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Vintage Computer Festival Midwest 18 - Elmhurst, IL - September, 2023

  Bea (Lemonlight) tests her Apple IIe synthesizer setup LGR's Bear-A-Byte PC My friend pokes fun at the Bear-A-Byte Crusty and the Bear-A-Byte My VIC-20 shenanigans exhibit, setup but not yet powered up on Friday Avery's Apple IIgs setup The crowd during setup Bea playing some tunes  

  The Soundchaser is both beautiful looking and beautiful sounding AJ from forgottenmachines.com Forgotten Machines with an Entrex DATA/SCOPE, aided by Mouse and his programming skills Mouse changing up the DATA/SCOPE demo code Forgotten Machines always has the best minicomputers and peripherals from the Data General branch of the family tree World War II era teletypes from SomeComputerGuy The ShadyTel offices, featuring the Meridian 1 ShadyTel provided telephone service to the entire VCFMW show floor Telephony is messy business  

  Test equipment, cables, phone lines, accessories... A first for any VCF I've been to: a Western Electric step-by-step exchange demonstrator. It even worked! This was one of my favorite things at the show Connor and Sark's pile of things Hall D during setup My vic.html Rally VIC undergoing debugging with my freind jbevren, following the installation of his 8K Inside module. Turns out the SMD SRAM was dead. He swapped out the module for a known-working one, and voila, my Rally VIC now has 8K on board, accessible to the VIC chip That's a fine looking modified VIC-20 Hall A during setup  

  A pair of Topo robots, and some Magnevox Odyssey2 related machines Sometimes an exhibit need only to be a few simple games to play Stuff for sale Apple ///'s and some machines that bridge the gap between luggable and laptop PCs and monitors An Atari 2600 sales demonstration cabinet The aftermath of Rifa Madness Saturday chaos, from the vantage point of my exhibit table  

  Step-by-step telephone switches under the cover COSMAC 1802's and an S-100 chassis Hall D was a busy place A few modern replicas and custom creations. I spot a https://github.com/schlae/comix-35 COMIX-35 A Digital Computer Controls D-116, a welcomed sight Drawing on a Tektronix scope, controlled by the DCC mini A modern 32K FeRAM replacement by Cheese Car Systems. Beware of exhoost fyoomes  

  D-116 in action, no core in sight Das blinkenlights COSMAC 1802 machines galore. Oh, it's DJ! More 1802 machines, an Altair, and a Heathkit H8 setup in the background with an H10 paper tape punch! Entrex DATA/SCOPE and DATA/TERMINAL Sonic 3 & Knuckles on the Sega Genesis in my favorite level: Flying Battery Zone I always wonder how many computers are present at any given VCF... DEC PDP-8's, one of which attached to a Western Union ASR-33  

  Jack Rubin always rings cool stuff UNISERVO's wares for sale https://adwaterandstir.com/ Adwater and Stir's replica machines making the rare stuff accessible to a new generation A Nabu and a Commodore MAX machine, sometimes called the Ultimax, and internally known as the VIC-10 Nabu machines Second generation Atari machines NeXT Station Turbo from System Source Computer Museum, and some stuff for sale from Orange Bea's Soundchaser setup was cool, people enjoyed playing with it  

  Avery's Apple II and telephone setup CJ works on Crusty, the Macintosh SE Promising! Not bad for a machine this beat up June brought her recently repaired Heathkit H10 paper tape punch This H10 had a number of issues previously, nice to see it in action The gory details of the H10's punching mechanism Commodore machines in action. The C64's are real, but the C65 is not. More customized Commodore computers, and an uncommon PET disk drive  

  Weatherstar wiring Stooge-O-Matic Hall C in a flurry of activity Commodore 128D, Tandy TRS-80 Model 4, Amiga 3000 Ethan brought his Amiga 3000, 1000, and a unique towerized 2000 Commodore 128 in action Texscan MSI SpectraGen 4B from the Weatherstar folks Sony SMC-70  

  I spent some time drawing on the Tektronix 4014-1, drew the Z Labs logo Nevets's table representing non-DEC minicomputers The D-116 working with the Tektronix 4014-1 is a stellar sight. Nova 800 front panel for decoration AJ of Forgotten Machines and his stellar exhibit, always bringing the good vibes to an event Sitting in on the VCFMW auction Our show runner, Silent700, after a job well done auctioneering. Looking snazzy. LGR's table, feautring the Bear-A-Byte PC and accessory-laden tower The Rally VIC after it successfully dialed into step-by-step exchange using my war dialer software. The 16K VIC prototype sits up top  

