Apple II Csa2 FAQs --- February 1999
Rubywand
These are the Q&A Frequently Asked Questions files for Csa2
(comp.sys.apple2) as of 28 February 1999.
Rubywand
Rubywand
Apple II Frequently Asked Questions: Main Hall-1 ... Start Here!
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa21MAIN.txt rev012 2/28/1999
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) Usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Faqs/
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Faqs/
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Notes: FAQs files in the main home site folder are pure Text files
which have no Font, Color, etc. formatting and no set line length.
This makes them ideal for printing out or for viewing via an ftp
client which places the content in a text viewer such as WordPad.
For best viewing on-line, set Word Wrap to ON.
Ex: On PC use WordPad with Options set to "Wrap to Window".
A line-length formated version for easy on-line viewing under
Netscape and 'Explorer is available at the mirror sites ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
and at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
There are, also, in-progress HTML versions of the FAQs Q&A files.
Check them out and let the site manages know what you think.
http://members.xoom.com/apple_II/faqs.html
email: r...@pacifier.com
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs.HTML.folder/
email: ctur...@aol.com
____________________________
Csa2 FAQs on Ground "Main Hall"
Last updated: 28 February 1999
Welcome to the comp.sys.apple2 newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions! This file is called "Main Hall" because it's your
starting-off point for accessing the Csa2 FAQs.
You can peruse a listing of FAQs files along with lists of
questions answered; OR, you can check out some 'getting started' and
'what's where?' Questions & Answers immediately below. Whenever you
like, you can skip to the FAQs Files & Contents area in Main Hall-2.
001- What is a FAQ?
002- What is comp.sys.apple2?
003- What software do I need to get starter and how do I get it?
004- How do I download and upload Apple II files on the net?
005- Where can I get Apple II software and information on the net?
006- What is an Apple II: The KIM
007- What is an Apple II: The Apple I
008- What is an Apple II: The Apple ][ and Apple ][+
009- What is an Apple II: The "Black Apple"
010- What is an Apple II: The Apple //e
011- What is an Apple II: The Apple //c and IIc+
012- What is an Apple II: The Laser 128EX and 'EX/2?
013- What is an Apple II: The Apple IIgs
014- What is an Apple II: The Apple ][e Emulation Card
015- Where can I find a compact listing of Apple IIgs specs?
016- What is "8 bit" and "16 bit"?
017- How can I tell what version my computer is?
018- How can I find out about using my Apple II?
019- Where do I find out about Apple II Users Groups?
020- Where can I get Apple II parts, boards, and software?
021- Where do I get Apple II books and periodicals?
001- What is a FAQ?
A "FAQ" is a "Frequently Asked Question". The Csa2 FAQs is a
collection of topics files which seeks to supply answers to questions
about the Apple II series of computers and Apple II computing.
____________________________
002- What is comp.sys.apple2?
Comp.sys.apple2 (Csa2) is a USENET newsgroup. USENET posts
originate from your local newsreader and spread to hundreds of thousands
of machines throughout the Internet, FidoNet, ProLine BBS system, etc..
There are several newsgroups in the Csa2 family, all concerned with
Apple II series affairs. They provide a forum for users to compare
notes, ask questions, and share insights. The Csa2 groups include ...
comp.sys.apple2 (Csa2) - Discussion plus questions & answers
relating to all Apple II computers
comp.sys.apple2.comm - Communications and networking related
issues
comp.sys.apple2.gno - Discussion of GNO/ME, a UNIX-like
multi-tasking environment for IIgs
(see file gno.v...)
comp.sys.apple2.marketplace - Buying, selling, and promoting
Apple II and related products
comp.sys.apple2.programmer - Discussion relating to any aspect of
programming the Apple II
comp.sys.apple2.usergroups - Discussion relating to Apple II
usergroups
comp.emulators.apple2 - The unofficial 'Apple II games stuff'
newsgroup features discussions of
Apple II games as well as of Apple II
emulation on PC, Mac, and other
platforms.
alt.emulators.ibmpc.apple2 - Discussion about the use of Apple II
emulation software/hardware on a PC.
comp.binaries.apple2 - Public Domain and Shareware Software
for all Apple II's in Text-encoded
(binscii) form.
--Dan DeMaggio, David Empson, Al Kalal, Rubywand
____________________________
003- What software do I need to get started and how do I get it?
If you bought an Apple II with no software at all, then, at the
very least, you will need to get diskettes which boot DOS 3.3 and ProDOS
and which include copy utilities (e.g. Copy II Plus). Probably, too, you
will need a utility named "ShrinkIt" to unShrink compressed Apple II
files you download and an Apple II telecom utility (e.g. ZLink, ProTerm,
...) to handle file transfers from your PC or Mac to your Apple II.
Aside from Apple II user friends, there are many places you can get
the above, as well as all sorts of other Apple II utility, game, etc.
software:
1. Apple II Users Groups maintain software libraries of utility and
games diskettes you can copy.
2. Some schools and universities have Apple II areas where you can copy
system and utility diskettes.
3. Many sellers of original and second-hand software advertise on the
comp.sys.apple2.marketplace newsgroup and/or maintain web sites you can
browse. Be sure to check the listing of vendors presented later on.
4. If requested via email, regular posters to Csa2 will often send one
or more 'getting started' diskettes which will boot DOS 3.3 and/or
ProDOS and which include some copy, telecom, etc. utilities plus games.
(Expect to pay mailing and materials costs.)
5. The Apple II archive sites listed below maintain large collections of
software which you can download via PC or Mac and transfer to your Apple
II.
--Rubywand
____________________________
004- How and where do I download and upload Apple II files?
How: By far, the easiest and quickest way is to access software
sites on the net using a PC or Mac. Files can be moved to and from your
Apple II via a NULL-modem connection with the net computer. If you use a
Mac, you may have the option of transferring the files via a ProDOS or
HFS diskette or an HFS Zip disk. (For details on file transfes,
downloading, and uploading, see the FAQs files Csa2T1TCOM.txt and
Csa2T2TCOM.txt.)
Where: Today, most users upload software, info files, etc. to one
or more of the major Apple II ftp software archive sites. Other options
include comp.binaries.apple2 and BBS systems. The software archives and
web sites maintained by developers are good places to obtain software.
(See Question 5 for site URLs.)
--Rubywand
____________________________
005- Where can I get Apple II software and information on the net?
Major Apple II Information and Software Sites
Apple2 Caltech- large collection of II/IIgs games and utilities
ftp://apple2.caltech.edu/pub/apple2/
Asimov- #1 archive of Apple II 8-bit games and utilities in
emulator DSK and file formats; plus emulators and emu info
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/
Asimov Mirrors- sites which mirror Asimov
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/apple_II/
ftp://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/apple_II/
ftp://mirror.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/
Asimov-GS- major archive of IIgs games, system, and other software
as well as being a Csa2 FAQs mirror
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/
for FAQs mirror ...
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
Ground Apple2 U. Iowa- the largest Apple II archive and home site
of the Csa2 FAQs; maintains II/IIgs games, utilities, HC/HS
stacks, music files, ..., and information plus separate
collections including the AOL A2 archives
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/
Ground Mirrors- sites which mirror Ground
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/ground/
GS WorldView 'zine- II/IIgs applications articles, games, utilities,
A2-2000 archive, and links; home site for 1WSW
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/gsezine/
Uni-kl.de Apple2 U. Kaiserslautern- II/IIgs games, utilities, and
emulator wares
ftp://ftp.uni-kl.de/pub/apple2/
USA2WUG- Apple II Help & FAQs Collective; Csa2 FAQs mirror
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/USA2WUG/A2.FAQS.INFO.ETC/
for FAQs mirror ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
Other Important Apple II Sites
Apple2 U. Kentucky- A2 archive
ftp://f.ms.uky.edu:/pub/appleII
Apple2 U. Michagan- A2 archive
http://www.umich.edu/~archive/apple2/
ftp://ftp.wustl.edu/systems/apple2/umich.edu/
Apple2 U. Washington- comp.binaries.apple2 access
ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu/usenet/comp.binaries.apple2/
Apple II Help Page- Info and links; Csa2 FAQs in HTML
http://members.xoom.com/apple_II/
Apple II Lessons & Software- BASIC Lessons and A2 software
http://www.iglou.com/qwerty/kb/dlfiles.html
Apple II Programmer's Archive- language software
http://net-24-42.dhcp.mcw.edu/a2pa.html
Apple II WWW and FTP Sites- comprehensive A2 & A3 links list
http://www.cstone.net/~rbraun/apple2/a2ftp.html#web
Apple Computer- mainly, GS system software
ftp://ftp.apple.com/dts/aii
http://www.apple.com/support
Apple Computer- license information
http://developer.apple.com/mkt/registering/swl/agreements.html
Delphi- on-line service which permits A2 net access
http://www.delphi.com/
for "A2 (Apple II)" forum ...
http://www.delphi.com/apple2/
for "A2Pro" - Apple II Programmers forum ...
http://www.delphi.com/a2pro/
Emu-Apple II Emulator Page- Apple II emulator software and info
http://www.saunalahti.fi/~profilon/net/emulators/apple2.html
Emu-Apple II Emulator Resource Guide- Apple II emulator info
http://www.zip.com.au/~alexm/faq/
Emu-Moro's Emulator Page- XGS .2MG utils, Sys6, games, and links
http://www.accesscom.com/~mefisto/
Home of the Apple II- Apple II manual reprints, new user info, ...,
and message board
http://www.educate.net.au/~apple2/
International Apple II BBS List- A2 BBS sites and phone numbers
http://home.earthlink.net/~gabesanchez/
KansasFest Web Page- KansasFest information
http://www.kfest.org
KulaSoft- Stocks Eamon Adventures, A2 software, Index
http://www.angelfire.com/hi/kulasoft
L.J. Silicon's Treasure Chest- Apple II software
http://members.aol.com/ljsilicon/index.html
Mother of All Apple II Web Pages- links
http://www.syndicomm.com/a2web/
Nova Scotia Apple Users Group Page-- II/IIgs utilities
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Services/PDA/appleII.html
Odessa Entertainment- on-line entertainment 'zines
http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/rembrandt/2/comp.html
Texas II- Appleworks products and information, Y2K info, and
home site for Beverly Cadieux's Apple II Mail Group (A2MG)
http://members.aol.com/A2MG/
The Apple II Classic Games Page- large listing of classic
A2 games with screenshots.
http://jones.netplace.com/apple/welcome.html
The Giant List- major listing of games and authors
http://www.dadgum.com/giantlist/list.html
Treasure Chest Project- Willie Yeo's list of A2 software
reclassified as freeware or shareware
http://www.tals.dis.qut.edu.au/staff/willie/treasurechest/
Unofficial, Unauthorized, Apple Online Museum- Greg Cifu's
pages of Apple II machine history, anecdotes, and pictures
http://www.hughes.net/~gcifu/applemuseum/index.html
Upgrade the GS Project- Home page for input and discussion
relating to IIgs upgrades
http://members.wbs.net/homepages/m/y/n/mynameisme712/g.htm
--Rubywand
____________________________
006- What is an Apple II: The KIM
My Ex bought a KIM in ... had to be 1976, 'cause that's the year we
split. He played Hunt the Wumpus on it. I couldn't see the point of
messing with those red LEDs at the time.
Nancy Crawford, Csa2 post on 27 December, 1995
KIM (for "Keyboard Input Monitor") was a 6502 'development system'
release in 1976 by MOS Technology. A single board with six 7-segment LED
displays, it soon had a wide following of avid experimenters who wrote
programs like Jim Butterfield's "Lunar Lander" and Stan Ockers's "Hunt
the Wumpus" and published numerous articles in magazines like Byte and
KiloBaud describing hardware add-ons. For many, KIM was the introduction
to 6502 computing which would, in a few years, lead to becoming an Apple
II user. --Rubywand
____________________________
007- What is an Apple II: The Apple I
The original Apple was not much more than a board. You had to
supply your own keyboard, monitor and case. It sold for $666.66, but now
they are worth much more as a collector's item. --Dan DeMaggio
____________________________
008- What is an Apple II: The Apple ][ and Apple ][+
The II and II+ are the computers that launched the Apple II line.
They have the 6502 microprocessor, ability to do Hi-res and Lo-res color
graphics, sound, joystick input, and casette tape I/O. They have a total
of eight expansion Slots for adding peripherials such as the Disk ][
controller, MockingBoard, serial I/O, and printer interface. Clock speed
is 1MHz and, with Apple's Language Card installed, standard memory size
is 64kB.
The distinction between the ][ and ][+ is the installed ROMs. The
][ starts you in the Monitor program and includes in-ROM Integer BASIC.
The ][+ has the AutoStart ROM which tries to locate and boot a diskette
upon startup and defaults to Applesoft BASIC which is included in-ROM.
Many ][ owners upgraded to the ][+ ROMs.
Apple ][ and ][+ computers can run thousands of games, utilities,
and other programs created to run under Apple DOS-- chiefly, DOS 3.3.
Both machines can, also, run under ProDOS through v1.9 so long as the
software does not require features of an "enhanced" 128k IIe. For
instance, you can run Appleworks if you have more than 128K RAM
installed and a program called PlusWorks. However, the ][ can not run
BASIC programs under ProDOS since Applesoft must be in ROM.
Recommended configuration: 16K "language card" (in Slot 0), an 80-column
video card (not the same as a //e Extended 80-column card), shift key
modification (a wire running from shift key to game port), modified
character ROMs to display lower case, composite color monitor, Disk ][
controller card, two 5.25" Disk ][ or compatible drives, parallel
printer interface card, and parallell-interface printer. You can add
memory beyond 64k in various ways, but many programs that "require 128K"
probably will not work, no matter how much RAM you have. You can also
add accelerators like the SpeeDemon or Rocket/Zip. --Dan DeMaggio, David
Empson, Rubywand
____________________________
009- What is an Apple II: The "Black Apple"
Bell & Howell marketed the "Black Apple" made by Apple. It is an
Apple II+ done in black with some extra audio/video connections to fit
with projectors, etc. made by B&H-- mainly for use in the classroom. A
nice feature is the "handle" attached to the back. It contains a few
power outlets, allowing the CPU, Monitor, etc., to be controlled with
one switch. Evidently, 5000-10,000 units were produced. --Coaxial, Mike
McGovern, Rubywand
____________________________
010- What is an Apple II: The Apple //e
The //e comes in two flavors: Enhanced and unenhanced. When you
start your computer, the unenhanced IIe displays "Apple ][" at the top
of screen; the Enhanced IIe displays "Apple //e". Apple made an
Enhancement kit to upgrade an unenhanced to Enhanced by replacing 4
chips (CPU [65C02], Video ROM [MouseText], and new Monitor/Applesoft
ROMs). Apple Resource Center sells a IIe Enhancement kit for $20.00.
The current IIe operating system is ProDOS-8. (The IIe can also run
DOS 3.3, earlier DOS's, and Pascal.) A lot of ProDOS software requires
an Enhanced //e, and sometimes 128K, too.
A IIe Enhancement Kit does not include any extra RAM. You can
expand a 64k IIe to the standard 128k required for a fully Enhanced IIe
via an Extended 80-column card. It plugs into the Aux Connector on the
motherboard. Alltech ($19.00), MC Price Breakers ($14.95), and
Sequential Systems ($19.95) sell such cards.
Except for being able to type and display lower-case characters,
the unenhanced IIe is very similar to the II+. A 128k Enhanced IIe adds
a number of features including 80-column firmware and 16-color
double-lores and double hires display capability.
The Apple //e remains useful for four major reasons:
1) It runs AppleWorks, a simple to use, yet sophisticated
Spreadsheet/Word Processor/Database.
2) It can run many games and other entertainment software products.
3) There are many Apples in schools-- an example is Louis Cornelio's
room at Clairemont High School ( http://www.n2.net/clairemont/ )-- so
there is a ton of Apple II educational software.
4) It is was and will always be a _Personal_ computer. You can learn
as little or as much as you want, and nothing stops you from learning
about every nook and cranny in it. Ask any big name programmer in MS/DOS
or Mac where they learned to program. Most of them taught themselves on
a good ol' Apple II.
Recommended configuration: Extended 80 Column card (gives you 128K) or
RamWorks (512K to 1MB RAM), Enhancement kit (for unenhanced IIe), and a
composite color monitor which can display decent 80-colume text, Super
Serial card, Disk ][ controller card, two 5.25" Disk ][ or compatible
drives, parallel printer interface card, and parallell-interface
printer. A Hard Drive is recommended if you use a lot of different
programs. Heavy Appleworks users should add the hard disk, extra RAM,
and a 4MHz or better accelerator (like the Rocket Chip, Zip Chip or
TransWarp). --Dan DeMaggio, Rubywand
____________________________
011- What is an Apple II: The Apple //c and IIc+
The //c and IIc+ are compact 'luggable' versions of an Enhanced
//e, with many built-in 'cards'. Included are 2 serial ports, a mouse
port, a disk port and 128K of RAM. Support for the original Apple
casette tape I/O is gone. The //c has a built-in 5.25" drive while the
IIc+ has a built-in 3.5" drive.
The IIc+ has a built-in accelerator that runs at 4 MHz (vs. the
//c's 1MHz) making it the fastest Apple II as well as faster than any of
the A2 clones. (To boot your IIc+ at 'regular', 1MHz, speed, include the
Escape key in the usual boot keypresses-- i.e.
OpenApple-CTRL-ESC-RESET.) The IIc+, which was introduced after the
IIgs, also allows daisey chaining the GS Apple 3.5" drive along with
5.25" drives.
The //c and IIc+ run just about all of the DOS 3.3, ProDOS, "128k"
software, etc. that an Enhanced //e runs plus the few //c-only software
releases. However, the use of certain locations for storing system
variables and ROM differences means that //c series machines will not
run a number of old games designed for the ][ and ][+ which the IIe and
IIgs will run.
Even though //c machines don't have slots, you can still add extra
memory (there's room under the keyboard) and a hard drive (through the
disk port--a bit slow by ordinary standards, but usable. Hard to find
though.. Was made by Chinook). There is also a for-//c "D" version of
MockingBoard you can plug in to get much improved sound and music from
software supporting the board, and a module you can attach to convert
output to RF for using a TV as a monitor.
Recommended configuration: A composite color monitor which can display
decent 80-colume text, 1 MB RAM, and, maybe, a hard drive. For the //c,
add a second 5.25" drive; for the IIc+, add a second 3.5" drive and two
5.25" drives. --Dan DeMaggio, Rubywand
____________________________
012- What is an Apple II: The Laser 128EX and 'EX/2
While not made by Apple, these Lasers can run just about anything
that an Enhanced //e can run. They are as luggable as a //c and include
built-in 'cards'. They are also fast; the entire motherboard runs at
3.6Mhz. If you want to use a card in the single expansion Slot, you may
have to disable the internal UDC (for 3.5" drives) or the internal 1MB
memory expansion.
Unlike the EX model, which supports one additional disk drive, the
EX/2 supports as many daisychained drives as a IIgs and has a built in
BRAM control panel for saving settings. The EX/2 also has a built in
3.5" disk drive, a MIDI port, and a video port which can support analog
RGB and digital CGA monitors as well as an LCD display. --Supertimer,
Dan DeMaggio
____________________________
013- What is an Apple II: The Apple IIgs
The IIgs (or "GS") represents a giant leap in the Apple II line.
It can still run //e software, but has a better processor (16-bit), a
new super-hires graphics mode, a toolbox in ROM (just like the Mac), a
32-oscillator Ensoniq sound chip, and a base speed of 2.8MHz.
GS can run DOS 3.3, ProDOS, Pascal, and any other OS the earlier
8-bit models can run. Like the //c series, it does not support the
original Apple casette tape I/O. GS is the only A2 machine which can run
GS/OS. Originally known as "ProDOS 16", GS/OS is a sophisticated 'mouse
and windows' operating system which looks very much like the Macintosh
OS and PC Windows. The current version of GS/OS is "System 6.0.1".
The first GS's were released in the Fall of 1986. The batches
produced until mid-late 1987 became known as "ROM 00" machines after
release of the "ROM 01" models. When you boot a ROM-01 GS, the startup
screen shows "ROM Version 01"; when you boot a ROM-00 GS the startup
screen says nothing about ROM version.
The original GS's came in cases marked "Limited Edition" with Steve
Wozniak's signature. Often, these are referred to as "Woz GS's". A
relatively small number of users chose Apple's option to upgrade their
IIe's with a motherboard swap. The swap included "IIgs" labels users
could substitute for "IIe" in the case insert.
At the time of the ROM-01 change-over, Apple supplied a
ROM-00-to-ROM-01 upgrade service free. It consists of swapping in a new
ROM and a new Video Graphics Controller ("VGC") IC. ROM-00 machines
which have not had the upgrade can not run modern GS software-- the ROM
must be upgraded. Alltech (760-724-2404; http://allelec.com ) sells a
ROM-01 'upgrade kit' consisting of the 01 ROM for $29.00.
The VGC upgrade is not required for software compatibility, and is
not needed for all machines anyway. It is supposed to fix cosmetic
problems in monochrome double-hires graphics mode (pink flickering or
fringing on what is supposed to be a black and white screen). On some
machines the VGC swap also fixes some color combination problems in
80-column text mode.
Whether via the upgrade or original purchase of a newer GS, by late
1987 nearly all GS users were 'on the same page'. That is, we had the
ROM-01 platform with its base 256kB RAM plus the official Apple 1MB
Expansion Memory Board plugged into the Memory Expansion Slot for a
total of 1.25MB of fully-accessible system RAM. For the next couple of
years, practically all GS software was designed to launch from 3.5"
diskette under "ProDOS-16" and to fit within the 1.25MB of RAM everyone
was assumed to have installed.
In 1989 Apple introduced the "ROM 3" GS-- the startup screen shows
"ROM Version 3". (No ROM-02 GS was ever released). The only major
improvement over ROM-01 is more base RAM-- you get 1MB instead of 256kB.
This is a very nice benefit. It means that a ROM 3 with a 4MB Mem Exp
Board will have 5MB of fully accessible RAM whereas a ROM-01 can have
4.25MB of fully-accessible RAM. In effect, the ROM 3 owner gets a 'free'
800kB RAM disk. As Mitch Spector notes in his listing of ROM 3 features
(see in CSA2HDWHACK.TXT), the newer GS offers a number of other nice
pluses with the only significant minus being incompatibility with a few
older GS programs.
Chiefly, ROM 3 is a 1989 re-do of ROM-01 featuring more streamlined
hardware and more built-in firmware. (Upon booting, the current system
software applies in-RAM patches matched to each ROM version to achieve
nearly identical operation.) Very few ROM-01 owners felt any urge to
move to ROM 3. Even today, the vast majority of installed GS's are
ROM-01 machines.
