Welcome to Episode 65 of the Floppy Days Podcast, where a summer computer camp for middle-aged geeks is the highlight of our year.  My name is Randy Kindig.  This is a very special edition of Floppy Days produced and contributed by my good friend Mike Whalen and it includes sound bites from many of the attendees of this year’s annual week-long KansasFest Apple II event that always happens in Kansas City, Missouri.  Mike is a long-time Apple II and retro-computer fan and one of the hosts of the currently-dormant Electric Dreams BBS Podcast.  I met Mike at the one-and-only KansasFest event that I’ve been able to attend thus far, that being in 2014.  I would certainly recommend the event to anyone that enjoys getting together with a large number of vintage computer nuts for an entire week, living the college dorm life, and generally immersing themselves in the out-of-date-but-still-loads-of-fun Apple II computer.  It’s one of things that you must experience at least once, although for most people it tends to be like Lay’s Potato Chips: no one can stop at just one.

I’m amazed at the effort and quality Mike put into this podcast.  I want to thank him and the Apple II KFest community for allowing me to air this ode to KFest on Floppy Days.

Enjoy!

KansasFest Website - http://kansasfest.org

KansasFest talks on Internet Archive - https://archive.org/details/kansasfest

KansasFest HackFest - http://www.kansasfest.org/hackfest/

KansasFest Door Contest from 2015 - http://www.kansasfest.org/2016/07/door-signs-2015/

YouTube playlist of Dr. Steven Weyrich's KFest-related Parody Songs - http://bit.ly/2dkQfvc

Twitter Accounts for some of the folks involved:

@a2fan -- Sean Fahey

@the_jongleur -- Michael Mulhern

@quinndunki -- Quinn Dunki

@callapple -- Call A.P.P.L.E.

@retroconnector -- Charles Mangin

@kevinsavetz -- Kevin Savetz

@CT6502 -- Chris Torrence

@textfiles -- Jason Scott

@65816guy -- Dagen Brock

@ultramagnus_tcv -- Mike Whalen

Call-A.P.P.L.E. - http://www.callapple.org

Call-A.P.P.L.E.'s "Nibble Viewpoints - Business Insights From The Computing Revolution" by Mike Harvey

Reactive Micro - http://reactivemicro.com/wiki/Main_Page

8-Bit Weapon - http://8bitweapon.bandcamp.com/

Bits With Byte - http://8bitweapon.bandcamp.com/album/bits-with-byte

BlipTastic by ComputeHer - http://8bitweapon.bandcamp.com/album/bliptastic

Charles Mangin's RetroConnector - http://retroconnector.com/

Quinn Dunki's Blog - http://quinndunki.com/blondihacks/

Nibble Magazine - http://www.nibblemagazine.com/

Mike has provided links in the show notes for Web sites that can help you find out more about the attendees you heard in this episode and about KFest itself ; just go to floppydays.com for the full list.  If you wish to contact Mike about this episode, you can find some contact information for him in the show notes.

I very much encourage you to provide feedback for the show at iTunes or on the Web site, via email at [email protected], via Twitter at @floppydays or on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/groups/floppydays .  I also want to mention that Floppy Days is also a member of the Throwback Network, a network of retro-themed podcasts.  Check it out at http://www.throwbacknetwork.net.  For one more way to listen, Floppy Days is also available for streaming at stitcher.com.

Until the next show, pull out a vintage computer and compute as if it were yesterday.

Bye!

The HP-85B Microcomputer, Part 2

Hello, and welcome to episode 64 of the Floppy Days Podcast, where old computers come to live.  I’m Randy Kindig and I’m happy to bring you this episode this month.  This episode is Part 2 about the HP Series 80 line of microcomputers.  Last month I interviewed 2 well-known members of the HP Series 80 community, Everett Kaser former HP engineer who worked on the Series 80 and runs kaser.com and Vassilis Prevelakis of series80.org.  This month, they are back to help me talk about the history of these fabulous machines.  It’s a fascinating conversation with two gentlemen who have a lot of love of and knowledge about these machines.

I want to thank Everett for providing the intro to this episode with his memories of the Series 80.

Before getting into the meat of the program, I do intend to talk briefly about any new vintage computer acquisitions, upcoming shows and feedback.

