A Hard (Drive) Bargain

In June, I mentioned that I had extracted a ST-251 MFM HDD from what appeared to be the club’s main Color Computer system and sent it on to the designer of the MFM Emulator, David Gesswein. While David was able to coax a bit of data from the unit, the heads were out of alignment, which is common in drives of this age. To coax more from the drive, he’d need to take over the head positioning motor, called a “stepper motor“.

Stepper motors are unlike regular electric motors in that they are not designed for constant rotation. Instead of containing a set of coils that encourage the rotor (the part that turns) to spin, a stepper motor contains a set of coils designed to force the motor to shift by a small amount. It does this by using a set of coils that can be individually energized. To simulate constant rotation, one uses a stepper motor driver which sequences the various coils and coil polarities to constantly shift the motors position by a slight amount. Stepper motors are typically rated according to the number of full “steps” in a single rotation.

“Micro stepping” is the ability for a stepper motor driver to position the stepper motor in various fractions of a step by applying specific voltages and sequences to the motor windings. This reduces rotational speed and sometimes the force the motor can exert, but it also increases the resolution of the shaft positioning.

As is usual, nothing is easy. Most stepper motors utilize 2 phases, but the ST-251 head positioning stepper motor is a 5 phase motor. The difference is shown here. David linked to examples where he’d read data using a 2 phase microstepper circuit, but noted he needed to work on how to handle a 5 phase motor.

Obviously, I would not be posting if there was no progress. Mid July, David sent a note indicating he has been able to interface with the multi-phase stepper motor and read out the contents of the drive! He was gracious enough to send a dump of the data that can be read by toolshed. He cleaned up a few things in subsequent runs and I am thankful for his efforts.

As a next step, I’d like to see if any of our members is interested in taking this dump and getting it to boot using XRoar or (O)VCC to better understand what is held on the drive and what should be preserved. As the earlier posting implied, it is an OS9 drive, and it looks like it has CoCoFEST! 1996, 1997, and 1998 data on it, and perhaps PA98 was PennFest #2 in 1998? Many files appear to be club database information, while there also appear to be various member profiles stored on the drive. Obviously, I can’t share the drive publicly, to safeguard member’s privacy, but I am happy to work with a few folks who are willing to handle the data sensitively.

Anyway, if you would like to help investigate the material on this drive, perhaps extracting useful information or seeing what can be run from the image, please reach out to me via our contact page. I’d love to reconstruct some details for our Spring 2024 CoCoFEST! Again, many thanks to David Gesswein for imaging this drive (free of charge, even!) for the club. At the very least, the data on the now non-functional drive can live on as an image.

Here’s David’s run of the toolshed dir command over the image:

../toolshed-2.2/os9 dir -r coco2_good.ext 

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,
Bootcopy        CMDS            COMM4           DATABASE        Fest97b
GLNSD           IDE             MODULES         POS             PROFILE
SPOOL           SYS             UTILS           VED             aif.dba
aif.lbl         aif.rpt         aif.wdw         strtposdd       readme.pos
paposdd         s1              s2              s3              s7
startup         startup.bak     startup.org     d0backup1       termsettings
w1              w7              ww              dislex          roster
BURKE           w               i               n               d
o               zzzzzlist       z               zz              

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/Bootcopy
CMDS            date            display         dmode           echo
error           

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/Bootcopy/CMDS
ICONS           

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/Bootcopy/CMDS/ICONS


                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/CMDS
At              CD              Clock           DD              Devname
Dw_defdb        Dw_deflbl       Dw_defrpt       Dw_defwin       Dw_labels
Dw_report       Dw_wind         Dwindows        H1.dd           ICONS
IO              IO1             MakeVDefs       VDefsText       VSplit
Ved             Ved..help       Wattr           Wcopy           Window
ansied          ar              

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/CMDS/ICONS
icon.dw         icon.dw_wind    icon.dw_labels  icon.dw_report  

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/COMM4
t3.dd           t0.dd           t1.dd           NetLink         ReCobbler
SetPak          T0              T1              T3              

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/DATABASE
ROLODEX         MAGAZINE        VIDEO           MEDICAL         INVENTORY
CLUBLIB         

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/DATABASE/ROLODEX
Rolodex.dba     Rolodex.ndx     Rolodex.wdw     Rolodex.rpt     Rolodex.lbl


                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/DATABASE/MAGAZINE
Magazine.dba    Mag.category.ndx Mag.article.ndx Magazine.wdw    

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/DATABASE/VIDEO
Video.dba       Video.rating.ndx Video.name.ndx  Video.star.ndx  Video.wdw


                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/DATABASE/MEDICAL
Medical.dba     Medical.ndx     Medical.wdw     Medical.rpt     