The 1990's have seen wide adoption of four major GS enhancements:
OS- After years of foot-dragging, Apple finally produced a decent 16-bit
GS operating system with release of System 5.0. Within a few years this
evolved into today's System 6 (System 6.0.1). System 6 has won wide
acceptance as a relatively stable OS which, at last, allows GS users to
access many of the features of GS computing promised back in 1986.
Whereas earlier OS's can 'fit' on a GS with 1MB of Expansion memory,
System 6 really requires something like 2.5MB RAM to be worth
installing.
Memory- Driven, in part, by the need for more memory to run System 6,
4MB became the standard size of installed Memory Expansions. Except for
school GS's and GS's taken out of circulation and tucked away in
closets, the old Apple 1MB Expansion Boards have long ago been replaced
with 4MB boards.
Hard Disk- As with memory, the size of newer versions of GS/OS supplied
a strong push toward adding a hard disk. Software was becoming larger,
too, and there was so much of it that making everything work from
diskette became impossibly cumbersome. Lower HD prices, attractive SCSI
interfaces such as RamFAST, and low-cost, easy single-card IDE solutions
such as the Focus "Hard Card" have helped make the hard disk a standard,
expected peripheral on today's GS.
Acceleration- Few commercial software offerings actually sought to push
GS users to higher speeds; and, as a result, users went for years
feeling no great need for Applied Engineering's expensive Transwarp
accelerator. The arrival of Zip Technology's lower-cost ZipGS board
together with a clear need for more speed to handle System 6 sparked a
nearly overnight 'acceleration revolution'. Today, an accelerator
running at 8MHz or better is considered, very nearly, to be a necessary
IIgs enhancement.
Recommended configuration: ROM-01 or ROM 3 with 4MB Memory Expansion
board-- i.e. 4.25MB (ROM-01) or 5MB (ROM 3) of total system RAM, RamFAST
SCSI + 120MB or larger SCSI hard disk OR 120MB or larger HD-on-a-card
IDE drive (e.g. Alltech's Focus Hard Card or SHH's Turbo IDE series)
with System 6.0.1 installed, 8MHz/32k TransWarp or 9MHz/32k ZipGS or
better accelerator board, Stereo Card, Imagewriter II printer, two 3.5"
and two 5.25" diskette drives.
A minimum GS system that will run many older wares and still deliver a
decent operating system is a ROM-01 GS with the Apple 1MB Memory
Expansion board, two 3.5" drives, at least one 5.25" drive, and
Imagewriter II printer, which boots GS/OS 5.04 (now called "System
5.04") from 3.5" diskette. --Dan DeMaggio, Rubywand, David Empson, Randy
Shackelford
____________________________
014- What is an Apple II: The Apple IIe Emulation Card
This is a 'IIe on a card' plug-in that fits into Mac LC and most
subsequent machines that have the LC Processor Direct Slot (PDS). This
includes 020, 030, and 040 machines. It lets one run Apple //e software.
Many of these cards are sold today without documentation. In case
you've just plugged one into your Mac Color Classic, etc., it will help
to know that pressing Command-Control-Escape gets you to the Preferences
panel.
The Apple IIe Emulation Card is actually more like a //c because
the card is not an expandable machine like a //e. There is a place on
the back of the card to plug in a UniDisk 5.25" and a joystick. Because
the graphics are handled by the Mac, animation may be slow if you don't
have a decent Mac. --Dan DeMaggio, David Empson, Owen Aaland, Edward
Floden
____________________________
Related FAQs Resources: R024GSSPECS.TXT (text file)
015- Where can I find a compact listing of Apple IIgs
specifications?
Apple IIgs specifications are described in the FAQs resource file
R024GSSPECS.TXT.
-- Supertimer
____________________________
016- What is "8 bit" and "16 bit"?
Number of bits usually indicates how big a chunk of data a
computer's main microprocessor can manipulate. The Apple IIgs is based
on the 65C816 microprocessor and is considered to be a 16-bit machine.
Previous Apple ]['s are based upon pure 8-bit microprocessors such as
the 6502 and 65C02. These are considered to be 8-bit machines. Sometimes
II+ or IIe or IIc software is called "8-bit software".
The 65C816 is a member of the 6502 family which includes expanded
registers and adds many new commands while retaining the ability to go
into 8-bit mode. So; the GS can run most 8-bit wares designed for older
Apple II machines as well as newer 16-bit wares. Meanwhile, 8-bit
machines are pretty well limited to 8-bit wares. --Rubywand
____________________________
017- How can I tell what version my computer is?
Apple //e:
The major division is between the Enhanced and unenhanced //e
models. Look at your computer while re-booting. If it says "APPLE ][",
it is not enhanced. The enhanced computers will say "Apple //e". You can
upgrade it yourself by getting the Apple //e Enhancement kit. (It
contains 4 chips to replace on your motherboard.)
Many newer programs will not work unless you have an Enhanced //e.
If you have a //c or GS, or a Laser 128, you have Enhanced //e
compatibility. There are also some older //e's that are not capable of
double-hires. Check the serial number on the motherboard (in the back,
by the power-on led). If it is 820-0064-A, you must change the
motherboard to upgrade (unless you have the PAL version). Serial #s like
820-0064-B or 820-0087-A are the plain //e, and the version with the
grey case comes pre-Enhanced.
week 26 1983:
820-0073-A (c) 1982 Colour killer switch soldered to open
B-607-0664 oscillator position on PCB.
week 38 1983:
820-0073-B (c) 1982 Colour killer switch near RHS of PCB.
B-607-0264 All chips socketed.
week 7 1985:
820-0073 (c) 1984 PCB marked for enhanced ROMs & 65c02
B-607-0264 (mine had old ROMs and 6502). RAM &
some TTL soldered in.
All three work with double res graphics. (Apart from the revision
letter vanishing, most chips being soldered in and the silkscreened ROM
numbers, I can see no difference between the last two PCBs mentioned.)
Apple //c:
Go into Basic and type "PRINT PEEK (64447)" and press return. If
it says 255, you have a very old //c. See your dealer about getting an
upgrade (tell them that the Apple authorization number is ODL660). If it
says 0, you can do 3.5" drives, but you don't have the memory expansion
connector. If it says 3 You have the memory expansion. If it says 4,
you have the latest model of the //c. If it says 5, you have a //c+.
Apple IIgs:
There are 3 major versions of the GS: Check the initial power-up
screen. It will probably say ROM-01 or ROM 3. If it does not say either,
you have a ROM-00 model. You must upgrade a ROM-00 machine in order to
run current system software. The ROM-01 has 256K on the motherboard,
while the ROM 3 has 1 MB on the motherboard. Most of the enhancements of
the ROM 3 (except the 1MB, of course) can be added to the ROM-01 simply
by booting up with current system software. --Dan DeMaggio
____________________________
018- How can I find out about using my Apple II?
Of course, you can peruse the newsgroup FAQs Q&A and check out the
Apple II internet sites listed earlier. Charles Hartleys's Apple II
Lessons & Software is a good example of the latter. Also, Charles "Dr.
Tom" Turley is building a collection of New User info on his site at ...
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub .
Still, there is really no substitute for having the technical
manual for your particular Apple II or clone. The manual for the ][ and
][+ is the Apple ][ Reference Manual. For the IIe and IIc you want
Apple's Technical Reference Manual for your machine. For the IIgs you
will want, at least, the IIgs Hardware Reference and IIgs Firmware
Reference.
Naturally, you will want to get manuals and materials covering DOS,
ProDOS, BASIC, and many other areas relating to your Apple II. Below is
a decent 'getting started' sampling:
Applesoft BASIC and Assembly Language
Assembly Lines: The Book by Wagner
Basic Programming Reference Manual from Apple
65816/65802 Assembly Language Programming by Fischer
DOS, ProDOS, and GS/OS
Apple IIgs GS/OS Technical Reference (Apple/ Addison-Wesley)
Beneath Apple DOS by Worth & Lechner
Beneath Apple ProDOS by Worth & Lechner
Exploring Apple GS/OS and ProDOS 8 by Little
ProDOS Inside and Out by Doms and Weishaar
ProDOS Technical Reference Manual (Apple/ Addison-Wesley)
The DOS Manual from Apple
General Apple II
Apple II User's Guide by Poole, Martin, and Cook
Beagle Bros "Peeks, Pokes, and Pointers" (poster) by Beagle Bros
What's Where in the Apple II? by William F. Luebbert
Some technical manuals and other materials can be obtained in
original or reprint form from Byte Works. Most Apple II books, etc. also
turn up for sale on comp.sys.apple2.marketplace, at used book shops, and
at local Users Group swap meets. A few items, such as Reference Cards
and posters, can be downloaded in Text or HTML form from Apple II
archives.
Another good resource is a subscription to an Apple II newsletter
or magazine (see Question 20); and, don't overlook collections of major
Apple II magazines published through the 1980's (e.g. inCider, Nibble,
Computist, etc.). They are virtual encyclopedias covering many areas of
II computing.
Often, the easiest, quickest way to an awswer for some Apple II
question is to 'just ask it' on comp.sys.apple2. There is no Csa2 rule
about making sure your question is hard enough or reading the FAQs
first. Supplying information is the main purpose of the newsgroup.
But, suppose you have zilch info, do not feel like looking through
the FAQs, and want to start Now. The following _may_ be all you need to
get going with some game or utility from diskette:
o The Disk Controller Card for Apple ][, ][+, and IIe goes into Slot 6
(next to last Slot on the right when viewed from the front). Drive 1
plugs into the top connector with the ribbon side of the cable plug
facing out. Plug in the cable(s) before plugging in the card so that you
are sure the connector and plug line up correctly.
o On the IIgs, the 3.5" drive(s) plug in first, then, the 5.25"
drive(s).
o Unless a hard disk is installed, most Apple II's try to boot a
diskette and start DOS 3.3, ProDOS, or GS/OS when turned ON. (On the old
Apple ][ you can type in 6 Control-P RETURN to boot from the Monitor,
assuming your Controller Card is in Slot 6. To press Control-P, press
and hold Control, then P, then release both keys.)
o Most, but not all, diskettes are bootable. If one diskette doesn't
boot, try another. If no diskettes boot, use a Radio Shack Head Cleaner
diskette to clean the drive head(s).
o If the prompt you see is ], you are in Applesoft BASIC; > indicates
Integer BASIC; and * indicates the Monitor. If both Integer BASIC and
Applesoft are in memory, you can enter FP to switch from Integer to
Applesoft and INT to switch from Applesoft to Integer. To go from either
BASIC to the Monitor, enter CALL-151. To start the current BASIC from
the Monitor, enter Control-B. To go back to BASIC with program and
variables in tact from the Monitor, enter Control-C.
o Except for the ][ and ][+, you must press Control-RESET to do a Reset.
o To boot a diskette when viewing a BASIC prompt, you can enter PR#6 to
boot a drive associated with Slot 6-- usually a 5.25" drive-- and PR#5
to boot a drive associated with Slot 5-- usually a 3.5" drive.
--Rubywand
____________________________
019- Where do I find out about Apple II Users Groups?
Many Apple II users groups continue to meet, especially in major
cities and on university campi. If a local group listing is 'missing'
from your phone book, check for a Mac users group-- a number of Apple II
groups merged with their Mac counterparts.
The Apple User Group Connection (800-538-9696 ext 500) can tell you
the closest Apple II (or Macintosh) User Group. Several web sites
maintain user group lists. Two such sites are ...
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Technology/AppleUsersGroup/sub/usergroups.html
http://www.frostbyte.com/Apple/Apple_usergroups.html
Of course, you can always post a question to Csa2 or to
comp.sys.apple2.usergroups. --Rubywand
____________________________
020- Where can I get Apple II parts, boards, and software?
All Electronics (800-826-5432; http://www.allcorp.com ) major surplus
and new parts seller- switches, LCD panels, connectors, transformers,
caps, IIgs-type lithium batteries, etc.
Alltech (760-724-2404; http://allelec.com accepts on-line orders) sells
all kinds of replacement parts for Apple II's as well as the Focus Hard
Card drives, CD-ROM drives, cables, memory boards & IC's, diskettes, ...
.
Apple Resource Center "The ARC" (800-753-0114; http://www.thearc.com )
sells Apple II computers and peripherals.
Auction sites which handle Apple II items on the internet
http://www.ebay.com
http://www.cityauction.com
http://www.boxlot.com
http://www.haggle.com
AV Systems ( http://members.xoom.com/AV_Systems/ email:
73170...@compuserve.com) game, education, utility software for Apple
II computers
B&R Computer Services (619-225-8281;
http://members.aol.com/rrbp/Home.html ) sells Apple II computers,
peripherals, and software.
Stephen Buggie (505-863-2390) sells the famous Buggie Power Supplies,
Buggie Drives, and does disk drive conversions.
Byte Works (505-898-8183; http://hypermall.com/byteworks/ email:
mik...@aol.com) sells the respected Orca series of Apple II languages
and support software including the new GS BASIC.
Catweasel ( http://members.tripod.com/~apd2/catweasl.htm ) makes and
sells a disk drive controller intended for reading A2 diskettes on
non-A2 drives.
Charlie's AppleSeeds (619-566-0387; 9081 Hadley Place, San Diego CA
92126-1523; Chuck Newby's email: Chuck...@aol.com) sells Apple II hard
disks and controllers, floppy drives, ... and ProSel, ProSel-16
software.
Comp.sys.apple2.marketplace is the Csa2 newsgroup for buying and selling
Apple II hardware and software.
Creative Solutions (937-429-5759;
http://members.aol.com/CreatSltn/index.html ) Apple II hardware,
software, and repairs
Digi-Key (800-344-4539; http://www.digikey.com) IC's and general parts
supplier
DigiSoft Innovations ( http://www.hypermall.com/digisoft/digisoft/
email: Jim Maricondo at digi...@hypermall.com) continues to sell the
Golden Orchard CD and is working on GO-II.
Dirt-Cheap Drives (800-786-1160; http://www.dirtcheapdrives.com ) 2.5"
IDE drives
Effective Shareware Solutions (602-274-6905;
http://www.primenet.com/~clay1 ) Apple II music wares
Gene Ehrich's On-Line Computer Garage Sale (email: ge...@ehrich.com;
http://www.voicenet.com/~generic/ ) sells Apple II (C-64, PC, etc.)
hardware, software, manuals, and other items.
Halted Specialties (800-442-5833; http://www.halted.com ) sells
electronic parts- sockets, cables, plugs, caps, Parallax BASIC stamp,
SCSI cables, ... good prices for 74xxx, 65xx, etc. IC's
Hudson's Hobby Games (P.O. Box 121503, Arlington, Texas, 76012;
817-461-0126; email: Hudso...@aol.com) sells Old Apple II games in
original boxes
InTrec Software (888-PROTERM; http://www.intrec.com ) sells ProTerm A2
and high-speed GS modem cable; the "InTrec Store" sells used II/IIgs
hardware and software at good prices
Jameco (800-831-4242; http://www.jameco.com ) Apple II and general parts
supplier
JDR Microdevices (800-538-5000; http://www.jdr.com ) Apple II and
general parts supplier
Kitchen Sink Software (614-891-2111; http://www.kitchen-sink.com ) Apple
II Software
KulaSoft (808-595-8131; http://www.angelfire.com/hi/kulasoft ) Eamon
Adventures, Kula Index, software collections, tutorials, and books
L.A.Trade (800-433-3726; http://www.4LATrade.com ) sells memory,
including "Zip" package 1MB x 4 DRAM used by the AE GS-RAM III 4MB
card.
Steven Lichter (Apple Elite II BBS 909-359-5338; email: ste...@pe.net)
offers GBBS/LLUCE support and software.
Lynxmotion (104 Partridge Road, Pekin, IL 61554-1403; 309-382-1816
http://www.lynxmotion.com ) sells Robot kits, Robot arms, servos,
controllers, ... for PC but adaptable for Apple II
MC Price Breakers (360-837-3042; http://www.mcpb.com ) sells memory
boards, high-speed GS modem cables, and other Apple II hardware
MECI (800-344-6324; http://www.meci.com ) surplus electronic parts-
fans, tubes, solenoids, IC sockets, 50-25 SCSI cables and adaptors, ...
Midwestern Diskette (800-221-6332; http://www.mddc.com/mdi/disk.html )
diskettes, including 5.25" DSDD diskettes
Mouser Electronics (800-346-6873; http://www.mouser.com ) major IC and
general parts supplier
MPJA/ Marlin P. Jones (800-652-6733; http://www.mpja.com/) many power
supplies, NULL modem, Parallax BASIC stamp, misc kits, LED displays, LCD
panels, ...
Newark Electronics (800-463-9275; http://www.newark.com ) major
electronic parts supplier
Ninjaforce Entertainment ( http://www.ninjaforce.home.ml.org )
Ninjaforce software for IIgs
Pre-Owned Electronics (800-274-5343) sells a variety of peripherals and
accessories.
Redmond cable (206-882-2009 http://www.redcab.com ) makes and sells
standard & custom Apple II cables.
Scantron Quality Computers (800-777-3642 http://www.sqc.com )
Appleworks, Appleworks-GS vendor.
Sequential Systems (303-666-4549; http://www.sequential.com email:
inqu...@sequential.com) sells 4-8MB GS memory boards, RAMfast SCSI
interface, and other peripheral boards.
Seven Hills Software (850-575-0566;
http://www.sevenhills.com/applesoftware ) develops and sells IIgs
software.
Shareware Solutions II ( http://www.crl.com/~joko/ssii.html email:
jo...@crl.com) sells Convert 3200 plus games, boxed Old game originals,
the Golden Orchard CD-ROM, and other wares.
SHH Systeme, Germany ( http://users.ids.net/~kerwood/shh.html ) sells
Turbo IDE and other HD controller cards, Blue Disk, TWGS Accelerator
upgrades, and repairs.
Shreve Systems (800-227-3971; http://www.shrevesystems.com ) sells II
computers, peripherals, parts and accessories.
Software and More (916-725-0228; http://members.aol.com/SWMoreTP/AP.html
) sells Apple II hardware and software.
Sun Remarketing (800-821-3221; http://www.sunrem.com accepts on-line
orders) sells Apple II parts and peripherals.
Texas II/Kingwood Micro Software (2503 Sherbrooke Lane, McKinney, TX
75070; 972-562-6335; http://members.aol.com/A2MG/ ) develops and sells
classic Appleworks v3.0-v5.1 support software.
Vernier Software (503-297-5317; http://www.vernier.com ) sells project
books and components.
Wayne's Computer (315-689-7899;
http://www.waynes.com/Business/WaynesComputer/index.html-ssi ) sells
Apple II computers, peripherals, and software.
Western Design Center (602-962-4545; http://www.wdesignc.com ) makes and
sells 65C816 microprocessor used in IIgs and for accelerator upgrades.
William K. Bradford Co. (800-421-2009; http://www.wkbradford.com ) Apple
II educational software
--Dan DeMaggio, Rubywand
____________________________
021- Where do I get Apple II books and periodicals?
The Applebyter newsletter (Applebyters Computer Club, P.O. Box 2092,
Davenport, IA 52809 http://helios.augustana.edu/~sbeattie/applebyters/
) is a vintage monthly newsletter.
Apple Blossom is a bi-montly mini-magazine edited by Steve Cavenaugh.
(Apple Blossom Publishing, P.O. Box 120434, Boston, MA 02112-0434;
http://people.delphi.com/appleblossom/ email: appleb...@delphi.com)
Byte Works (505-898-8183; http://hypermall.com/byteworks/ ) major source
for Apple II series manuals, other Apple books, and Orca languages,
manuals, and support. (mik...@aol.com)
Composition is an on-line 'zine devoted to GS MIDIsynth and synthLAB
music ( http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/rembrandt/2/comp.html )
published by Gregory Heald.
Dark Castle (Wolborgenmate 72, 7006 DK Doetinchem, The Netherlands;
+31-314-365145) is a quarterly mini-magazine edited by Doede Boomsma.
(dboo...@sci.kun.nl)
Eamon Adventurer's Guild newsletter (7625 Hawkhaven Dr., Clemmons, NC
27012; 910-766-7490) is the quarterly journal for the famous adventuring
series edited by Thomas Zuchowski. (email: tzu...@ibm.net or
t.zuc...@genie.geis.com)
GS WorldView (http://www.grin.net/~cturley/gsezine/) is an Apple II/IIgs
web 'zine edited by Charles Turley
Juiced GS (2217 Lakeview Dr., Sullivan, IN 47882) is a quarterly
mini-magazine edited by Max Jones. (http://www.wbwip.com/juiced.gs/ ;
email: juic...@delphi.com)
Nuts & Volts Magazine (800-783-4624; http://www.nutsvolts.com ) not A2
specific, but good info on robot making and other interesting projects;
also, a good source for surplus electronic parts ads
Shareware Solutions II (166 Alpine Street, San Rafael, CA 94901
http://www.crl.com/~joko email: jo...@crl.com) is a bi-monthly
mini-magazine edited by Joe Kohn
Texas II (2503 Sherbrooke Lane, McKinney, TX 75070; 972-562-6335;
http://members.aol.com/A2MG/ ) is an Appleworks newsletter published by
Beverly Cadieux (a2...@aol.com).
--Rubywand
Rubywand
Apple II Frequently Asked Questions: Main Hall-2
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa21MAIN.txt rev012 2/28/1999
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) Usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Faqs/
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Faqs/
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Notes: FAQs files in the main home site folder are pure Text files
which have no Font, Color, etc. formatting and no set line length.
This makes them ideal for printing out or for viewing via an ftp
client which places the content in a text viewer such as WordPad.
For best viewing on-line, set Word Wrap to ON.
Ex: On PC use WordPad with Options set to "Wrap to Window".
A line-length formated version for easy on-line viewing under
Netscape and 'Explorer is available at the mirror sites ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
and at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
FAQs Files and Contents (Revision 012)
The main FAQs files consist of Questions with Answers centering on
some specific Apple II topic. For these, the questions are listed here
as well as at the start of the FAQs file. (Whenever questions are listed
together, they are shortened as necessary so that each fits on a single
line.)
There are, also, FAQs Resource files. These are pics, diagrams,
mini-manuals, programs, etc. which are referenced in one or more FAQs
answers. Resource files have names like R004STEREO.GIF and
R007BATRAMM.SHK. They are listed and briefly described later on.
Some new Q&A material and updates have been incorporated since the
January, 1999 revisions. As in the original, Version 001 release, credit
is given for answers used in the FAQs.