  Forgotten Machines had this weird Nova 3 hanging on the back of a Silent 700 Why on earth someone would need a Nova 3 in this configuration, I'd like to know I didn't realize Silent 700 terminals came in such a large formfactor Jeri Ellsworth brought along a modernized Toshiba laptop with a newer PC crammed within The official VCF Midwest 2023 Retrotech Crew group photo Show floor from my table's vantage Setup in progress in Hall C Commodore stuff over here  

  More of the crowd in Hall C Man, Forgotten Machines shirts are everywhere Setting up in Hall D COSMAC 1802 stuff back there More folks enjoying the show Forgotten Machines' exhibit is hard to miss with that big banner Connor and Glitch chat with https://www.youtube.com/@CelGenStudios Pentium When https://www.youtube.com/@adriansdigitalbasement/ Adrian isn't in his Digital Basement, he likes to attend VCF Midwest  

  Suns, cards, and other things for sale https://www.glitchwrks.com/ Glitch and Connor Sark, the CRT guru ShadyTel's PBX setup is expertly complimented by the hi-viz vest and hardhat SGI's have cool case colors Step-by-step setup - can you tell it was my favorite? Meridian 1 Channel banks and terminal blocks  

  So much infrastructure for just a weekend He looks the part! SomeComputerGuy shows off teletype equipment to ilitchfield It doesn't get much more mechanical than an ancient teletype The more sparks it makes, the better Nabu, Otrona Attache, and IBM PCjr Hall D The Ferguson Big Board, a Z80 board replica  

  More Z80 action Retro ELF Plus, COMIX 35, ZX Spectrum replica, and the Ferguson Big Board COSMAC 1802 machines, too many to count Josh Bensadon loves the 1802, and manages to cram more examples into these exhibits every year Even more 1802's Stuff for sale, with modern prototype for Data General storage from Cheese Car Systems sitting on top FrogFind on the NeXT Station A brief lull in the chaos  

  Dmackey playing games on his Commodore Boards for sale, and Weatherstar equipment Need some fresh game cartridges? Ethan's Amiga monitor was the first to smoke, earning him stewardship over the copy of <i>The Gentle Art of Smoking</i>. This is the prize nobody wants to earn. <br>Fortunately, he fixed the monitor in short order The Amiga monitor and towerized Amiga 2000 that caused all the ruckus. Weatherstar exhibit, ever popular Shaq was there. The oversized Commodore SX-64 makes a return  

  Oh hey, it's me, from the perspective of the Video Titlemaker 2000 Texscan wecloming us to VCF Midwest 2023 Weather Star XL, IntelliStar Here's the current forecast for your area: Temporarily Unavailable Ben Heck, saying hi Amiga 2000 channel guide, Compaq server channel guide, and Weather Star Jr Commodore 64 and PET-2001 Custom keycaps for the C64 and VIC-20  

  Customized C64C with fancy clear keycaps CBM 8096, and some C128D's Really dig that CBM flag C64's C128's CBM 8096 and 8250lp. Low profile PET drives are beautiful Aavelin by MagicBox, an old Compaq server, and an A2000 Two customized C64 keyboards  

  A Commodore Colt and a pile of Commodore accessories for sale It's nice to see the Commodore PC compatibles on display, they don't get enough respect I see games, Tandy Color Computers, and so much more stuff Tandy, Atari, and Apple folks were over in this section Hall B nybblesandbytes.net/ June from Nybbles and Bytes! Nabu computers, the hot new old toy I spot some Atari machines  

  Things for sale, oh, and a Tandy! Commodore things for sale, some Pong games, and a C128D A whole pile of classic Macs CoCoMan. I wonder what computer he likes. Kids love playing video games at VCFs Hall B Excellent use of a Mac Pro This part of Hall B was mobbed all weekend long.  

  A die-hard's C64, customized, and kitted out for maximum Commodore goodness. You can't see it, but that guy has a CBM logo tattooed on his other arm. Oh hey, it's https://www.youtube.com/@8_Bit Robin from 8-bit Show and Tell with the Atari 800 Byteshift's table, featuring an Altair 8800 and Osborne 1 connected to amateur radio equipment Stuff for sale out in the hall Hallway was a flurry of sales and moving equipment Macintosh LCs Lots of cables The free pile corner was so busy they moved some of it outside. Which then attracted some bees. Can't make this up.  

  Octane and NeXT Station Video equipment and laptops for sale The crowd in Hall D grows We're walking, we're walking. How many Apple products did these guys bring to sell? More goodies for sale Hall B Apple stuff for sale.  

