Hey guys. I could use your help with a little project.
In my efforts to better capture the details around different Apple II models, board revisions, manufacture dates, serial number information, etc., I've run into the problem of inconsistent or sometimes confusing data on the various history sites or articles online. I think collectively we've got an accurate picture, but it's poorly documented and sometimes missing pieces.
The people here have had the most accurate information related to Apple II forensics, and it's been extremely helpful!
Still, there is some fuzzy knowledge out there which would be great to bring into focus. It occurred to me that if even a few people could collaborate with their data at a single place, including adding their specific forensic information into some kind of repo, over time the details would become more accurate. Google Docs has a shared spreadsheet feature, so this seemed to be the most logical way to proceed.
Apple II Registry Project: Overview
The purpose of this registry is by no means an attempt to capture complete information on the hundreds of thousands of Apple II machines in circulation! Rather, by sampling examples of machine information from volunteers, the hope is that we can build a a more accurate representation of how models, serial numbers, board revisions and manufacture dates relate. For each machine, we should try to capture:
* Model numbers, including any RAM specifications
* Serial numbers, to try to accurately gauge the ranges for each revision
* Board revisions, including nomenclature to help distinguish machines
* Manufacture date, usually the year and week of production
* Contact information or anonymous, just for those interested in sharing
Each major Apple II product line are represented in the tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet. You will note that I chose to collapse all of the Apple //e and Apple IIc lines, including the Platinum and IIc Plus, into two tabs. Each tab has a pull down choice for board revisions. This information is based on what I was able to find online, but it is by no means complete! I encourage you to make any corrections or adjustments that you think increases the accuracy. If it's a major change, please leave some information in the notes about what you changed.
Here is a link to the spreadsheet:
Thanks!
-j
j,
This could become a MASSIVE affair.
With contributions from everyone this could become a definitive listing.
I like it.
Steven
Hello jsa,
maybe you want to use part of this table in your sheet:
http://www.harrowalsh.de/Elektronik/APPLEBOX/appleboxChipsets.htm
take what you need....
sincerely speedyG
Speedy, that's fantastic. I'm going to get all my machines on the spreadsheet and then I'll do some transferring of info.
-j
One fact of life here is that over the course of the past 35 years, some of these things have gotten jumbled up with upgrades/repairs. So, I can report a bunch of the II machines I have, and I've kept a record of quite a lot that went by on eBay, but quite often the older cases have newer replacement motherboards in them. For now while the spreadsheet is new, I'll make no attempt to sort, but it seems like it would be interesting to see things both by board production date code and by serial number, depending on what you're trying to get from the list. Also, I'm not the first owner of any that I have but one, and usually the back story is completely gone. But it will be neat to see what happens, and it's pretty easy to jot down serial numbers and board dates, though I may have to pass on some of the other information until I actually unearth the machines to check.
Any information adds value. Some will be mismatched, but in theory, the greater the number of volunteers, the more those oddities stand out and we can pick out the mismatches. I love the idea of provenance being added when known, though that's going to be extremely rare.
I originally had the spreadsheet sort itself by manufacture date (based on the board stamp/numbering) but I took out the script when I realized that it might be confusing. I was planning on re-sorting that way periodically, feel free to do so if you like!