We will do our best to minimize the time and let you know in advance.

Sorry for any inconvenience!

Thanks you for your continued support and patience!

VCF East 2022 Exhibitor Deadline is April 1

Posted on by Jeffrey Brace Category: east, Events, Vintage Computer Festival

To all those wishing to do an exhibit for VCF East 2022, the exhibitor deadline is fast approaching. The deadline is April 1, so if you want to do an exhibit, then please register for it quickly! We still have room for exhibitors, but it’s going to start filling up quickly.

Exhibitor registration is found through this link: Exhibitor Registration

Check here for a list of currently registered exhibits: Currently Registered Exhibits

Dates are April 22, 23, 24, 2022

Location: InfoAge Science and History Museums, Wall, NJ

For more information on our show: VCF East Info

 

VCF Swap Meet Update 2/25/2022

Posted on by Jeffrey Brace Category: Events, Swap Meet

Here’s a map of the event and where everything is:

Rooms where swap meet Vendors are

Overview of swap meet Parking.

Vendors will be in 9032-A, 9001, 9010-D.

Free Pile is in 9010-D.

Food is 9010-C, but you must go into entrance of 9010-D and turn left.

Vendors drive through front gate and check in at 9032-A.

Buyers park in parking lot and walk through front gate.

Any more updates will be put onto swap meet web page: https://vcfed.org/vcf-swap-meet/

VCF Swap Meet Free Pile

Posted on by Jeffrey Brace Category: Events, Swap Meet

VCF has collected several items over the last few years of events
that have not sold over multiple events which will be offered for free
in a “free pile” at this weekend’s Swap Meet and this is the last
opportunity to rescue these items as anything left will be recycled.

Sellers who have paid for a spot will have first opportunity access to
this “free pile” before the start of the event and in all cases items
are available on a strict first come first serve basis.

Additionally, both sellers and buyers are welcome to put items in this
“free pile” with the understanding of certain rules.

RULES FOR THE VCF FREE PILE:
1. Please ask a VCF staff member for permission at the event to put
any items in the free pile.
2. Please understand the policy for the free pile is that anything you
leave which remains at the end of the event must be taken home by you
(or someone you designate). VCF cannot be held responsible for storing
or recycling it.

Thanks and happy free hunting!

Updated July 28, 2022.

Swap Meet Sat Feb. 26, 2022 @ InfoAge is a go!

Posted on by Jeffrey Brace Category: Events, Swap Meet

Sign up now to reserve a space at VCF Swap Meet Sat. Feb. 26, 2022 @ InfoAge

The VCF swap meet scheduled for Sat. Feb. 26 is getting into high gear as vendors are signing up and buyers are inquiring. 

VENDOR SETUP at 7AM

GENERAL ADMISSION: 8AM until 2PM

There is still some spaces available, but pre-registration guarantees a space.

This is an indoor swap meet. It’s February after all and likely to be cold that day.

Location is inside InfoAge Science and History Museums campus

Food and drink on site.

Additional information about the swap meet is here

Look at the attached PDF for someone selling some nice Tektronix items.

VCF East 2022

Posted on by Jeffrey Brace Category: east, Vintage Computer Festival

The Vintage Computer Federation is proud to announce our Vintage Computer Festival East 2022! Last year’s show was great and this year’s show is looking to be just as big and exciting. Great talks, exhibits, classes and exhibits. We’ve already lined up some great speakers including well known Commodore engineers such as Bil Herd, Dave Haynie, Andy Finkel and many others. Keep up to date with main page here: https://vcfed.org/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/

We have two themes this year:

Women in Computing

Computers for the masses.

If you are interested in exhibiting? Click Here

If you are interested in doing a class Click Here

If you are being a vendor Click Here

 

VCF Swap Meet (indoor) February 2022

Posted on by Jeffrey Brace Category: Events, Swap Meet

Vintage Computer Federation will be doing another swap meet on February 26, 2022. This will be an indoor swap meet taking place in 3 rooms in two different buildings on InfoAge Science and History Museum’s campus in Wall, NJ. This time we are looking to sell food and drink items in our cafeteria in 9010-C. We are expecting a large turnout of 100 vendors and hundreds of people throughout the day.

Look here for more information about the swap meet: https://vcfed.org/vcf-swap-meet/

VCF East 2021 was a great success!

