Apple II

Hi everyone,

(Introduction - problem starts after 2nd paragraph if you would like to skip this)

I am new here and am working on repairing/restoring an old apple ii plus that was gifted to me as a kid for something to play with that didn't work. Amazingly, my childhood self managed to not break anything more or touch the ICs. I was in school for computer engineering, but have been away for a few years due to health problems. So while I have a break for a few weeks from doctors while they come up with a new plan, I decided to keep busy as much as I am able to.

I'm working through a problem with the second drive in my DuoDisk unit.  Specifically, it spins up, but the head doesn't read the disk.

This leads me to suspect two possible culprits:  the read head or the stepper motor.

Is there any troubleshooting tips?  Any way I can rule out the stepper motor at least?I take it back.  I didn't realize it, but the characteristic chatter when a disk drive starts is the stepper motor.  So presumably it's fine.  That leaves the read head...

Is there a list of Apple II programs that take advantage of upgraded memory over the typical 128kb? With all the 1mb, 4mb, 8mb ram cards out there for hobbyists, I'm just wondering what these cards can do for running software. I know some use those cards as ram disks, but I'm strictly looking for answers about software.

I've always wondered what the lowercase/shiftkey modification is. Obviously it adds lowercase characters to the otherwise uppercase Apple II, but how does it relate to my II+ clone? Let me explain.

My clone keyboard (partly pictured below) has a lockable pushbutton switch with a red LED in place of the regular "Power" light. In normal 40 column mode nothing happens when you press it, but in 80-column mode (Videx Videoterm card) I get lowercase letters when it's pressed down, and to get uppercase you use the SHIFT key.