Please feel free to send information pieces, diagrams, etc.. for
both established and new FAQs. Ideas, suggestions, and FAQs content
contributions can be emailed or they can be uploaded to Ground's
FAQs/uploads folder.
Best wishes to all Apple II users!
Jeff Hurlburt, 28 February 1999
ruby...@swbell.net
Csa2ACCEL: ZipGS, TransWarp, etc. accelerators
001- What are the correct settings for a ZipGS?
002- Why should Appletalk Delay be disabled with a ZipGS?
003- How do I set up a Transwarp on my IIe?
004- Is there a way of disabling Transwarp for games?
005- What are specs & jumper settings for a vintage SpeeDemon?
006- How does the SpeeDemon rate as an accelerator?
007- My SpeeDemon accelerator board seems to run hot. A fix?
008- How should the DIP switches be set on a v3.03 SpeeDemon?
009- How can I get a 'Cache Hit' indicator for my ZipGS?
010- How can I program the ZipGS registers?
011- How can I set up a ProDOS sys file to turn my ZipGS OFF/ON?
012- Is there some ZipGS mod that will improve performance?
013- I have a 7MHz ZipGS. How fast can the board be pushed?
014- What Oscillator freq corresponds to what upgrade speed?
015- How do I experiment with different oscillator frequencies?
016- How do I modify my ZipGS to accept the new "skinny" RAM chips?
017- Is it really necessary to increase board voltage
018- What kind of performance increase can I expect?
019- How can I modify my ZipGS for more cache and more speed?
020- Do I need new GALs to speed up my TransWarpGS?
021- How does a TWGS cache upgrade compare with a speed upgrade?
022- How can I upgrade my TWGS to 32k cache?
023- How can I upgrade TWGS speed?
024- What kind of RAMs do I need for a TWGS or ZipGS speedup?
025- How can I tell the firmware version of my TWGS?
026- For my TWGS, do I need the 2B GAL to use a SCSI interface card?
027- Why are my ZipGS settings via the Zip CDA forgotten?
028- What do the check-marks mean in the ZipGS CDA?
029- Why don't my ZipGS settings match DIP switch settings!?
030- I have a ZipGS. Sometimes my GS 'hangs' on power-up. Why?
031- The speedup has led to system crashes. What's the problem?
032- A new accelerator board has led to crashes. What's the problem?
Csa2APPLICS: Applications information
001- What Operating System environments does the GS support?
002- What GS programs are there for viewing/converting graphics?
003- What's up with IIgs emulation on the Mac?
004- What is a good file copier program for the IIgs?
005- Where can I find PEEKs & POKEs and monitor routine info?
006- Where/how can I get new Levels for Wolfenstein-3D/gs?
007- Can I do Reverse Speech on my IIgs?
008- Is it possible to run PaintWorks from hard disk?
009- How can I read a single ProDOS block into memory under BASIC?
010- Is there an Apple II program for ham radio CW code practice?
011- Can my GS do file sharing with a Mac's hard drive?
012- How can I use a Mac as a network server with my GS?
013- How can I set up an Appletalk network for 30 IIgs's
014- How can I capture a GS super-res screen to disk?
015- What programming languages are available for the Apple ][?
016- What's the difference between an Apple ][, a II, and a //?
017- How do I save a BASIC program in ASCII text form?
018- Where and how do I get System 6.0.1 from an ftp site?
019- Is a graphical user interface (GUI) available for 8-bit A2's?
020- Is there a manual somewhere on creating BASIC shape tables?
021- How can I get a Postscript file from a GS document?
022- How can I boot from my /RAM5 RAMdisk?
Csa2CDROM: CD-ROM drives and interfaces
001- What do I need to get/do to use Music and Data CD's on my GS?
002- What do I need discQuest for?
003- How can I back up my files on write-able CD-ROM?
004- Is a special driver needed for a Toshiba External 2X CD-ROM?
005- How can I get sound from my Apple HSS card + CD300 CD-ROM?
006- Where can I find more info on CD-ROM drives, products, etc.?
Csa2DOSMM: DOS and ProDOS
001- What is a "DOS"?
002- What DOS's are available on Apple II computers?
003- Are there any faster better versions of DOS 3.3?
004- What commands are available in DOS 3.3?
005- How do I use DOS commands from the keyboard? a program?
006- How do I use variables in a DOS command?
007- How do I create new DOS 3.3 diskettes?
008- How much storage space is on a 5.25" diskette?
009- Can I format a DOS 3.3 diskette for just data storage?
010- What is the "Volume Table of Contents" or "VTOC"?
011- Can I assign names to my DOS 3.3 diskettes?
012- What does it mean to "Boot" a disk?
013- What file types does DOS 3.3 have
014- What do the entries in a DOS 3.3 Catalog display mean?
015- Re. DOS 3.3 file names: How long? What characters are legal?
016- How can I use DOS 3.3 to read/write sectors from machine code?
017- How many 'official' versions of DOS 3.3 are there?
018- What information is included in the VTOC?
019- What information is included in a DOS 3.3 Catalog sector?
020- How does DOS 3.3 remember which sectors are used?
021- What are the formats of DOS 3.3's main file types?
022- How can I know a DOS 3.3 prgm is safe to run from hard disk?
023- What are some good DOS 3.3 references?
024- What is ProDOS?
025- What are ProDOS's major features?
026- Which Apple II's can run which versions of ProDOS?
027- How can I create bootable ProDOS diskettes?
028- How do I make a ProDOS disk that will start BASIC?
029- What is the maximum size of a ProDOS volume?
030- How do I LOAD, SAVE, etc. files under ProDOS?
031- What is a "pathname"?
032- What is the default volume and folder when ProDOS boots?
033- How can I set default volume and folder under ProDOS?
034- How can I discover the name of the current default volume?
035- How do I create a folder?
036- How can I access ProDOS routines from machine language?
037- How can I convert DOS 3.3 wares to run under ProDOS?
038- How can I modify ProDOS to do BLOADs to Text Page 1?
039- How can I boot ProDOS on my Franklin computer?
040- What are some good ProDOS references?
Csa2DSKETTE: Diskettes
001- How many tracks can I use on a 5.25" diskette?
002- Can I use high-density 3.5" and 5.25" diskettes on my A2?
003- How can I tell DD from HD diskettes if they are not labeled?
004- Some old 5.25" disks with splotches don't boot. What gives?
005- How can I defragment a diskette and what is the speed gain?
006- Why aren't my old diskettes recognized by GS/OS?
007- Can I read Apple II diskettes on my PC?
008- Where the heck can I buy double density 3.5" & 5.25" diskettes?
Csa2ERRLIST: Apple II series ERROR codes
001- What does error #___ mean?
002- What does IIgs Diagnostic Self-Test Error Code ___ mean?
003- What does RamFAST Fatal Memory Fault Error ___ mean?
004- What is the explanation for getting a ___ error?
005- Where can I find more information on Apple II series errors?
Csa2FDRIVE: Floppy drives
001- How do I add a write-protect On-Off switch?
002- How do I add external speed adjustment to my Disk ][ drive?
003- How can I adjust my 5.25" drive for optimum performance?
004- How do I clean my disk drive R/W head(s)?
005- What is the pin-out for a duodisk drive connecting cable?
006- What DuoDisk mods are necessary?
007- Will a Duodisk function correctly on my ROM 3 GS?
008- How do I fix a false Write Protect?
009- My 3.5 Disk Drives don't work! What should I try?
010- I added SCSI; now, my 3.5" drives often fail to work. Why?
011- Both of my Disk ]['s come on when booting! Is there a fix?
012- In connecting a Disk II I misaligned the connectors. A fix?
013- A sound like a shotgun going off came from my drive. A fix?
014- Uni-disk and Laser drives: neither works with my IIc. Why?
015- How do I replace a 3.5" drive mechanism with one from a Mac?
016- I have one 5.25" drive. Sys6 shows two icons!? Is there a fix?
017- How can I tell a 13-sect interface card from a 16-sect model?
018- Can a Disk ][ Drive be used on a IIc or GS smartport?
019- How do I install a bi-color LED R/W indicator in my Disk ][?
020- What's the scoop on the 3.5" High Density drive?
021- What is a "UniDisk"?
Csa2HDNSCSI: Hard drives, SCSI, and interfaces
001- How difficult is it to add a hard drive to my IIgs?
002- What kinds of hard drive systems are available?
003- What do SCSI ID numbers mean?
004- What is "SCSI-2" and how is it different from SCSI-1?
005- Will a SCSI-2 hard drive work with an Apple II system?
006- Will my Rev. C SCSI Card work with a SCSI-2 drive?
007- What is SCSI "termination power"?
008- Can I avoid the "RamFAST/SCSI is searching SCSI bus" delay?
009- What is the pin-out for the standard 50-pin SCSI cable?
010- What's the SCSIHD.DRIVER patch to ignore DRIVER43 partitions?
011- What is the "bad bug" in the ROM 3.01e RamFAST?
012- What are correct HS SCSI settings, etc. for a Bernoulli drive?
013- What are the settings for a CMS hard drive controller card?
014- Does it matter when I power-ON my SCSI hard disk?
015- Can I leave SCSI devices I'm not using turned OFF?
016- Is there a generic SCSI tutorial available for downloading?
017- What is the correct time-out setting for a Focus hard drive?
018- How do I modify my Apple HSS card to supply Termination Power?
019- Can I get a Focus drive bigger than a couple hundred MB?
020- My hard disk is on a CMS SCSI. How do I install System 6.0.1?
021- How is DMA set for SCSI cards with 8MB RAM cards on the GS?
022- My 20MB Focus bombs and there's some goo on the card. A fix?
023- Where can I find the RamFAST manual on the net?
Csa2HDWHACK: CPU Hardware and hardware projects
001- What's a good hardware project book for the Apple IIe?
002- How can I use a thermistor to read temperature on my A2?
003- Will a prototyping Slot Board fit all Apple II's with Slots?
004- What is the pin-out for the Apple II series Slots?
005- I've been getting Fatal System Error 0911. Is there a fix?
006- Why does my GS Control Panel keep resetting to the defaults?
007- How do I replace my GS "BatRAM" battery?
008- Is there a program to record/restore Control Panel settings?
009- How I can safely clean out dust from my Apple II?
010- How can I safely remove oxidation from IC pins?
011- After smoke came from my GS the KB doesn't work. What's wrong?
012- What is the mini circuit board near the front of my GS for?
013- How do I add memory to my 1MB Apple IIgs Memory Expansion Card?
014- How can I move my IIgs to a PC tower case?
015- How can I convert a IIgs into a portable IIgs?
016- Where can I get Robot kits to use with my Apple II?
017- Where can I get the chips to expand memory on my AE GS-RAM III?
018- What is a TrackStar? Does it need special software?
019- Could someone please post a resistor color code chart?
020- What advantages does the ROM 3 GS offer vs. the ROM-01 GS?
021- How can my ROM 3 GS + 8MB Sirius card do large file copying?
022- Where can I find a listing of Apple II socket, etc. pinouts?
023- Where can I find Apple II diagrams?
024- How do I add a video output level adjustment to my TrackStar?
Csa2HISTORY: Apple History, Chronicles, Woz, Apple II documents, ...
001- Where can I find an in-depth history of the Apple II?
002- What happened in the final years of the Computer Wars?
003- How did Woz invent the Apple computer?
004- What did the first Apple ads look like?
Csa2KBPADJS: Input devices such as Keyboards, joysticks, mouses
001- How do I do the Shift Key Mod?
002- What's a "VIDEX" board?
003- I need a GS ADB keyboard cable! Where can I get one?
004- How can I make a PC-to-Apple Joystick converter?
005- How can I do an Apple-to-PC Joystick conversion?
006- What are the dip-switch settings for the "BITMOUSE" card?
007- How can I switch my IIe keyboard layout to Dvorak?
008- What keyboards work as replacements for a GS keyboard?
009- What is a Koala Pad and how do I test it?
010- Can I convert a C-64 Koala Pad to work on my Apple II?
011- How do I make the internal cable for a IIe numeric keypad?
012- Is there a cable or card which lets you connect two joysticks?
013- How do I write programs for the Apple Graphics Tablet?
014- Why does my ][+ KB act like the CTRL key is always pressed?
015- Can I replace my bad IIe keyboard with one from another IIe?
016- Why does my IIe keyboard keep repeating characters?
017- How do I read the joystick on a GS in native mode?
018- Is a Y-adapter available for my GS keyboard?
019- How do you use the Kensington TurboMouse with a IIgs?
020- How do I clean my mouse?
021- What is the best kind of mouse pad?
022- How do I clean my keyboard?
023- Is there a fix for a bad trigger on my Flight Stick?
024- How can I improve the feel of my original (beige-key) IIc KB?
025- Can I replace my broken GS mouse with one from a Mac?
026- What is the pinout for the IIe, //c, and similar 9-pin mouses?
027- How do I write programs which use the mouse?
Csa2MONITOR: Display monitors
001- How can I fix an unstable display?
002- I'm using a TV + IIc RF module. How can I improve the display?
003- What monitor repair Safety precautions are recommended?
004- How do I discharge the High Voltage anode?
005- How do I open my RGB monitor's case and get set for repairs?
006- What tools and solder should I use for repairs?
007- What's the fix for a flickering, Jumping, display?
008- How can I fix an all-red, all-blue, etc. monitor display?
009- Is there any more RGB Adjustments info?
010- How do I adjust Centering on my GS RGB color monitor?
011- How do I adjust Focus & Intensity on a blurry GS RGB Monitor?
012- What is a replacement for the RGB "flyback" power transistor?
013- How do I fix sporatic Shrinking and Flicking in-out of Focus?
014- How do I fix a serious case of shimmy on my GS monitor?
015- Will the Amiga 1084 monitor work on my GS?
016- What is the pinout for Commodore's 1084s monitor?
017- What is a "composite video monitor"?
018- Why doesn't hires look as good on my GS RGB monitor?
019- How can I to do the "Color Killer Mod" on a //e?
020- My A2 display doesn't work with a "TV/Game Switch". How come?
021- Can I use a color TV with my IIc+?
022- What is the IIc+ video pin configuration?
023- Where can I buy a replacement RGB monitor for my GS?
024- What kind of RGB monitors will work with a IIc?
025- Can I replace my GS RGB monitor with one from a PC?
026- What are the specs and pin-out for the GS RGB monitor?
027- Do I need monochrome monitor to get a clear 80-col display?
028- Is there a high-quality replacement for RGB monitors?
029- Can I use a GS RGB monitor with my IIc?
030- Why does a composite monitor I added show a fuzzy dim display?
031- Is my SecondSight board the cause of increased system crashes?
032- Why do Inwords and PublishIt bomb on my SecondSight board?
033- How many dots are actually sent to the GS monitor per line?
034- My GS RGB monitor takes a long time to get bright. A fix?
Csa2POWER: Apple II power, power supplies, and cooling
001- What's the pin-out and load specs for the IIgs Power Supply?
002- Are the power supplies for the ][+ and IIe interchangeable?
003- What are the output capabilities of GS and IIe power supplies?
004- Can I use a 'generic' surplus power supply in my Apple II?
005- How do fatter leads reduce noise on the +5V & +12V lines?
006- Is there any more that can be done to eliminate glitches?
007- Is there a power supply upgrade kit for the Apple IIgs?
008- What kind of internal fan can I install in an Apple IIgs?
009- Why do so few GS power supplies have a fan installed?
010- Some of our classroom IIe's don't work at all. Is there a fix?
011- What are some good Apple II power supply fix tries?
012- Why does my Apple IIe fail to turn on?!
013- What does a rapid chirping noise on a GS power supply mean?
014- How do I fix a nearly dead GS power supply?
015- What is a "Buggie Power Supply"?
016- Do I need the metal shielding in my GS case?
017- My System Saver IIgs has gotten very noisy. How can I fix it?
018- My System Saver IIgs panel feels springy? Is there a problem?
Csa2PRINTER: Printers and printer interfaces
001- What is the pin-out for a GS to ImageWriter I cable?
002- What are the DIP switch settings for IW-II and IW-LQ printers?
003- How do I do the ImageWriter-LQ alignment test?
004- Can I use a 'straight-through' cable to connect my IW-II?
005- My ImageWriter II doesn't print! What's wrong?
006- How can I keep paper from jamming in my Imagewriter II?
007- The bottoms of letters don't get printed. How can I fix this?
008- What is the 'trick' for restoring a printer ribbon?
009- How do I connect a "Centronics interface" printer to my Apple?
010- Where can I get a Grappler+ cable? What is the pin-out?
011- What are the DIP switches on my Grappler+ for?
012- What printers will the Harmonie drivers work with on my GS?
013- What's the best GS interface for connecting a parallel printer?
014- How can I use my Epson Color Stylus 800 with my IIgs?
015- Why aren't fonts found after being moved to a new GS volume?
016- When I run Platinum Paint I get error $1301. Whats wrong?
Csa2SOUND: Sound, sound boards, and sound software
001- How does the GS produce so many simultaneous sounds?
002- Is there a way to output quadraphonic sound on a IIgs?
003- Do I get Stereo from my IIgs Sound Output jack?
004- Why should I add a stereo board to my GS?
005- How can I build my own GS stereo board?
006- How can I transfer sound files created on a Mac to my GS?
007- How do I program a Phasor Sound Card?
008- What is required to build a Sound Input board for my IIgs?
009- What's what re. MockingBoard hardware and programming?
010- How do I get my MockingBoard to work on my GS?
011- How do I play Ultima IV/V with MockingBoard sound on my GS?
012- How can I get 'regular Apple sound' to play through MB outputs?
013- What GS programs will let me play MIDI files?
014- Would FExt.NDA let you play thru Synthinit?
015- Can I play .WAV files on my GS?
016- What formats are used for audio files?
017- How do I use my Echo speech synthesizer to produce speech?
018- What types of sound files are used on the GS?
019- Where can I find more info on cards, editing, digitizing, ...?
020- What is "old Apple" sound and how is it produced?
021- What is a good source for .WAV and .BNK files?
022- How can I get more System Sounds for my GS?
023- How can I run Music Studio 2.0 from hard disk?
024- How can I record better sound samples on my IIgs?
025- Squeals and other noises spoil my GS stereo board sound? A fix?
026- My IIgs has no sound from the internal speaker. What's the fix?
Csa2T1TCOM: Telecom- hardware and transfers
001- How do I transfer files between my Apple and a PC or Mac?
002- How do I transfer/convert my A2 word processor files to a PC?
003- How do I transfer Apple II disks between Apple2 and PC?
004- How do I transfer files between computers using NULL modem?
005- How do I NULL-modem Text files without getting garbage?
006- How do I make a "NULL Modem" cable?
007- What is the maximum length for a NULL modem connection?
008- I have a Super Serial Card. What cable should I use?
009- How do I make a GS hardware handshake High-Speed modem cable?
010- What is the fastest modem I can use on an Apple IIe?
011- Does what applies to the IIe also apply to the //c and IIgs?
012- What telecom programs run on Apple II computers?
013- What are the settings for the Apple Super Serial Card?
014- What are the Serial Pro card's dip switch settings?
015- What are the settings for an Apple Serial Interface Card?
016- What cable can I use to do NULL modem transfers with my IIc?
017- What cable(s) can I use to connect a modem to my IIc?
018- How can I connect a modem with a Dsub-9 socket to my IIgs?
019- What is the maximum modemming speed I can get from my IIgs?
020- How can I transfer files from PC to GS using Zip disks?
021- How do I get an Applesoft program into a PC-DOS computer?
022- I want to use a faxmodem with my //GS. Is this possible?
023- Can I do modem-to-modem transfers between my home computers?
Csa2T2TCOM: Telecom- downloading and uploading
001- What's the easiest way to download files from Apple II sites?
002- What is a good setup for moving files between computers?
003- Are there download files I should process on the PC (or Mac)?
004- How do I upload files?
005- What kinds of files should I upload to which sites?
006- How can I read & send email and newsgroup msgs with my A2?
007- With a fast modem, how can the IIe connect to the internet?
008- I'm running the Lynx web browser. Where do I put the URL?
009- How do I download an .SHK file through Lynx?
010- Can I send and receive FAXes using my Apple II?
011- What is a "Binary II" header?
012- Should I add a Binary II header to files I upload?
013- What is a "binscii" file and how are they used?
014- What are .SHK files and how do I use them?
015- Can I create .ZIP files on my Apple II?
016- What are DSK "disk image" files and how do I use them?
017- Where can I get ShrinkIt, binscii, DSK2FILE, ASIMOV, etc.?
018- I have downloaded files in "gz" format? How do I use them?
019- ShrinkIt downloaded as a TXT file. How can I use it?
020- Which programs can change ProDOS filetype?
021- How can I move A2 programs to Quick BASIC on my PC?
022- What do the popular file name extensions mean?
023- How do I tell what kind of file this is?
024- How do I use Copy II Plus to create and convert IMG files?
Csa2ZIPTF: Zip Drive, Tape, Flopticals, SCSI, and interfaces
001- What is a "Zip drive"?
002- What is a "Zip disk"?
003- What do I need in order to use a Zip drive?
004- What kind of SCSI interface card do I need?
005- How do I install a Zip drive?
006- How do I get started using the Zip drive?
007- How does Zip Drive speed compare with a hard disk's speed?
008- Can I mount Zip disks formatted on Macintosh on my IIgs?
009- Will forgetting to set the termination switch cause damage?
010- How does Zip Drive perform with an Apple HS SCSI card?
011- Is a CMS SCSI card adequate for connecting a Zip drive?
012- Which SCSI interface works best with a Zip Drive?
013- Will I be able to format and partition a Zip disk?
014- Should I let the Finder handle formatting of new Zip disks?
015- Can I format a Zip disk for HFS?
016- The disk in my Zip Drive is not recognized. How come?
017- I added SCSI; now, my 3.5" drives often fail to work. Why?
018- Why do I get this "Ramfast/SCSI is searching SCSI bus" msg?
019- What's a good utility for doing tape backups on the GS?
020- What's needed to add a SCSI Tape backup unit?
021- What about tape backup on a IIe?
022- Does Apple's Hi-Speed SCSI card allow swapping Zip disks?
023- What can I do after the Zip on my Apple SCSI "sleeps"?
024- What is the "Click of Death" reported by some Zip drive users?
025- What is a "Qic" tape? A friend needs to read a Qic-80 tape.
026- How do I restart my HS SCSI + Zip when the Zip deactivates?