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/DATABASE/INVENTORY
Inventory.dba   Inv.name.ndx    Inv.value.ndx   Inventory.wdw   

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/DATABASE/CLUBLIB
invintory.dba   oper.sys.ndx    type.ndx        author.ndx      name.ndx
location.ndx    status.ndx      media.ndx       inv.name.wdw    Club_lib.rpt
club_lib.lbl    

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/Fest97b
logo.pos        membership.pos  prices.pos      receipt.sat1    tot.sat.oops
tot.sat1        tot.sat2        receipt.sat2    

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/GLNSD
DISP            DRPT            DCTL            DATA            DKEY1
DKEY2           DKEY3           DKEY4           DKEY5           glnrc.lzh
roster          

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/IDE
cc3ide.6809     cc3ide_6.a      hi.ide          

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/MODULES
BBFhdisk        CC3Disk         CC3Go           CC3IO           CCDisk
CCIO            CO32            Clock           D0              D1
GrfInt          IOMan           Init            M1              OS9p2
OS9p3           P               PRINTER         Pipe            PipeMan
Piper           RBF             RS232           SCF             SIO
Sacia.Pak       Shell           SysGo           T1              T2a.dd
T2s.dd          T3a.dd          T3s.dd          TERM            Td.dd
VDGInt          aciapak.dr      bbfhdisk.dd     clock.bb.s2.60hz clock.bb.s3.60hz
clock.doc       clock.dsto2.50hz clock.dsto2.60hz clock.dsto2.s4.50hz clock.dsto2.s4.60hz
clock.dsto4.60hz clock.dsto4.s4.60hz clock.soft.50hz clock.soft.60hz d0_40d.dd
d1_40d.dd       ddmaker         h0.dd           hd              t1.dd
t3.dd           w.dw            w1.dw           w10.dw          w11.dw
w12.dw          w13.dw          w14.dw          w15.dw          w2.dw
w3.dw           w4.dw           w5.dw           w6.dw           w7.dw
w8.dw           w9.dw           windint.io      RAM             r0.dd


                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/POS
poscmds.arc     message.text    totals.data     prices.data     membership.da
CHI96           CHI97           CHI98           PA98            

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/POS/CHI96
pos_printr0     cposr1          prices.pos      logo.pos        readme.pos
os9arc          dearc           totals.pos      pos_printr1     apr1396
pos_printd1     cposd1          pos_printdd     membership.pos  cposr0
cposdd          t2              receipt.logfile 

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/POS/CHI97
cposd1          cposdd          cposr0          cposr1          dearc
logo.pos        membership.pos  newprices       os9arc          pos_printd1
pos_printdd     pos_printr0     pos_printr1     prices.pos      readme.pos
receipt.sat1    receipt.sat2    tot.sat.oops    tot.sat1        tot.sat2
totals.pos      receipt.logfile 

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/POS/CHI98
cposd1          cposdd          cposr0          cposr1          dearc
logo.pos        membership.pos  newprices       os9arc          pos_printd1
pos_printdd     pos_printr0     pos_printr1     prices.pos      readme.pos
totals.pos      receipt.logfile rcpts.sat       nmba.sat        

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/POS/PA98
cposd1          cposdd          cposr0          cposr1          dearc
logo.pos        mmbrshp.sat     os9arc          pos_printd1     pos_printdd
pos_printr0     pos_printr1     prices.pos      readme.pos      recpts.sat
totals.sat      working         receipt.logfile totals.pos      membership.pos


                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/PROFILE
prfl.lzh        dbases.lzh      X               DCTL            DISP
DRPT            DATA            

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/PROFILE/X
GLNSD           VNDRS           CLBS            prfl.lzh        CHRIS
CHRS            CHS             ADRSBK          PACA            

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/PROFILE/X/GLNSD


                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/PROFILE/X/VNDRS
vndrc.lzh       

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/PROFILE/X/CLBS
clbrc.lzh       

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/PROFILE/X/CHRIS
chris.lzh       

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/PROFILE/X/CHRS
chrs.lzh        

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/PROFILE/X/CHS
chs.lzh         

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/PROFILE/X/ADRSBK
adrsbk.lzh      

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/PROFILE/X/PACA
paca.lzh        

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/SPOOL


                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/SYS
config.sys      duopts          errmsg          events.sys      macro
option          shell.parameters stdfonts        stdpats_16      stdpats_2
stdpats_4       stdptrs         altfonts        rsb_env.file    clipboard.txt
logo.txt        BFONTS          helpmsg         

