Using vintage computers in the classroom - Practical stuff

I have been teaching computer history at the U of Delaware for my 4th semester, and there are a few practical items worth mentioning in this discussion. I bring a (usually) working computer or device that I use for demonstration purposes for each class. I only bring what I can fit in my trunk, and carry on a collapse-able dolly. My classes are one hour and 15 minutes, there is not much time to set up and then vacate the room for the next lecturer. It is therefore very important that I practice staging the system before clas, and also carefully correograph the presentation in a way that incorporates the equipment in a meaningful way, beyond the ooo aaa factor. It is important to have a specific, targeted point to demonstrate. Use a laptop whenver you need a terminal , so that you can pipe the output onto the overhead projecting device. Sometimes I pick a student to start entering data (ie. toggle switches/BASIC code, etc) in the beginning of the class so that by the time we need the system it is ready for the demonstration. It is also kind of like a cooking show; you bring two of something, one that is "pre-finished" and other that is used for the demo so that you can show the end result of a long process within a limited time frame. One last thing, it is a courtesy when you're running something loud like a teletype to ask the professor in the next class if the noise will disturb the lecture! It's like a mini vintage computer festival every class, sometimes I wish I taught US History Bill Degnan