I finally snagged a basic Apple IIe on e-bay but it's just the computer with only one card in the forward slot, closest to the power supply. I also bidding on some manuals (owners manual, DOS, Apple Basic, etc...). Neither have arrived yet, so I'm a little in the dark on the capabilities and common options I might want. I could use some advice.
I'm a PC network guy by trade but I've wanted an Apple IIe since I was in high school. I'm very computer literate in general (especially in the PC world) but this "old school" stuff is new to me. So, please excuse my ignorance and the asking of really basic questions. Also, if it makes a difference, I'm Mac literate (OS9 & OSX) and have both at my disposal.
My questions are:
1. What options/toys/acoutrements am I going to want/need to have a functional and enjoyable setup?
2. I'd like to get a nice color display of some type, since it looks like the computer can support color with the correct card. What is the recommended path to acheive this?
3. If memory serves, there used to be a zillion aftermarket cards for this machine "back in the day". Are there recommended sources, other than e-bay, to find vintage Apple IIe goodies?
4. What are you guys on the fritter doing with your vintage gear? I was thinking of trying to interface with my guitar rig or building a home automation controller of some type.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
-Dono
Congrats Dono!
Firstly, you should really research this stuff yourself, as that is at least half of the "fun" of a hobby like this. But. . .
1. A combination 80col/64k expansion card, which is hopefully what you have in the slot that you described. A 5.25" floppy drive, a 3.5" 800k floppy drive, and their respective controller cards. There are several Compact Flash cards that came out in the last few years that are just awesome, and let you bypass the silly (small capacity, large size), fragile and hard to find hard drives. (Use Google to find these.)
2. Color Apple Composite Monitor's of the same era are nice to have, as they can display the 80 column text/Double HiRes graphics that were the peak of Apple //e performance. They don't require any additional card. There is an RCA jack in the back of the computer ready for your monitor. Feeling thrifty? Just plug it into a composite video input on a VCR or TV, and you're good to go. Modern TV's have plenty of scan lines to handle the Double Hires/80 column text.
3. Used to be thrift stores (as of ten years ago) were the keepers of these computers. I occasionally see a IIGS, but not so much any more. Once in awhile you'll hear of the oddball private school or county auction that is disposing of the last of the units. I used to help elementary schools in rural area's acquire them, and they may get rid of them over time. There is an Apple II Webring. Find it. There is a classifieds site. Read it.
4. Not much, and occasionally a lot. There is an article on this site about a guy who use to make player piano punched paper rolls with an Apple II. I have the book Apple ][/][e Robotic Arm Projects, that I'd like to tackle one day. There is an annual Apple II Kansas based convention. Sounds like a blast, I wish I lived closer.
There was a commercially available home control system that could interface with Apple II's, PC's, C64's, and Mac's. It was called X-10. I bet you can still find it on ebay.
Good luck, Mutant_Pie
Another nice item to have is a super serial card. You can easily make floppy images from a PC using a program called adt. The only issue I have had is USB serial adapters tend to be finiky. I have an older PC with a built in serial port and it works great.
Mike
Mr. Pie,
Thanks for the advice. I am actively researching the IIe as you say and "the fritter" was my first stop. I find that it helps to narrow the playing field by first seeking advice from those in the know.
I purchased a book on X-10 on e-bay. Looks like an interesting read.
Your recommendation on the cards and monitor were very helpful. This hardware platform is completely foreign to me.
Best regards,
-Don
Actually, KFest is in Missouri. Rockhurst is directly across Rockhill Rd from the University of Missouri - Kansas City (which I used to attend). Kansas City is very much a bi-state city, though much of what people know of Kansas City is really on the MO side... I've lived here my whole life but I've never made my way to KanFest for one reason or another.
FWIW: I did pick up an X-10 interface unit for the II series a while ago. It's still in the original boxes. IIRC it's output only, so it can't read signals from active X-10 devices.
Not saying that using an Apple IIe for home automation is a
idea, but I suppose it's worth pointing out that X-10 controllers are still out there for modern computers and operating systems, and they're quite inexpensive. (About $50 for a serial controlled unit, a few bucks more for USB.) There's oodles of software for Linux and FreeBSD on top of the more conventional solutions, so it's easy to tack X-10 onto your home server or whatever if sheer *practicality* is the goal.
Just curious... have you played with Apple II emulators at all? It might not be a bad idea to get a "feel" for the software and programming options available for the II platform before going on a major spending spree. Having bought the unit you have an Applesoft license now, using an emulator to play with it would let you see if you really want to commit.
I only say this from personal experience. I ended up with a ][+ for a while in the mid-90's (garage sale purchase), but coming from a "TRS-80 background" it never really grew on me and ending up gathering dust. Those old home computers were all highly idiosyncratic, and to be blunt having good memories about them mostly came from growing up with them (and thus accepting their quirks and limitations as just being part of the game), not from any inherent greatness of one platform over another. If there's some practical task you want to accomplish with computer automation you're probably better off starting with a platform you know and are comfortable with rather then adopting some other simply because it has a "rep" for being hackable. If it comes down to adopting an alien hardware platform to do something with hardware you're probably better off, say, picking up one of those nifty little $150 single-board microcomputer kits that you can program in C through a USB port and easily wire up to anything through a prototype plugboard then you are cobbling together a 20-year-old computer that's actually less powerful.
Again, totally not trying to throw cold water on this. I'd just caution at this point you're probably better off buying Apple II hardware because you want to love and treasure it, not because you're out to do something practical with it.
--Peace
Check these out: http://dreher.net/?s=projects/CFforAppleII&c=projects/CFforAppleII/main.php
http://www.a2central.com/portal/
http://apple2history.org/
http://www.gse-reactive.com/
http://16sector.com/
There's another world out here. A world not full of Mega Machines that are unfeeling and have no personality. Apple II's are the '57 Chevy's of the computer kingdom. A classic.
Best Regards and Have fun,
Steven (gsmcten)
"Apple II....It's ALIVE!!!!"