New user, ][+ not working...

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Gadgetman's picture
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New user, ][+ not working...

Greetings all!

I have just come into the possession of an Apple ][+ which unfortunately doesn't seem to be working.

Details:

On the motherboard there's 820-0001-07 written with copper etching next to the PSU.
At the back corner next to the PSU there's a white field with either '10/8' or '1078' in black lettering.
(Very vague)

The Keyboard encoder is marked with 'Encoder Discrete Keyboard' and '605-x105-'
(The last '0' is incomplete, so could even be a '9')

In the first slot on the motherboard there's a card marked with 'Synergy Card' and 'Spies laboratories'
(Google comes up empty on that one)
It is populated with RAM chips and a cable also goes from it and to the first socket for RAM chips in the E row on the motherboard. In addition there's a long pin-header(2x17) and a 40pin IC socket on it.

There's also a small extra PCB between the motherboard and the Keyboard-controller, with 2 2716 EPROMS and 74LS253 IC. (The PCB uses both the IC socket used for the keyboard-controller cable and the EPROM IC-socket beside it) I assume that this is to adapt it for the Norwegian alphabet.
(The board was made here in Norway, according to markings)

Symptoms...

When I switch it on it gives a beep, then clears the screen and displays 'APPLE ÆÅ' at the top.
(The ][ symbols are replaced by two Norwegian characters. I assume the two EPROMS on that extra PCB have something to do with it)
No amount of pounding on the keyboard makes it do anything.
I've checked the 5V voltage and it's just... perfect.
(Stable at 5V +/- 0.05V according to my meter)

Anyone has any idea?

I can try to take a few snaps with my iSight camera if it's any help...

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Joined: Dec 20 2003 - 10:38
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Try pressing CTRL + RESET tha

Try pressing CTRL + RESET that should dump you into the monitor or into Applesoft Basic.

Gadgetman's picture
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Reset?Where's the Reset?

Reset?

Where's the Reset?

Edit:
I took a few pics with my iSight and uploaded them here:
http://pics.livejournal.com/anthony_lion/gallery/00006a1z
No 'Reset' button to see anywhere...

mmphosis's picture
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RESET and ConTRoL RESET

The RESET key is "conveniently" located just above the RETURN key on the Apple ][+ keyboard. You may need to hold down CTRL and press RESET. At least I think that is a RESET key on your Norwegian keyboard, I can't tell from the picture.

The card in slot #0 is a 16K RAM card, I am 99% sure about that.

The circuit board (EPROM and all) for the Norwegian character set looks interesting.

Gadgetman's picture
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The key 'conveniently' locate

The key 'conveniently' located above the Return key is 'Lock', which I assume is 'Caps Lock'.

The whole layout is:
(MAIN and Shifted)

1! 2" 3# 4$ 5% 6& 7' 8( 9) 0+ Kiss 2 -= Lock
Esc Q W E R T Y U I O P@ Rept Return
Ctrl A S D F GBell H J K L Ø Æ<- Å->
Shift Z X C V B N^ M ,< .> /? Shift

And finally, the lowest row is what looks like a power indicator(bulb seems to be broken) and the Spacebar
The yellow stuff to the right of the spacebar is just a sticker from the company that modified it. (They may even have been the importer/distributor)

Æ Ø and Å are extra vowels used in Norway.
(Many consider the 'ø' to be the most important as without it they can't get any beer... It's spelled 'øl' in Norwegian... )

I can try to recreate the schematics for the extra circuitboard, and even do a scan of the EPROMS if that's interesting. (I have a decent EPROM reader/burner)

There's a switch on the Keyboard Encoder board. What is it for?

Gadgetman's picture
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When I started examining the

When I started examining the 'extra' PCB I found something...

A pin on the header which plugs into the EPROM socket on the motherboard is missing.
A quick check in hofacker's Microcomputer Hardware Handbook revealed the pin to be the A10 address pin if it was a 2716 or 2632 which belonged there originally.

A quick check with a magnifier and flashlight showed the remains of the pin still in the socket.

I'll need to order a new pin-extender thingy, desolder the old one, solder in the new one and find a way to fish out the broken pin...

Moderators, can I please swear now?

Please?

Pretty Please?

Edit: Part now ordered...

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The switch may switch it to U

The switch may switch it to US layout.
Or you can try holding down CTRL and press random buttons on the keybd to find RESET

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I don't think the switch is f

I don't think the switch is for US layout.
The board looks pretty standard, so isn't there any switches on that board normally?

Does anyone know what the EPROM normally located at A5 normally contains?
(I believe it's a 2716, that's a 2KB model)

Or what the pinout for the keyboard-connector is?
(The 16Pin socket on the Motherboard located at A7)

So far, it looks like one of the EPROMs on the 'extra' board on mine is a replacement for the one at A5. In fact, I have yet to find out why they didn't just drop it into A5 instead of placing it on this board.

The other EPROM seems to be a direct replacement-table for characters as several pins from the connector going to the keyboard is connected to ADDRESS-pins, while DATA-pins are connected to the connector going towards the motherboard.

The 74LS253 on the board, though...
It is a dual '4-to-1 multiplexer', and not a chip I've ever seen in use before.
It is also connected rather strangely, with a few resistors, caps and what I believe to be an inductor. This MAY be some sort of oscillator, but I'll need to dig out the scope to ascertain it. (I have also NOT forund out whatever it is clocking... )

As the scope is a pen-shaped OziFox, it may take a while to locate it in all my clutter...

