Applefritter - Apple II

The Green Apple IIe

Sat, 14 Aug 2004 10:35:20 -0700

[b]I present to you my Green Apple IIe.[/b] [image:4098] No it's not some ultra rare original Prototype model or anything. It's just an old '82 Rev B Apple IIe I had kicking around and wanted to spruce up a little bit. [image:4100] Underhood, we find the standard issue assortment of cards: - 64k/80 Col. card, - 5.25" Disk controller card, - Super Serial II card, - Serial Mouse interface card [image:4101] Really easy to do if you're in the mood. Recipe instructions: - Disassemble the Apple II, the Disk Drive, and the Mouse, - Thoroughly clean the parts with dish soap and water, - Rinse well and either towel dry or air dry, - Shoot the appropriate parts with Plastic primer - Let it dry! - Spray your choice of color on the primer. - Let it dry! - Reassembly is reverse of disassembly! - Voila Enjoy! Later, Craig

Letter from Apple to Owners

Sat, 22 May 2004 13:42:51 -0700

This letter was sent from Apple to all Apple I owners, informing them of the newly informed Apple I Owners Club. Apple also mentions this letter to Joe in the upcoming letter about Apple Disassembler. [hr] Apple Computer Inc. 20863 Stevens Creek Blvd B3+C Cupertino, California 95014 (408) 996-1010 Dear Apple I Owner Good news. Joe Torzewski is starting an Apple I Owners Club. Since the Apple II has been introduced, interest in Apple I software has declined and we have been making tapes available on special order basis only. This has made support costly and difficult. Joe's Apple I Club will now provide a means of expanding your software bank and also in communicating with other Apple I owners. We will be supporting Apple I software through the club. He will be handling both hardware and software applications. Please feel free to contact him at: Apple I Owners Club 51525 Chestnut Road Granger, IN 46530

Letter from Apple to Joe about replacement parts

Invitation to join the User Group

Apple Confidential 2.0

Sun, 04 Dec 2005 15:01:26 -0800

The subtitle of Apple Confidential 2.0 does a really nice job of saying what the whole book is about: "The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company". I would agree that this is an up-to-date and thorough history of Apple Computers. This contains chapters on subjects as diverse as "Why 1985 wasn't like 1984" to "Woz's Wanderings". Since it would be almost impossible to summarize what's contained in this book, I've concentrated more on readability in this review. As with anything that people offer to send me for free, I am of course slightly biased towards Owen W. Linzmayers new book, Apple Confidential 2.0. Though I'll try not to let it effect the review (I waited a while before writing this so I could think the book over), keep in mind that I opened this book with a good mindset. I'm pleased to say that I kept that mindset throughout reading this book. In the press sheet that came with it, one reviewer states that he was up all night reading the whole book through. Though I'd like to say I experienced a similar thing, I found this book heavy enough that I had to space it out over the period of a week. Of course, if you aren't concerned about being on time for work or school tommorrow, and you are an avid Mac fan, you may find this hard to put down. Thankfully, I was able to put this book down at the end of each chapter if I wanted to, as each chapter is pretty much self enclosed. With no cliffhanger to keep me reading, I tend to go off and find something else to do for a bit, and I don't think that Apple Confidential suffered in the slightest from this approach. Every chapter was absorbing and demanded to be read through. This makes this book great finding information quickly because, unlike many other 'history of computers and other stuff' books I've read, it doesn't make any huge attempt to carry one narative throughout the entire book. This means that I don't have to search through chapters 12-15 to find that sentence I thought I read. Ranging from 4-25+ pages, each chapter was interesting in it's own right, though I found it hard to see them all joined together. All in all, I'd say this is worth reading if you're a big Apple fan. If you aren't, it's a good history lesson. And for all the rest of you, I have to ask, why are you reading Applefritter? [i]Buy on Amazon:[/i] [url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1593270100/applefritter-20]Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company[/url]