Ok, let’s fire up the ol’ HP-85 and see what we can learn.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

Co-hosts

• Everett Kaser Website - http://www.kaser.com/hp85.html
• Vassilis Prevelakis Website - http://series80.org

New Acquisitions

• Compute’s Atari Collection Volume 2
• Edladdin Joystick - http://www.edladdin.com/
• Book - Microcomputer Experimentation with the Intel SDK-85 by Lance Leventhal and Colin Walsh - https://www.amazon.com/Microcomputer-Experimentation-Intel-Sdk-85-Leventhal/dp/013580860X

Shows

• VCFMW - September 10-11, 2016, Holiday Inn Elk Grove Village, Elk Grove Village, IL - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/independent-festivals/vintage-computer-festival-midwest/
• Chicago International Faire - Saturday, October 15th, Evanston Public Library - Contact Faire Chairman Hal Shanafield for more info.
• VCFe-CH - Vintage Computer Festival Europe, Zurich, Switzerland, November 19-20, 2016 - http://vcfe.ch

Feedback

• Andy Collins blog - http://www.randomorbit.co.uk/?p=50
• List of TRS-80 Clones - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_TRS-80_clones
• Modern kit computers:
• • Breil Computers, the australian MicroBee (http://www.microbeetechnology.com.au/)
  • http://rc2014.co.uk/  (Via Tindie)
  • https://hackaday.io/project/9077-trs-80-model-1-on-a-pic32
  • https://hackaday.io/project/5565-trs-80-compatible-clone
  • https://hackaday.io/project/75-z80-microcomputer-system

Vintage Computer Festival Midwest 11, Sep 10-11, 2016, Elk Grove Village, IL

This a special interview show to help get the word out about an upcoming event: Vintage Computer Festival Midwest.  This will be the eleventh iteration of this event and I talk with Jason Timmons, one of the main organizers of the event.  He tells us all about the event, including guest speakers that will be there, exhibits, vendors and much more.  If you can make it to the Chicago area the weekend of September 10 & 11, 2016, I highly recommend that you drop in and enjoy the show.

Links

• VCF Midwest home page - http://vcfmw.org
• VCF Midwest 11 Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/events/1552273738417440/
• VCF Midwest Twitter - https://twitter.com/vcfmidwest
• ECCC home page - http://starbase.globalpc.net/eccc/
• Jim Brain, Retro Innovations - http://store.go4retro.com/
• GoFundMe page for show donations - https://www.gofundme.com/vcfmw

Welcome to episode 62 of the Floppy Days Podcast, where a little smoke once in a while is a hazard of the hobby.  In the vintage computer timeline, we are still in the 1979 to 1980 timeframe.  This month we are covering the HP-85 desktop computer, or actually the entire series of which the HP-85 was a part known as the HP Series 80.

I struck gold when I found the two gentlemen who are co-hosting this episode with me.  First is Everett Kaser, who worked for HP for 20 years and was intimately involved in the development and support of the HP-85.  Secondly, we have Vassilis Prevelakis, who runs one of the best resources about the HP Series 80 in existence today, hpseries80.org.  Once we started talking, and I interviewed the two gentlemen, I realized we were going to need a multi-part show to cover the large amount of information and history around this significant platform.  So, the first show will be the interview with Everett and Vassilis and next month we will get into history, tech specs, emulation, Web sites, and all of the other information I like to cover.

Before we get into that, however, I will cover new acquistions, a little news, and some feedback I’ve received.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

New Acquisitions/What I’ve Been Up To

• American Computer Museum, Bozeman, MT - http://www.compustory.com/
• Micropendium (TI99 Magazine) Site - http://www.99er.net/micropendium.html
• HP41 PPC ROM - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-3SI5jRHv8
• HP Calculator Poster at VCALC.NET - http://vcalc.net/#posters
• Museum of HP Calculators - Museum Document Sets on Flash Drive - http://www.hpmuseum.org/cd/cddesc.htm

News

• VCF West - August 6-7, 2016, Computer History Museum, Mountain View, CA - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-west-xi/
• VCFMW - September 10-11, 2016, Holiday Inn Elk Grove Village, Elk Grove Village, IL - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/independent-festivals/vintage-computer-festival-midwest/
• Chicago International Faire - Saturday, October 15th, Evanston Public Library - Contact Faire Chairman Hal Shanafield for more info.
• VCFe-CH - Vintage Computer Festival Europe, Zurich, Switzerland, November 19-20, 2016 - http://vcfe.ch

Feedback

• List of modules for the HP-41 - http://www.hp41.org/LibView.cfm?Command=View&ItemID=1232

Interview

• Everett Kaser Website - http://www.kaser.com/hp85.html
• Vassilis Prevelakis Website - http://series80.org

VCF West Official Site - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-west-xi/

Welcome to episode 60 of the Floppy Days Podcast, where vintage in the term vintage computers simply means “cool”.  My name is Randy Kindig.  I am happy to bring you this month the follow-up or second of two episodes on the HP41C programmable calculator.  Once again, I have two stellar members of the HP41 community, Richard J. Nelson and Gene Wright, with me to bring you all the information you care to know about the HP41.  That includes a wrap-up to the history of the machine, tech specs, books, software, newsletters, modern upgrades, emulation, current Web sites, and so much more.  Before that, I do want to discuss a few new acquisitions that have come my way, as well as some feedback I’ve received from listeners.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