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/SYS/BFONTS


                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/UTILS
PP.file         PP.file.fon     acbbs24.ar      acbbs24.doc     adrlabel.pak
alarm.ar        almanac         almanac.OSK     ar              areacode.ar
calendar.pak    cc.pak          cc3go.pak       ccheck.arc      cursive.ar
ded             digiclock       dir.ar          dirutil.ar      dirutl
dmtree          dutils.ar       ed30.arc        ed30.doc        ed31.ar
ff.ar           files           files.pak       fileslist.sys   finance.pak
gdmap.arc       gif2vef.ar      gifos9.ar       glabel.ar       gshell
hdkit.ar        hdmtree         jtfm            kdutils.ar      lha_2_11.ar
lof.bo9         megaread.ar     menu.ar         modemio.sys     month
month.ar        month.bin       month.dat       month.dat1      os9arc.pak
pak             phonebook.pak   playsound.ar    pos.arc         pp
pp.ar           prfl.lzh        prfl.lzh.1      profile         profile.arc
reback.ar       repack          scanfile.pak    screensavemenu.ar sdump.ar
sled.ar         sound.ar        time.ar         unlzh_7.ar      view4.4.PAK
volume.bin      whereis.ar      wheres.lzh      windchill.ar    

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/VED
CMDS            SRC             MACROS          DOCS            

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/VED/CMDS
Ved             Ved..help       VSplit          MakeVDefs       VDefsText
s7              

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/VED/SRC
MakeVDefs       VDefsText       VSplit.c        

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/VED/MACROS
VedDefs.txt     

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/VED/DOCS
history         config          

                           Directory of coco2_good.ext,/BURKE
i               n               d               o               s
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2023 Glenside Picnic coming in September!

We’ve have a date for our annual picnic and gathering. Everyone is welcome. Put this on your calendars! Saturday September 23, 2023

Upcoming picnic September 23, 2023

This year we will be meeting in West Dundee, IL. It’s a little further west of Schaumburg, IL and has a lot to offer.

Come early for a casual afternoon. Bring the whole family or grandkids!

For those of you in the Chicago area it is an easy drive. Those coming from further out will find it directly off I-90.

We will have informal gathering for those interested at the Underground Retrocade at 1pm (open noon-11pm, $20 cover unlimited game play with all day pass). Then we meet as a formal group at 4pm at the Woodfire Pizza for a meal with up to $20/person on us!

Look on the Glenside Facebook Page or here on our website for any updates. If you plan on attending we would love to hear from you to get a semblance of the size of the group. Email if you’d like to RSVP.

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Glenside Club Meeting: Thursday August 3, 2023 @ 7:30PM Central

With Summer coming to a close, I hope all enjoyed the past few months post CoCoFEST! Fall brings with it VCF-Midwest and Tandy Assembly, where the CoCo has been well represented for some time. As well, we want to take some time this month to finalize plans for the 2023 Glenside Fall Picnic. If you’re in the Chicago area or will be passing through and would like to join us, all are welcome!

Please join us this Thursday. We will open the call a bit early at a new time: 7:00PM.

Meeting Agenda: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c4YSHFlTSdHaybPK0_U9nKGbyk1WueTS/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115546368758315252280&rtpof=true&sd=true

To join the Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82797367585?pwd=OUxibkJaR2N1SUtSOU9EUUlYeXBJQT09

Meeting ID: 827 9736 7585
Passcode: GCCC

One tap mobile

+13126266799,,82797367585#,,,,*686821# (Chicago)

Meeting ID: 827 9736 7585
Passcode: 686821
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kdIAqFZbZR

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/tZYqfu6rqDwvEtGPAHF62Rhv1v5lakjdaO9W/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGqqTItGdKStRGCRpwQB4r4KOnwpmZYj7d6rD7NJXYBUAvgZ_QXPrN0GtzR

For those unable to join us on Zoom or have prior commitments, we will livestream and have a replay available on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/290791956162) and our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFk2dMxcjJcX2qbSqFHQMbA).

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Glenside Club Meeting: Thursday July 6, 2023 @ 7:30PM Central

For those in the USA, Happy belated 4th of July. I hope no one blew up their CoCo! I apologize for the tardiness of this announcement, as I’ve been enjoying time away from the computer lately…

With CoCoFEST! 31 in the rear view mirror, I hope everyone is enjoying the Summer while still giving your CoCo some love. We’re turning our attention to Fall activities like attending VCF-Midwest and Tandy Assembly, as well as our yearly club picnic. If you’re in the Chicago area or will be passing through and would like to join us, all are welcome!

I’d like to think Vice President John Mark Mobley for handling our June meeting and gathering throughts on CoCoFEST! improvements, and I’d like to thank all who provided commentary.

Please join us this Thursday. We will open the call early at 6:30PM.

