VCF Midwest Talks

The VCF Midwest 20 Talks Schedule is here!

Time	Track	Topic	Presenter
Saturday
9:00	All	Show Opens!	VCF Midwest!

10:00	Main	The SAGE Air Defense System	Richard Thomson
SAGE (Semi-Automated Ground Environment) was a computer-based air defense system built in the 1950s by the United States Air Force. It was designed to use radar to detect a Soviet bomber attack approaching the United States over the North pole and across Canada. Many advances in computer technology were made in the development of this system. In this talk, we'll go over the various elements of the SAGE system and discuss the influence it had on the civilian and military computer market.
Speaker Bio: Richard Thomson is a Senior Software Engineer for NVIDIA where he works on GPU raytracing. He is the creator of the Terminals Wiki, maintainer of the manx online documentation database and is the principal effort behind the Computer Graphics Museum in Salt Lake City. The museum has a collection of artifacts housed in storage with future plans for a public exhibit hall.

10:30	Second	Dan's MEGA65 Digest 2025	Dan Sanderson
The MEGA65 is a modern recreation of the Commodore 65, the 8-bit home computer that Commodore built but never released. The MEGA65 features a Commodore-layout keyboard, authentic injection-molded case, vintage and modern connectivity, and an updated operating system based on original Commodore code. Based on FPGA technology, the MEGA65 can recreate the chipsets of other computers, including a C64, PET, VIC-20, and more. To celebrate the project's 10-year anniversary, MEGA65 contributor Dan Sanderson gives an overview and update on the project, and reviews his three years on the team.
Speaker Bio: Dan Sanderson is a software engineer and writer in Seattle, Washington, USA. He has been a member of the MEGA65 project since their public launch in 2022, maintaining the KERNAL ROM and documentation, and writing a monthly newsletter.

11:00	Main	Controlling Intel CPUs with Microcontrollers	Daniel Balsom
It is easier than you may think to control an Intel CPU with an Arduino or Teensy microcontroller. But why would you want to? A few good reasons: - It's educational to understand how CPUs work. - It's fun. - It can lead to surprising discoveries and answer longstanding questions. - it can be used to validate the accuracy of emulators. In this talk we will discuss and demonstrate "ArduinoX86", software that can control anything from the 8088 to the 286.
Speaker Bio: Daniel Balsom is the author of the IBM PC emulator MartyPC and a software and hardware tinkerer.

11:30	Second	Z80 Inside: The Apple IIe’s Secret Operating System	Jay Graham
Long before dual-booting became commonplace, the Apple IIe quietly harbored a hidden capability—thanks to the Z80 SoftCard. This presentation explores how the Z80 coprocessor transformed the Apple IIe into a CP/M powerhouse, opening the door to a world of business and academic software. Discover the history, technical wizardry, and lasting impact of this unique hardware extended the Apple II’s reach into the business and development worlds—bringing WordStar, dBase II, and even Turbo Pascal to Apple’s home computing platform.
Speaker Bio: Jay is a retired IT professional who dedicated 40 years of his career to the University of Pittsburgh. Jay has a passion for restoring vintage Apple computers, a hobby that blends his deep IT expertise with a love for innovation and history. He takes great satisfaction in bringing these iconic machines back to life, appreciating the craftsmanship and design that defined Apple’s early years. This pursuit reflects his dedication to honoring the past while celebrating the ingenuity that shaped modern technology. Jay values meaningful connections, maintaining lifelong friendships with inspiring individuals he’s met along the way. He cherishes time spent mentoring others and sharing knowledge, embodying a true commitment to professional and personal growth.

12:00	Main	llvm-mos: Modern C/C++ on the venerable 6502	Daniel Thornburgh
LLVM-MOS is a LLVM project fork supporting the MOS Technology 6502. LLVM-MOS converts freestanding C/C++ into somewhat efficient 6502 machine code, despite the 6502's hostility to the usual compiler techniques. This talk provides a lay exploration of how a modern compiler works, how one might hoodwink something as modern as LLVM into working with a 6502, and the general challenges of maintaining a compiler toolchain and SDK for the many many 6502 systems of historical note. We’ll also cover the work we’ve done upstream to help embedded development generally, and future plans to make llvm-mos even better.
Speaker Bio: Daniel is a member of an LLVM toolchain team at Google that supports lower-level operating systems. His recent focus has been making LLD better for embedded development. In his spare time, Daniel maintains the out-of-tree LLVM fork llvm-mos, which targets the 8-bit MOS 6502.

