Expansion Board for Replica I Plus.

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Expansion Board for Replica I Plus.

Can anyone please tell me the part number for a pc board that will fit the 44 pin expansion board connector on Vince Briel's Replica I Plus version of the Apple I?  PC boards come in several thicknesses and shapes.  I want to get one that is sure to fit.  I want to use the Replica I Plus to control simple external circuits like flashing an LED and opening and closing a relay.  I'm a newbie with the Replica I Plus and with the 6502.  I'd appreciate any tipsbyou might have.  Thanks.

Jim

 

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These 44-pin edge connector cards are somewhat ...

... hard to find. The Commodore VIC-20 has a 44-pin slot for its ROM/game cartridges. This is where I found this card:

 

https://www.applefritter.com/content/found-prototype-card-apple-1

 

Of course it would fit in the Briel Replica only if it's the same 44-pin connector as on the real Apple-1. You need to check that. If the ACI card would fit, the connector us the correct one.

 

I recently bought another prototype card off Ebay cheap which has the same 44-pin edge connector. They did make them back in the 1970s + 1980s !

 

You could also buy a blank ACI card and solder in the wires you need. Or put the TTLs in (you don't need the PROMs nor the LM311)  and use the output of the 74LS74 (pin #5) to control a transistor which controls your relay. You could add a 74LS125 to the ACI card to rig up to 4 input lines. You could put that 74LS125 in a 16-pin header that plugs into one of the PROM places.  But this is maybe too challenging a project for a complete newbie in 1970's digital electronics.

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Thanks!

Hi Uncle Bernie,

Thanks for the suggestions.  They are very good.  I also figured out that if I can find an edge connector that fits the Replica I Plus, I can run wires from it to another PC board.  Not elegent but it would work.  I'm pretty sure I can handle the wiring of the IC's OK.  It's controlling them with an Assembly or ML program that could give me a "challenge"  (AKA, "grief") as I am just beginning to learn 6502 Assembly and ML.  If you know of any published material that talks (using words of one syllable, or less) about controlling external circuits using a 6502, please advise me.  Thanks, again.

Jim

 

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I've looked up the Vector board I have bought ...

... and it's Vector 3677-2. If you google for it you will find many vendors. A used one (with parts on it and cut shorter on Ebay is $15). You certainly could turn that used one into your "project" as it has no through holes, so all the parts can be desoldered quite easily if you have solder wick or one of these terrible spring loaded suction tools (which are OK for one sided PCBs but don't ever  try them on a PCB with real trough-holes ... won't do the job but the recoil will ruin the PCB. The Vector 3677-2 sure could take that abuse from that suction tool.)

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