AHCS August Meeting

Monday, 24 August 2026 10:29

Dave Brown

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The August meeting of the Atlanta Historical Computing Society was called to order at 2:12 p.m. by Club President Earl Baugh, with 48 people in attendance.

VCF-SE 13 RECAP

A good portion of the meeting was devoted to reviewing this year’s Vintage Computer Festival Southeast 13, held July 31 through August 2.

Overall, the festival was a great success, and members discussed a number of ideas for making next year’s event even better. Suggestions included adding more soldering stations, providing additional exhibitor tables, and improving the visibility of the T-shirt sales and cash-register area.

Several of the soldering kits offered during the festival completely sold out. Distribution of proceeds from consignment sales is also underway.

Members shared highlights and stories from the many exhibits at this year’s show and discussed some of the projects and displays that particularly stood out.

Potential sponsors for next year’s festival were also discussed, including the possibility of working with PCBWay again.

WELCOME TO OUR NEW ATTENDEES

We were pleased to welcome a number of new faces to the August meeting, representing a wide range of interests in vintage and retro computing:

• Baron – interested in Texas Instruments and Apple II computers.

• Antonio – has several Commodore 64 and Macintosh SE-era systems, many of which are available for sale.

• Charles – a former networking and IT professional who collects Commodore systems, the KIM-1, Laser 128, and other machines.

• Ben – has a particular interest in early Windows 3.1-era PCs.

• Anthony – collects Windows 7-era systems and ThinkPads.

• Matt and Alexander – interested in Commodore 64 and Amiga computers.

• Michael – collects vintage game consoles, including the Nintendo Entertainment System.

• Nicholas – is still exploring the many different areas of the vintage-computing hobby.

• Kevin – is particularly interested in ThinkPads.

Welcome to everyone who joined us!

MEMBER PROJECTS

Several new and ongoing member projects were discussed during the meeting.

Brad and Josh are working on a new Atari breakout board.

Bill and Jeff are investigating a different Raspberry Pi-based BASIC computer kit that could potentially be used at next year’s VCF-SE.

Kyle provided an update on additional vintage computer equipment and restoration work underway at Georgia Tech. Systems mentioned included NeXT cubes, an IBM PS/2 Model 70, IBM XTs, and several other machines.

Joe discussed changes involving the Tilt Five augmented-reality project, including a possible change of ownership. More information will follow as details become available.

CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS

The new ATLHCS membership year began in August. Annual dues remain $20.

With the start of the new membership year, new membership badges will be issued to members whose dues are current.

SEPTEMBER MEETING DATE

The September meeting will be held on the third Saturday of the month rather than our normal meeting date. A number of ATLHCS members will be traveling to Vintage Computer Festival Midwest in Schaumburg, Illinois, so the meeting has been moved to accommodate those attending the show.

ANNUAL OFFICER ELECTIONS

Annual club officer elections will also be held during the September meeting.

The current officers are:

• President: Earl Baugh

• Vice President: Jon

• Treasurer: Dave Brown

• Social Media Coordinator: Kyle

• Secretary: Bill Blackburn

DISCORD REMINDER

Members participating on the ATLHCS Discord server are reminded to place their real name after their Discord handle. With the club continuing to grow, this makes it considerably easier for everyone to associate online usernames with the people they meet at our in-person events.

MEETING ADJOURNED

Club business concluded at 3:40 p.m.

Following the meeting, nine members adjourned to Sonny’s BBQ to continue the day’s discussions over dinner.

Thanks to everyone who attended, and we look forward to seeing everyone at the September meeting!

Bill Blackburn
AHCS Secretary