  The Wisconson Computer Club! There are only so many ways I can say Network cards CoCos and LCDs luggables Altair 8800's, Kaypros, and SOL-20's. Oh, and an ADM-5 Heathkit H89s, monitors, and a B-series CBM machine Keychains and other decorations Front hallway  

  More of the front hallway The automatic selfie station Modern addons The front desk, with T-shirts for sale The line extended out the door for t-shirts and badges geekenspiel.com Geekenspiel makes excellent custom case badges Alex Jacocks representing the Vintage Computer Federation Piles of computers soon to be up for auction  

  Atari stuff! That looks like the Core64 booth, busy as usual Oh, an OSI Challenger 1P! All metal case. PCs and accessories for sale core64.io Core64 is a really cool kit Cameras from Kyle's Digital lab There were so many vintage video cameras here Front hallway, a flurry of activity  

  BlueSCSI This TV cycled through all sorts of nonsense, I'm still not sure what its purpose is The LAN party! A Little Tikes computer, complete with the Cozy Coupe mouse The learn-to-solder space Buttons and goodies for sale A formiddable drive stack for Commodore geeks, and an uncommon Tandy 1000 Topo! Another Topo!  

  Hall A crowd Hall A wares Amiga of Rochester and his portable repair lab Seriously, he brought so many caps and parts to repair stuff Stuff, people, things Coleco Adam Video games and video playback More video games  

  Seriously, these Topos are super cool Magnevox Odyssey2's and those all-on-one Philips Videopac's from Europe. Video games for sale Philips Videopac machines are super rare to see stateside Video games from behind the Iron Curtain Video games for sale Atari, Commodore, and other goodies I would hazard a guess that VCFMW is one of the largest changing of hands of vintage computer equipment in the course of the year  

  Northstar Advantage Poly 88 and Exidy Sorcerer with modern addons C64C, C128, C64, and a massive keyboard The OPL Archive You can bet these machines were busy making sound all weekend long. Another Exidy Sorcerer and a VideoBrain Atari on the move Hall A crowd was mostly video game enthusiasts  

  PC98-based machines and a Tandy Apple ///'s MSX, Atari ST Famicom! Atari stuff Tandy time Here be Apple people The sheer variety of machines hauled to VCFs are amazing  

  ANTIC: The Atari 8-Bit Podcast and Floppy Days if you need your vintage computer fix in podcast form. Second and third generation Atari 8-bits More Ataris, including a 2600 with the SpectraVideo CompuMate, allowing you to program in BASIC on the limited VCS hardware NeXT Station System Source Computer Museum's corner LGR's table was absolutely mobbed -- Clint had a line all weekend long. Oh, and there's his brother Luke Computer Clan had this section pretty busy too Good graphics from System Source  

  Bea's setup taking a break for lunch Crusty's Corner More of LGR's corner Commodore 128 hacking in progress with a logic analyzer Commodore folks Crusty showing signs of life on the screen Crusty's nasty motherboard has alot of garbage connectors Hall B  

  Crusty being reassembled Is MS-DOS a feminist? I think so. So many computers, so little space Crusty's case is quite rusted These guys are happy to be here Hey guys! It's not S-100, but it's pretty close Hall C, my section  

  More Stuff for sale. Dig the blue case C64C Desktops C64C and C128 This C128 is running an REU demo C256 Foenix machines A lone C64 on a table playing Little Computer People Some kind of Amiga clone CoCos, Intellivision, and Macintosh  

  Tandy land Apple II+, Apple IIc, Apple IIgs, and a Victor 9000. Oh! A Science Fair Microcomputer Trainer! Victor 9000, what Chuck Peddle was busy working on after he left Commodore. Apples Hall B... wait, is that the guy from https://www.youtube.com/@theserialport The Serial Port? Hall B and C being open like this is a unique vibe for VCFMW Tandy TRS-80 Model I and Model 4, expanded to the 9's. Crusty being worked on by RadRacer, it's caretaker.  