Meeting Agenda: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c3jT_4jE8Nl4K1y9wJ7iX-7NbVbHohA0/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115546368758315252280&rtpof=true&sd=true

To join the Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82797367585?pwd=OUxibkJaR2N1SUtSOU9EUUlYeXBJQT09

Meeting ID: 827 9736 7585
Passcode: GCCC

One tap mobile

+13126266799,,82797367585#,,,,*686821# (Chicago)

Meeting ID: 827 9736 7585
Passcode: 686821
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kdIAqFZbZR

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/tZYqfu6rqDwvEtGPAHF62Rhv1v5lakjdaO9W/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGqqTItGdKStRGCRpwQB4r4KOnwpmZYj7d6rD7NJXYBUAvgZ_QXPrN0GtzR

For those unable to join us on Zoom or have prior commitments, we will livestream and have a replay available on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/290791956162) and our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFk2dMxcjJcX2qbSqFHQMbA).

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A Hard (Drive) Life

In late 2021, as GCCC worked to put on a belated 29th “Last” Chicago CoCoFEST!, a question arose about all of the storage of hardware and software items belonging to GCCC. Some were recent items destined for the cancelled 2020 show auction, some were for the upcoming 2021 show auction, some were items donated long ago and never auctioned, and still more were club owned items. I had no idea GCCC had accumulated so much stuff, but I felt it was important to do some cleaning and asked that folks storing items bring them to the show.

At the show, Tony Podraza and I quickly sorted through the myriad of totes (I bet there were 35 of them, in addition to items delivered the day before the show started) to sort out what was the club’s, what we auction, and what was junk. Tony and I focused attention on retaining paperwork (correspondence and newsletters from other clubs, historical GCCC materials, and materials for the hardware projects GCCC had sponsored), interesting software (things produced by the club, modified for the club, etc.), and a bit of hardware (I felt the club should retain a complete CoCo system to run a demo, BBS, or similar). The rest of the items were placed on the auction to allows others to enjoy (I saw no reason for the club to collect Game Paks or multiple copies of OS/9 and the related manuals).

On the hardware front, we found a club-owned (at least Tony were pretty sure) Burke and Burke XT-based HDD, 100% complete. Time grew short, so we packed it away after the show, but I always thought it would be nice to image the drive and get the data off it.

Sadly, I was not able to attend the 2022 show, but I did ask if there was an interested resource who could take the ST-251 MFM drive and attempt to image. Rick Ulland graciously volunteered to attempt, and diligently tried to read data off the unit, to no avail. We thank Rick for the attempt, as it was a long shot.

This Spring, as I packed the totes away at the end of the 2023 show, I saw the B&B HDD again and decided to take it home and see what I could accomplish. As I don’t know much about MFM technology, I asked on the Classic Computers Mailing List if anyone might be interested in helping me attempt to image the drive. I got a number of good responses and leads, but the best came from David Gesswein.

David, who some may know from his PDP8Online web page , has created an MFM reader/emulator, and he responded graciously offering to help me image the drive if possible. It took a bit of time, but I was able to ship the drive off this week, and he received it today.

As expected, the drive is in poor shape, with mis-aligned heads, which is why Rick was unsuccessful imaging the unit. But, David notes that he has had success manually “micro”-stepping the heads across the platters to overcome alignment issues. He notes he has more familiarity with 2 wire microstepping systems, where the Seagate ST-251 is a 5 wire unit, so he’s looking into how he might interface with this type of stepper motor.

But, he was able to pull a bit of data from the drive, ran the “strings” command on the resulting material, and rendered the following:

Exit to OS9
        Are you sure? (Y/N):
Disk Manager Tree, Version 1.10  

Chat procedure for access color bbs
Copyright 1989,1990 by Ezra Story

Brnout  Version 1.0
Copyright (c) 1991 By Keith Alphonso
Licenced to and distributed by COCOPRO!

I theorized the drive might hold a copy of a BBS installation, and there is a bit of evidence for that in the above data.

Obviously, there are no guarantees David will be successful at pulling more off the drive. But, I do appreciate David’s help in attempting an image, and I am hopeful more will be retrieved.

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Glenside Club Meeting: Thursday June 1, 2023 @ 7:30PM Central

I hope everyone who physically or virtually joined our recent 31st Annual “Last” CoCoFEST! enjoyed their time. I want to thank again all the attendees, sponsors, exhibitors, presenters, and Glenside crew who collectively made the show successful. If you have thoughts on the show, concerns to share, or suggestions to make, please join us this Thursday to discuss.

I regret that I will not be able to join this month’s discussion, but Vice President John Mark Mobley will be running the meeting in my absence.

Please join us this Thursday. We will open the call early at 6:30PM.