Csa2 FAQs Resources
File Description Referenced From
___________________________________________________________________
R001A2AD.HTM html text of 1977 A2 ad Csa2HISTORY JAW
R002A2ADPIC.JPG JPEG picture of 1977 ad Csa2HISTORY JAW
R003A2ADPIC.GIF GIF picture of 1977 ad Csa2HISTORY JAW
R004STEREO.GIF GS Stereo Card Diagram Csa2SOUND JH
R005SPLITC.GIF ZipGSx Split Cache Mod pic Csa2ACCEL JH
R006SPDKNOB.GIF Disk ][ Speed Knob pic Csa2FDRIVE JH
R007BATRAMM.SHK BatRAM Save/Restore program Csa2HDWHACK JH
R008SCSITUT.TXT Generic SCSI Tutorial Csa2HDNSCSI DLM
R009HSSTMOD.GIF Apple HS SCSI Term Pwr Mod Csa2HDNSCSI DB&HH
R010APPLE1.GIF GIF picture of the Apple I Csa2HISTORY CTT
R011SNDFMTS.TXT Audio File Formats Guide Csa2SOUND DH
R012ECHO.TXT Echo Speech Mini-Manual Csa2SOUND CTT
R013PHASOR.TXT Phasor Snd Card Mini-Manual Csa2SOUND CTT
R014CDROMIN.TXT CDROM drives, products info Csa2CDROM SCD
R015SNDNMUS.TXT Apple II Sound & Music info Csa2SOUND IS
R016V1HIST.TXT Apple II History, Volume I Csa2HISTORY SW
R017V2HIST.TXT Apple II History, Volume II Csa2HISTORY SW
R018V3HIST.TXT Apple II History, Volume III Csa2HISTORY SW
R019V4HIST.TXT Apple II History, Volume IV Csa2HISTORY SW
R020V5HIST.TXT Apple II History, Volume V Csa2HISTORY SW
R021V6HIST.TXT Apple II History, Volume VI Csa2HISTORY SW
R022TRKSTAR.TXT TrackStar Q & A Csa2HDWHACK BW
R023PINOUTS.TXT Apple II pinouts Csa2HDWHACK CTT
R024GSSPECS.TXT Apple IIgs specifications Csa21MAIN S
BW: Bill Whitson
CTT: Charles T. Turley
DB: Dan Brown
DLM: Daniel L. Miller
DH: Dave Huizing
HH: Harold Hislop
IS: Ian Schmidt
JAW: Jason A. Wells
JH: Jeff Hurlburt
S: Supertimer
SCD: Stephen C. Davidson
SW: Steven Weyhrich
Rubywand
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2ACCEL.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
001- What are the correct settings for a ZipGS?
From: Marc Sira
001- What are the correct settings for a ZipGSx? I've tinkered
with "CPS Follow", "Counter Delay" and the like but have
no idea what I'm actually doing.
CPS Follow should always be enabled. If you disable it you will have
problems with Disk ]['s and System 6's AppleTalk driver and anything
else that expects the Zip to slow down to 1 mhz when the GS is
instructed to slow down to 1mhz. For instance, border text demos (like
the FTA XMAS demo) won't work if you have this disabled. Expect weird
things to happen if you play with this one.
Counter Delay I would recommend leaving enabled. This causes the Zip to
"deaccelerate" (actually all it does is temporarily ignore that any data
can be read from the cache instead of the motherboard) for about 5
milliseconds any time you read one of the Video Counters -- this is
really only there so that one of the self-tests will pass. Which way you
set it shouldn't be fatal.
AppleTalk or Interrupt Delay should always be disabled. The desktop will
run much slower if you enable it. The only reason most people needed it
was for AppleTalk under system 5, and I have an init on tybalt that
fixes that. System 6 fixed the problem but requires CPS Follow to be
enabled for the fix to work.
Speaker and Paddle delays are intended to let old 1-bit sounds and
Paddle access work the way they do on an unaccelerated IIgs. I recommend
leaving these on unless you feel like experimenting. They shouldn't be
fatal but some program might react very negatively, so be prepared.
Bank C/D cache enable -- leave this at the default setting and forget
about it. This tells the Zip if it's OK to cache bank-switched RAM (the
old language card area). Zip's own docs say "there is no know software
requiring this" but that it why it's there, in case somebody ever finds
software that doesn't like it you can try setting it the other way.
____________________________
From: Todd P. Whitesel
002- Why should Appletalk Delay be disabled with a ZipGS?
Because it saps performance every time an interrupt occurs.
The Appletalk delay was originally called the "Interrupt Delay" but they
renamed it at the last minute because somebody actually tried an 8/64 on
an Appleshare network and it dropped packets like crazy.
With "Appletalk delay" on, every time an interrupt occurs your Zip will
disable acceleration for 5 ms, just like it does with the paddles and
the speaker and the others. This is a significant effect because with
VBL interrupts going you have one every 16 ms, so your Zip spends nearly
1/3 of the time not accelerating you.
Why this "fixes" appletalk: in system 5 and earlier (including the ROM
appletalk code), there are software timing loops which assume 2.8 mhz
operation. As you speed the system up, it gets more and more likely to
drop incoming packets because it thinks they are being sent too slowly
to be correct, when in reality the appletalk code is timing out too
fast.
Why the Appletalk delay is not a complete solution: a full-size
Appletalk packet that you'd get from a file server takes about 14 ms to
transmit. The Appletalk delay covers the first 1/3 of the packet, the
VBL interrupt covers at most another third of the packet, but nothing is
guaranteed to keep acceleration off for the whole packet. If you speed
the Zip up more, say to 10/64, it starts dropping long packets no matter
what.
This latter problem was why I originally wrote ZipTalk. It required a
slot delay to be enabled (in, say, slot 6 or 7), and before each
appletalk packet was received I tweaked that slot -- slot delays are 50
ms, so the Zip stays unaccelerated way past the end of the packet and
everything works. (I also patched packet sending, to be safe.)
In system 6 Apple fixed things correctly in the appletalk drivers. I
removed the code from ZipTalk and released what remained as ZipFix. As
of 6.0.1, the cursor flicker problem was fixed by apple in the control
panel, so now you only need ZipFix for the GS/OS SET_SYS_SPEED hook,
which nobody seems to use.
______________________________
From: Jeff Brielmaier
003- How do I set up a Transwarp on my IIe?
Bank1: Sw 1-7 -> Change to OPEN if there is a memory card that uses the
"Langauge Card bank switching technique". (Normally CLOSED)
Bank1: Sw 1-7 -> Change to OPEN if the plug in card must be accessed at
1 MHz (Normally CLOSED. OPEN for Floppy diskette controllers)
Switch 8 on both Banks: Sets the power up speed of Transwarp
Bank1 Bank2
3.6 MHz OPEN OPEN <<Normal>>
1.7 MHz CLOSED OPEN
1 MHz OPEN CLOSED
1 MHz CLOSED CLOSED
----------------------
004- Is there a way of disabling Transwarp for games?
Press <Esc> at power-up will disable Transwarp completely until the next
power off/on cycle.
A better way is to write a 01 to $C074. This will slow Transwarp down
to 1 MHz without disabling it completely. Writing a 00 to $C074 will
restore Transwarp to it's 'fast' speed.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
005- I recently bought an "M-c-T SpeeDemon" board. It's dated 1984
and draws a small apple on the screen after power-up. What kind
of cache RAM does it have? There's a place for jumpers near the
top of the card. Is there a way to control this thing through
software or hardware?
Your card may be a slightly later model. (I've never noticed ours
draw a hires apple on the screen-- darn it!) Possibly, McT came out
with a revision aimed at 128K IIe's.
The RAMs on our vintage model SpeeDemon are 100ns 2048x8 9128's
(for a total 8K of pretty speedy cache).
I once asked McT about the jumper block you mention, they said the
jumper is set at the factory to adjust on-card timing and to Leave It
Alone. (On our card, the jumper block has 5 pairs. The pair 2nd from the
top is jumpered.)
There is also a jumper pair near the bottom middle of the card.
This is the Speed Jumper. Jumper it if you want 'demon to slow down for
I/O accesses to Slots 4 & 5. (The 'demon always slows for Slot 6 I/O
($C0E0 - $C0EF.)
According to the "Manual" (a folded card), pressing PDL-1
(Closed-Apple on a IIe) upon power-up will engage a self-test. Pressing
ESC at power-up will turn OFF the card and allow running at normal
speed. To turn OFF the card later on, do a POKE (49152+256*S) where S=
Slot # of the slot the card is in; then, press RESET.
You can put the 'demon into any Slot; but, if you put it in Slot 0
(Slot 3 in a IIe), the card will not respond to any KB shut-off
commands.
------------------------
006- How does the SpeeDemon rate as an accelerator for II+
and IIe Apples?
In terms of raw performance (once you arrange for cooling),
SpeeDemon may be the best of the 4MHz accelerators for early II's. I've
never noticed any compatibility problems and the approx. X3.5 speed
increase puts real 'snap' into your machine's response. (Besides, it's
great for games like Elite!)
------------------------
007- My SpeeDemon accelerator board seems to run hot in my II+.
Is this normal? Should I add cooling?
Indeed, the 'demon is a power gobbler-- roughly 1.5A as I recall--
and some of the IC's run hot. When the board bombed after one long
session, we cut out a square section on the back of the II+ and added a
mini-fan, just to blow air across the 'Demon board. This ended the heat
problem.
____________________________
From: Douglas M. Howell
008- How should the DIP switches be set on a version 3.03
SpeeDemon board?
This is from the 1-page manual that comes with the card:
For owners without a Bank Switch Language Card in thier Apple, the
first seven DIP switches control the access speed of the following:
switch 1 -- controls -- slot 1
switch 2 -- " -- slot 2
switch 3 -- " -- slot 3
switch 4 -- " -- paddle/joystick port
switch 5 -- " -- slot 5
switch 6 -- " -- slot 6
switch 7 -- " -- slot 7
OFF indicates slot/port is accessed at High Speed.
ON indicates slot/port is to Slow Down for access.
All slots that can be accessed at High Speed and all empty slots
should have the corresponding Dip switch set to "OFF" (this is the
non-bank switch setting).
Special Note about Switch 4:
Switch 4 on the SpeeDemon DIP switch no longer controlsthe access
speed to slot 4. It now controls how the joystick and paddles are read.
If switch 4 is in the "ON" position, the SpeeDemon will slow down
to normal Apple speed for 50 milliseconds each time the joystick is
accessed. This allows the software to read the joystick or paddles
correctly. If switch 4 is in the "OFF" position, the SpeeDemon will not
slow down when they are accessed.
Access to slot 4 is always at SLOW (normal) Apple speed.
Certain programs, such as Appleworks, use the joystick location,
even when the joystick is not in use. If dip switch 4 is set to "ON"
then these programs will not show any speed for some functions, such as
calculations and sorts. Therefor, unless you need youysticks for your
applications, switch 4 should be set in the "OFF" position.
If you have a Bank Switch Card (extended 80-col card, Ramworks II,
Titan Saturn 128k card, excetera..) set switch 8 to the "ON" position.
Bank Switch Language Card Location:
Dip Switches 1-3 encode the location of your Bank switch language
card. Use the following table to find the appropriate setting for your
machine:
Dip Switch Bank Switch Card Location
1 2 3 Slot #
--- --- --- ------
off off off 0
off off on 1
off on off 2
off on on 3
on off off 4
on off on 5
on on off 6
on on on 7
If you have two bank switch cards in your system, one must reside in
slot 0. The other must be in the slot selected by DIP switches 1-3
above.
Special Note: Because the first three switches are used to encode the
location of the Bank Switch Language Card, you can no longer control the
speed of all the slots. Specifically you can not control slots 1,3, or
6. These slots woll now always run Fast except for slot 6 which will
always run Slow.
Special Note: The slot that the SpeeDemon card resides in should be
set to the "Off" position
____________________________
From: Will Baguhn
009- How can I get a 'Cache Hit' indicator for my ZipGSx?
This latest ZipGSx modification is pretty straightforward. When I
decided I wanted a Cache HIT light instead of a Cache MISS light, I went
to Rat Shack and bought a pack of Green LEDs (I like green. Blue or
Orange will work just as well.)
I tried adding an inverter to the circuit but it just didn't want to
play (obviously a cache HIT is the opposite of a cache MISS, and the LED
on the board lights up for cache MISSes). Through the experimenting, I
found that I could get the LED to light as desired without any "extra"
hardware except the LED itself.
Simple mod: solder in the Anode of the LED to the Anode of the Cache
Miss. Solder the Cathode to the Cathode of the Power LED.
(Even easier way to say it: there are four solder points for the
existing LEDs. We use the two in the middle. The long lead goes to the
yellow side, the short to the red. position as is comfortable. I can
only guess that this would be a nice thing to attach to the TURBO light
on the front of a tower case, should anyone ever mount a IIgs/ZipGSX
inside a tower case... (also, it might be nice to turn SW1-6 OFF and
connect the pins to the TURBO button on front. I don't know how useful
it would be, but it might come in handy one of these days...)
____________________________
From: David Empson
010- How can I program the ZipGSx registers?
ZipChip GS Special Registers Ex ZIP Technology, 12 October 1990
Registers must be unlocked before they can be accessed (see $C05A).
Locking them will re-enable the annunciators.
Writing to any I/O location $C058-$C05F (whether registers are locked or
unlocked) will reset delay in progress.
$C058 R No operation
$C058 W Write any value to force power-on/reset bit to COLD
(forces next reset to restore ZIP registers to
defaults/switch settings).
$C059 R/W 76543210
*....... Bank Switch Lang Card cache disable=1/enable=0?
.*...... Padl delay (5 ms) disable=0/enable=1 $C070/$C020
..*..... External delay (5 ms) disable=0/enable=1
...*.... Cntr delay (5 ms) disable=0/enable=1 $C02E/$C07E
....*... CPS follow disable=0/enable=1
.....*.. Last Reset warm? READ ONLY
......*. Hardware DMA READ ONLY
.......* non-GS (0)/GS (1) READ ONLY
$C05A R 76543210
****.... Current ZIP Speed, 0=100%, 1=93.75%,..., F=6.25%
....1111
$C05A W Write values as follows:
$5x Unlock ZIP registers (must write 4 times)
$Ax Lock ZIP registers
other Force ZIP to follow system clock (disable card)
$C05B R 76543210
*....... 1msclk - clock with 1 ms period
.*...... cshupd - Tag data at $C05F updated
(read $C05F to reset)
..*..... Bank Switch Language Card cache (0), don't (1)
...*.... Board disable - 0=enabled, 1=disabled
....*... delay in effect (0=ZIP, 1=Slow)
.....*.. rombank (0/1) - not in development version
......** Cache RAM size (00=8k, 01=16k, 10=32k, 11=64k)
$C05B W Write any value to force ZIP to current speed
(i.e. enable card)
$C05C R/W 76543210
*******. Slot 7-1 delay enable (all slots 52-54 ms)
.......* Speaker delay enable (5 ms)
$C05D R Current 65816 bank
$C05D W 76543210
****.... Set ZIP speed, 0=100%, 1=93.75%, ..., F=6.25%
....**** Don't care
$C05E R Read last Tag data written and force the next write
to create a trash tag value.
$C05E W No operation
$C05F R Read last Tag data written and reset cshupd.
Note: apparently any write to a ZIP register
(unlocked) will clear cshupd, but cshupd
says that this location must be read.
$C05F W No operation
----------------------------
011- Is it possible to set up a simple ProDOS-8 application
(SYS) file which turns the ZipGS OFF or ON?
From the usual BASIC prompt, get into the Monitor (e.g. CALL -151) and
type in the following code to turn OFF the ZipGS ...
2000:A9 50 8D 5A C0 8D 5A C0 8D 5A C0 8D 5A C0 8E 5A
2010:C0 0A 8D 5A C0 20 00 BF 65 1D 20 00 00 04 00 00
2020:00 00 00 00
A 2000L should look something like this ...
2000: A9 50 LDA #$50
2002: 8D 5A C0 STA $C05A ; write $50 to $C05A four times to
2005: 8D 5A C0 STA $C05A ; enable access to the ZIP registers
2008: 8D 5A C0 STA $C05A
200B: 8D 5A C0 STA $C05A
200E: 8E 5A C0 STZ $C05A ; write $00 to $C05A to disable ZIP
2011: 0A ASL = SLOW mode
2012: 8D 5A C0 STA $C05A ; write $A0 to stop accessing ZIP
2015: 20 00 BF JSR $BF00 ; Do a ProDOS QUIT call
2018: 65 $65
2019: 1D 20 $201D
201B: 00 00 BRK $00
201D: 04 00 00 00 00 00 00
Use the following commands to save it:
CREATE SLOW,TSYS
BSAVE SLOW,TSYS,A$2000,L$24
To enable the ZipGS (= FAST mode), simply change one byte:
200F:5B
(this changes the STZ $C05A to STZ $C05B)
CREATE FAST,TSYS
BSAVE FAST,TSYS,A$2000,L$24
____________________________
From: William Baguhn
Reference: FAQs resource file R005SPLITC
012- Is there some ZipGSx mod that will improve performance
without going to a faster crystal, etc.?
There is; you can do the ZipGSx Split Cache Mod. As your manual
explains, Zip GSX speed comes from having a faster processor which can
access code and data from its high-speed cache RAM. The standard 'GSX
has a unified cache, which means data and code have the possibility of
overlapping. If the cache controller sees a need to bring in a lot of
code, it will go to main memory and bring in up to 64k of code (or 16k
in a 16k cache system) and, possibly, overwrite useful data.
The reverse is also true. If the controller feels that a lot of
data needs to be brought in, it will cache the data, and, possibly,
overwrite useful code, causing another slowdown when the code needs to
be fetched again.
With a split cache, the code and data segments no longer overlap.
Caching code cannot overwrite data, caching data cannot overwrite code.
The drawback is that only 32k of data and 32k of code can be cached at
once (in a 64k system), but usually this provides for more speed than
being able to cache a 64k mix of both.
To do the mod, you'll need a ZipGSX version 1.02 with either 16k or
64k cache on it. If you're not sure exactly what board you have, it's
pretty straightforward to figure things out: open the computer and look
at the Zip. The board revision is silkscreened on just beneath the
processor.
The cache size can be determined from the DIP switch settings.
However, a simpler guideline is look at the TAG/DATA sockets and count
the number of chips. If there are only 2 chips, you have either an 8k or
a 32k cache. If there are 4, then you should have 16k or 64k.
To modify your Zip for the Split Cache, you'll need a good hobby
knife that can cut the traces without damaging the board underneath too
badly, as well as two or three small lengths of wire. You will also need
a good pencil-style soldering iron, desoldering pump or braid, and high
quality rosin core (NOT acid core) solder. I use Radio Shack's .032
60/40 rosin core solder. Kester makes excellent quality solder which is
sold at many electronics supply shops.
There is a potential of damaging expensive and delicate hardware.
For example, when cutting a circuit trace be careful not to cut deeply,
lest you cut a trace in the next layer of the circuit board. If you're
not experienced with cutting traces or soldering on circuit boards, find
an old board and take some time to practice.
The actual mod is very simple. Steps 1-3 and 5 are for all boards.
Step 4 is for 16k cache boards only. (Note: The picture in FAQs resource
file R005SPLITC may be helpful for doing these mods.)
1. Locate J6 and J7. They are both blocks of 3 pinholes, which may or
may not have been soldered-in, near the bottom of the board next to
connector J1, where the gray cable attaches.
2. Cut the SMALL trace between pins 2 and 3 of both J6 and J7. This
trace is on the back (solder side) of the board.
3. Solder in a piece of wire between pins 1 and 3, of both J6 and J7. A
wire that has been bent into a U shape before soldering seems to work
best, both for ease of installation and aesthetic value.
4. 16k systems ONLY: (See the "16k" insert on the picture in FAQs
resource file R005SPLITC.) Cut the trace between pins 1 and 2 of J8 on
the top side of the board. (J8 is below the Cache SRAM sockets) Then,
solder a piece of wire between pins 2 and 3 of J8.
5. Set the DIP switches appropriately. The DIP switches needing to be
set are SW1-7 and SW1-8, they control the cache size. SW1-7 should be
OFF for 64k, ON for 16k. SW1-8 should be ON.
Reversing these changes is fairly easy. If you decide that the
performance change was detrimental, simply desolder the wires that you
installed, and solder in wires to replace the traces that were cut.
I found that the split cache sped up my system notably, especially
under the Finder and other desktop applications. Improvement was much
less noticeable under text applications. (I haven't checked affect on
compiling speed, yet.)
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
I tried the split-cache mod on my 10MHz/64kB ZipGSx. Before/after
timings were done for several tasks including Scrolls through Finder
windows, Scrolls and Find/Replace through Coolwriter (super-res) and
Appleworks (plain text) documents, and Platinum Paint fills.
Timing differences were very small-- usually within the error
normally experienced when clicking a stopwatch for repetitions of
identical events. Where a difference was observable, it favored the
unified 64kB cache.
Evidently, at least on a 64kB board, the ZipGS does a fairly good
job of managing the unified cache. Possibly, the mod comes out ahead in
some tasks not sampled; or, it may work better on 16kB boards.
____________________________
From: Richard Der
013- I have a 7MHz ZipGS. How fast can the board be pushed without
getting new SRAMs or a new CPU? What parts do I need?
You may be able to get it to run at up to 10MHz by just replacing
the oscillator with a faster one for less than two dollars!
I have a Zip GS that came as a 7/32 and was used at 7MHz for a long
time. The board came with a socketed oscillator, so one day I swapped
out the 28MHz oscillator for a 36MHz one. The computer booted up at
9MHz. When the 36MHz osc was replaced with a 40MHz osc, the Zip ran at
an amazing 10MHz!
Your mileage may vary, though. The GS that this upgraded Zip
resides in has a high output power supply. Still, considering these
oscillators cost $1.39 each, it is worth getting three or four and
trying an oscillator swap alone first. If a faster oscillator alone
won't do the trick, then a faster CPU and/or faster cache chips may be
necessary.
Good Luck!
____________________________
From: Frank M. Lin
014- What Oscillator freq corresponds to what TWGS/ZipGS
operating speed?
For TWGS and ZipGS, the crystal oscillators runs at 4 times the
speed of the 65816. Below is a chart showing osc and corresponding TWGS
or ZipGS speed.
Osc Frequency MHz TWGS/ZipGS Speed MHz
32 8
33.3333 8.3333
36 9
40 10
42 10.5
46 11.5
48 12
50 12.5
55 13.75
60 15
My understanding is that, if you over-clock a CPU. It just won't
function. You can't damage it. As the disclaimer said, do it at your
own risk. I have tried to run my TWGS at 20 MHz, system won't boot at
all. No damage.
----------------------------
015- How do I experiment with different oscillator frequencies?
Most of the following is from a piece on ZipGS upgrading by Long.
It is also a useful guide for TWGS owners.