Seiko Datagraph UC-2001

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 21:36:27 -0700

[center][image:163] [h2]Learn all about the Datagraph [url=?q=node/view/176]here[/url].[/h2][/center] [table] [tr][td][b]New In Box Seiko Datagraph UC-2001[/b][/td][td]$89.95[/td][/tr] [tr][td]Includes: [list][*]Box [*]UC-2001 Watch [*]UC-2301 Interface Box [*]Manual [*]Cable [*]Screwdriver [*]Backup of Time Trax II disk [*]Backup of Clock Utility disk [*]Original batteries (no longer good) [*]Original disks are missing[/list][/td][td] [/td][/tr] [/table] [center][image:167][/center] All Seiko Datagraphs come with a 30-day warranty. Shipping within the U.S. is $5. Shipping for each additional Datagraph is $3. Shipping to Canada is $20; Shipping to Europe or Japan is $25. Shipping elseware is $5 handling plus estimated shipping costs. Insurance is recommended on international orders. Payment may be made via PayPal or U.S. Money Order. To purchase a Datagraph, email [email=owad@applefritter.com]Tom Owad[/email] with your order. If you have technical questions about the Datagraph, please ask on [url=?q=forum]Applefritter Forums[/url].

Gameshow System

Sun, 06 Jun 2004 12:14:05 -0700

[center][image:1539][/center] I built a simple gameshow card for the Apple II. The system supports up to 32 users. A buzzer is wired to each student's desk. [center][image:1537][/center] Four 74LS244 buffers connect the buzzer lines to the data bus. A PAL is used for the chip select. The buzzers are located at addresses $C0C0 through $C0C3 (8 buzzers to an address). The code scans the addresses until it detects a buzzer going off, then displays the number of that buzzer. [center][image:1541][/center] The board was done primarily with wire-wrap. Here's the code I wrote for it: [tt]100 C = 0 105 FOR V=49344 TO 49346 110 A = PEEK(V) 115 GOSUB 200 120 IF (R <> 0) THEN GOSUB 300 125 C = C + 8 130 NEXT V 135 GOTO 100 200 B = 128 205 I = 8 210 FOR Q = 1 TO 8 220 IF (A >= B) THEN RETURN 225 B = B / 2 230 I = I - 1 235 NEXT Q 240 R = 0 245 RETURN 300 PRINT R 305 INPUT =T$ 310 HOME : RETURN[/tt] This was originally meant as just a test program, but I never got around to writing something more advanced. There are only 20 students in the class, so this code doesn't bother to scan the last eight buzzers. There's no good way scan bits in BASIC, which is why we have this inelegant routine with the division. If anybody would like to rewrite this in assembly or improve the interface (maybe add some graphics and sounds), that would be fantastic. [center][image:1536][/center] It looked really nice before I hooked 60 cables up to it! This is [i]not[/i] the way to do a patch panel. To save money, I used telephone wire, which wasn't a lot of fun to crimp. [center][image:1540][/center] The buzzers are three-terminal lever switches, duct-taped upside down. This works pretty well. [center][image:1538][/center] Wires snake across the floor and up the arms of each chair.