13:30	Main	Vintage Tech YouTuber's Discussion Panel	VCFMW
Our Vintage Tech YouTuber Discussion Panel returns for the fifth year in a row! Scheduled to paricipate in this year's panel are: Adrian from Adrian's Digital Basement Clint from LGR David from The 8-Bit Guy and Time Rift Arcade Jason Compton from This Week in Retro Kate Fox from The Macintosh Librarian Matt from polymatt Sean from Action Retro Taylor and Amy from The Taylor and Amy Show Veronica from Veronica Explains

15:00	Main	Auction Setup	VCFMW
Excuse us as we move stuff around

16:00	Main	The Fabulous VCF Midwest Auction!	VCFMW
Join unlicensed (but legal) auctioneer Jason "silent700" T as he tests the limits of his orthtopedia shoes while offciating the most exciting classic computing fundraiser event of the year/region/genre.
Speaker Bio: This guy.

19:00	All	Dinner!	Try the on-site restaurants!

20:00	Main	The Resolution Solution: A History of HDTV & Computing Technology	OP
Ready to take a look at the fine details? Audio/video archivist & HDTV historian "OP" will take you on a journey through time as he explores the symbiotic relationship between high-definition television and computing technology. He'll uncover the history of HDTV from its inception as an idea, through the creative experimental processes which defined the meaning of "HDTV," to the earliest applications that defined HDTV's eventual place as a global technological standard. Over the course of this presentation, we'll take time to explore some landmark technological achievements including the defining research and work into high-resolution CG by Triple-I & Symbolics, the hybrid analog-digital "MUSE" video compression system, the "impossible" 1.2Gbps digital HDTV video tape recorder from 1987, and more. Included is behind-the-scenes information sourced directly from some of the engineers and directors who worked with early HDTV hardware, long-forgotten data and research from Japanese-language research papers, and clips from 30–40-year-old HDTV recordings, including the debut of the very first HDTV CG production, not seen in public since SIGGRAPH 1985!
Speaker Bio: OP (pronounced "ahhp") is a computer engineer by day and a researcher/archivist by night. Known primarily for running the archival YouTube channel "Reely Interesting," he has traveled near & far to meet with audio-video production personnel to uncover some of the most obscure and unusual content lost to time. In addition, he is also the curator of the "OP Workshop," which is both his creative outlet to share his experiences with others & a growing collective of like-minded individuals who also wish to explore, research, and give new life to vintage media and obsolete technologies. Through these efforts, "OP" has been heavily focused on researching, capturing, & preserving the dramatic global history of HDTV to create the ultimate early HDTV resource.

20:30	Second	LOADSTAR: The 22-Year History of the C64 Disk Magazine	John Harris
In 1985 Softdisk Publishing launched Loadstar, a Commodore 64 disk magazine that would go on to outlive its parent by several years. It started the year after the golden age of arcades ended; it finished well into the Internet Era. I'd talk about its history, some of the people behind it (most notably editors Fender Tucker, Dave Moorman and Jeff Jones), some of the people who made software for it, highlights from its output, and my own work on making a package called Loadstar Compleat, that dips into the disk images to make a huge list of everything they ever published, all runnable, with full text search.
Speaker Bio: I'm John Harris. In addition to writing games for Loadstar, I wrote the roguelike column @Play for the vanished indie gaming blog GameSetWatch, I wrote the book Exploring Roguelike Games for CRC Press, other books and software on itch.io, interviews with gamedevs for Gamasutra/Game Developer, and I maintain and write for the retro, niche and indie gaming blog SetSideB, among other things.

21:00	Main	Getting the most out of your PowerPC Macs!	Ron's Computer Videos
This chat, hosted my Steve from Mac84 and Ron from Ron's Computer Videos, covers Apple's PowerPC computers from the original G3 iMac all the way to their workstation class water-cooled G5 towers. Upgrades, repairs, tips and tricks from the experts. What can you still do in 2025 with a PPC Macintosh? Attend this talk and find out!
Speaker Bios: Steve (Mac84) is a longtime Macintosh enthusiast with decades of experience repairing, upgrading, and supporting Apple computers. Ron (Ron’s Computer Videos) is decidedly less exciting, but makes up for it with enthusiasm.

22:00	Second	Superphone: Live in Chicago	Bea Thurman
An audiovisual joyride through the new-wavey synthpop stylings of Superphone. 30-odd minutes of live music, satisfying visuals and video projections.
Speaker Bio: Bea Thurman is a graphic designer and main musician in the Columbus-based new wave synthpop project superphone

22:30	Main	Live Musical Performance: The Stop Bits	The Stop Bits
They are going to rock you.
Speaker Bio: We are The Stop Bits, the nerdiest rock and roll band in the world! We make rock songs about the technology we love and use everyday. Popular, state-of-the-art technologies such as BASIC and the 6502 microprocessor.
Sunday
Time	Track	Topic	Presenter
9:00	All	Show Opens!	VCF Midwest!