The Zip can use three types of crystals including the common 4-pin
full TTL crystal oscillator, 4-pin 1/2 TTL crystal oscillator (also used
on TWGS) and 2-pin crystal (little metal canister about 1/4 the size of
1/2 TTL). To be able to use a 2-pin crystal, your Zip must have a
resistor at R1 and capacitors at C13 and C14. I've found these three
parts to be missing from current Zips. No big loss since 2-pin crystals
are less common and are only available up to a certain frequency.
For experimenting with different frequencies it makes it easier if
you install a socket for the crystal oscillator. It's also a good idea
to secure the module with one of those zip tie bands. Only 6 of the 14
pins are used (picture A). The ground (GND) pins 1, 4 and 7 are
connected together. The power pins 11 and 14 are connected together.
Full TTL crystal oscillators use pins 1, 7, 8 and 14 (refer to picture
B). 1/2 TTL crystal oscillators use the bottom four pins (4, 7, 8 and
14; picture C). Make sure it's oriented correctly with the corner
(usually with a dot printed next to it) at about 11 o'clock.
*WARNING* The crystal oscillator will be damaged if installed
incorrectly.
_______
GND 1 o o 14 POWER 1 |o \ 14
NC x x NC | |
NC x x NC | FULL | ______
GND 4 o o 11 POWER | TTL | 4 |o \ 14
NC x x NC | | | 1/2 |
NC x x NC | | | TTL |
GND 7 o o 8 CLOCK 7 \______/ 8 7 \_____/ 8
(A) (B) (C)
x - no connection (NC)
----------------------------
016- How do I modify my ZipGS to accept the new "skinny" RAM chips?
With a little modification you can make a Zip with wide sockets
accept both the wide (600 mil) and the newer 300 mil skinny 32k x 8
Static RAMs (SRAMs). Ground yourself then carefully pry out the static
rams. Look at the socket and you will notice two or three horizontal
bars holding both sides of the socket together (Picture D). Carefully
snip those out (wire cutters work well for snipping plastic). This will
expose a column of holes. Now, solder in half of a socket.
Refer to Picture E below. Plug your skinny SRAMs into the left and
center columns making sure the notch on the static ram is facing up--
i.e. toward top edge of board. (Applying power with a chip incorrectly
socketed could damage the chip.)
CUT
___ ___________ Skinny RAMs plug in here
| | | | notched end facing up.
____ ____ _ _ _
|o __V__ o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o|__o__|o| |o| |o| |o|
|o _____ o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o|__o__|o| |o| |o| |o|
|o _____ o| |o| |o| |o|
(D) (E)
-----------------------------
017- Is it really necessary to increase board voltage
to do a TWGS/ZipGS speedup?
With the new 14 MHz parts, you should not need to mess with the
voltage at all. It _may_ be necessary to increase voltage at 15-16MHz
and will likely be necessary at higher frequencies (e.g. 20MHz).
-----------------------------
018- If I do a TWGS/ZipGS speedup mod, what kind of performance
increase can I expect?
This is just to give you a rough estimate of how much faster you might
be able to achieve...
BenchMark v5.0 results:
CPU Stock TWGS TWGS TWGS Zip Zip Zip
Version ROM 01 1.8s 1.8s 1.8s 1.0.2 1.0.2 1.0.2
Cache/Spd 32k/15 32k/15 32k/15 64k/?? 64k/?? 64k/??
Clock Spd 2.8 15 13.75 12.5 16 15 14
======= ====== ====== ====== ====== ====== ======
Sieve 410.00 99.00 108.00 117.00 98.00 99.00 110.00
String 1151.20 270.00 292.00 303.67 259.00 262.00 282.00
Float 1 472.00 92.33 87.00 111.33 123.00 128.00 135.00
Float 2 1535.00 317.00 394.00 381.67 395.00 415.00 432.00
Fibinacci 2006.00 605.00 634.00 645.33 507.00 523.00 548.00
Integer 1553.40 307.00 330.00 346.67 420.00 431.00 443.00
Dhrystone 236 1136 1063 1000 NA NA NA
* 1351 1183 1282 NA NA
* Dhrystone v1.1 re-compiled under ORCA/C v2.0.1
System Software 5.0 QuickDraw II improvement test:
Stock //gs: 5648 ticks
TWGS 15 MHz: 1332 ticks (over 4x faster than stock)
If you look at the numbers, a 12 MHz or faster TWGS/Zip will make
everything just about 4x faster than a stock //gs.
____________________________
From: Scott G.
019- How can I modify my ZipGS for more cache and more speed?
The process described below is very simple. It aims for a speed of
12.5MHz (or better) with 64k cache.
First, you will need one of the new Western Design Center 14MHz
65C816's. Alltech Electronics stocks the WDC65C816-14MHz for $20.
Students, teachers, and professors can order the IC in single quantities
directly from WDC for around $7.
Adaptors: Nearly all of the newer, faster 32k x 8 SRAMs are in
skinny 300-mil packages. If you would rather not modify your ZipGS for
the skinny SRAMs, Digi-Key stocks 300-mil to 600-mil adapter sockets for
about $7 each. The ones you want are part number A502-ND. You can plug
a 28 pin SRAM into the 300-mil adapter socket and the adapter in turn
plugs into the 600-mil socket on the Zip. (If you have some spare
sockets lying around, you can build your own cheap, but that's another
story.)
2-4 32k x 8 SRAM chips: There are many sources for 32k x 8 SRAMs
and several types that will work. I got mine (HM62832-15, $5 each) from
JDR Microdevices. You'll want 15ns in the Tag RAM sockets. Up to around
12.5MHz, you want 70ns or faster Data RAM. If current cache size is 64k,
your old TAG RAM chips will, usually, work as Data RAM and can be
transferred to the Data sockets. Otherwise, go ahead and get two
25ns-35ns 32k x 8 SRAM chips for the Data RAM.
Data RAM should always be slower than Tag RAM. Barry Rees posted
his experiences on this matter (that Data should be significantly slower
than Tag) and I found that the original Tag chips were fast enough.
A "full size" oscillator module: Digi-Key, JDR, Mouser, ... have
these. Divide oscillator speed by four to get Zip speed. JDR has the
OSC50.0 (50MHz oscillator), which will make a 12.5MHz Zip. The
oscillators are cheap enough to get two or three for experimenting with
higher speeds.
So, you just plug your Tag and Data RAM chips into the Digi-Key
adapters and plug the adapters into the Tag and Data sockets of the Zip.
Then, you install the new 65C816 and oscillator and make sure DIP switch
1-7 and 1-8 are both set OFF (for 64k cache). That's it, done completely
without soldering.
ZipGS boards vary. On some you may be able to go above 12.5MHz by
just plugging in a faster oscillator. On others, you may have to choose
between getting faster Data RAM or settling for a lower speed. The new
65C816 is rated for 16MHz and many users have gone to 14MHz and above.
For speeds above 12.5MHz, the usual recommendation is to get Data RAM
rated at 35ns or better.
For a step-by-step guide, download my ZipUpgrade.SHK HyperCard
stack at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/apple16/Hypermedia/Hypercard/ .
----------------------------
020- Do I need new GALs to speed up my TransWarpGS?
Not any more. The new 14MHz 65C816's available from WDC make it
unnecessary to swap in new GAL chips to go to higher speeds.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
021- I have an 8kB TransWarpGS. How does a cache upgrade compare
with a speed upgrade?
John Link charted some comparisons in 1991 involving nine setups:
no-TWGS, and 7, 8, 9, 10mHz boards before and after the 8kB-to-32kB
cache upgrade. He used three benchmarks:
1. time to calculate page breaks in a 218-page Appleworks document
2. time to scroll through a 39-page Awks-GS document
3. time to compile 4800 lines of MD-BASIC source code
For a 7mHz 8kB TWGS, the speed gain for the 32kB cache upgrade is
roughly 33% to nearly x2.5 plain GS speed.
For a 10mHz 8kB TWGS, the speed gain for the 32kB cache upgrade is
roughly 33% to about x3.25 plain GS speed.
His charts shows that a 7mHz TWGS with the 32kB cache performs
slightly better than a 10mHz TWGS with 8kB cache on tests 1 and 3; it is
a bit slower on test 2.
----------------------------
022- How can I upgrade my TWGS to 32k cache?
SHH Systeme ( http://users.ids.net/~kerwood/shh.html ), a German
company, sells the cache upgrade piggyback board in various states of
'do-it-yourself' readiness. The ready-to-go version is $69 (+ $14 S&H).
It includes three 32K cache RAMs (62256-15 or equivalent) and can
support speed upgrades to 14MHz or better.
SHH does not automatically include the firmware ROM. If your
firmware version is not v1.7 or v1.8, you will also need to order the
v1.8 EPROM which SHH sells for $12.
----------------------------
023- How can I upgrade TWGS speed?
The process is very similar to that described earlier for the
ZipGS. That is, you swap in a new 14MHz 65C816, a higher speed
oscillator module, and, possibly, faster 32k x 8 SRAM chips.
As with ZipGS, TransWarpGS speed = Osc Speed divided by 4. One
difference is that the TransWarpGS oscillator module is of the
"half-size" kind. Another is that, if RAM is upgraded, the usual
practice is for all three to have the same speed rating. If you do the
SHH cache upgrade, there should be no need to worry about replacing
SRAM.
According to a 1992 Appleworks Forum article by John Link, you can
get to 12.5MHz with the new 65C816, a 50MHz oscillator, and 35ns SRAM.
Higher speeds would require faster SRAM. (The article mentions that
increasing power supply voltage to 5.5V allowed operation at 13.75MHz
with a 55MHz oscillator and 35ns SRAM; but, that malfunctions began to
occur after 2 hours.)
TransWarpGS boards vary just as do ZipGS boards. Some can be pushed
to higher speeds than others. If you decide to do a speed upgrade, get
two or three oscillators to allow for some experimentation.
For a step-by-step guide, download Scott G's TWGSupgrade.SHK.
HyperCard stack at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/apple16/Hypermedia/Hypercard/ .
---------------------------
024- What kind of RAMs do I need for a TWGS or ZipGS speedup?
You need fast 32k x 8 Static RAM in a 28-pin Dip package. If your
RAM sockets are "skinny" (about as fat as a typical 74xx TTL IC), you
want a 300-mil wide package. Otherwise, you will need a 600-mil wide IC
or a socket adaptor for 300-mil (or do the socket mods described earlier
in this FAQ).
Fast 600-mil package 32k x 8 SRAMs are fairly rare. However, the
IDT71256 is supposed to be available at good speeds (25ns-40ns) in a
600-mil version from Integrated Device Technology.
The selection of 300-mil 32k x 8 SRAMs is much larger: Cypress's
CY7C199, Hitachi's HM62256, ... .
____________________________
From: Sandy
025- How can I tell the firmware version of my TWGS?
With the IIGS turned on, press CONTROL-Apple-ESCAPE And go to the
Transwarp CDA The ROM version will be displayed on the screen.
____________________________
From: Mitch Spector
026- Do I need I need the 2B GAL for my Transwarp-GS to use a
SCSI interface? If I do, where can I get one?
The TWGS-2B GAL was a DMA fix Applied Engineering issued for the
board. It is an absolute requirement for Transwarp to work at all with
at least some RamFAST SCSI boards (e.g. the revision C boards).
With Applied Engineering long since out of business and the GAL
virtually impossible to duplicate by convential means, that leaves no
good source for replacement GALs. I found it much more affordable (and
less hassle) to just purchase a used TransWarp GS board with the 2B GAL
to replace your old one.
----------------------------
From: Supertimer
RamFAST revision D does not require the 2B GAL. The Apple High
Speed SCSI card works with all TransWarps GS units.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
027- When I change my ZipGS's Speed, Misc, and Slot settings via
the Zip CDA, they are always lost after turning OFF the GS.
What's wrong? Do I need a new BatRAM battery?
No. The reason the settings are forgotten is that they are not
saved in BatRAM or on-disk. ZipGS settings made via the Zip CDA or via
the Zip Control Panel are only in effect for the current session of
computing.
----------------------------
028- What do the check-marks mean next to settings in the ZipGS
CDA? Are they original factory settings or what?
More like "or what". The check-marks indicate the settings of the
DIP switches on your ZipGS board.
----------------------------
029- After installing my ZipGS along with the ZipGS CDA and other
software I've noticed that my ZipGS settings never seem to
match the ones I originally set via the on-board DIP
switches!?
There are two likely explanations. One is that your interpretation
of the settings is confused due to the rather poor explanations provided
in the Zip on-disk HyperStudio 'manual'. It does not help that
names/descriptions of the settings are not quite the same in the
'manual' and in the CDA or NDA.
For info on setting your on-board DIP switches, see question 001.
Another possibility is that when you installed the ZipGS software,
you installed ZipInit in your SYSTEM/SYSTEM.SETUP folder. If you did,
then whatever settings ZipInit is set up for will be the settings for
your ZipGS after booting. That is, ZipInit will over-ride your DIP
switch settings.
ZipInit is intended for use on diskettes which, when booted, will
set up the ZipGS in some special way to match the software on the
diskette. For example, you might want to turn OFF the ZipGS or reduce
its speed when booting an arcade games diskette.
The cure for unwanted influence from ZipInit is to delete it from
your SYSTEM/SYSTEM.SETUP folder.
----------------------------
030- I have a ZipGS. Usually, it runs like a champ; but, sometimes
when I power-ON my GS, I get an all-white screen and the computer
just 'hangs'. What's going on?
It may be that your ZipGS card is not making good contact in its
Slot socket. This is a fairly nasty problem which has led users to
pursue a number of false cures.
With power OFF, pull your ZipGS board and inspect the
bottom-of-card connectors. What you will, most likely, notice is that
the connector traces end approximately 1/8 inch or so from the bottom of
the card.
Unfortunately, the GS Slot sockets make contact rather near the
bottom of cards plugged into them-- roughly 1/8 inch or so from the
bottom. The reason your GS sometimes hangs is that, sometimes, the ZipGS
card is not making good contact with all Slot connectors.
One 'cure' is to make sure the ZipGS card's contacts are clean and
that the card is thoroughly plugged in-- i.e. well lined-up with Slot
contacts and inserted as far as it will go into the Slot socket.
A mildly tricky additional step is to use a small jeweller's
screwdriver to reach into the Slot socket and _carefully_
twist/pull/bend-out each contact very slightly (naturally, with power
OFF). You do not want any contact to normally touch a contact across
from it.
Whatever, if your GS starts okay and does not exhibit the same kind
of hanging in the future, you know that the ZipGS card is well socketed.
A more permanent, reliable cure is one _not_ recommended for
someone without experience working on circuit boards: You find a better
Slot connector socket-- one with gold contacts which touch plugged-in
cards higher up and with circuit board connections which will fit into
the original holes-- and replace the connector. This is a _very_ tricky
replacement which requires careful de-soldering of the original Slot
socket, cleaning of contact holes, and soldering-on the new socket-- all
without burning the circuit board or slicing traces on either side.
Actually, slicing traces is okay, IF you are prepared to repair the
damage. (Yes; I did this replacement on our GS. It works; but, If I had
known what a hassle it would be, I probably would never have done it!)
----------------------------
031- Ever since my accelerator speed upgrade it seems like my GS is
always experiencing random system crashes. What's the problem
and how can I fix it?
When a GS equipped with an accelerator experiences frequent crashes
into the monitor after a speed upgrade, the usual explanations are ...
1. the accelerator is over-clocked for the microprocessor or RAM;
2. there are serious noise spikes on the Slot power lines.
If you are 'pushing' your current RAM or using an old 65C816, you
can upgrade to faster chips or swap in a slower oscillator.
Often, the problem will be noise spikes related to increased
current load and/or increased sensitivity to noise related to faster
clocking. See the POWER FAQs (CSA2POWER.TXT) for Power Supply and
motherboard mods which should help.
----------------------------
032- I added a new accelerator board to my Apple and now my
system is constantly bombing. What's the problem and how
can I fix it?
Most likely, the accelerator board's current load has led to
increased noise on the +5V bus. See the POWER FAQs (CSA2POWER.TXT) for
Power Supply and motherboard mods which should help.
Rubywand
Apple II Applications
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2APPLICS.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
001- What Operating System environments does the GS support?
002- What GS programs are there for viewing/converting graphics?
003- What's up with IIgs emulation on the Mac?
004- What is a good file copier program for the IIgs?
005- Where can I find PEEKs & POKEs and monitor routine info?
006- Where/how can I get new Levels for Wolfenstein-3D/gs?
007- Can I do Reverse Speech on my IIgs?
008- Is it possible to run PaintWorks from hard disk?
009- How can I read a single ProDOS block into memory under BASIC?
010- Is there an Apple II program for ham radio CW code practice?
011- Can my GS do file sharing with a Mac's hard drive?
012- How can I use a Mac as a network server with my GS?
013- How can I set up an Appletalk network for 30 IIgs's
014- How can I capture a GS super-res screen to disk?
015- What programming languages are available for the Apple ][?
016- What's the difference between an Apple ][, a II, and a //?
017- How do I save a BASIC program in ASCII text form?
018- Where and how do I get System 6.0.1 from an ftp site?
019- Is a graphical user interface (GUI) available for 8-bit A2's?
020- Is there a manual somewhere on creating BASIC shape tables?
021- How can I get a Postscript file from a GS document?
022- How can I boot from my /RAM5 RAMdisk?
From: Rubywand
001- What Operating System environments does the GS support?
The GS can support several. Some of the more popular OS
environments include ...
DOS 3.3- usually Beagle's Prontodos or some other speeded version of the
original DOS 3.3. This is the 5.25" diskette-based disk operating system
used for years on earlier Apple II's. It's commands are designed for use
from BASIC programs or from the keyboard. Many old Apple II games and
other wares are on 5.25" diskettes which boot DOS 3.3.
ProDOS 8- e.g. ProDOS v2.0.3. This is a disk operating system which
supports a variety of devices (e.g. 3.5" drives, hard drives, etc.) and
allows sub-directories. Commands are very similar to DOS 3.3 and are
designed for use in BASIC programs or from the keyboard. BASIC and
'system' programs can also utilize direct CALLs to well-defined ProDOS
Machine Language Interface routines.
Apple Pascal- This is an early 1980's implementation of USCD Pascal
which can run on 40-column and 80-column Apple II's.
GS/OS- Originally called "ProDOS 16", today's installed GS/OS will
usually be System 5.04 or System 6.0.1. System 5.04 is appropriate for
1MB or smaller non-hard disk GS's. System 6.0.1 is recommended for
larger memory GS's with a hard disk. GS/OS is the desktop, Windows-like
environment utilizing super-res displays. Both ProDOS 8 programs and 'GS
Applications' (i.e. wares that need GS/OS to run) can be started from
the desktop. The program which runs the desktop is usually called the
"Finder".
____________________________
From: Dan DeMaggio and Rubywand
002- What GS programs are there for viewing/converting graphics?
The Graphics Exchange converts between many formats of graphics.
816 Paint's File Utilities work well for converting hires or
double-hires pics to GS super-res.
Prizm v1.0 Converts .GIFs, Amiga IFFs, Raw Files, and some other types
to Greyscale (very fast), 16 colors, 256 colors, and 3200 colors!
SuperConvert (now at version 4) loads all GS formats, plus GIFS and
other non-GS specific formats and saves in all GS formats including
Finder Icon files. It has more dithering options than most of the other
programs, but you may have to play with it to find the best one.
Platinum Paint is a commercial program that can import all GS formats
plus MacPaint. It can only save in SHR and Apple Preferred. Version 2.0
can make Animations too!
ShowPic 6 is a shareware NDA that can display most GS formats. You can
also save the resulting graphic as a IIgs SHR painting.
SuperPac is a commercial program which can create/display SuperPac
format compressed pics and pic pieces
Dream Grafix supports all 3200 color picture types and also 16 color and
256 color pictures. This is a very impressive commercial paint program.
Convert 3200 will handle several popular PC and Mac formats in up to 256
colors.
Jpeg.Viewer can be used to view JPEG images in black & white.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
003- What's up with IIgs emulation on the Mac?
At present, there are three major GS-on-Mac emulators. Most of the
info presented below comes from ...
http://www.emulation.net/apple2/index.html
Bernie ][ The Rescue
>>
Bernie ][ The Rescue (formerly Fast Eddie) is the most promising
source of Apple IIgs emulation. Bernie ][ The Rescue is a third-party
product delivering completely accurate IIgs emulation via a low-level
emulator implementation ("emulating metal"). It's fast, stable and runs
almost every Apple IIgs software program effortlessly. It's also very
useful as an Apple II emulator, since the IIgs was backwards compatible
with the older Apple II series.
Bernie ][ the Rescue is also the only IIgs emulator which can run
Wolfenstein 3D ....
<<
ref. Andre Horstmann and Henrik Gudat, authors of Bernie ][ The Rescue
http://www.magnet.ch/emutech/Bernie/index.html
XGS-Mac
>>
XGS is a port of a Unix-based Apple IIgs emulator, which is free
and in the public domain. It includes tools for conversion of DSK and
DiskCopy disk images, and should work well with most Apple IIgs
applications.
XGS has definitely improved from its first incarnation. Ensoniq
support works suprisingly well in a number of titles, and the disk image
conversion process has been made much easier. The GS Finder boots up
very well under XGS, although not quite as quickly as Bernie (which has
been tuned for PowerPC, unlike XGS, a more portable application).
<<
ref. Joshua M. Thompson, author of XGS and Michael Bytnar, who ported
XGS to Macintosh.
http://www.jurai.org/~funaho/emulators/XGS/
http://classicgaming.com/xgsdos/
http://www.cen.uiuc.edu/~m-bytnar/XGS-Mac/
GUS
>>
Gus is an Apple IIgs emulator for Power Macintoshes. It is an Apple
project that many feel is a great Apple IIgs emulation package.
Currently, Apple is giving away copies of Gus to schools who will sign a
non-disclosure agreement.
<<
http://www.apple.com/ (good luck!)
Since Bernie appears to be the current GS-on-Mac front-runner, here
is some additional information from the F.E.Systems EmuTech web site:
>>
Bernie is the result of a major engineering effort. Optimized for Power
Macintosh. computers, Bernie combines compatibility and speed in an
easy-to-use package. This unique software-only emulator coexists with
MacOS. and runs virtually any Apple II and 16-bit Apple IIGS software.
In both the MacOS. and Apple II world, Bernie is a reliable tool that
gets your job done - on the Mac but still using your favorite software:
AppleWorks. Classic, AppleWorks. GS, GraphicWriter as well as hundreds
of other applications, games and tools. ....
Bernie's core module is a speedy 65816 emulator running at speeds far
beyond that of a stock Apple IIgs (approx. 6 Mhz on 601/66Mhz machines,
well beyond 25Mhz on high-end Macs).
