Laser 128 technical details of the models?

[Michael 'AppleWin Debugger Dev']

A recent thread mentioned the Laser 128EX. That got me thinking about my Laser 128 (sorry can't remember the exact model at the moment since I'm away from hom.)

Does anyone have details on the technical differences between the various Laser 128 models?

i.e.

* Laser 128
* Laser 128EX
* Laser 128EX/2

Looks like I'll need to manually put together a comparison table ...
https://archive.org/stream/inCider_1988-11#page/n35/mode/2up

... as Wikipedia is the usual craptastic and lacking any good detailed descriptions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_128


This next bit probably belongs in c.s.a2.p but this caught my eye:

> and two Laser 128-only graphics modes.

What resolution? What soft switches activates this?


> Programs that successfully ran on the Laser 128 included ... Fantavision

I could of swore Fantavision crashes to the monitor on boot but maybe I'm thinking of Wings of Fury. That's how I was able to save the Logo ! :-)

[Howard Poe]

Laser 128 - base / first model, internal memory expansion slot but no card
Laser 128EX - accelerated clock of 3.6Mhz, switchable via keyboard command to 1Mhz for compatibility. Includes internal 1MB memory expansion card with no expansion RAM
Laser 128EX/2 - accelerated clock of 3.6Mhz/1Mhz, 5.25 or 3.5 internal floppy, serial port can be switched to MIDI port mode. Includes internal 1MB expansion card, may have included 256k of expansion RAM

Early Laser 128s don't support 3.5 external floppy drives, but were made compatible with a ROM upgrade. Laser 128EX and EX/2 have the equivalent of the Laser / Central Point Universal Disk Controller (which is actually the Laser 128 floppy chipset on an expansion card).

ROM BASIC was real Microsoft Apple II floating point basic under license (Applesoft by another name), making the 128 series the most compatible Apple II clones that didn't rip off Apple's ROMs directly.

A Laser 128 was my family's first home computer in high school, when I left for college I bought a $299 '286-12 PC clone mini-tower from Computer Direct, as I needed a PC for my computer science studies.

I still have the Laser 128 in the original box in my collection, the keyboard is crap and needs repair again (who uses solder traces on top of plastic instead of jumper wires?!?, along with carbon button membrane switches...)

My Laser 128EX seems to have a better keyboard, I haven't had to do anything to it.

[gid...@sasktel.net]

I have two different Rom versions in two different Laser 128EX's.

Off the top of my head (they are in storage), I believe they are v2.6 and v4.2.

I don't know what the EX2 or original Laser have.