Macintosh LCIIIgs

Sun, 06 Jun 2004 12:51:56 -0700

by Ben Rees, Sam Bowerman, and Tom Bowerman [center][image:841][/center] Ben Rees came up with the idea of making this hack. He had an Apple IIgs in which the power supply had died, and a Mac LCIII (that worked and everything). Ben brought it to Sam and Tom (Bowerman)'s house, having already gotten the Mac motherboard installed in the IIgs case. Ben fastened the Mac LCIII motherboard to the bottom of the chassis of the IIgs case with screws along the edges. [center]This is what it looks like when installed:[/center] [center][image:844][/center] To accommodate for the ports on the back, Ben did some major cutting on the back of the computer. Also, a fan (out of an old Tandy) was added. [center][image:850][/center] Then, Sam began making a place for the floppy drive. Since there were no internal drives in the IIgs, he had to make a hole in the case for one. Ben had started making the floppy drive slot - he drilled holes and make a basic cut with a hacksaw. Sam finished Dremeling out a slot big enough for the disk to easily be inserted and ejected, as well as be able to reach the emergency eject lever in case a disk was ever to become jammed in. [center]Here is Sam Dremeling out the floppy drive:[/center] [center][image:839][/center] While Ben and Sam were working on the floppy drive, Tom (Bowerman) was hard at work soldering 'extension' wires onto the power supply to make them longer. (The wires on an LC 'pizza box' power supply are quite short.) [center]Here is Tom soldering away at the wires:[/center] [center][image:847][/center] The next step was to install the hard drive. Tom used a longer SCSI cable (from a Mac II) so that the hard drive could be put just about anywhere in the case. It was finally put sideways in the left-front corner of the case. Next, a bunch of holes were drilled in the front of the case for the speaker grille. Tom installed the hard drive, and Ben and Sam worked on getting the floppy drive installed. The floppy drive in this particular LCIII was the older, auto-inject type. This made it easier to take the drive apart, by separating the outer 'cage' from the actual drive made it easier to work on a mounting system. Sam decided that 'hanging' the floppy drive from the top of the case would work best. This was done by drilling holes in the case and into the outer cage of the floppy drive, then using some machine screws to hold it to the plastic case. Now was a good time to give everything a test run, to make sure everything was still OK. The Mac booted up fine, so work continued. [hr] Sam came up with the idea of giving this Mac a custom paint job, so the Mac was dismantled again. The paint job began with a base coat of black on the top part of the case. The black was allowed to dry, while Sam and Ben pondered on what other paintwork to do. They decided upon light blue racing stripes on the top, and for the bottom half, it was to be chrome silver. Sam masked off the black and sprayed 2 stripes about 2" wide and about 2" apart. This was allowed to dry. [hr] [center]The top half of the case after the stripes were painted on:[/center] [center][image:840][/center] [center]To give it a high-gloss shine, clear acrylic was sprayed on:[/center] [center][image:848][/center] The bottom half of the LCIIIgs was painted chrome silver. Finally, the clearcoat on the top half dried after about an hour wait. It was time to put this thing together. The floppy drive was fastened to the upper case half. Cables were connected. Finally, the case was put together, closed up, and it was time to take it for an official test run! [center]The Mac LCIIIgs shortly before its first test drive: [image:843] Some more pics of the Apple Macintosh LCIIIgs: [image:845] [image:846] [image:850][/center] Here is the crew who built the Mac LCIIIgs (from l-r): Ben Rees(holding the Mac), Tom Bowerman, and Sam Bowerman. [center][image:849][/center] Since it was built, a second hard drive was added. It was mounted in the top of the case beside the floppy drive, and a SCSI ribbon cable out of a Power Mac 6100 was used to connect them. Some specs of the Mac LCIIIgs: [list] [*]25 MHz 68030 processor [*]8 MB RAM [*](2) 80 MB internal SCSI hard drives [*]1.44 MB auto-inject floppy drive [*]512K VRAM [*]Mac OS 7.6.1 installed [/list]

Stealth GS

Wed, 09 Jun 2004 06:10:14 -0700

The Apple IIgs motherboard was available as an upgrade for Apple IIe users. The Apple IIe's power supply and keyboard are used. Look carefully at any ROM-00 or ROM-01 motherboard and you'll see the circuitry exists to solder in these connectors. [center][image:184][/center] [center][image:182][/center] [center][image:181][/center] [center][image:183][/center] [center][image:185][/center]