Books

• “Easy Course in Programming The HP-4”1 by Ted Wadman and Chris Coffin, illustrated by Robert Bloch - http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Course-Programming-HP-41/dp/0931011094
• “Programming the TI-59 and HP-41 Calculators” by Paul Garrison - http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Ti-59-Hp-41-Calculators-Garrison/dp/0830624422
• “Extend Your HP-41” by W.A.C. Mier-Jedrzejowicz - http://www.amazon.com/Extend-Your-Hp-41-W-Mier-Jedrejowicz/dp/0951073303
• A Guide to HP Handheld Calculators and Computers by W.A.C. Mier-Jedrzejowicz

Modern Upgrades

• The new HP 41CL webpage:  http://www.systemyde.com/hp41/
• Clone Calculators - http://www.swissmicros.com/
• HHP-16K EPROM Emulator - http://www.embeddedcomponents.com/blogs/category/component-projects/hp-41-ppc/

Emulation

• emulation site - http://www.hp41.org/Emulation.cfm
• V41 (Windows) by Warren Furlow - https://www.educalc.net/326089.page
• SIM41W (Windows) by Alvaro Gerardo Suárez
• VB41CX .NET (Windows) by Ron van Tilburg
• i41CX and i41CX+ (iOS) by Antonio Lagana on Apple App Store
• Calc41C (iOS) by Jonathan Watmough on Apple App Store
• X-41 (Mac OS X) by Frederic Bronner - https://sourceforge.net/projects/x-41/
• GENESIS-41 (Mac OS X)  by Laurent Spohr - http://www.laurent-spohr.com/Main/HP-41CX_Emulator.html
• my41cx (Mac OS X) by Miroslav Perovic - http://www.my41cx.com/index.php/2-uncategorised/1-my41cx-microcode-emulator
• Android 41CV by Martin Hansen
• go41c (Android) by Olivier De Smet  

Web Sites

• HHC (HP Handheld Computer) Conference - http://hhuc.us/
• TI-58/59 Failures and Maintenance Tips Web site (Gene Wright) - http://www.rskey.org/gene/calcgene/59diag.htm
• “The HP-41 System – 30 Years Old” by Richard J Nelson - http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/downloads/The%20HP-41%20System%20V3.pdf
• Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-41C
• HP41.org - http://www.hp41.org/Intro.cfm by Warren Furlow
• HP site by Matthias Wehrli - http://www.hp-collection.org/ a lot of information about accessories for the HP-41
• HP-41 Scientific Calculator Fan Club on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/hp41fanclub/
• HPCC.org - http://www.hpcc.org/calculators/hp41.html
• HP Calculator Repairs - http://www.fixthatcalc.com/index1.php
• Rick Furr’s vcalc.net Calculator Reference - http://www.vcalc.net - has purchaseable “Calculators of HP” poster for $25 with shipping in the U.S.
• Retrobits Podcast on the HP-41C by Earl Evans - http://retrobits.libsyn.com/show-070-the-hp-41c-programmable-calculator
• Jake Schwartz’ PAHHC Handheld Electronics - http://www.pahhc.org/ - has HP calculator calendars for sale, PPC DVD
• Jean-Marc Baillard’s HP-41C programs - http://hp41programs.yolasite.com
• Programmable calculators (Victor Toth) - http://www.rskey.org/CMS/
• The Museum of HP Calculators (Dave Hicks) - http://www.hpmuseum.org/hp41.htm

Museum Document Sets - http://www.hpmuseum.org/cd/cddesc.htm

Hello, all, and welcome to the next installment of the podcast that says “vintage electronics: I WANT IT”.  I’m Randy Kindig and I’m your host.  This episode is the first of a 2-parter on the Hewlett Packard HP-41 line of programmable calculators.  The HP-41 is a seminal example of programmable calculators from the late 70’s and into the 80’s and is still very desirable and sought after today.  I was lucky enough to find 2 gentlemen to co-host who are well-known among the active HP calculator community that exists today: Richard J. Nelson, who has written, edited, and published as much HP-41 material as anyone ever.  And Gene Wright who is on the HP Handheld Conference Committee and he was a TI fan before becoming “hooked” on the HP-41.  In this first part on the HP-41, I interview the co-hosts and then we cover the history of the calculator line in detail.  Next month, with the same co-hosts, we will cover Web sites, emulation, software, and much more.

To start out, as usual, I will cover my new vintage computer acquisitions, a little news, and some feedback.