Bernie is distributed as shareware. For a fee of $25, you can register
your copy and acquire a license for forthcoming versions 1.x for the
Macintosh.
<<
____________________________
From: Mitchell Spector
004- I'd like to have a program for my //gs that can perhaps do more
reliable file copies than Finder does, especially in the case
of a damaged floppy. Any suggestions?
I would recommend either ZZCopy or Photonix II, both are freeware
and do a very quick and reliable job at duplicating 3.5 floppies (the
former even works with 400K MFS and 800K HFS Macintosh disks). Either of
the two programs work around damaged sectors on disks.
____________________________
From: kbu...@pts.mot.com and David Empson
005- I'd like to do some 'serious' Apple II programming. Where can I
find a information about soft switches (i.e. "PEEKs & POKEs"),
monitor routines, and standard names used for these?
Most of the names (assembler "equate" names) are listed in pairs, and
the comment on the first one often represents what the second actually
does, but refers to with what function the softswitch pair are
associated.
SOFTSWITCHES
KEYBOARD = $C000 ;keyboard data (latched) (Read)
Bit 7 is set to indicate a keypress is waiting, with the ASCII
code in bits 6-0.
CLR80STORE = $C000 ;use 80-column memory mapping (Write)
SET80STORE = $C001 ; (WR-only)
CLRAUXRD = $C002 ;read from auxilliary 48K (WR-only)
SETAUXRD = $C003 ; (WR-only)
CLRAUXWR = $C004 ;write to auxilliary 48K (WR-only)
SETAUXWR = $C005 ; (WR-only)
CLRCXROM = $C006 ;use external slot ROM (WR-only)
SETCXROM = $C007 ; (WR-only)
CLRAUXZP = $C008 ;use aux ZP, stack, & LC (WR-only)
SETAUXZP = $C009 ; (WR-only)
CLRC3ROM = $C00A ;use external slot C3 ROM (WR-only)
SETC3ROM = $C00B ; (WR-only)
CLR80VID = $C00C ;use 80-column display mode (WR-only)
SET80VID = $C00D ; (WR-only)
CLRALTCH = $C00E ;use alt character set ROM (WR-only)
SETALTCH = $C00F ; (WR-only)
STROBE = $C010 ;clear bit 7 of keyboard data ($C000)
If read, it also provides an "any key down" flag in bit 7, with
the keycode in the remaining bits. (These features only apply to
the IIe and later machines.)
Bit seven of these "RD..." locations is 1 if the condition is true
RDLCBNK2 = $C011 ;reading from LC bank $Dx 2
RDLCRAM = $C012 ;reading from LC RAM
RDRAMRD = $C013 ;reading from auxilliary 48K
RDRAMWR = $C014 ;writing to auxilliary 48K
RDCXROM = $C015 ;using external slot ROM
RDAUXZP = $C016 ;using auxilliary ZP, stack, & LC
RDC3ROM = $C017 ;using external slot C3 ROM
RD80COL = $C018 ;using 80-column memory mapping
RDVBLBAR = $C019 ;not VBL (VBL signal low)
RDTEXT = $C01A ;using text mode
RDMIXED = $C01B ;using mixed mode
RDPAGE2 = $C01C ;using text/graphics page2
RDHIRES = $C01D ;using Hi-res graphics mode
RDALTCH = $C01E ;using alternate character set ROM
RD80VID = $C01F ;using 80-column display mode
TAPEOUT = $C020 ;toggle the cassette output.
SPEAKER = $C030 ;toggle speaker diaphragm
STROBE = $C040 ;generate .5 uS low pulse @ Game pin 5
If read, you get one half-microsecond low pulse on the Game I/O
STROBE pin; if write, you get two pulses. (IIe and ][+ only, not
available on the IIgs).
CLRTEXT = $C050 ;display graphics
SETTEXT = $C051 ;display text
CLRMIXED = $C052 ;enable full graphics
SETMIXED = $C053 ;enable graphics/text mixed mode
PAGE1 = $C054 ;select text/graphics page1
PAGE2 = $C055 ;select text/graphics page2
See IIe, IIc, IIgs manual for details on how these switches
affect 80-col bank selection.
CLRHIRES = $C056 ;select Lo-res
SETHIRES = $C057 ;select Hi-res
SETAN0 = $C058 ;Set annunciator-0 output to 0
CLRAN0 = $C059 ;Set annunciator-0 output to 1
SETAN1 = $C05A ;Set annunciator-1 output to 0
CLRAN1 = $C05B ;Set annunciator-1 output to 1
SETAN2 = $C05C ;Set annunciator-2 output to 0
CLRAN2 = $C05D ;Set annunciator-2 output to 1
SETAN3 = $C05E ;Set annunciator-3 output to 0
CLRAN3 = $C05F ;Set annunciator-3 output to 1
Note: "0" is near 0V, "1" is near 5V.
SETDHIRES = $C05E ;if IOUDIS Set, turn on double-hires
CLRDHIRES = $C05F ;if IOUDIS Set, turn off double-hires
TAPEIN or = $C060 ;bit 7 = data from cassette on Apple II,
PB3 II+, IIe. On IIgs bit 7 reflects the
status of Game Port Pushbutton 3--
closed= 1. (read)
OPNAPPLE = $C061 ;open apple (command) key data (read)
CLSAPPLE = $C062 ;closed apple (option) key data (read)
These are actually the first two game Pushbutton inputs (PB0
and PB1) which are borrowed by the Open Apple and Closed Apple
keys. Bit 7 is set (=1) in these locations if the game switch or
corresponding key is pressed.
PB2 = $C063 ;game Pushbutton 2 (read)
This input has an option to be connected to the shift key on
the keyboard. (See info on the 'shift key mod'.)
PADDLE0 = $C064 ;bit 7 = status of pdl-0 timer (read)
PADDLE1 = $C065 ;bit 7 = status of pdl-1 timer (read)
PADDLE2 = $C066 ;bit 7 = status of pdl-2 timer (read)
PADDLE3 = $C067 ;bit 7 = status of pdl-3 timer (read)
PDLTRIG = $C070 ;trigger paddles
Read this to start paddle countdown, then time the period until
$C064-$C067 bit 7 becomes set to determine the paddle position.
This takes up to three milliseconds if the paddle is at its maximum
extreme (reading of 255 via the standard firmware routine).
SETIOUDIS = $C07E ;enable DHIRES & disable $C058-5F (W)
CLRIOUDIS = $C07E ;disable DHIRES & enable $C058-5F (W)
For WR-enable LC RAM, the softswitch REQUIRES two successive reads
$C080 ;RD LC RAM bank2, WR-protect LC RAM
ROMIN = $C081 ;RD ROM, WR-enable LC RAM
$C082 ;RD ROM, WR-protect LC RAM
LCBANK2 = $C083 ;RD LC RAM bank2, WR-enable LC RAM
$C088 ;RD LC RAM bank1, WR-protect LC RAM
$C089 ;RD ROM, WR-enable LC RAM
$C08A ;RD ROM, WR-protect LC RAM
LCBANK1 = $C08B ;RD LC RAM bank1, WR-enable LC RAM
$C084-$C087 are echoes of $C080-$C083
$C08C-$C08F are echoes of $C088-$C08B
Bank 1 and Bank 2 here are the 4K banks at $D000-$DFFF. The
remaining area from $E000-$FFFF is the same for both
sets of switches.
CLRC8ROM = $CFFF ;disable Slot card C8 ROM
Reading any location from $Cn00-$CnFF (where n is the Slot) will
enable the $C800-$CFFF area for that card, if the card supports
this feature. Reading $CFFF disables this area for all cards.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Example: To enable double Hi-res graphics, the following code will
accomplish this:
STA SETHIRES
STA SETAN3
STA CLRMIXED
STA CLRTEXT
JSR $C300
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
You can find listings of Apple II soft switches and popular monitor
routines in a manual for your computer-- e.g. the Apple II Reference
Manual (for II and II+), the IIe Technical Reference Manual, the Apple
IIgs Firmware Reference Manual, etc..
An excellent guide to many PEEKs & POKEs and monitor routines is
the famous "Peeks, Pokes, and Pointers" poster from Beagle Bros (early
1980's). A fairly exhaustive guide to important memory locations in the
Apple II is What's Where in the Apple II: An Atlas to the Apple Computer
by William Luebbert (1981).
With very few exceptions, soft switches, monitor routines, and
important vectors have remained stable since early Apple II models. So,
although an old chart or listing may be missing some which are available
on a newer Apple II, the ones shown will almost always work.
____________________________
From: Dan Masterson
006- Where/how can I get new Levels for Wolfenstein-3D/gs?
You can find a whole bunch of levels at Sheppy's site. They are Mac
levels that you'll have to run through the converter, but they are in
Apple II friendly ShrinkIt format rather than Stuffit.
---------------------------
From: Rubywand
A good place to look for the new Mac-to-GS converter utility is
ftp://ftp.sheppyware.net/pub/apple_iigs/ . The new converter utility is
shareware named WolfCvt101.bxy. The same folder contains a Wolf
scenarios folder. It has a few ready-to-play Levels.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
007- Can I do Reverse Speech on my IIgs?
Yes. Sound Studio and Sound Shop are two utilities which allow
loading and reversing sound samples.
(ref. David John Oates; http://www.reversespeech.com/)
-----------------------------
008- Is it possible to run PaintWorks from hard disk? Will it load
files from an HFS partition?
The Kzin Warrior published a block edit patch version in Computist
#73 which lets you do this, at least on a ROM-01 GS. Using ProSel's Zap
utility (also called "Block Warden") you search for $C9 08 00 D0 CE on
the PaintWorks Gold diskette or a copy. (I found these bytes in Block
$3D5 starting at byte $1DF.) Change the 08 to 7F and save the change.
Copy Paintworks.Gold and the PaintTools folder (with its contents)
to a folder on your hard disk.
The Patch allows you to to start PWG under System 6 and use most
PWG features. However, some Palette selection options will bomb the
program.
A few tests showed PWG will load files from an HFS partition.
----------------------------
009- How can I read a single ProDOS block into memory using
Applesoft BASIC?
After booting ProDOS, you can do a CALL-151 to enter the monitor
and type in ...
300: 4C 09 03 03 60 00 20 00 00 20 00 BF 80 03 03 85 FF 60
Do a CTRL-C to get back to the Applesoft prompt and enter ...
BSAVE PROZAP.BIN,A$300,L$20
The routine does a ProDOS Machine Language Interface CALL which
reads the block into $2000-$21FF. It saves the Error# in $FF.
300: 4C 09 03 start
303: 03 3 parms in this parms block
304: 60 unit # DSSS0000 Drv 1 (D=0) Slot 6 (SSS=110)
305: 00 20 buffer start
307: 00 00 block # Low, High ex: block 256 is 307: 00 01
309: 20 00 BF JSR to do MLI command
30C: 80 command (80 for READ BLOCK; 81 for WRITE BLOCK)
30D: 03 03 loc of parms block
30F: 85 FF save error # (00= no error)
311: 60 exit
A BASIC program could use the routine by POKE-ing the block # into
$307,$308 (775 and 776 in decimal) and doing a CALL768. The MLI command
code is POKEd into $30C (780). If a PEEK at address $FF (255) gives a
result of zero, there is no error.
100 LOMEM: 8704
105 REM Sets start of var space above $2000-$21FF buffer
110 TEXT: HOME: PRINT CHR$(4)"BLOAD PROZAP.BIN"
115 B= 2
120 REM Sets block to read/write (block 2)
125 C= 128
130 REM Sets MLI READ command ($80); MLI WRITE is 129 ($81)
135 BH= INT(B/256): BL= INT (B-256*BH)
140 POKE 775,BL: POKE 776,BH
145 REM POKEs block to read/write
150 POKE 780, C
155 REM POKEs MLI command
160 CALL 768
165 REM Does the block read/write
170 PRINT "BLOCK ";B
175 E= PEEK(255)
180 REM E= error number
185 IF E<1 THEN 195
190 PRINT "ERROR ";E;"!";CHR$(7)
195 END
After running the program for a BLOCK READ, the block contents
should be at $2000-21FF.
____________________________
From: Joseph M Barbey
010- Is there an Apple II program for amatuer radio CW code practice?
I have a such a program at home. It's called QSO Kid. It requires
a IIgs, and from what little I've used it, it seems like a really good
program.
____________________________
From: Gabriel Morales
011- Can I can use a Mac's hard drive with AppleTalk to do File
Sharing just like it was a drive directly connected to the GS?
You can. Be aware however that some software may not like to be
used over an AppleTalk system.
This is more likely to be an issue for ProDOS-8 programs. The main
problem under ProDOS-8 is with programs that insist on referring to
devices by unit number (or slot and drive). Network volumes do not have
a unit number.
Another issue is with filenames. GS/OS programs which assume
ProDOS naming conventions will have problems with AppleShare or HFS
volumes. ProDOS-8 programs have more problems: unless the file server
hard drive or shared folder (and all relevant subfolders and files) are
named using ProDOS-8 naming restrictions, then the files in question
cannot be accessed by ProDOS-8 programs on an Apple II client.
A third issue (with both GS/OS and ProDOS-8) is with programs that
bypass the file system calls and try to do block-level access to the
volume. This is not permitted for file server volumes. (Examples: Copy
II+, many functions in Prosel.)
One caveat: transmission is slow. Assuming an otherwise unused
network, you get about the speed of a 3.5" floppy.
____________________________
From: O Aaland
012- How can I use a Mac as a network server with my GS?
In order to use the Mac as a server with a useable system folder
you will have to have AppleShare version 3 running on the Mac. It sounds
like you are wanting to use a local boot disk on the GS and then log on
to the Mac to use tha Mac hard drive. This will work with file sharing
active on the Mac. The disk you need to make for the GS is a Network:
Local Startup and not a Network: Server Startup disk. When booting from
this disk you will be able to log on to the Mac and will be left in the
program launcher. There is not enough room on a 800k disk for the finder
along with the network files. I believe that you will also need to add
the HSF FST to your statup boot disk also because it is not put there in
the default install. Check in the drivers folder to be sure.
On the Mac set up a folder for the GS to use and turn on file
sharing. On the GS, from the launcher get into the finder on your system
disk and then copy the finder to the new folder on the Mac. Now you
should be able to reboot the GS and after logging on the Mac, from the
launcher, run the finder on the Mac hard drive. You will now return to
the Mac hard drive when you quit your GS applications. You can put both
applications and data files on the Mac and run them from there just like
it was a drive attached to the GS. The speed in about the same as
running from a 3 1/2 floppy, maybe a little faster. You are limited in
what you can put in your system because of the 800k disk but having the
finder on the Mac really helps.
If you can find a copy of AppleShare version 3 then you can boot
directly from the Mac without any disk on the GS and the system size can
be whatever the memory in the GS can handle.
____________________________
From: David Empson
013- How can I set up an Appletalk network for 30 IIgs's using a
donated LCII as a server? So far, I can get just 10 IIgs's
connected.
I assume you are using System 7.x File Sharing on the server? If so,
you've just discovered one of its inherent limits. Changing computers
will make no difference.
To be able to have more than ten clients, you will have to run the full
AppleShare server software.
If you use AppleShare version 3.0, the IIgses can even boot over the
network and won't require a local boot disk.
If you use AppleShare 4.0 or later, you lose the network boot
capability, but in theory the Apple IIgses should still be able to use
the server (I've never used anything later than 3.0).
You probably cannot run AppleShare 2.x on an LC III, because it only
runs under Mac System 6.x.
Apart from the number of users, the full AppleShare server adds many
useful features, such as administration tools, potentially acting as a
print server, and faster performance. It ties up more resources on the
machine than File Sharing.
AppleShare is commercial, but you might be able to get hold of a cheap
copy of version 3 from somewhere.
As far as the multiple server option goes: that should work fine. If
you have no need to communicate over the network between the servers, it
would be a good idea to break the network up into separate segments
(server and its block of clients). This will reduce confusion for the
users (seeing more than one server), and will improve network
performance.
In particular, note that LocalTalk is only intended to support a maximum
of 32 devices per network segment. If you want 30ish or more computers
on the same network, you should be using a router (which physically
separates the network segments).
____________________________
From: Rubywand
014- How can I capture a GS super-res screen to disk?
For super-res game screens and many other graphics displays an
ancient Classic Desk Accessory (CDA) known as "EA Screen Saver",
"SDUMP.EA", etc. works well. The CDA (named "ScrnCapEA.CDA") and a Text
info file have been uploaded to popular Apple II ftp sites. Look for a
.SHK file named "ScrnCap.SHK" or "ScrnCapEA.CDA.shk".
ScrnCapEA.CDA lets you capture game, etc. 320 or 640 mode graphic
screens as standard type $C1 GS unpacked Screen files which can be
loaded by Platinum Paint and many other GS utilities. To use the CDA to
capture a screen, you must be able to access the Desk Accessories menu
via the usual OpenApple-Control-Escape keypress.
Supertimer mentioned Clipit. This is a very nice capture New Desk
Accessory (NDA) which lets you grab a part or all of many super-res
displays, including desktop displays. The grabbed display is saved to
the Clipboard. You can get the pic from the Clipboard onto a Platinum
Paint work screen by going to Platinum Paint and doing a Paste.
A limitation of Clipit and similar NDA's is that you must be able
to get to the 'Apple' menu or some NDA activation list or, if there is
one, activate a 'Hot Key'. Also, these NDA's generally limit your grab
to the Clipboard. Usually, this means you end up with just one pic per
game, etc. session.
Games and other programs which shut off access to interrupts will,
often, be a problem. You will usually not be able to get to the Desk
Accessories menu and any screen capture 'Hot Key' keypresses will be
ignored. Usually, the 'Apple Menu' is not available, so screen capture
NDA's you use via the menu will not be available, either. Sometimes,
these programs include a built-in screen save feature; otherwise,
capturing a screen will take special measures.
One way to capture most otherwise un-grabbable super-res screens is
via a ProDOS-8 super-res utility which can save the super-res screen.
The utility must be one which does not, itself, change the super-res
screen upon startup (e.g. Nibble's SuperPac or a save/disp program you
write yourself).
Make sure your Startup Slot is set to Slot 5. Start the game, etc.
as usual. At some point insert a bootable ProDOS-8 diskette with the
super-res disp/save utility into Slot 5, Drive 1. When you see the
display you want to grab (and you are sure no Disk writes are occuring)
do an OpenApple-CTRL-Reset boot, start the disp/save program and save
the screen. Obviously, a disadvantage of this approach is that you get
kicked out of whatever game, etc. you are running at the time of the
boot.
----------------------------
From: TWS
You can get the ScreenPrint NDA, and save the screen to a file, or
print it out.
----------------------------
From: Mitchell Spector
In addition to several CDA's and NDA's, you might want to try
Ninjaforce's PicRipper program (useful for games and demos that lock out
interrupts, rendering any desk accessories useless). It can grab
Super-Hi-Res images still in memory and save them to disk. It is
available at: http://www.ninjaforce.home.ml.org .
----------------------------
From: Boris Guenter
Try the SHR Capture CDA which allows you to enter the Control Panel
and save as many screen pictures as you want. For programs which disable
the Control Panel, you will need PicRipper2 or Antic's PicSaver,
however.
Most of the screen capture programs mentioned here can be
downloaded from Uni-kl.de at ...
ftp://ftp.uni-kl.de/pub/apple2/gs/graphics/screensavers
or
ftp://ftp.uni-kl.de/pub/apple2/gs/graphics/misc .
____________________________
From: Rubywand
015- What programming languages are available for the Apple ][?
Quite a few, including Apple Integer BASIC, Applesoft BASIC, MD
BASIC, ..., the BASIC-like MacroSoft from MicroSparc, a beta version of
Apple's GS BASIC, and the new (1998) Byte Works GS BASIC! Users who want
to speed up their AppleSoft programs can use a BASIC compiler such as
TASC or Einstein.
Other Apple II languages are Apple Fortran, USCD Pascal, Orca
(ByteWorks) Pascal, Terrapin Logo, Apple Logo, two Logos from ByteWorks,
Isys Forth, Master Forth, (and many other Forths), Modula2, Aztec C,
Orca/C, ... . Hyperstudio and HyperCard let you create stacks.
To the above you can add several assemblers including Merlin,
Orca/M, an assembler from Ninja Force, and the MicroSparc Assembler.
You can find more languages information at Larry Virden's page:
http://www.purl.org/NET/lvirden/Misc/apple2-languages.txt .
For lessons to help learn BASIC programming check ...
http://www.iglou.com/qwerty/kb/dlfiles.html#53 .
For Orca manuals and to order the Orca languages contact Byte Works:
505-898-8183; http://hypermall.com/byteworks/bwad.html .
----------------------------
016- What's the difference between an Apple ][, a II, and a //?
None. ][, II, and // can be used pretty much interchangably for any
model of Apple II computer, although, practically speaking, there are a
few usages which may provoke a correction.
"][" is the original Apple II symbol. It appears on all early II's
and II+'s as well as on the Disk ][ drive. It is, easily, the most
attractive and distinctive II symbol; but, it is also associated with
_old_ Apple II 's. So, "][e", "][c", etc. are very likely to be viewed
as grossly incorrect by many users. Conversely, the "//" usage is often
associated with newer e and c models. "//+" would be as much an error as
"][c".
The plain "II" symbol is the one most widely accepted as 'correct',
or, at least, 'okay', for all Apple II models.
The, generally, preferred designations are ...
Apple ][, or Apple II (i.e. for pre-II+ models)
Apple ][+ or Apple II+
Apple //e or Apple IIe
Apple //c or Apple IIc
Apple IIc+
Apple IIgs or GS
Just "A2" is fairly common when referring to series-wide products
or concerns as in "Old, out-of-print A2 wares should be preserved and
archived for easy access by every user".
____________________________
From: David Cross
017- How do I save a BASIC program in ASCII text form?
The following line added to the front of your Applesoft BASIC program
will save it in a Text file named "LISTFILE". It works in DOS 3.3 or
ProDOS.
1 HOME:PRINT CHR$(4)"OPEN LISTFILE": PRINT CHR$(4)"WRITE LISTFILE":
POKE 33,33: LIST 2,: PRINT CHR$(4)"CLOSE": END
POKE 33,33 causes the text display routine to not insert any
unneccessary spacing into your BASIC program listing, which cleans up
the text file output nicely.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
018- Where and how do I get System 6.0.1 from an ftp site?
You can download the System 6.0.1 disks from Apple at ...
ftp://ftp.apple.com/dts/aii/sys.soft/gs.system.6.0.1/
The disks are in the from of binscii (.bsc) files of ShrinkIt disk
archive files which include a Binary II header (i.e. binscii-ed .bxy
files).