Posted on by Jeffrey Brace Category: Uncategorized

I got a lot of positive feedback about our successful show. I heard from people in person as well as through our mailing list and websites such as Hackaday and a mention in article interviewing Michael Tomczyk.

I’m the showrunner for VCF East 2021 and I want first of all thank all of the exhibitors for their great displays. The World of IBM exhibit room was out of this world! Thanks to all the organizers of this exhibit to make a truly unique exhibit space when they took over an entire exhibit room!

I want to thank all the great speakers which was a fantastic lineup and will be hard to beat in subsequent years.
Thank you to all of the volunteers, especially the Sea Cadets who really filled in all the gaps for supporting our show. I couldn’t have run such a successful show without all the great volunteers.
Our A/V crew brought us up to a whole new level with Ethan, Andy and their crew. It was such a fantastic upgrade from the amateurish and crude days where we had setup our personal cameras, pressed record and walked away. These guys truly look like professionals with the lighting, OBS setup with multiple camera angles, slide view, etc. They even setup an overflow room when the main room filled up.
Alex did an awesome job in consignment which is a very tough job. We had 10 times more space than in previous years. There was a high volume of buying and selling. I recommend that everyone get there early next year as this stuff goes fast!
Corey ran the front desk and did a great job of training all the new people volunteering there. Lots of changes and improvements there this time. Everyone seemed to notice how efficient and better the front desk was.
I thank Drew for the awesome new program book design. It is a superior upgrade to previous years and people noticed.
And finally I want to thank all those people who helped out in many ways behind the scenes and in every corner of the show where the volunteers couldn’t be. Together we make this a festival of the vintage community where we come together in fellowship, fun and good old fashioned nerdiness!
Here’s looking forward to seeing everyone at VCF East 2022 which will be on April 22, 23, 24!
==Jeff Brace

Live Streaming during VCF East 2021

Posted on by Jeffrey Brace Category: Uncategorized

Due to the unforeseen circumstances of our planned upgrade from cable modem to FIOS availability, VCF East 2021 live video streaming will be offered for *free* on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/VintageComputerFederation501c3 Check this page for any last minute updates: https://vcfed.org/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/vcf-east-virtual-show/

We will stream most, but not all of the speakers and classes live during the show– however the bandwidth limits may impact their quality. Your mileage may vary.

We ask that you consider donating to the Vintage Computer Federation. These funds will help us continue our work of preserving and sharing computer history. It will also enable us to improve our infrastructure so we can offer high quality video streaming in the near future, among other awesome improvements to our facilities. You can send donations to paypal@vcfed.org or a check to our mailing address: P.O. Box 417, Eatontown, NJ 07724

Discord will be available for live discussion during the streams. Here is our server invitation: https://discord.gg/32maJ6gddU

For the 2022 show we will have more bandwidth and be able to offer a more advanced selection of options.

=========================================
Jeff Brace
Vice President & Board Member
Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner
Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity

Workshops and demos and moon bounce, oh my! at VCF East 2021

Posted on by Jeffrey Brace Category: east, Events, Vintage Computer Federation Museum, Vintage Computer Festival

There will be more than just the exhibits, classes, talks and consignment during VCF East 2021. There will also be the following:

GLITCHWORKS

Glitch will be selling and helping people to build various kits at his workshop in the CDL building Friday (10/8), Saturday (10/9) and Sunday (10/10) from 1PM to 5PM during VCF East.

Here is what he will be offering:

* XT-IDE rev 4A kits
* R6501Q SBC kits
* RAM expansion for R6501Q kits
* 8085 SBC rev 3 kits
* CF adapter boards (works with both R6501Q and 8085 SBC rev 3, but really for the 8085 SBC)
* 8255 parallel I/O and prototyping interfaces
* Blank prototyping cards

UNIVAC 1219B
We will demo this machine from 1 to 3PM Saturday and  and Sunday  in the VCF museum.

LEARN TO SOLDER

We will have someone teaching beginners how to solder in the CDL workshop area Saturday and Sunday from 8AM to 5PM

BOUNCE YOUR VOICE OFF THE MOON

Saturday and Sunday from 1PM to 5PM at the Diana site 2 tenths of a mile walk down the road from the InfoAge main building. ISEC has many exhibits to see and learn about: