neither the replicaI and the A-One are really close to identical
with the original apple I - by which i mean, identical chips
in the original locations on the board. why? isnt there anything
available thats a original-chips-in-the-original-locations replica?
no identical to original[or close] Apple I replicas? why?
December 28, 2006 - 11:28am
#1
no identical to original[or close] Apple I replicas? why?
here's a photo of the original apple I board so u can see how different it is from the replica1 and the A-One.
http://torzewski.tripod.com/apple1computer/index.html
and here is the one im looking for, from the post by markaufflick:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-1-Computer-Vintage-Parts-Kit_W0QQitemZ8742010035QQcategoryZ80286QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
The original Apple I uses some components that are pretty hard to find anymore. (4kbit dynamic RAMs and 1kbit shift registers, among other things.) Assuming one could find a stock of them at all they would be quite expensive and substantially drive up the cost of a kit compared to one that uses more modern replacements.
The modern recreations also essentially eliminate the video section of the original Apple I, replacing it with a custom-programmed microcontroller. The video section made up the bulk of the Apple I's circuitry, so getting rid of it allows the newer kits to use much smaller (and cheaper) printed circuit boards. It also makes them much easier for novices to successfully assemble them, as building and troubleshooting high-frequency analog circuitry requires quite a lot in terms of skills and tools to do well.
--Peace
You're looking to buy one? Steve told me that he makes 20 or so kits and sells them once a year. He might have another run comming up. There are only a few expensive parts in the Apple 1, and they won't run out any time soon.
I bought one of those look alike kits but haven't built it yet. Vince bought one and built it so he would be a good guy to talk to about the kit.