As a test, I downloaded sysdisk.bsc, transferred it to the GS via
NUll-modem, and converted it to diskette form. All of the files
Validated as Okay.
Since Apple maintains each disk in binscii-ed .bxy form, the
conversion process takes two steps. First, you need to run binscii on
the .bsc file. I used Jawaid Bazyar's GSCII Plus NDA to un-binscii
sysdisk.bsc. This produced sysdisk.bxy, a Shrinked disk archive with a
Binary II header.
Next, GS-ShrinkIt was used to unShrink sysdisk.bxy to an 800k
'diskette'-- I used an empty 800k /RAM5 RAM disk for the target diskette
because things go faster than with an actual diakette. This produced the
System 6.0.1 System.Disk. (From here I could have done a whole-disk copy
to get the System.Disk from RAM disk onto an actual 800k diskette.)
The above procedure should work fine for the other .bsc disk files
in the set.
____________________________
From: Paul Schultz
019- Is a graphical user interface (GUI) available for 8-bit
Apple II's?
For the 128k Enhanced //e and //c series, the ones which come to
mind are GEOS, Quark's Catalyst, and MouseDesk (aka Apple II Desktop).
GEOS was probably the most popular of the three although it never
reached the popularity it gained on the C64 platform. The downside with
GEOS is that it isn't ProDOS compatible. So, you are stuck with only
using the GEOS compatible programs (GeoPublish, GeoCalc, GeoWrite,....)
Catalyst and MouseDesk are both very similar. They provide a ProDOS
compatible version of the familiar Apple desktop GUI. MouseDesk was
purchased by Apple and renamed Apple II Desktop. This was included in
the original System Disk which shipped with the Apple IIgs. While
shipped with the 16bit IIgs, A2 Desktop is an 8 bit program which works
very well with my IIc+. I assume it would work with your IIe :-)
____________________________
From: Rubywand
020- Is there a manual somewhere on creating Applesoft BASIC
shape tables?
Go to Charles Hartley's Apple II BASIC info and Software site at
...
http://www.iglou.com/qwerty/kb/dlfiles.html#53
He has one or two lessons on using hires graphics; and, you can download
some software for creating shape tables.
____________________________
From: Sandy
021- How can I get a Postscript file from a GS document?
To get a Postscript file from any GS document, press OpenApple-F
when clicking "Ok" in the LaserWriter driver. This'll kick out a
Postscript file in your */system/drivers folder.
____________________________
From: O Aaland
022- How can I boot from my /RAM5 RAMdisk? All the files are there
but it just beeps at me and says 'check startup device'!?
Before you install a bootable system on the RAMdisk you need to
format it. Although you can use the disk for file storage with the
formating that is done when GS/OS boots, the boot blocks for ProDOS are
not written to the RAMdisk. That is why you can not boot from it if you
just copy files or install a system on it without formating first.
Rubywand
Apple II CD-ROM Manual
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2CDROM.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
001- What do I need to get/do to use Music and Data CD's on my GS?
002- What do I need discQuest for?
003- How can I back up my files on write-able CD-ROM?
004- Is a special driver needed for a Toshiba External 2X CD-ROM?
005- How can I get sound from my Apple HSS card + CD300 CD-ROM?
006- Where can I find more info on CD-ROM drives, products, etc.?
From: Rubywand
Thanks to Jawaid Bazyar (Sequential Systems) and Tony Diaz (Alltech) for
information used in this mini-manual.
001- What do I need to use regular CD Music Discs and access
data discs (like the Golden Orchard CD) on my Apple IIgs?
What you need is ...
1- RAMFast, Apple, or other SCSI interface card. The Slot in which the
card is located must be set to "Your Card" (e.g. via the Control Panel).
Note 1: Today, SCSI devices normally expect that a "termination voltage"
will be supplied by the SCSI interface card. RamFAST does this; but,
most other cards do not. If you have such a card and have a hard disk
connected and working, then, there should be no problem-- either the
hard disk is supplying the voltage or the card has been modified.
Otherwise, be sure to obtain information on the needed modification.
(For the Apple Hi-Speed SCSI card termination power mod, see the Hard
Disk and SCSI FAQs in file F00xHDNSCSI.TXT.)
Note 2: A version 1.01 ZipGS card needs to be upgraded to work with
RamFAST.
2- External CD-ROM disc drive (like Pioneer DRM-600, NEC MultiSpin,
etc.) which yuor SCSI card supports. For example, according to
imformation supplied by Sequential Systems, the Apple Hi-Speed SCSI card
is known to work with the Apple CD-150, Apple CD-SC+, and Pioneer
DRM-600. The RamFAST is known to work with many drives, including the
Pioneer DRM-600, any NEC or Texel, and any "SCSI Standard" drive.
Note 1: Check to be sure that the SCSI device number of your CD-ROM
drive does not conflict with the number for your hard disk, Zip Drive,
etc.. Each device on the SCSI chain should have a different number,
usually in the range 1-6. #6 is usually reserved for the device you wish
to boot, such as a hard disk. (A drive's SCSI number is usually set via
a switch on the back.) SCSI number does not need to relate to position
on the chain.
Note 2: The last device on the SCSI chain (i.e. the drive which is
physically at the end of the chain) should have its Termination set to
ON and Termination for other SCSI devices shoud be set to OFF. If your
CD-ROM Drive is the only SCSI device, Termination should be ON.
(Actually, a SCSI interface card may be able to handle two devices with
Termination set to ON. However, you are likely to have problems if the
last device on the chain has Termination set OFF.)
3- A SCSI cable. Common SCSI plug/socket sizes are 50-pin and 25-pin.
Get a cable which matches your CD-ROM drive and the device you plan to
plug into (i.e. a SCSI hard disk, Zip Drive, ..., or your SCSI interface
card).
4- To hear music played from a CD, Stereo headphones, speakers, or hi-fi
cables need to be plugged into the CD ROM drive. Most drives have a
mini-Stereo socket in the front. To fit the socket, the plug for your
headphones, etc. must be a Stereo plug.
5- A Driver file which matches your interface card. For RamFAST, it is
Ramfast.Driver. For Apple SCSI cards it is SCSI.Manager and
SCSICD.Driver. The Driver file(s) should be in the SYSTEM/DRIVERS/
folder (i.e. the DRIVERS folder in the SYSTEM folder). To avoid
conflicts, RamFAST users should remove SCSI.Manager, SCSICD.Driver, and
other Apple "SCSI ..." drivers from the SYSTEM/DRIVERS/ folder.
6- In order to play standard Music CD's via your computer, you should
have the following:
o A Media Driver which matches your CD-ROM drive. For example,
RF.NEC is a driver supplied with RamFAST which works with NEC drives.
The Media Driver should be in the SYSTEM/DRIVERS/MEDIA.CONTROL/ folder.
o A standard System 6 control panel file (i.e. a "CDEV") named
"MediaControl". MediaControl should be in the SYSTEM/CDEVS/ folder
o A standard System 6 media control New Desk Accessory file (i.e.
an "NDA") named "MediaControl.DA". MediaControl.DA should be in the
SYSTEM/DESK.ACCS/ folder.
7- In order to access files on data CD-ROM discs (like DigiSoft
Innovation's Golden Orchard CD), the standard System 6 High Sierra file
system translator file (HS.FST) should be in the SYSTEM/FSTS folder.
This lets you read ISO 9660 format data CD-ROM discs. You should already
have the ProDOS FST (PRO.FST) in the same folder. This lets you read
ProDOS partitions which may be included along with ISO 9660 partitions
on a data CD-ROM disc.
Once the above items are checked, Shut Down your IIgs. Turn it OFF.
Turn OFF the CD ROM drive. Wait 10-20 seconds. Turn ON the CD ROM Drive.
Wait a few seconds and turn ON your IIgs. Boot System 6.01.
Your SCSI card manual and/or information supplied by the CD-ROM
drive seller is the best guide for doing any necessary setup chores. If
a SCSI hard disk or Zip Drive is already connected and working, it's
likely that no special setup will be necessary.
Note: If the CD-ROM drive is the only SCSI device on the chain and you
are using a RamFAST along with a ZipGS accelerator, be sure to run
RAMFAST.SYSTEM after booting in order to change at least one setting.
You want to click [O]ptions and set "TransWarpGS" to "NO".
Playing a Music CD
Click on Control Panels in the Apple Menu. Select the Media Ctrl
control panel. I have "1" for Media Channel, "RF.NEC" (the name of the
driver) for Media Device, and "GAME PORT" for Port. After entering your
settings, close the panel. This will save your setup in a file named
"Media.Setup" in the same Media.Control folder which contains your media
control driver.
From the Apple Menu click on Media Controller to show the CD ROM
player. Click Channel 1, the name of your CD ROM driver sould show in
the player display. Insert a CD. Click Play and adjust the volume on the
drive.
Loading Data, Games, etc. from a Data CD
Startup is the same as described above. It seems to be a good idea
to have a data CD in the drive before turning ON the computer. Some
drive + card combinations may not go on-line if no CD is present by the
time you turn ON the computer. You can experiment to see what works for
your particular system.
-----------------------------
Even more? discQuest
002- I've heard of a package called 'discQuest' which is
supposed to open the way to accessing all sorts of
commercial CD's. But, if I can play CD music and load
files from data CD's, what do I need discQuest for?
Below is a condensed discQuest review. It should help clarify
things.
DiscQUEST v1.2.2
$99.95 list, for 2MB IIgs
from Sequential Systems (800-759-4549)
CD ROM drive, interface, and System 6 or later required;
hard disk and System 6.01 recommended
There is a burgeoning library of CD-ROM releases. History of the
World from Library Reference is a case in point. discPassage is a PC/Mac
interface program which lets a user access text, pictures, and sound
tracks on CD's which employ a discPassage database.
Typically, dP products carry the digital data disc symbol and are
labelled "for Mac or multi-media PC" with Mac and PC versions of
discPassage included on-disc.
"Whoa! My IIgs has a CD-ROM reader, SCSI interface, and all the
standard System 6.01 drivers. It still can't do much with those disc
CD's."
Right. The basic IIgs setup CAN access data and programs on
for-Apple II CD's. If you've added the appropriate Media NDA and Control
Panel, your CD-ROM IIgs can also mimic a CD music disc player complete
with all of the usual controls. Audio is output directly from the CD-ROM
drive to headphones, a hi-fi amp, or a pair of amplified speakers.
"Fine; but, how do I ask the Family Doctor a question, peruse an
encyclopedia, and use other neat CD-ROM data disc products?"
Actually, with HS.FST in your SYSTEM/FSTs folder, you can click the
CD-ROM icon, display folders, and even load TEXT files from discPassage
CD's. Your IIgs is 'compatible enough' with ISO 9660 even if some of the
PC filetypes are unfamiliar. Still, this kind of access is hardly
satisfactory. What you lack is the software key to unlock the
discPassage database. Your IIgs cannot run PC or Mac versions of
discPassage; but, it CAN run a for-GS database unlocker named
"discQuest"!
How do the systems match-up? Well, I tried out several CD's under
discPassage on a 33MHz '486 PC and discQuest on a IIgs with 10Mhz/64K
ZipGSx. On the PC you get to see an intro pic (which discQuest skips);
and, in one case, a sound file which played fine with discPassage did
not work under discQuest. (Sequential Systems has been notified; and the
designer says an update is in the works.)
As might be expected, pictures come in faster under discPassage
because discQuest must often spend extra seconds processing each
PC-format image. The larger the graphic and greater the number of
colors, the bigger PC's advantage. Based upon samplings of several CD's,
discQuest often needs about 15 seconds to load and display a pic that
discPassage can handle in 3 seconds. Fortunately, you can reduce this
delay by selecting Preferences and setting Color to "Gray-scale".
Both setups handled sound files well, consistently starting
playback in under 4 seconds. The big surprise of the face-off came when
comparing time required to open folders and display item choices-- for
example, to open "Ancient Civilizations" and list article titles.
DiscPassage routinely took 10-20 seconds; whereas discQuest seldom took
even 2 seconds!
Just click the discQuest icon and, in a few seconds, the name and
main folders of the current discPassage-compatible CD appear in a
scrollable Browse window. From here you can open folders, do searches
(by word, author, subject, or title) and read articles in scrollable
windows. Of course, you can also listen to sound tracks, view pictures,
and obtain printouts of text and pictures.
A major benefit of having reams of text 'on the computer' is that
you can clip and save selections for use in articles, term papers, and
other projects. discQuest scores a "pretty good" here, since you are
free to add and delete text and can use Cut & Paste within whatever
article you are viewing. The result may then be saved to disk. At
present, however, discQuest does not maintain more than one text window
on its desktop; nor does it support loading text files from disk or
opening a New (blank) text window.
The standard discQuest package includes a sample CD (such as
"Family Doctor" or "Total Baseball"), fifteen pages of information and
instructions, and two diskettes. One diskette lets non-hard disk users
start discQuest after a bare-bones System 6.0 boot. The other will
Install discQuest and a monospace font (CoPilot.8) to hard disk plus, if
desired, several support files. The latter include HS.FST and drivers
for popular CD-ROM readers plus the Media NDA and Control Panel stuff to
support playing music CD's.
If you already have CD-ROM up and running on your IIgs, then hard
disk installation of discQuest should involve nothing more than creating
a folder named DISCQUEST, copying the program there and copying
CoPilot.8 to SYSTEM/FONTS. The other files are present in case you've
purchased Sequential's Complete System Package. The one sent to me
included discQuest software and info sheets, NEC MultiSpin (x2 speed)
CD-ROM reader, RamFAST SCSI interface card, cable, Labtec CS-150
amplified speakers, manuals, and four more sample CD's. A company rep
noted that CSP components and pricing change regularly; so, if
interested, be sure to check with Sequential.
___________________________
From: Matt Portune
003- How can I back up files on CD-ROM?
Compact disk recording opens up many possibilities. Obviously,
archiving software is one of them. Another is being able to record
audio. In my studio, I've placed a lot of important material on analog
tape; and, unlike the diskette situation, there is no doubt of the
imminent danger of degradation. Burning the audio to CD would maintain
the original quality, with the added bonus of random access.
CDR also opens up business opportunities. Archiving data for
businesses and spinning off audio masters and mixes for bands and clubs
are just two good prospects. All of which more than justified the cost
of a CD Recorder.
First priority, of course, was preserving my precious ][ goodies! I
began the whole process on a Wednesday afternoon, and worked non-stop
through Sunday.
Step One was to archive programs and their support files into
compressed SHK files. Not only does this help keep everything organized,
but it also prevents loss of resource fork data when files are moved to
the PC for processing.
I archived the data from every floppy I have plus files from each
hard drive partition. A few items were archived twice; but, this way, I
can choose from a 'raw' original or 'set up' version. (Besides,
separating out duplicates would have taken an extra day!) Anyway, the
entire backup only reached about 105 megs. There would be plenty of
breathing room on a 650 meg CD.
Since all 10 of my hard disk partitions are ProDOS, I settled for
transferring data to the PC in 32MB chunks. This was done using a home
brew null-modem cable to connect the serial ports of both machines.
It's surprising that so many computer users go to the trouble of
using diskettes for machine-to-machine transfers. Null-modem is so easy!
I attached my cable, launched Spectrum v2.0 on the GS and Hyperterminal
on the PC, and, then, told Spectrum to Zmodem-upload everything on the
transfer stuff partition to the PC.
The machines held a steady transfer rate of about 4500 CPS. Since I
had a few 32-meg partitions to upload it was a good excuse for leaving
the computers to their work and indulging in Babylon 5 re-runs!
Finally, on Sunday afternoon, the uploading was complete. On the
PC, everything wound up in a folder called "GS Backup". Inside this
folder, I created other folders (Games, Graphics, etc.). All in all,
100+ floppies and a 340 meg hard drive had been turned into a nice,
organized 105 meg archive.
After double checking the archive, I slapped a blank CD into the
recorder, started EZ-CD Pro, and selected "New" from the file menu. I
scanned the displayed listing of burn formats for "HFS" because it is
recognized by both GS System 6 and Mac. Unfortunately, HFS was not in
EZ-CD Pro's list; so, I selected ISO-9660, which System 6 can handle via
the HS.FST.
Actually, the whole process went very smoothly. I chose the "GS
Backup" folder as the data to burn to the disc, and, after about 7
minutes, the CD recorder spit out a shiny new GS archive!
Or, so I thought... I put the CD in the GS drive. It mounted fine,
but upon opening the CD, I found that EVERY file was placed in the root
directory, instead of in it's proper folder. Also, every filename had a
";1" after it?!
It turns out that the ";1" is an end-of-filename character (the
";") followed by a an ISO-9660 version number. Versions of ISO-9660
which do not support the Apple Extensions require such a suffix for
non-directory files. The cure is to find a CD burner program which
supports either High Sierra Group format or a more up-to-date version of
ISO-9660.
The directory problem was _my_ fault. I was still learning the
software's "parenting" feature, and had mistakenly told EZ-CD to make
the disc with every file in the root directory!
Anticipating some such screw-up, I had made sure to not select
"close disc" on the first burn. This makes a disc "multisession", which
means you can do later burns ("sessions") and write new stuff until the
disc is full, or until you "close" it. (You cannot, however, erase
anything.) So, I told the software to make the first session inactive,
and burn a second session which would have the files in their
directories.
After another 7 minutes, out popped attempt #2. Sure enough, in the
PC's CD-ROM drive the first session showed as ignored, and the new,
Version 2, session was active! Alas, on the GS, the situation was
reversed. Version 2 was ignored. I found out later (by asking someone)
that HS.FST does not, currently, support multisession discs! As Poor
Richard once observed in his Almanac: "Experience keeps a dear school
... ."
Despite a few tribulations, I'm pleased to report that my first CD
was not a waste. If you have the Balloon NDA installed and double-click
a file, it is recognized as an SHK archive and is opened accordingly.
Opening the files from GSHK worked fine, as well. It 'ain't pretty';
but, the archives are all intact, and perfectly readable on the GS.
Since I have more things to add to a future CD (like GNO v2.0.6),
I'll soon be ready to pull all the data off "disc 0" and burn a fresh
one, doing it right this time. At least, for now, I have everything
backed up on a safe, long-lasting medium, thus taming my dying-floppy
paranoia. Now, if I could somehow archive the II hardware ...!
---------------------------
From: M. Kelsey
I made a ProDOS 8 CD-ROM just today for the first time. I used
Windows '95 since it has APSI driver emulation in an MS-DOS prompt and a
*freeware* utility called DISK2CD from http://www.goldenhawk.com .
It consisted of only these few steps:
1. Get all software onto youir Apple II hard drive that you
want written to CD.
2. Disconnect the hard drive.
3. Reconnect the hard drive to a Windows '95 or DOS machine
with appropriate ASPI drivers.
4. Run DISK2CD.
5. Test the CD out on your Apple II =)
Now I can use Copy II+ 6.5 to make disk images in an uncompressed
form, store them with their file attributes, and have a bootable CD-ROM
from which I can access the utilities and disk images! (WooHoo!) Bye
bye to all those 300 5.25" disks!
___________________________
From: Supertimer
004- Is a special driver needed for a Toshiba External 2X CD-ROM
drive on a IIGS with Apple Hi-speed SCSI interface?
Yes, you need an SCSI-2 driver. Sequential Systems,
www.sequential.com, sells such a driver for the Apple Hi-speed card.
This driver works well with an Apple CD-300 and a quad-speed Hi-Val
drive tested against it. The Toshiba drive is also an SCSI-2 standard
CD-ROM. They all use the same commands and need this driver.
----------------------------
005- I have an Apple Hi-Speed SCSI card and CD300 CD-ROM drive on
my IIGS. How can I get sound from my CD's?
Sequential's new driver allows the audio to work. It allows the
Apple Hi-Speed interface to work with all new CD-ROM drives.
___________________________
From: Stephen C. Davidson
Related FAQs Resources: R014CDROMIN.TXT (text file)
006- Where can I find more information about specific drives,
interfaces, and CDROM software?
See the Apple II CD-ROM Info resource file R014CDROMIN.TXT . For
additional SCSI interface information see the Apple II Hard Drives and
SCSI Interface Manual file F004HDNSCSI.
Rubywand
Apple II Floppy Diskettes
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2DSKETTE.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
001- How many tracks can I use on a 5.25" diskette?
002- Can I use high-density 3.5" and 5.25" diskettes on my A2?
003- How can I tell DD from HD diskettes if they are not labeled?
004- Some old 5.25" disks with splotches don't boot. What gives?
005- How can I defragment a diskette and what is the speed gain?
006- Why aren't my old diskettes recognized by GS/OS?
007- Can I read Apple II diskettes on my PC?
008- Where the heck can I buy double density 3.5" & 5.25" diskettes?
From: Rubywand
001- How many tracks can I use on a 5.25" diskette? So far,
I've heard 35, 36, and 40. What's the actual number?
The standard number of tracks on a 5.25" diskette is set by DOS 3.3
and ProDOS at 35, numbered 0-34 ($00-$22 in hexadecimal).
The original Disk ][ drive can usually handle 36 tracks with no
problem. Newer 5.25" drives can handle 40 tracks.
Various modified versions of DOS 3.3 allow using 36 tracks and a
few allow using 40 tracks. These mods, especially the 36-track versions,
were fairly popular before the advent of 3.5" diskettes when an extra
track made a noticable difference in capacity. However, unless the extra
capacity is vital for some specific application, it is best to stick
with 35 tracks in order to retain full compatibility with disk utilities
(such as Copy II Plus) and other wares.
----------------------------
002- Can I use high-density 3.5" and 5.25" diskettes
on my Apple II?
I did some magnetization tests on Double Density (800kB) and High
Density (1.4MB) diskette surfaces. The tested DD surface produced more
than twice the deflection of the tested HD surface. Clearly, there is a
big difference in signal levels required to reliably store data on HD
vs. DD.
In fact, 5.25" HD (1.2MB) diskettes will not work at all on Apple
Disk ][ drives. The 3.5" HD's may work fine on your 800k drives; or,
they may just seem to work fine. Either way, there's no question: a
drive optimized for DD will not be optimized for HD. If you'd rather not
'roll the dice' on your software collection, stick with Double Density
diskettes.
----------------------------
003- How can I tell the difference between unlabeled
DD and HD diskettes?
3.5" HD (1.4MB) diskettes come with a square notch in the upper
left corner. DD (800kB) 3.5" diskettes do not come with this notch. In
the early days of PC computing, some PC users punched or drilled notch
holes in DD diskettes and used them as HD diskettes. If a 3.5" diskette
has a circular notch in the upper left corner, it is likely to be a DD
diskette.