Meeting Agenda: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c2ljWMaNlO1NGmmQWPC4kalF89gCNszw/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115546368758315252280&rtpof=true&sd=true

To join the Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82797367585?pwd=OUxibkJaR2N1SUtSOU9EUUlYeXBJQT09

Meeting ID: 827 9736 7585
Passcode: GCCC

One tap mobile

+13126266799,,82797367585#,,,,*686821# (Chicago)

Meeting ID: 827 9736 7585
Passcode: 686821
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kdIAqFZbZR

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/tZYqfu6rqDwvEtGPAHF62Rhv1v5lakjdaO9W/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGqqTItGdKStRGCRpwQB4r4KOnwpmZYj7d6rD7NJXYBUAvgZ_QXPrN0GtzR

For those unable to join us on Zoom or have prior commitments, we will livestream and have a replay available on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/290791956162) and our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFk2dMxcjJcX2qbSqFHQMbA).

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CoCoFEST! Restaurants

Google Maps Search: “restaurants near Carol Stream, IL 60188”

Now choose Cuisine:
American
Barbecue
Chinese
French
Hamburger
Indian
Italian
Japanese
Mexican
Pizza
Seafood
Steak
Sushi
Thai


American:
Urban Counter, Fast Food Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL
Subway, Sandwich Shop, Wheaton, IL
Diana’s Red Hots, Hot Dog Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Chicken Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
Wingstop, Chicken Wings Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
Portillo’s/Barnelli’s, Fast Food Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
Jimmy John’s, Sandwich Shop, Lombard, IL
Chick-fil-A, Fast Food Restaurant, Bloomingdale, IL
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, Fast Food Restaurant, Bloomingdale, IL
Fahrenheit, American Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
Stella’s Place, Café, Glendale Heights, IL
Brauer House, American Restaurant, Lombard, IL
Panera Bread, Café, Bloomingdale, IL
Potbelly, Sandwich Shop, Bloomingdale, IL
McAlister’s Deli, Sandwich Shop, Bloomingdale, IL
Noodles and Company, Restaurant, Bloomingdale, IL

Bakery:
Alshakarchi Sweets and Bakery, Glendale Heights, IL
Crumbl Cookies, Bakery, Glendale Heights, IL
Hanna’s Bakery and Cafe, Bloomingdale, IL

Bar or Bar and Grill:
Chrissy’s Gaming Bar and Grill, Carol Stream, IL
The Pub, Carol Stream, IL
Sully’s Place, Bar, Wheaton, IL
Gametime Pub, Sports Bar, West Chicago, IL
Payoffs Bar and Grill, Bar and Grill, Carol Stream, IL
Miska’s Corner Store, Bar, Glendale Heights, IL
Little Jimmy’s, Bar, Glendale Heights, IL
Jaxx Pub and Grill, Bar and Grill, Glendale Heights, IL

Barbecue:
Steamboat BBQ, Barbeque Restaurant, Wheaton, IL
(closes early, 6 or 7 PM)

Breakfast:
Manny’s Cafe, Breakfast Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL
First Watch, Breakfast Restaurant, Bloomingdale, IL
Denny’s, Diner, Carol Stream, IL
Red Apple Pancake House, Carol Stream, IL
Burger Theory-Holiday Inn, Hotel, Carol Stream, IL

Candy:
Fannie May Chocolate Shop, Carol Stream, IL

Chinese:
China Buffet, Chinese Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL
Jin28, Chinese Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL

Coffee:
Tredwell Coffee, Coffee Shop, Wheaton, IL
Dunkin’, Coffee Shop, Carol Stream, IL
Starbucks, Coffee Shop, Carol Stream, IL

Ethiopian:
Ethio Beans Ethiopian Restaurant and Cafe,
Ethiopian Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL

French:
B Fresh Café, Restaurant, Milton Township, IL

German:
Schnitzel Platz, German Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL

Hamburger:
White Castle, Fast Food Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL
Burger Theory-Holiday Inn Carol Stream, Hotel, Carol Stream, IL
Burger King, Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
McDonald’s, Fast Food Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL (Scottish)
Wendy’s, Fast Food Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers,
Fast Food Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
Five Guys, Fast Food Restaurant, Bloomingdale, IL
Steak ‘n Shake, Hamburger Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
Bo Burgerz, Fast Food Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL

Ice Cream, Frozen Custard or Frozen Yogurt:
La Michoacana, Ice Cream Shop, Glendale Heights, IL
Oberweis Ice Cream and Dairy Store, Ice Cream Shop, Bloomingdale, IL

Indian:
Saffron Restaurant, Indian Restaurant, Bloomingdale, IL
Shaahi Biryani, Indian Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL

