6 Aug
2007
6 Aug
'07
7:29 p.m.
What about a VVCF = Virtual Vintage Computer Festival?
Via a Website to webcams at list members locations.
If around they can show off their collection to one or more visitors.
Lectures no problem.
Demo's Yup.
No need to drag equipment around the country.
Precious/heavy kit does not get damaged.
Fully International
Zero cost.
The only downside is the loss of the social aspect.
Rod Smallwood (The DecCollector)
-----Original Message-----
From: cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org
[mailto:cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Tim Walls
Sent: 06 August 2007 15:04
To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: UK VCF?
Pete Turnbull said:
Thanks to Yorkshire Electricity Distribution Ltd. being bloody useless,
I am considerably more intimate with my building's generator than I was
a few short weeks ago, so this is a subject close to my heart!
Anyway, the long and the short is that gennys certainly can produce
reliable power - more reliable than YEDL, anyway. Our unit is an Iveco
6l 4-stroke diseasel driving a MarelliMotori genset, generating 150Kva
of 440v 3phase. Output voltage and frequency are programmable, and
frequency stability calibration is documented in the manual.
Modern gennies would be more than capable of doing the job, and should
be readily available for short-term lease. You'd be surprised how quiet
and clean-running they are as well.
Fuel isn't cheap though; IIRC running it at ~75% load it uses something
in the order of 200 litres/day of diesel; it should be OK to use red
diesel in a genny I think (for non-UKers - red diesel is diesel on which
fuel tax hasn't been paid,) but you're still looking at a fair old cost.
Oh, and to answer the original question - I'm up noorf in Yorkshire,
although I'd actually prefer such an event to be in London. I'd be
interested in going if it does happen, anyway.
Cheers,
Tim.
PS. Word of advice - check the fuel controller pump relay. Nothing more
annoying than being woken up at 3am because a poxy 5 quid relay has
stuck and caused the header tank to run dry. Voice of bitter experience
there ;-). (On the bright side, if that does happen I can now show you
how to hand-prime a dry diesel engine :^).)
--
Tim Walls at home in Leeds
EMail & MSN: tim.walls at snowgoons.com
On 05/08/2007 21:10, Tony Duell wrote:
>> Hire a genny.
>
> How stable is the frequency of such a unit? Remember many larger disk
drives have
their spindle speed set by mains freqeucy.
To say nothing of the fact that the output is often nothing like a
sine wave, and many devices don't take kindly to that. 
9 Aug
9 Aug
9:28 a.m.
On Monday 06 August 2007, Rod Smallwood wrote:
What about a VVCF = Virtual Vintage Computer
Festival?
Via a Website to webcams at list members locations.
If around they can show off their collection to one or more visitors.
Lectures no problem.
Demo's Yup.
No need to drag equipment around the country.
Precious/heavy kit does not get damaged.
Fully International
Zero cost.
The only downside is the loss of the social aspect.
From being to and organizing some VCFs, I'd say
most of the point what
the social aspect. Having some virtual on-line thing pretty
much
completely negates the point of having one.
Pat
-----Original Message-----
From: cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org
[mailto:cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Tim Walls
Sent: 06 August 2007 15:04
To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: UK VCF?
Pete Turnbull said:
--
Purdue University ITAP/RCAC --- http://www.rcac.purdue.edu
The Computer Refuge --- http://computer-refuge.org
On 05/08/2007 21:10, Tony Duell wrote:
To say nothing of the fact that the output is often nothing like a
sine wave, and many devices don't take kindly to that.
Thanks to Yorkshire Electricity Distribution Ltd. being bloody
useless, I am considerably more intimate with my building's generator
than I was a few short weeks ago, so this is a subject close to my
heart!
Anyway, the long and the short is that gennys certainly can produce
reliable power - more reliable than YEDL, anyway. Our unit is an
Iveco 6l 4-stroke diseasel driving a MarelliMotori genset, generating
150Kva of 440v 3phase. Output voltage and frequency are
programmable, and frequency stability calibration is documented in
the manual. Modern gennies would be more than capable of doing the
job, and should be readily available for short-term lease. You'd be
surprised how quiet and clean-running they are as well.
Fuel isn't cheap though; IIRC running it at ~75% load it uses
something in the order of 200 litres/day of diesel; it should be OK
to use red diesel in a genny I think (for non-UKers - red diesel is
diesel on which fuel tax hasn't been paid,) but you're still looking
at a fair old cost.
Oh, and to answer the original question - I'm up noorf in Yorkshire,
although I'd actually prefer such an event to be in London. I'd be
interested in going if it does happen, anyway.
Cheers,
Tim.
PS. Word of advice - check the fuel controller pump relay. Nothing
more annoying than being woken up at 3am because a poxy 5 quid relay
has stuck and caused the header tank to run dry. Voice of bitter
experience there ;-). (On the bright side, if that does happen I can
now show you how to hand-prime a dry diesel engine :^).) Hire a
genny.
How stable is the frequency of such a unit? Remember many larger
disk
drives have their spindle speed set by mains freqeucy. 
9:55 a.m.
Patrick Finnegan wrote:
On Monday 06 August 2007, Rod Smallwood wrote:
My favorite part of the VCF experience is actually the Saturday night
dinner. That makes the volunteer work "worth it" for me.
I don't often get to socialize with like-minded people.
Peace... Sridhar
What about a VVCF = Virtual Vintage Computer
Festival?
Via a Website to webcams at list members locations.
If around they can show off their collection to one or more visitors.
Lectures no problem.
Demo's Yup.
No need to drag equipment around the country.
Precious/heavy kit does not get damaged.
Fully International
Zero cost.
The only downside is the loss of the social aspect.
From being to and organizing some VCFs, I'd
say most of the point what
the social aspect. Having some virtual on-line thing
pretty much
completely negates the point of having one. 
5:28 p.m.
Patrick Finnegan <pat at computer-refuge.org> wrote:>
From being to and organizing some VCFs, I'd
say most of the point what
the social aspect. Having some virtual on-line
thing pretty much
completely negates the point of having one.
Pat
I agree. Being able to see kit up close and chat to fellow enthusiasts would be great.
However, with the way things have been going doing it online may be the only way, unless
people can get past arguing about the name.
Regards,
Andrew B
aliensrcooluk at yahoo.co.uk
6:59 p.m.
After a few weeks of this it is growing tiring - the amount of traffic
just for a UK VCF seems to warrant it's own mailing list!
Mike
11 Aug
11 Aug
12:40 a.m.
On Thursday 09 August 2007 18:59, Michael B. Brutman wrote:
After a few weeks of this it is growing tiring - the
amount of traffic
just for a UK VCF seems to warrant it's own mailing list!
Mike
Indeed. I have been seriously tempted lately to go and start a yahoo group or
something and then hand it off to whoever wanted it, just to get that
subject line the heck out of here...
--
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James
M Dakin
6191
days inactive
6196
days old
5 comments
6 participants
participants (6)
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aliensrcooluk＠yahoo.co.uk -
mbbrutman-cctalk＠brutman.com -
pat＠computer-refuge.org -
ploopster＠gmail.com -
RodSmallwood＠mail.ediconsulting.co.uk -
rtellason＠verizon.net