Tiger Learning Computer

Wed, 09 Jun 2004 06:28:37 -0700

[center][h3][i]Courtesty of [url=http://people.delphi.com/appleblossom/index.html]Apple Blossom Publishing[/url][/i][/h3][/center] [center][image:238][/center] Tiger Electronics has begun shipping the Tiger Learning Computer (TLC), a small, notebook-like computer targeted at homes with children, which is based on the Apple IIe. (Actually, it reminds us more of the Apple IIc, with its built-in ports and lack of slots, but the software is IIe/IIc compatible, so we'll set aside that quibble for the moment.) The TLC comes configured with 128K of RAM, two cartridge slots, and a slew of ports on the back: serial (modem), PS/2 mouse, parallel (printer), joystick port, headphone jack and video and audio output ports. The TLC uses a television for a monitor (a lthough it can be hooked to a composite monitor like any Apple II)...in the absence of RCA input jacks on the television, the video can be routed through a VCR or an RF modulator. Also included with computer are: cables for video and audio, a PS/2 mouse, and. power adapter. A manual explains the ports and workings of the computer, and is well-written and clear. Note that there is no disk drive port; programs are loaded from ROM cartridges which measure approximately 2 inches by 2 1/2 inches. AppleSoft B ASIC programs may also be typed in and saved to the RAM cartridge. (I hope you've saved up all your back issues of Nibble magazine--you'll be able to put those two line programs to work now!) The TLC ships with five ROM cartridges containing the following programs: AppleWorks 4.3 Word Processor, Invisible Bugs, Sun and Seasons, Grammar Gobble and Picture Chompers from MECC, StickyBear Typing and StickyBear BasketBounce from Optimum Resourc es, and Math Shop: Weights & Measures and Math Shop: Fractions and Decimals from Scholastic Software. All of them except AppleWorks are great choices for the target market, and work well. The computer also ships with a RAM cartridge, which can be used to store data created in AppleWorks or other programs with save functions. Tiger Electronics says that there are other programs available, including telecommunications software that allows users of the TLC to browse the World Wide Web, but we did not previ ew that software. Some of you may wonder why I don't give AppleWorks higher marks...in fact, I think Tiger Electronics would be better off if they dumped including AppleWorks, and included FrEdWriter instead. The problem with AppleWorks is that it is an 80-column text program, and 80 columns just cannot be displayed on a television clearly--which will be the normal setup for the TLC. Also, with only the Word Processor module included, new users can easily make mistakes and try to create a new spreadsheet or database d ocument and get themselves into endless error messages and prompts for the DB Program or SS Program disk. Also, since AppleWorks is on a ROM cartridge, customized settings cannot be saved to disk, so they must be reentered every time (and if a TLC-user i s going to print to a printer other than the default Epson FX printer, they will have to reenter the settings every time they plan on printing). FrEdWriter, which can be displayed in 40 columns, and is much easier to use, would be a better bet for the ta rget audience. When the computer is first booted, it displays a splash screen with the name Tiger Learning Computer (and plays a fanfare which my three kids found very entertaining), then boots to a graphical desktop (with a female voice inviting the user to pick an activity). Clicking on a disk drive lets you boot one of the cartridges inserted into the computer, clicking on printer lets you configure the printer port, etc. After you launch a program, the mouse is pretty much useless in the software included (exce pt for AppleWorks), but if other software that does use the mouse is purchased, then you have a very serviceable mouse. The keyboard is a bit on the small size, but I was able to type without too much adjustment being required. The TLC retails for $149.00. As competition for a genuine Apple IIe it loses points in the face of the Apple IIe's greater expandability, storage, and superior keyboard; but compared to the many "pre-computers" being sold in stores ranging from Zany B Rainy to Toys-R-Us, the TLC is a hands-down winner. It's a real computer with a selection of software from the best educational software library around. [center][i]Tiger Electronics 980 Woodlands Parkway Vernon Hills, Illinois 60061 [url=http://www.tigertoys.com/]www.tigertoys.com[/url][/i][/center]

VTech Laser 128

Wed, 09 Jun 2004 06:29:26 -0700

While most clone manufacturers illegally copied Apple's ROMs, VTech actually developed their own, which was quite a feat. Still, The Laser 128 competed effectively against the Apple IIc, matching it in features and undercutting it in price. [center][image:236][/center] Seen above is a complete Laser 128 system, with all the accessories. The external power supply is Apple IIc compatible. The Laser 128 supported both 40 and 80 columns, parallel and serial printers, and mono and color monitors. It has a built-in 5.25" floppy drive on the right, and an Apple II-compatible slot on the left. Laser also produced their own monitor, printer, external floppy drive, and mouse:

Syscom-II

Wed, 09 Jun 2004 06:30:29 -0700

[center][image:231][/center] Like most Apple II clones, the Syscom II, made by Syscom 2 Inc. in Carson City, Nevada, is housed in a case virtually identical to the actual Apple II's. The floppy drives are R-G-B Taur II disk drives. This particular unit is serial number 0381. [center][image:234][/center] Inside is an Apple Disk II interface card, an Image Perfect SMT board (1985), and a 1982 CDP 16K board. [center][image:233][/center] The Apple II's ROMs required the boot name be eight characters, like "APPLE II". Thus "SYSCOM 2" instead of "SYSCOM II". [center][image:230][/center] The motherboard is blue, makred "©1982 SYNTRON Patent Pending. Submitted by [url=http://www.time-warp.org/]time-warp[/url].