10:00	Main	Replacing ticking time bombs: Electrolytic Capacitors	James Lewis
Even if they look OK, dried-out electrolytes or failed seals can silently take out the irreplaceable PCBs and custom chips of vintage computers. This talk dives into why these caps fail, how to spot the hidden signs, and most importantly: how to choose the correct replacements. We’ll cut through the datasheet clutter and focus on the specs that actually matter: capacitance, voltage, temp ratings, and ripple current. Whether you’re restoring a rare 8-bit computer or recapping a PSU, this session will give you the confidence to protect your gear and do it right.
Speaker Bio: James, aka Bald Engineer, is obsessed with two things: capacitors and oscilloscopes. He breaks down the "why" behind vintage tech and modern hardware, so anyone, from makers to retro computing nerds, can actually get it. Through YouTube vids, blog posts, and live talks, James makes electronics, esp less mysterious and way more fun.

10:00	Second	Classic Macs in a Modern World: How System 6 Era Macintoshes Remain Valuable Learning Tools	Scott Baret
It has been over 30 years since Apple produced computers like the Macintosh LC and Macintosh Classic. Most schools cast these machines aside years ago. However, I continue to use them as valuable instructional tools through the Pittsburgh Classic Mac Lab and my educational services business. In this talk, we will explain how these machines can fit any curriculum, past, present, or future, and how classic software such as Oregon Trail, Number Munchers, Math Blaster, and Kid Pix remain great programs for today's students. We will also discuss the challenges of using these machines in the current educational climate, from skepticism to maintaining a fleet of older computers.
Speaker Bio: Scott Baret is an educator from Pittsburgh, PA. He owns Scott Baret Educational Services and also runs the Pittsburgh Classic Mac Lab.

10:30	Second	Retro Mesh: Enabling Long-Range Wireless Communication on Vintage Computers	Daniel Susca
This presentation explores how classic computers from the 70s, 80s, and early 90s can participate in modern long-range wireless mesh networks using LoRa radios. We’ll break down how the open-source protocol powering these networks works—covering packet structure, node-to-node routing, and message handling. The focus will be on how to interface vintage machines with LoRa modules using serial connections, minimal code, and clever hardware adapters. Attendees will learn how to send and receive text messages, sensor data, and files using systems like the Commodore 64, Apple II, and early x86 PCs. Live demos will highlight real-time communication between retro systems and portable mesh nodes. This session blends digital archaeology with off-grid innovation, giving old machines a new role in decentralized communication.
Speaker Bio: Daniel Susca is Vice President of Engineering at SpecFive, with an academic background in mechanical engineering and a specialization in electromechanical product design. He focuses on developing rugged, off-grid communication hardware built for real-world reliability and performance. Daniel leads cross-disciplinary engineering efforts to create low-power systems that excel in challenging environments. His passion lies in designing innovative, field-ready solutions that bridge cutting-edge technology with practical usability.

11:00	Main	Archaeology of the IBM PC110	Ahmad Byagowi
This presentation explores the reverse engineering of the IBM PC110; from meticulously sanding down each PCB to reconstruct the layout, to recovering the full schematic and capturing high-resolution images of the chips and ASICs; all to uncover and appreciate the remarkable engineering masterpiece behind this iconic laptop.
Speaker Bio: Ahmad Byagowi is a Research Scientist focused on Time and Frequency Synchronization in Hyper Scale Networks. Ahmad received his first Ph.D. (Dr. Techn.) from Vienna University of Technology (TUWIEN) under the supervision of Prof. Peter Kopacek working on distributed control systems in 2010. Following that, Byagowi went to the University of Manitoba, initially as a Post Doc fellow working with Prof. Zahra Moussavi working on game engines and virtual reality systems. Due to his interest in the project, Byagowi started a second Ph.D. and finished it in 2016. After that, Byagowi started working with Prof. Ramesh Raskar from the MIT Media Labs on haptic systems. This led him to Facebook as a visiting schola and worked for Facebook/Meta from 2017 until 2025. Ahmad still holds an Adjunct Professor title with the University of Manitoba.