  CJ and DirtPiper look on as Crusty is repaired Clint greeting the crowd NeXT Station Turbo. I don't know what makes it turbo... Tandy 1800HD laptop! Orange! Ataris, doing Atari things. The 2600 BASIC is so limited, but endearing Stuff for sale Video gaming is best shared in person  

  Poly 88s and a Northstar Advantage. Dig those blocky graphics Exidy Sorcerer with S-100 expansion, that is not a common part. The Northstart Advantage is a beast Video games for sale Man, there are some neat titles in here I don't even know what systems they are all for. Soviet video games are a weird concept I always liked the cartridge handles on the Odyssey2 games  

  You can't play Tetris on any of these... The keyboard on these always seemed excessive The Atari Flashback 2 had the best joysticks Need some boxed games? That guy needs a nap Hall A Hall A Happy 40th birthday Topo! Coleco Adam  

  Atari, Amiga, Atari, NES More CRTs than you can possible handle Magnevox Odyssey2, NES, and some video cards Atari controllers for sale, and a SpectraVideo Exedy Sorcerer Kilopede is a cool sounding name for an Exedy Sorcerer game. Nice VideoBrain People sell all sorts of oddball or outdated electronics, not just computers or video games The OPL Archive and a Packard Bell  

  Hey, it's thegirlg33k! thegirlg33k brought some cool Japanese machines So many computers and peripherals From the back of Hall A looking clear through into Hall B My college roommate had one of those Alienware towers Hall A yyzkevin and his PC110's were next to an exquisite IBM OS/2 exhibit IBM PC110 palmtops from Japan, with more accessories than you ever dreamed  

  IBM's rival to the Toshiba Libretto, the PC110 is part phone... somehow yyzkevin's PCMCIA expansion card prototypes and development boards, expanding old machines in ways never thought possible More IBM PC110's. I think one of these was featured on LGR OS/2 Warp on IBM hardware, as nature intended Wordhopper on non-distinct hardware Apple ///'s for sale with some early laptops Wordhopper! Tandy TRS-80 and an NEC PC-6001mkII  

  More of Hall A Computers! June's Heathkit H11, H10, H27, and H19 sit dormant due to power issues on the show floor. Commodore and Weatherstar kit Commodore kit Howdy! The CBM 8096 in action! The C128 up top has an integrated CMD hard drive? Sick!  

  Channel guides I never expected to see 3D printers running at a VCF The 8-bit guy Commodore SX-64 and Jeri Ellsworth's Toshiba modernization BBS goodness in progress Commodore add-ons and games galore The Commodore flag Byteshift's hacking in progress  

  After alot of work, CJ got crusty to work well enough to look for a boot device Well done, CJ! Crusty, trying to find a floppy to boot from. That floppy drive is beyond help though Many youtube personalities have signed Crusty NeXT cube, Apple... cube, and... is that an eOne? Clint, and the LGR Woodgrain 486 SiliconGraphics CJ with Crusty opened up to try fixing the boot problem  

  RadRacer told a terrible pun to ilitchfield RadRacer with Crusty Hall B Byteshift! Tiny robots, like the Androman, Talkabot, and that hamster thing. Robot magazines and ads Coleco Adam Atari ST machines in action  

  Space Manbow on the MSX has a stellar soundtrack. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUe6ufdrWUE Sony MSX Exidy Sorcerer and VideoBrain SpectraVideo Oh hey, it's compu85 More Japanese machines, and a giant plotter thegirlg33k and her Loopy, plus a Sharp 68000 playing a Cotton game Japanese video game action  

  The Sharp 68000 keyboard is wild looking Electronics for sale Classic TV NEC PC-8801 Casio Loopy Pioneer MSX machine, a PX-V60 with LaserDisc attachement. It keys in the graphics from the LaserDisc Magnevox Odyssey2 bos in rough shape The VCF Midwest Buy/Sell Board is a cultural touchstone  

  Core64 in a rare moment he wasn't mobbed BlueSCSI demo machines I got my picture taken by this fancy picture cart Jess's Commodore setup My VIC-20 exhibit playing Lode Runner and running my Mystify demo Can you tell how much I love the VIC-20? That said, half of these aren't even VIC-20's The Commodore MAX machine Commodore MAX and black C64  

  June's H11 and C128D awaiting more stable power Suburban Chicago Atarian's exhibit space Connor has DRAM if you have coin. I bought an obscene amount of RAM for my servers from him. That giant server seems excessive. Is that a corner PC? The step swtich setup A giant dot-matrix printer Someone's computer has a few familiar stickers on it. COSMAC 1802 pile again  

  Kit machines of all types Hall D The ZX Spectrum 3D printable case Digital Computer Controls D-116 front panel in the locked configuration This D-116 looks so empty without all that core AJ and June discuss Entrex Entrex 480 front panel being driven by a front panel test board. Check out that Diablo drive Replica machines of all types. Before the PiDP-8, we had the Spare Time Gizmos version requring an SBC6120  

  More 1802's than you can possibly imagine The 1802 booth goes hard. DEC GT-40 running a lunar lander game played with a light pen  



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