Mimic Systems' Spartan

Wed, 09 Jun 2004 06:30:59 -0700

[center][image:224][/center] [email=mailto:brentm@telus.net]Brent Marykuca[/email], Mimic Systems' lead software developer, tells the story of the Spartan... "Back in 1983 or '84 -- just after the release of the Commodore 64 -- a friend of mine in Victoria, British Columbia, had taken the original Apple II version of Space Invaders and made a few changes here and there to allow it to run reasonably well on the similarly-endowed C64. Of course, the prospect of writing a software product that would allow customers to run Apple II software on the newly-released, relatively inexpensive Commodore system was very appealling to some other people I knew, and they got all excited about the idea. Once it was shown that you really couldn't expect to do it in software, Mimic Systems was founded to develop a hardware solution. Fast forward to 1985, when I (at the tender age of 19) was hired to work as the lead software developer on a product dubbed "The Spartan" a Frankenstinian creation the likes of which we will not see again. "The Spartan was an Apple II clone with a difference -- the difference being that it didn't come with a keyboard. Across the front of the machine were a series of edge connectors and cables that exactly matched up with the cartridge port, printer port, power input, etc. on the back of the C64. The idea was that you'd "mate" your C64 to the Spartan (all those connectors also showed up on the back of the Spartan), thereby creating a dual-processor system that would run Apple II and C64 software -- one of each simultaneously. A custom chip handled switching the keyboard and video between C64 and Apple II mode. In addition, the Spartan provided the user with four cartridge slots where there was only one on the C64, and a C64 to Apple Joystick converter. "A particularly horrifying addition was the 'DOS Card', an Apple II disk controller that you installed *inside* the Commodore 1541 disk drive, between the drive mechanism and the 1541 logic board. In 1541 mode, the 'DOS Card' simply passed signals through from the 1541 logic, but at the flick of a switch (F6, I believe) it would take over the mechanism and turn the thing into an Apple II drive. As you can imagine, the potential for grave damage to both Apple II and 1541 diskettes was enormous and often realized. "The Spartan hardware was highly 'customizable' for its day. It contained no less than 24 jumper blocks on the main board and CPU card so that the user could customize interrupts, ROM mapping, power-up state (C64/Spartan), reset capabilities (can the Spartan reset C64 and vice-versa), address mapping of certain hardware features, joystick conversion features and availability of additional RAM banks. "The software features of the Spartan included a compatible Applesoft BASIC -- very compatible, since it was created by disassembling the binary from the the Applesoft ROM and reordering assembly level instructions so that the binary image of the software would be different, but behavior when run would be identical. The Spartan had software control of audio and video switching between the two systems' video modes, as well as a mixed audio mode. An Apple-like assembly language monitor was available on the Commodore side. "The software contained a 'slave mode' where by using custom commands in the monitor (also available via BASIC on both machines), you could transfer data between the two systems and even execute programs on the slave system. The most interesting example of the use of this feature was a 3-D graphics demo in which some of the calculation tasks were offloaded to the slave machine. "The Spartan actually shipped to customers some time in late 85-early 86, if I recall correctly. Apart from the technical challenges, the whole Mimic Systems story was pretty sordid, characterized by weekly changes to the design by the president of the company (he would typically change it back the following week), frequent unmotivated firings of technical staff (he fired three in one day I remember, one guy because he was watching the plotter draw a circuit board design rather than working), and a draconian management style (we were paid by the hour and required to 'clock out' to go to the bathroom). The saga ended for me in early 1986 when I quit shortly after the president of the company wrote himself a big cheque from the payroll account and took off for South America -- according to legend, anyhow. "Mimic Systems' Spartan: The Low Point in Apple II cloning!" [center][image:223][/center] The back of the Spartan. Note that the Commodore's ports pass through so that the Spartan can be connected at all times. [center][image:227][/center] The Spartan's motherboard. Each of the connectors and DIN plugs on front connected to a corresponding port or connector on the back of the C64. On the right side of the box is the external C64 cartridge slot (there were three more inside), and the three reset buttons (C64, C64 with selected cartridge, and Spartan). The reset buttons are described in the manual as "The first, and probably most functional part of the Spartan system." [center][image:226][/center] The inside of the lid with some of the signatures visible. They're hard to read, but one or two of them is nearly visible. Brent's is the one right above "Larry Wilson". [center][image:221][/center] The Spartan's first advertisement, appearing in "Ahoy!" magazine. [center][image:222][/center] Aaron supplied this second advertisement, found on page 9 of the January 1986 issue of Compute!'s Gazette (Issue 31, Vol. 4, No. 1).