Irish:
Corned Beef Factory, Restaurant, West Chicago, IL

Italian:
Olive Garden Italian Restaurant, Italian Restaurant, Bloomingdale, IL

Japanese:
Abashiri Japanese Restaurant, Japanese Restaurant, Bloomingdale, IL

Mexican:
Taco Real and Pupuseria, Mexican Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL
Gary Burritos, Mexican Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL
Taco Bell, Fast Food Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
Good Tequilas Mexican Grill, Mexican Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
El Famous Burrito, Mexican Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Mexican Restaurant, Bloomingdale, IL
Chili’s Grill and Bar, Tex-Mex Restaurant, Bloomingdale, IL
La Campana, Mexican Restaurant, Bloomingdale, IL
Pozoleria Amiguitas, Mexican Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
Amigas Restaurant, Mexican Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
Burrito Parrilla Mexicana, Mexican Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
Mis Tacos 2, Mexican Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL

Middle Eastern Grill:
Nay Restaurant, Middle Eastern Grill, Glendale Heights, IL

Pizza:
Marchette’s Pizzeria, Pizza Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL
Addante’s Pizzeria, Pizza Restaurant, Wheaton, IL
Rosati’s Pizza, Pizza Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL
Papa Saverio’s Pizzeria, Pizza Restaurant, West Chicago, IL
Generoso Pizza, Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
Hanna’s Gaming Cafe, Glendale Heights, IL
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, Curbsize Pickup or Delivery, Carol Stream IL
Maciano’s Pizza and Pastaria, Pizza Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL

Polish Delicatessen:
White Eagle Deli, Glendale Heights, IL

Seafood:
Red Lobster, Seafood Restaurant, Bloomingdale, IL

Steak:
Jameson’s Charhouse, Steak House, Bloomingdale, IL
Texas Roadhouse, Steak House, Bloomingdale, IL
Outback Steakhouse, Steak House, Bloomingdale, IL

Steak and Seafood:
Ki’s Steak and Seafood, Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL

Sushi:
Lili Sushi and Ramen Sushi, Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL
Honkaka Sushi, Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
Monsun Sushi, Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
Shiki Buffet, Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL (Opens soon)

Thai:
CK Pad Thai, Thai Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL

Vietnamese:
PhoLicious, Vietnamese Restaurant, Bloomingdale, IL

Where to go for a Chicago Style Hot Dog:
Portillo’s
I guess I must disclose that I own one share of Portillo’s stock

Where to go for a Chicago Style Pizza:
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, (Curbsize Pickup or Delivery), Carol Stream IL
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, (Dine-in or Curbsize Pickup), Schaumburg, IL
Giordano’s Limited, Bloomingdale, IL
Nancy’s Pizzeria, Stuffed Deep Dish, Roselle, IL
Maciano’s Pizza and Pastaria, Pizza Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL
Rosati’s Pizza, Pizza Restaurant, Carol Stream, IL

Where can I go for gluten-free pizza:
Domino’s Pizza, Carol Stream, IL
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, Schaumburg, IL
Pizzeria Uno, Schiller Park, IL

Where can I go for live music on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Night:
Schnitzel Platz, German Restaurant, Glendale Heights, IL
(https://schnitzelplatz.com/events)
Brauer House, American Restaurant, Lombard, IL
(https://www.eventbrite.com/o/brauer-house-amp-bhouse-live-18059974031)
Google Map Search: live music near Carol Stream, IL

What are the 27 Best Restaurants for Keto Diet Followers:
https://www.everydayhealth.com/ketogenic-diet/best-restaurants-keto-diet-followers/

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CoCoFEST! Chicago Area Attractions and Thing To Do

Archades:

Dave & Buster’s in Lombard

Enterrium in Schaumburg

Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield

Underground Retrocade in West Dundee

Things to do:

Mastermind Escape Games Escape Rooms Schaumburg, IL

Disco, Night Club, Chicago, IL

American Science and Surplus, Geneva/West Chicago, IL

American Science and Surplus, Park Ridge, IL

Chester Electronic Supply Co., Kenosha, WI

Micro Center Computers & Electronics, Westmont, IL

Hobby Lobby, Bloomingdale, IL

Alien Entertainment Store, Lombard, IL

Adler Planetarium, Chicago, IL

Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, IL

Chinatown, Chicago, IL

Chicago Segway Tour, Chicago, IL

Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL

Illinois Railway Museum, Union, IL

DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, Chicago, IL

North Riverside Park Mall, Riverside, IL

Yorktown Shopping Center, Lombard, IL

Leaning Tower YMCA, Niles, IL

     (half-size replica of the Tower of Pisa)

Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, Schaumburg, IL

Museum of Broadcast Communications, Chicago, IL

The Oriental Institute, Chicago, IL

     (museum about ancient Middle Eastern cultures)

Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, IL

Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL

Twin Lakes Golf Course & Recreation Area, Palatine, IL

     (Golf and paddleboats)