11:00	Second	Minicomputer Music	Kyle Owen
A brief history of computer music, jumping into a discussion of previous and current attempts to make a PDP-8 play music. A live demo of software from the 1970s will entertain the audience with their choice of ragtime selections, Sea Shanty 2, and others. Can a PDP-8 stream higher quality audio? Can a PDP-8 be transformed into a MIDI synthesizer? Why would anyone spend their time trying to do any of these things? These questions and more will (hopefully) be answered during the presentation.
Speaker Bio: Kyle is a collector of minicomputers and spends more time writing PDP-8 assembly than most doctors recommend.

11:30	Second	Loving the unlovable: A different approach to low end hardware	Matthew Tuohy
I want to talk about the usefulness of much maligned hardware, things that were often included in prebuilts like the nVidia Vanta, the GeForce 4 MX 440, the FX 5200, and the Rage 128 and Radeon 9200 on ATI's side. there is no such thing as bad hardware, just bad use cases. I will also discuss chipsets, CPUs, and sound cards.
Speaker Bio:

12:00	Main	Cosplaying as a Telco: You Will Be Billed	Joe_z & maldridge

Speaker Bio: Joe_z has been assisting with VCFMW operations since 2021 and has been attending almost every year since 2013. With a wide interest in technology, he dabbles in telephony, networking, computers, and all other manner of electronics. maldridge is part of the VCFSW team and the proprietor of SneakyNet Telecommunications. He works on adding modern management capabilities to legacy equipment, and has an unhealthy obsession with uptime.

12:00	Second	Optical Disc Drives are Dying, Go Emulation!	Dani Sarfati
Brief discussion about Optical Disc Emulation options for MSDOS based PCs, including PicoGUS (the ODE has recently been released), ZuluIDE, ZuluSCSI/BlueSCSI and then doing a deep dive into my project USBODE. The project I started in April of this year uses a Raspberry Pi Zero W and a HAT, connects via USB and presents itself as a USB CD-ROM drive, that can playback CD audio as well. I will also demo running my project on physical hardware if possible.
Speaker Bio: I'm a Senior Release Engineer focused on QA at major US brand. I spent much of my formative teenage years exploring MS-DOS and Windows at home, and quickly became my school's tech support after learning all about CDROM device drivers and MSCDEX. In my career, I've spent most my time in operations/cloud administration which has exposed me to the worlds of Mac and Linux/*nix. I'm passionate about building communities around awesome projects and really glad that USBODE has really taken off. In my free time, I enjoy playing both classic and current coop video games with my daughter, cycling, watching indie films and listening to obscure music.

12:30	Second	We Dig Culture! An Introduction to Creative Computing Projects at the Media Archeology Lab at UT Dallas.	Anne Balsamo
This panel introduces the Media Archeology Lab at the University of Texas at Dallas. Panelists include the Lab Director and Research Assistants who will describe some of their recent activities presented at the Southwest Vintage Computer Festival 2025. Attendees will learn about the lab’s mission and on-going creative research projects. Panelists will discuss the restoration of a bespoke vintage computer system created at Xerox PARC in 2000 used in an interactive museum experience. They will describe the creation of COLDLINE, an analog Telephone Tree game that will be installed and playable at VCF Midwest. Hear how our interest in vintage computing fuels research and artistic expression and makes connections across generations within the VCF community.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Anne Balsamo is currently the Director of the Media Archeology Lab at the University of Texas at Dallas where she teaches courses in the history of technology and culture and in the design of public interactives. She is a member of the VCF Southwest Community. She has held academic positions at Georgia Tech, USC, and The New School. She was a Principal Researcher at Xerox PARC in the early 2000s, after which she co-founded Onomy Labs, a technology-design studio, with former PARC colleagues.

13:00	Main	Commodore - full circle	Jim Drew
I would like to do a presentation on my history with Commodore - where I started and where I am back again after a whole lot of years! I started out in 1977 with a Commodore PET, destined to be an inventory system for a museum with a million items. Not possible at the time, but it set me on a path for developing Commodore products. In 1983 I actually worked for Commodore briefly before starting my own company, where I would spend the next two decades developing products for Commodore machines as my actual day job. In 2000 I changed careers, but got sucked back in around 2012 as a hobby/business. In early 2025 I was approached by a group to be part of the revival of Commodore, and I am now a shareholder and the exclusive provider of keyboards for the new Commodore 64 machines. So, I am back to where I started. :) I will talk about the journey and challenges of making products on a mass scale, and take questions about the new Commodore products being offered, and new products I will be releasing in support of the new machines.
Speaker Bio: Worked for Commodore's educational support division and west coast service center from 1983-1984. Developed products for Commodore machines from 1984 to 2000 as my day job. This included more than 60 commercial products, including the EMPLANT board for the Amiga. Developed products for the paintball industry, and played professionally from 2000 to 2005. Got back into Commodore in 2012 due to someone mad that I didn’t ship them a disk from an ebay sale that occurred - which was a rip off of one of my original products. Developed guidance control and weapons systems for the UAV/UAS industry from 2005 to 2025. Current - Commodore launch team, share holder, and official license holder for world-wide IP rights to Commodore branding.