I have located the EPROM-reader, but the PC it used to be hooked up to is... well... a PC and therefore suffering from bad behaviour... *Sigh*

A final question; does the ][+ use a 7 or 8-bit character-set?
(I can only find 7 DATA-pins connected to the connector to the motherboard on the table-IC, but strangely enough, 8 ADDRESS-pins are in use)

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Joined: Mar 20 2005 - 10:25
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I believe a 7-bit ascii character set.

... wow. looks like you have a small project on your hands. If you don't already have one, I highly recommend The Apple II Reference Manual, from Apple. I purchase one on ebay a few months ago to add to my apple II collection. I believe mine was written by Chris Espoinsa, but there are other revisons written by Steve Wozinack and Allen Watson. Good stuff with circuit descriptions, process descriptions, schematics (nice large fold-out) and, for you, detailed description between the various revision boards. It also has a nice description of the keyboard monitor and the ROM source code.

Certainly worth the price if you are trying to get you Apple II back online.

As for answering your immediate question, I remember reading that the keyboard sends 7-bit ascii character codes and there is something to do with a clock strobe....I was reading in bed with the TV on so....

Tom Owad or Vince Briel would know for sure. I'm on travel up in Baltimore right now so I'm without my books.

Please let us know how you are progressing.

mmphosis's picture
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keyboard connector and text mode character set

> The board looks pretty standard, so isn't there any switches on that board normally?

As the previous poster mentioned it may depend on the revision of the board. On my Apple ][+ the "switch" on the keyboard encoder board is to make the RESET key work by pressing RESET only or having to hold down ConTRoL and press RESET.

> does the ][+ use a 7 or 8-bit character-set?
The keyboard input is 7-bit.
The text mode character set is 8 bit (256 characters.)

> Does anyone know what the EPROM normally located at A5 normally contains?

It's the ROM for the text character set, usually a 5 x 7 pixel layout (8 x 8 bit bytes.) There are 256 characters (8 bits), but on the APPLE ][+ there are, normally, no lower case characters, no special characters just ASCII character 32 to 95 and all 256 characters are mapped onto the text mode display. Characters are reused in normal, inverse and flashing modes.

0-1f inverse ASCII 64 to 95 (@, A-Z, [\]^_)
20-3f inverse ASCII 32 to 63 (symbols and numbers)
40-5f flashing ASCII 64 to 95
60-7f flashing ASCII 32 to 63
80-9f (control) normal ASCII 64 to 95
a0-bf normal ASCII 32 to 63
c0-df normal ASCII 64 to 95
e0-ff (lowercase) normal ASCII 32 to 63

The ROM chip at A5 on my Apple ][+ is labelled:

341-0036 8123
S (C) APPLE 79 SCHR

I've heard that Apple used ROMs with different pins and sometimes different masks than more commonly used ROMs. Does anyone know more about the types of ROMs?

> So far, it looks like one of the EPROMs on the 'extra' board on mine is a replacement for the one at A5. In fact, I have yet to find out why they didn't just drop it into A5 instead of placing it on this board.

The extra board may provide you with much more than the standard characters, perhaps a lower case character set and maybe some more Norwegian or special characters.

> what the pinout for the keyboard-connector is?

(excerpt from page 102, Apple ][ Reference Manual)
The data from the Apple's keyboard goes directory to the RAM data multiplexers and latches, the two 74LS257s and locations B6 and B7. The STROBE line on the keyboard connector connector sets a 74LS74 flip-flop on location B10. When the I/O selector activates its "0" line, the data which is on the seven inputs on the keyboard connector, and the state of the strobe flip-flop, are multiplexed onto the Apple's data bus.

Pin Name Description

1 +5v +5 volt power supply. Total current drain on this pin must be less than 120mA.

2 STROBE Strobe output from keyboard. This line should be given a pulse at least 10us long each time a key is pressed on the keyboard. The strobe can be of either polarity.
_____ _____
3 RESET Microprocessor's RESET line. Normally high, this line should be pulled low when the RESET button is pressed.

4,9,16 NC No connection

5-7,10-13 Data Seven bit ASCII keyboard data input.

8 Gnd System electrial ground.

15 -12v -12 volt power supply. Keyboard should draw less than 50mA.

+5v 1 o 16 NC
STROBE 2 15 -12v
RESET 3 14 NC
NC 4 13 Data 1
Data 5 5 12 Data 0
Data 4 6 11 Data 3
Data 6 7 10 Data 2
Gnd 8 9 NC

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The Board and EPROM might hav

The Board and EPROM might have given more functions, but... as far as I can see, no pins are changed from the MB-socket to the one on the extra board. It's a oneø-to-one connection as far as I can see.

I'll try to have a complete schematic ready by the weekend. By then the replacement connector should be here as well...

Definition of frustration?
Receiving an Orange386 card, complete WITH the optional Peripheral kit and even the Video-Switch, only to find that the only computer with the correct bus is the Macintosh LC, which of course doesn't have room for it...
Need to get another Mac...
(I'm broke... That's the frustrating point... I LIKE buying computers... that's why I have 150 of them... )

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