Frank Lloyd Wright Tours, Oak Park, IL

Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, IL

Geneva 3rd Street and State Street, Geneva, IL

     (Antiquing and shopping)

Long Grove, Long Grove, IL

     (Antiquing and shopping)

The House on the Rock, Spring Green, Wisconsin

Galena, IL

     (Antiquing and shopping)

Ulysses S. Grant Home, Galena, IL

Chicago Theater, Broadway Shows, Chicago, IL

Busse Forest Elk Pasture, Elk Grove Village, IL

The Sculpture Park, Schaumburg, IL

LEGOLAND Discovery Center, Schaumburg, IL

K1Speed Indoor Go Karts, Buffalo Grove, IL

Cosley Zoo, Wheaton, IL

Forest Preserve/Nature Preserve, Cook County, IL

Wendella Tours and Cruises, Chicago, IL

     (Chicago River Tours)

Chicago River Tour

Casino/Gambling

Historic Route 66 Begin Sign, Chicago, IL

Mass Transit Chicago:

Chicago Trolley and Double Decker Co, Chicago IL

Big Bus Tours Chicago, Chicago IL

Gangster Tour Chicago

Chicago Tour

Chicago Transit Authority – CTA Buses and Train Service

Metra train

South Shore Line train

Airports:

O’Hare International Airport (ORD)

Chicago Executive Airport-PWK

Schaumburg Regional Airport

Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)

Religion:

Billy Graham Museum, Wheaton, IL

Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, IL

Bahai House of Worship, Wilmette, IL

     (I hear it is very beautiful to look at)

Ark Encounter, Willamstown, KY

Creation Museum, Petersburg, KY

Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership, Chicago, IL

The Oriental Institute, Chicago, IL

     (A museum about ancient Middle Eastern cultures)

Holocaust Museum, Skokie, IL

Sporting Events:

Chicago Sky

Chicago Cubs

Chicago Bulls

Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago Fire

Chicago White Sox

Chicago Bears

Chicago Curling Club

Chicago Park District Badminton

Chicago Boxing Events

Windy City Rollers (Roller Derby)

Roller Rink

Ice Skating

Golf

Frisbee Golf

Miniature Golf

Bowling

Shuffleboard

Carol Stream Park District Adult Pickleball

Climbing

Paddle Boat

Chicago Landmarks:

875 North Michigan Ave. (formerly known as the John Hancock Building)

Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower)

Cloudgate sculpture, Millennium Park, Chicago (known as “the Bean”)

Buckingham Fountain, Grant Park, Chicago

Chicago lakefront, Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive

Navy Pier, Chicago, IL

     (Amusement rides, boat rides, IMAX Theater, restaurants and ship cruises)

Gardens

Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL

Lincoln Park Conservatory, Chicago, IL

Fabyan Villa Museum & Japanese Garden, Geneva, IL

Lilacia Park, Lombard, IL

Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL

Notes:

American Science and Surplus

Salvador Garcia says: Yes, you can go to the Website and browse, but it does not prepare you for when you go in person. There is a huge number of stuff, everything from a periscope (Geneva store), beakers, test tube and more for your chem lab, motors, gearmotors, LEDs, electronic components, foam human hearts, stuffed plushy brain neurons, real frogs for dissection, bearings, magnets, DaVinci machines kits… well, the list just goes on and on.

Alien Entertainment Store

Salvador Garcia says:  And if there are any sci fi fans (Dr. Who, Star Wars, Star Trek) then Alien Entertainment in Lombard has enough stuff to keep you busy for about two hours.

If you are coming to the CoCoFEST! from out of town on an extended stay, you may be interested in other things to see while you are here. The ladies may enjoy a trip to the mall or antiquing and shopping in Long Grove, IL or Geneva, IL.

Chicago Chinatown

North Riverside Park Mall

Salvador Garcia says:  And if there are any die-hard fans of the movie Contagion, I can point you to the mall where the mall scenes were filmed 🙂

Navy Pier

(Amusement rides, boat rides, IMAX Theater, restaurants and ship cruises)

Frank Lloyd Wright Tours

Salvador Garcia says:  If anyone is into architecture, Oak Park was home to the internationally renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

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Glenside Club Meeting: Thursday April 6, 2022 @ 7:30PM Central

We’re 2 weeks away from the 31st Annual “Last” Chicago CoCoFEST! This is our last meeting prior, and we will not have a May meeting. Everything is in motion, but there’s always last minute items to discuss.

Please join us this Thursday. We will open the call early at 6:30PM.