I hope you enjoy this and please let me know what you think.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

New Acquisitions

• Kim UNO - http://obsolescence.wix.com/obsolescence
• SpartaDOS X Supercart - https://www.bitsofthepast.com/?product=super-spartados-cartridge

News

• New TI Newsletter - Yesterdays News by Ralph Rees - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/251850-yesterdays-news/?hl=%2Byesterdays+%2Bnews#entry3507067
• https://storybundle.com/tech - “Nerd History Bundle”
• A Microsoft Life by Stephen Toulouse - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0557735297/?tag=flodaypod-20
• Gates by Stephen Manes and Paul Andrews - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0671880748/?tag=flodaypod-20
• Fire in the Valley by Michael Swaine and Paul Freiberger - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0071358927/?tag=flodaypod-20
• Terrible Nerd by Kevin Savetz - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1939169003/?tag=flodaypod-20
• Irregularity by Jared Shurin - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0992817218/?tag=flodaypod-20
• The Google Way by Bernard Girard - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1593271840/?tag=flodaypod-20
• Priming the Pump by David Welsh and Theresa Welsh - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0979346800/?tag=flodaypod-20
• Book site for Priming the Pump - http://www.microcomputerpioneers.com/

Upcoming Shows

• Last Chicago CocoFest - http://www.glensideccc.com/cocofest/ April 23 & 24, 2016, Heron Point Convention Center, Lombard, IL
• KansasFest  - July 19-24, 2016 - https://www.kansasfest.org
• Atari Party - Saturday, July 30, at 12 PM - 5 PM in PDT, Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library, 315 E 14th St, Davis, California 95616 - https://www.facebook.com/events/1069851796370777/
• VCF west - Aug 6-7 - http://www.vintagecomputerfederation.org/uncategorized/vcf-west-is-back/
• VCF midwest — Sep 10-11, Elk Grove Village, IL - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-midwest/
• PRGE Oct 21-23 http://www.retrogamingexpo.com
• TI International World’s Faire - Sat. Oct. 15 at Evanston Public Library

Feedback

• a two-minute pitch video for The Secret History of Gaming on the Mac being written by Richard Moss - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tL2kC3QqeU
• The Secret History of Gaming on the Mac Web site - https://unbound.co.uk/books/macgaming

Interview and History

• Gene’s TI-58/59 Failures and Maintenance Tips Web site - http://www.rskey.org/gene/calcgene/59diag.htm
• Contains probably the most information about the HP 41 series out there:   http://hp41.org/
• The HP 41CL replacement CPU board web page:  http://www.systemyde.com/hp41/
• Keith Jarett, "HP 41 in Orbit," Personal Computing (October/November 1984), pp. 50-54. - http://web.archive.org/web/20000621003759/http://www.nasm.si.edu/nasm/dsh/artifacts/GC-hewlett-.htm
• HHC (HP Handheld Computer) Conference - http://hhuc.us/

References

• “The HP-41 System – 30 Years Old” by Richard J Nelson - http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/downloads/The%20HP-41%20System%20V3.pdf
• Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-41C

Ralph Rees, Editor, VAST TI-99 Newsletter

Hi, everyone and welcome to episode 58 of the Floppy Days Podcast.  I’m Randy Kindig.  To sort of finish off the TI-99 series of episodes I’ve been running, I have an interview-only show for you this month.  This interview is with Ralph Rees, president and newsletter editor of the VAlley of the Sun TI-99ers (VAST) back in the 1990’s.  He produced his high quality newsletter directly on a TI-99 system and received quite a few compliments about it while it was still being published.  Ralph still has an extensive TI-99 collection today.

This interview was conducted on June 7, 2015.

Links:

The Western Horizon Technologies FTP server - ftp://ftp.whtech.com

Welcome to this special episode of Floppy Days, live from Vintage Computer Festival Southeast 4.0!  A group of podcasters at the show got together and did this fun little podcast.  Learn more about the show and about your favorite podcasters.

Welcome to episode 56 of the Floppy Days Podcast where old computers come to life again.  I’m Randy Kindig.  I want to thank Ian Baronofsky and Rick Reynolds for providing their thoughts and memories of the TI-99 computer.  This is the fifth and final installment in a series of episodes on the TI-99/4A home computer.  This episode will cover TI-99 ads, user groups and shows, emulation, buying one today, community, and Web sites.  My very special co-hosts for this episode are again two well-known figures in the TI-99 community: Chris Schneider, who produces the SHIFT838 newsletter and Rich Polivka, who manages the popular 99er.net Web site.  They provide a ton of information about the amazing TI-994/A home computer.  I hope you enjoy this.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

New Acquisitions

News

Feedback

Ads

User Groups and Shows

Emulation

Community

Web Sites