Micro ][ BASE-48

Wed, 09 Jun 2004 06:32:36 -0700

[center][image:214][/center] Rudi Greth found this Micro ][ on eBay Germany in an auction with a German floppy disk built by Siemens and a Philips monitor (Type TP200). The computer's case says Micro ][, but the manual identifies the computer as the "BASE-48". The manual is written in English, indicating that the computer is probably not of German origin. [center][image:217][/center] [center][image:218][/center] [center][image:216][/center] The user's manual also describes a machine named "BASE-64A". It is obviously written for both models: the BASE 48 and the BASE 64A. There is a sticker on the cover with a "48" on it (perhaps the "64A" is under the sticker). The end of the manual holds the CKT and component location diagrams of the models. (Click to enlarge.) [center][thumb:213] [thumb:211] [thumb:212][/center]

Micro ][

Wed, 09 Jun 2004 06:33:38 -0700

[center][image:208][/center] This Micro ][ was sold in kit form and probably manufactured in Taiwan. Written on the chasis is the original owner's name and telephone number. When [url=http://www.time-warp.org/]time-warp[/url] called the number, the person who answered said their son had built it in the garage years ago. [center][image:209][/center] Nowhere on the case is "Micro ][" actually written; the name is only displayed during startup. [center][image:207][/center] [center][image:206][/center]

Gigatronics

Wed, 09 Jun 2004 06:35:04 -0700

[center][image:203] [image:204][/center] The first computer that Gigatronics manufactured was called Ermis (Hermes). Gigatronics was a Greek company; the computer was manufactured back in 1984. It is a 100% Greek computer, not a so called "compatible" as there was no real market standard back then. Ermis featured a Z80 processor, a text only screen, ran Gigatronics-DOS, was bundled with word processing and spreadsheet software and, in addition to all that, it was also a telex terminal! During the presentation of the Ermis Personal Computer, Mr. Andreas Papandreou, the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, spoke of the "Hellenic Computer Industry". Gigatronics went on to sell some hundreds of computers to the Hellenic Public Sector, but it was too early for the Hellenic market to embrace this computer and bring it into the Hellenic households. This was in my opinion the main reason for the limited success of the product. In February 1988 the company introduced the "KAT". Just to remind you, there were two standards in the market during that time: IBM and Apple. Well the "KAT" was an Ermis compatible, but also featured a 6502and an 80286 processor making it compatible with both the Apple IIe and the IBM 286 for the price of an IBM 286! More importantly, it was possible to use cut and paste capabilities between all these modes! Gigatronics went on to announce that it will proceed with the creation of its third model which would be Intel 386 and Mac compatible! Unfortunately this model was never released and for unknown reasons the Board of Directors decided after about 6 months of limited sales to close the company. What can I say? Perhaps it is was matter of marketing, or maybe there were other (more underground) reasons that lead to such decisions. The history of Gigatronics reminds me of various other examples of companies that have developed systems with capabilities far ahead of their competitors, but which never succeeded, or which had a limited succes. See MSX, NeXT or even Apple.... [i]Contributed by [email=mailto:pgaid@in.gr]Thanos Papanaklis[/email]. Images are from [url=http://www.cgomag.gr/]Computers for Everyone Magazine[/url], January 1984 and February 1988. [/i]

Franklin ACE 2200

Wed, 09 Jun 2004 06:37:21 -0700

[center][image:201][/center] The Franklin ACE 2200 was the last Apple clone Franklin made. Though not many were produced, it is a quality machine. [center][image:200][/center] [center][image:199][/center]