Meeting Agenda: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b0K4I5xbc1nVYfGtwQ7soiGrctrnbdzq/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115546368758315252280&rtpof=true&sd=true

To join the Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82797367585?pwd=OUxibkJaR2N1SUtSOU9EUUlYeXBJQT09

Meeting ID: 827 9736 7585
Passcode: GCCC

One tap mobile

+13126266799,,82797367585#,,,,*686821# (Chicago)

Meeting ID: 827 9736 7585
Passcode: 686821
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kdIAqFZbZR

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/tZYqfu6rqDwvEtGPAHF62Rhv1v5lakjdaO9W/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGqqTItGdKStRGCRpwQB4r4KOnwpmZYj7d6rD7NJXYBUAvgZ_QXPrN0GtzR

For those unable to join us on Zoom or have prior commitments, we will livestream and have a replay available on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/290791956162) and our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFk2dMxcjJcX2qbSqFHQMbA).

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CoCoFEST! Questions and Answers

How to prepare for the CoCoFEST!

Q) What should I bring?

A1) Musical instruments.

A2) We hold two auctions, so bring stuff you want to keep out of landfills to go into the auctions, and bring some spending money to spend on auction items to add to your collection that you didn’t have a chance to purchase when you were younger.  The money from the auctions goes to help pay for the CoCoFEST!  Buy books, manuals, software, cables, joysticks, disk drives, computers, fanfold paper, and such.  If you bring an item and it does not sell, then consider taking it back home with you.  Printers generally do not sell and no one wants to be stuck with them.

A3) People are selling hardware and software (outside of the auction) so bring some spending money for that.

A4) Charge the battery in your camera and bring it.

A5) Bring hardware you want repaired or upgraded.

A6) If you have a booth, then bring extension cords, power strips, and tape to hold them down.

A7) Bring your ideas.

A8) Chicago has toll roads but you can no longer bring some change to drop in the tollbooth change accepter basket. Instead you can pay by plate by signing up at https://www.getipass.com/ Or use your GPS and avoid toll roads altogether.

A9) An ice scraper for your car, just in case.

Q) Is Wi-Fi available to all at the CoCoFEST?

A) Yes!

Q) What kind of computer should I bring to show at the CoCoFEST?

A1) CoCos, Tandy, TRS-80, Radio Shack, and clones.

A2) Anything that runs a Motorola 6809, Hitachi 6309, Motorola 68k, Zilog Z80, Intel 8080, Intel 8008, Intel 4004

A3) Southwest Technical Products Corp. (SWTPC)

A4) Tomcat, MM/1, AT306, Delmar System IV/ Peripheral Technology PT68K-4

A5) FPGA, Microprocessor, Arduino, Raspberry Pi and such.

A6) Calculator, adding machine, slide rule, and abacus.

A7) Analog computer

A8) Mechanical computers

Q) Would people want to see NitrOS-9/6809 driving a teletype machine, teleprinter, paper terminal or silent 700?

A) Yes!

Q) Would people like to see a plain old telephone bulletin board system in operation using 300 baud?

A) Yes!

Q) Can I arrange for my booth to be next to someone else?

A) If you sign up early enough then you can select the tables you want. This is done on TandyList.

Q) What is the attendance like?

A) 50 to 100 people are likely to attend and 95% of them are male.

Q) Will there be an opportunity for non-vendors to swap/trade/sell hardware?

A) The entire event consists of trading, swapping, buying and selling software, hardware, other stuff, stories, anecdotes and knowledge. I think you would be hard pressed to not find time to do this.

Q) How do I get from the airport to the hotel?

A1) You can take a rental car, taxi, Uber, or limo.

A2) If by taxi, I would recommend American Taxi (AT).

Q) What should I wear?

A1) A Hawaiian shirt and blue jeans would be fine.

A2) A CoCoFEST shirt and wash pants are also fine.

Q) How do I know I am getting a good room rate at the hotel?

A) Check out the link below:

Q) When should I arrive?

A) Get there before dark on Friday.  Sunset is 7:40 PM.

Q) When can I set up my booth/table?

A) It may be possible for a few people to set up on Friday evening between 5:00-11:59 PM.  Otherwise you can set up on Saturday morning between 8:00-9:00 AM.

Q) What are my options for gluten free food?

A1) Jimmy John’s sells a lettuce wrap.

A2) Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, Schaumburg, IL

A3) Pizzeria Uno, Schiller Park, IL

Q) How do you know how many people are coming to the catered dinner?

A) You can signup for the dinner on TandyList.

Q) Is the CoCoFEST! in a high crime area?

A) No!  Absolutely not!

Q) Is this a busy area?

A) Busy is a relative term.  Downtown Chicago is very busy.  Carol Stream is half or a third as busy.  And parking is free.

Q) What if I have more questions?

A) Go to the About Us portion of our website.

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