13:30	Second	Using AI to Create a Multiuser PAKU Game and Verilog FPGA modules for Vintage Computers	Jefferey L. Wilson
In corporate settings, AI is viewed by many workers with trepidation, but for the hobbyist, AI can be a boon to our efforts to preserve and further develop software and hardware for our vintage computer systems. Creating new programs for vintage computers can be a difficult process due to the limitations of vintage compilers, operating systems, available memory-space, and the bit-rot of system documentation and program binary issues. Similarly, finding that missing processor card can be a show-stopper for completing that ideal vintage setup. FPGA can help get those systems running but replicating no longer available vintage hardware with FPGAs requires a large amount of HDL writing, testing, and debugging. This can be a huge task, but using AI can speed up the process! This first part of this talk focuses on the creation of a multiuser Pacman clone (PAKU) using Turbo Pascal 3.0 and running on a CompuPro 8/16 with Concurrent DOS 816. AI (Grok3/4) was used for initial program construction, program reviews, and bug analysis…sometimes with baffling results. The second part of this presentation takes you through a step-by-step AI assisted development process of a Z-80 CPU Core to an AXI high speed bus interface module for the Chameleon 8-16 S-100 board, showing what was requested to the AI, what was produced, and the pitfalls encountered along the way.
Speaker Bio: An electrical engineer with 40 years experience in Gate Array design, Graphics Chipset design, SoC design, and GPS RF design and layout, Jefferey Wilson sees newcomers to the FPGA design experience struggling with FPGA code development. In this presentation, he covers a step-by-step approach to FPGA code development that significantly reduces the development time.

14:00	Main	Atarisoft: The Untold Story	Ken Van Mersbergen
Join us for an insightful and thrilling presentation on the fascinating history of Atarisoft, delving into the groundbreaking products they released and the visionary software companies behind them. Ken will share exclusive, never-before-heard details, offering a rare glimpse into the unreleased products and the dramatic story of how it all came to an end. Don’t miss this captivating journey through gaming history!
Speaker Bio: Ken is a passionate and dedicated member of the retro-computing community, with a special knack for uncovering "Lost Treasures" for classic computer and video game systems. His table is often the one featuring the iconic Coleco ADAM, drawing the attention of enthusiasts and collectors alike. You can follow his latest discoveries and adventures on AtariAge.com, where he goes by the username Dutchman2000 in the forums. This marks Ken’s fourth presentation at VCFMW, further solidifying his reputation as a key figure in the world of vintage computing.

14:30	Second	Timex made Home Computers? What were they thinking?	Carl Miles
This will be a brief history of Timex Corporation's involvement in the early 80's Home Computer market, as well Timex's involvement and relationship with Sinclair Computers in the UK and Portugal. This would include all of the Sinclair computers from the ZX80 that started it all to the Quantum Leap QL business computer. The US Timex computers are also included as well as Timex of Portugal manufacturing factory and where there was also a large community that included many clones for the eastern Europe / USSR countries. Since Timex and Sinclair are often footnotes and briefly discussed in the vintage computer scene, this talk hopes to shed some light and education on just how Timex had a big influence on kids and adults at the time and were certainly springboards to careers in the computer sciences and programming among more popular (and expensive - well till the market crashed) home computers like the Commodore, Atari and Texas Instruments systems. The newest crowdfunded computer "The ZX-Spectrum Next) will be covered, as well as the Sinclair computers that Amstrad produced after the purchase of Sinclair Computers.
Speaker Bio: I have been into computers, programming and repairing since the early 1980's. My first computer was a Timex/Sinclair 1000, and I went on to get the Timex/Sinclair 2068 and program on that machine in Machine Language. I also was building and repairing IBM-PC's and compatibles into the early 2000's. I am an electronics technician/engineer at heart, and have recently designed products for the Timex/Sinclair computer line. I am continuing to build my collection of vintage computers and love portable and pocket computers. I have plans to do YouTube videos of repairs and overall usage of many of these vintage computers to keep them relevant. I am located in the area of Albuquerque, New Mexico, home of MIPS and Microsoft!

15:00	All	Time to Pack Up!	VCF Midwest
See you next year!