DD 5.25" (360kB) diskettes look very much like HD 5.25" (1.2MB)
diskettes. About the only remotely observable difference is that DD
diskette surfaces often exhibit a more brownish cast whereas HD diskette
surfaces are generally dark grey or black.
The surest test for 5.25" diskettes is to place the diskette into
an Apple II 5.25" drive and try to do a DOS 3.3 format. If it formats
with no problem, it is almost certainly a DD diskette.
----------------------------
004- Recently I found that some of my old 5.25" disks would
not boot. A check showed splotches etched on the surface
of the media. What's going on?
As you may recall, a number of the classier 5.25" diskette brands
employed (still employ?) a lubricant on their jacket liners. While the
lube worked to reduce drag and noise, it also, evidently, served as a
growth medium for a particularly nasty plastic and/or oxide-eating
fungus!
It's probably a good idea to check each of your old diskettes.
Immediately backup any diskettes with splotchy discolorations.
----------------------------
005- How can I defragment a diskette and what is the speed gain?
You can defragment a diskette by doing a File Copy of all files to
a blank diskette or blank RAM disk. Files on the copy diskette or RAM
disk will be almost completely unfragmented. A whole-disk copy back to
the original completes the process. Tests show that this method produces
much speedier diskettes than using a utility intended for optimizing
hard disks.
For a nearly full 'workhorse' diskette which has seen may deletions
and additions, you can expect the File Copy defragmentation method to
yield a 30% to 40% improvement in access speed.
----------------------------
006- Why aren't my MECC and many other old diskettes recognized
by GS/OS and mounted on the Finder display?
The problem you mention is fairly common. GS/OS via its FSTs has
pretty strict definitions for what qualifies as a valid DOS or ProDOS
diskette. For example, perfectly good 36-track DOS 3.3 diskettes will
not be mounted by the Finder just because the number of tracks is 36
instead of the expected 35.
Naturally, copy-protected diskettes have practically no chance of
being recognized. Almost certainly, this is the reason the Finder will
not mount your MECC disks.
You can, still, run software from most copy-protected diskettes by
just booting them.
____________________________
From: Chris Norley
007- Can I read Apple II diskettes on my PC?
A while back I requested some information regarding the reading of
Apple II floppies by an PC. There was a hugh response both in solutions
and requests for a summary of solutions.
ORIGINAL POST:
--------------------
We have some old data from a small NMR spectrometer that was run
from an Apple IIe. The same spectrometer is now run from a DOS machine
and we'd like to be able to access the old data from the PC.
Does anyone know of or possess some utility to allow the data from
the 5 1/4" Apple II floppies to be read from the PC? Any hints as to
program names, ftp sites, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
SUMMARY OF RESPONSES:
--------------------
From u...@izfm.uni-stuttgart.de
From news ...
Les Ferch
It can't be done with software alone. There is a card called the
MatchPoint PC card that will let you read and write Apple II DOS,
ProDOS, and CP/M disks on a PC 5.25" 360K drive. We used to have one
installed in an XT here and it worked fine.
The other common way of moving the data is to connect an Apple II to a
PC using a null modem cable and using comm programs such as Kermit to
transfer the data.
------------------
Curt Schroeder
It is not possible for a 5.25" PC floppy drive to read Apple II disks.
They use incompatible recording technologies. Your options are to get
your data into an Apple that can write MS-DOS 3.5" disks (Apple IIgs or
Macintosh) or transfer via serial link (either via modem or null-modem
cable). The other possibility is to use an Apple II equipped with a PC
Transporter and either has a 3.5" drive or 5.25" PC floppy drive(s)
attached.
-------------------
Michael Hoffberg
About a year ago, I picked up card for my ibm made by TrackStar. It is
basically an apple II that sits inside your IBM. When you enable it, it
can boot off an apple drive, it uses the ibm keyboard and monitor.
When I go home I only use it to play moon patrol (I am too lazy to find
my other games).
In any case, I think that it is possible to transfer files between the
ibm and apple with the card. I have never tried it though.
------------------
Fred R. Opperdoes
Any Apple II (E or GS) owner having an Applied Engineering PC card is
able to do the job easily. It is maybe not easy to find such a person in
your neighborhood. Another possibility would be that you ask someone
with an Apple IIGS to have your 5 1/4" Dos 3.3 or Prodos disk
transcribed to a 3.5" Prodos disk. Every IIGS owner would be able to do
so. Files on such disks can then easily be converted to MsDOS files on
an MsDOS disk on a Macintosh using the Apple File Exchange Utility that
comes with every modern Mac.
-------------------
Leo Connolly
I don't think this is doable. There are limitations in the PC drive
hardware which make it impossible to read Apple II disks. (And the same
is true in reverse, for exactly the same reasons).
I suggest the following.
Transfer the Apple II data to a 3.5" disk. This is easy on a IIGS if
you use a utility such as Copy II Plus.
Use Apple File Convert on a Macintosh to convert the Apple II files to
MS-DOS format. Caution: older versions of this utility cannot handle
MS-DOS 3.5" disks, but the newer ones can.
Or: send your data through a modem from the Apple to the PC.
------------------
Leonard Erickson
It can't be done without extra hardware. The Apple II didn't use a disk
controller chip, it used an odd circuit instead. So, machines using the
industry standard controller chips can't read Apple disks.
You'll need a COPYIIPC deluxe option board or some such. Check with
Central Point software, they used to sell them.
Another approach is to track down one of the add-on boards that was
essentially an Apple II on a PC card. It hooks to the 5.25" drive and
plugs into the bus. And you've got an Apple II in your PC.
-----------------
The cheapest method to get the data would to do a "NULL MODEM" transfer
between the two computers.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
008- I'm having a hell of a time tracking down a place to buy
double density 3-1/2 & 5-1/4 disks. Any suggestions?
Here are a few places to try ...
Alltech
Until very recently, Alltech (760-724-2404) advertised DS-DD 5.25"
disketts for $15/100 with sleeves + shipping. Their price for DD 3.5"
diskettes was pretty good, too. Alltech has done a major revision of
their web page which seems to omit many favorite items; but, although
diskettes are no longer listed, they may still sell them.
Midwestern Diskette
A few months ago, I was noticing the problem with finding places to
get 5.25" DS-DD diskettes. I did not know about Alltech's offer and
ended up buying from Midwestern Diskette (800-221-6332). They offered
the diskettes in several colors at a good price; so, I bought 500
diskettes in five colors. Actual price was $17/100 for color diskettes
with sleeves and labels and shipping. I think Midwestern also sells DD
3.5" diskettes.
Note: One oddity I've discovered is that some colors (from Midwestern
Diskette) do not accept notching (for using the back) as well as others.
There has been no problem notching White, Lavender, Yellow, and Green.
However, the Orange diskettes are too brittle to allow a clean square
notch-- they can be punched using a round hole punch.
Thrift shops
Brian Hammack reports finding packs of used 5.25" diskettes at
bargain prices.
Rubywand
Apple II DOS and ProDOS Mini-Manual
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2DOSMM.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
001- What is a "DOS"?
"DOS" means "Disk Operating System". A DOS is a collection of
machine language routines and data which lets a computer Read and Write
information to/from disk. A DOS also includes commands, such as SAVE and
LOAD, which you can use to create and access files on disk.
Apple II DOS, Commodore 64 DOS, and the DOS used on PC's are all
called "DOS"; but, they are different systems. Their commands are
similar, sometimes identical, because what users want to do with disks
is about the same whatever the computer. However, the way each DOS
arranges and keeps track of data on disk is very different. You will
not, for example, be able to read files from a C-64 diskette on your
Apple II running under DOS 3.3.
--------------------
002- What DOS's are available on Apple II computers?
DOS 3.3 is the first DOS to be widely used on Apple II computers.
Many programs were written to use DOS 3.3 commands and saved on DOS 3.3
diskettes. Apple 'officially' replaced DOS 3.3 with ProDOS back in the
early '80's. However, DOS 3.3 continues to be popular with II users.
Another Apple II DOS is the one introduced with Apple Pascal.
Compared to DOS 3.3 or ProDOS, the Apple Pascal DOS is a very limited,
cumbersome operating system.
-------------------
003- DOS 3.3 seems kind of slow. Are there any faster
better versions of DOS 3.3?
Yes. Today, most "DOS 3.3 users" do not actually use DOS 3.3. Long
ago, Beagle Bros introduced patches which resulted in much better speed,
freed-up extra disk space, and added a CATALOG command which shows
number of Free Sectors. Their ProntoDOS or some modification of it is,
for practical purposes, the "current version" of DOS 3.3.
ES DOS ][ adds a few mods to ProntoDOS. CATALOG shows Free Sectors
and Number of Tracks and it scrolls the entire Catalog (scrolling
stopped by pressing any key) instead of stopping when the screen is
full. ES DOS ][ also lets you use the semi-colon as a terminating
'wildcard' character.
Other popular, higher speed versions of DOS 3.3 include David DOS
and Diversi-DOS; and, there are several small, special-purpose versions
of DOS 3.3. For example, one game maker used RDOS to save space and to
make its diskettes harder to copy.
-----------------------
004- What commands are available in DOS 3.3?
To get very far with "DOS 3.3" you will need the DOS Manual. This
is especially true when it comes to using TEXT files. Other good sources
of DOS 3.3 info include _Beneath Apple DOS_ and _Apple II User's Guide_.
For now, the following is a quickie guide to most Apple II DOS 3.3
commands:
LOAD NARF- loads a BASIC file named NARF.
SAVE NARF- saves current BASIC program in memory as file named NARF.
DELETE NARF - deletes file named NARF
CATALOG - lists contents of diskette to screen
RENAME NARF, NEWNARF - renames file NARF to NEWNARF
RUN NARF- loads and starts a BASIC file named NARF.
BLOAD NARF.PICTURE, A$2000 - loads in a binary file named NARF.PICTURE
starting at address $2000.
note: $2000 is a hexadecimal number ($2000 = 8192 in decimal). DOS
commands can use hex or decimal numbers.
BSAVE NARF, A$300, L$7F - saves $7F bytes of memory starting at address
$300 as a binary file named NARF. (BSAVE NARF, A768, L127 uses decimal
numbers to do the same thing.)
note: The above command statement illustrates typical DOS syntax ...
BSAVE-- the DOS command
NARF-- the file name (the space between the command and file name is
not a requirement; BSAVENARF is okay)
,-- a comma to separate file name from parms which follow
A-- means an Address follows
$300-- the address in hex from which you want to start saving bytes (=
768). Again, spaces do not matter; A768, A 768, A $ 300 are all okay
,-- a comma to separate one parm from another
L-- means a Length follows
$7F-- the length in hex (= 127); this is the number of bytes to be
saved
The command statement says Save $7F bytes, starting at address $300, to
a file named "NARF". NARF will have the bytes found at addresses $300
through $37E.
note: The order of parms following a file name does not matter.
BRUN NARF.DISP, A$1000 - loads in a binary file named NARF.DISP starting
at address $1000 and starts executing machine instructions at address
$1000
LOCK NARF- locks file NARF (indicated by * in a CATALOG). LOCKed files
cannot be deleted, over-written, etc.
UNLOCK NARF - cancels LOCKed status of NARF.
VERIFY NARF - uses checksums to verify that NARF is not a damaged file
MON C, I, O - tells DOS to display Commands, Inputs from disk, Outputs
to disk. You can specify one, two, or all three (e.g. MON C, O etc.).
NOMON C, I, O - cancels all MON requests. NOMON I cancels just the "I"
request.
MAXFILES 7 - sets the number of file buffers to 7. (Upon booting DOS,
the default for the MAXFILES value is 3.)
PR#1 - sets the destination for Apple outputs to the device in Slot 1
(usually a printer). PR# 3 sets it to Slot 3, etc.. PR# 0 sets the
destination back to the display screen.
PR#6 - normally, boots the diskette in Drive 1, Slot 6.
IN# 6 - sets the source for Apple inputs to the device in Slot 6.
IN# 0 - sets the source for Apple inputs to the keyboard (default).
INT - (integer) puts system into Integer BASIC if it is present.
FP - (floating point) puts system into standard Applesoft BASIC.
OPEN NARFOO - prepares to read or write a TEXT file named NARFOO.
READ NARFOO - tells DOS that INPUT and GET statements will obtain
characters from a TEXT file named NARFOO.
WRITE NARFOO - tells DOS that PRINTed characters will go to a TEXT file
named NARFOO.
CLOSE NARFOO - used to terminate access to a TEXT file named NARFOO.
Just CLOSE terminates access to all OPENed TEXT files.
EXEC NARFGO - tells DOS to execute the BASIC and DOS commands found in a
TEXT file named NARFGO
The above TEXT file commands handle 'normal' sequential TEXT files. DOS
can also OPEN, READ, WRITE, ... random access TEXT files. (See DOS
manual.)
Most DOS commands also let you specify Drive and/or Slot. For example
CATALOG, D2 lists the contents of the diskette in Drive 2 to screen.
SAVE NARF,S5,D2 saves NARF to Drive 2 in Slot 5.
NOTE --> Using Drive or Slot parms in a DOS command sets the default
Drive or Slot. So, after CATALOG, D2, a plain LOAD or SAVE will access
Drive 2.
--------------------
005- How do I use DOS commands from the keyboard? ... from
a program?
To use a DOS command from the keyboard, type it in. (A few commands
can be issued only from a program.) To use a DOS command in a program
enclose it in quotes preceded by PRINT CHR$(4). For example:
100 PRINT CHR$(4) "BLOAD NARF, A$2000"
-------------------------
006- How do I use variables, say for file length, in a
DOS command?
Use variables in a command this way:
120 PRINT CHR$(4) "BSAVE NARF, A$2000, L"; NB
Line 120 says that the Length of NARF is the value of variable NB. NB is
used here to represent the number of bytes (in decimal) to be saved.
--------------------------
007- How do I create new DOS 3.3 diskettes?
One of the best features of DOS 3.3 is that any bootable DOS
diskette can create other bootable diskettes.
INIT HELLO - formats one side of the diskette in the currently active
drive, adds DOS, and saves the current program as HELLO.
The program that's automatically placed on the new diskette is the
one in memory when INIT is executed. It is called the "greeting
program" or "hello program" because it is the program which will be run
when the diskette is booted. Usually, the program is named HELLO; but,
you can INIT HOWDY, or any name you like. The hello program can be very
simple, such as ...
100 PRINT CHR$(4) "CATALOG"
110 END
You are free to load in and change the hello program or even delete
it, just like any other. The one restriction is that once a diskette is
INITed, the name of the hello program is fixed for that diskette unless
you use a utility (like Copy II+) to make a change. This is why it's a
good idea to stick with the name HELLO. You will always know what the
hello program's name is.
Once a diskette is INITed it can be used to store your programs and
data files.
-----------------------
008- How much storage space is on a newly
INITialized 5.25" diskette?
A standard DOS 3.3 diskette has 35 Tracks. Each Track contains 16
256-byte Sectors. This gives 35 x 16 x 256 = 143360 bytes per side.
Current versions of DOS 3.3-- e.g. ProntoDOS, etc.-- use Track 0 and
Track 1 plus a sector on Track 2 for DOS; and, Track 17 is used for
holding the Catalog of files and other disk information. This leaves
roughly 130k bytes per side free for your HELLO program and other files.
By the way, when it comes to the way it is stored on-disk, DOS 3.3
is not like the PC's MSDOS or Apple's ProDOS. DOS 3.3 is 'hidden' on
reserved tracks, mainly Tracks 0 and 1. There is no "DOS 3.3" file which
will show up on a CATALOG.
----------------------
009- On my PC I can FORMAT diskettes with or without adding the
operating system. Can I format a DOS 3.3 diskette for just
data storage? -- i.e. without adding DOS or a HELLO program?
Yes. DOS 3.3 does not have a plain "FORMAT" command; but, you can
use utilities such as Copy II+ to easily format a diskette without
adding DOS or a HELLO program.
A format will create 35 Tracks of 16 256-byte sectors each, verify
that each Track is good, and create a 'Contents' and disk info record
called the "Volume Table of Contents" or "VTOC".
----------------------
010- What is the "Volume Table of Contents" or "VTOC"?
The VTOC is a Sector which stores such basic information as Number
of Tracks, Sectors per Track, DOS version, ..., and the 'map' of
used/un-used Sectors. DOS 3.3 writes the VTOC at Track 17, Sector 0.
(For more details on VTOC content see Question 018.)
----------------------
011- Can I assign names to my DOS 3.3 diskettes?
DOS 3.3 has no way to name a diskette "NARF", "DISK 100", "DATA
DISK ", etc. which DOS will recognize. You can, however, 'name' a
diskette by giving it a Volume Number in the range 1-255.
Volume Number is set at the time a diskette is initialized. For
example ...
INIT HELLO, V19
INITs a diskette as Volume 19. If no number is specified, the default
Volume Number used by INIT is 254.
Several DOS commands can specify a Volume Number in order to decide
whether a diskette is the right one for some application.
LOAD NARF, D2, V5 ... for example, will not load NARF from Drive 2
unless the diskette's Volume Number is 5.
A few early pieces of commercial software used Volume numbering;
and, new users often like to Volume number their diskettes. In practice,
this turns out to be a bad idea. A diskette with any Volume Number
except the default (254) is often difficult to work with via standard
utilities. Also, once a diskette is INITed for a certain Volume Number,
changing the number is difficult because Volume Number is embedded in
each Sector. (i.e. You'll end up having to copy every file to another
diskette and, then, re-INITing the source diskette to the new Volume
Number.)
Besides, there's an easy way to give descriptive names to your DOS
3.3 diskettes which will not interfer with normal access. Just write the
name ("GAMES DISK ONE", or whatever) to a Text file named, say,
"DISK.ID".
DOS 3.3 will not know about the name or show it in a CATALOG.
However, your programs will be able to find out the name by just reading
DISK.ID.
-----------------------------
012- What does it mean to "Boot" a disk?
BOOT comes from the idea of 'pulling yourself up by your
bootstraps'. The Apple II disk controller ROM has just enough smarts to
load-in DOS's Bootstrap Loader from Track 0, Sector 0 (it comes in at
address $800 ...).
The Loader loads in a still smarter, bigger routine from several
sectors of Track 0. This routine is the one which loads in the rest of
DOS, moves it to the proper place in memory, and ends up going to DOS's
Cold Start routine. Finally, the hello program is loaded and executed.
--------------------------------
013- What file types does DOS 3.3 have and how is file
type information saved in the Catalog?
In a DOS 3.3 Catalog sector, the third byte in each file's entry
tells the type of the file:
Byte Value* File Type
00 Text
01 Integer BASIC
02 AppleSoft BASIC
04 Binary
08 S type
10 R: Relocatable object module
20 new A type
40 new B type
*DOS 3.3 sets bit 7 of the byte if the file is locked. (e.g. 84 --> a
locked Binary file)
Type R files show up in just a few applications. An R file begins
with 6 bytes which a "loader" routine can use to tell the Target
location of file contents, How many bytes to move, and Source location
to move from.
Although S, new A, and new B are included, no official application
was defined for them and no DOS commands were created to make any
special use of these files.
---------------------
from David Empson
There was an "R" type relocating loader included with the toolkit
for use with BASIC programs and relocatable routines being loaded into
upper memory.
"S" was used by some programs for a generic image file, or something
that was not likely to be touchable with normal code.
The LISA assembler used the second "B" type for its source files.
It had a patched version of DOS that changed the file type list to read
"LARSBAIT", so the source files appeared in the catalog as "L" if you
booted LISA, or "B" if you booted a normal disk.
The "B", "A", "R" and "S" special file types cannot be accessed by
BASIC programs (unless you patch DOS) - commands are only provided for
dealing with "B", "A", "I" and "T" files.
The four special types can only be accessed using direct calls to
the File Manager.
___________________________
from Dave Althoff, Jr.
014- What do the entries in a DOS 3.3 Catalog display mean?
A standard DOS 3.3 Catalog display looks something like this:
DISK VOLUME 254
*A 002 HELLO
B 033 TETRA/SOFT LOGO.BIN
T 142 DAVE'S LIST OF DOS COMMANDS
I 002 INTEGER BASIC PROGRAM
^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|| ||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|| ||| |___________________________________Filename
|| |_______________________________________File length (in Sectors)
||_________________________________________File type
|________________________________________* means the file is locked
-----------------------------
015- How long can a DOS 3.3 file name be and what characters
can it include?
DOS 3.3 filenames may be up to 30 characters long, and must conform
to the following restrictions:
a. The first character must have an ASCII code value greater than 63.
This excludes numerals, SPACE, and most punctuation. The "@" character
is allowed as well as letters, and some special chars such as "]", "~",
"_", and a few others.
b. Commas and colons may not be used at all. Apart from these
restrictions, anything goes. All kinds of characters, including
uppercase, lowercase, numbers, symbols, and CONTROL characters can be
used after the first character.
____________________________
from Andy McFadden
016- How can I use DOS 3.3 to read and write sectors from
machine code?
DOS 3.3 works like this:
JSR $3E3 ;get address of RWTS IOB (low in Y, high in A)
(you can either change the stuff that Y/A point to, or set up
your own IOB and skip the call to $3E3)
JSR $3D9 ;call RWTS (with IOB address in Y/A)
The IOB (Input/Output Block) is small but non-trivial. Here's what
Beneath Apple DOS says:
$00 table type (always $01)
$01 slot *16
$02 drive (1 or 2)
$03 volume expected ($00 for any)
$04 track ($0-$22)
$05 sector ($0-$0f)
$06-07 address (lo/hi) of the Device Characteristics Table
$08-09 address (lo/hi) of the 256 byte buffer for read/write
$0A not used
$0B byte count for partial sector ($00 for 256 bytes)
$0C command code (0=seek, 1=read, 2=write, 4=format)
$0D return code (carry set on error):
$00 = no errors
$08 = error during initialization
$10 = write protect error
$20 = volume mismatch error
$40 = drive error
$80 = read error (obsolete)
$0E volume number of last access (must be initialized)
$0F slot number of last access *16 (must be initialized)
$10 drive number of last access (must be initialized)
Device characteristics table:
$00 device type (should be $00 for DiskII)
$01 phases per track (should be $01 for DiskII)
$02-03 motor on time count (should be $EFD8 for DiskII)
NOTE: RWTS uses zero-page location $48, which is also used by the Apple
monitor to hold the P-register value. Location $48 should be set to
zero after each call to RWTS.
________________
From: Edhel Iaur, Esq.
017- How many 'official' versions of DOS 3.3 are there
and how can I tell which is running?
According to The Dostalk Scrapbook, there are 3 official (as in
Apple made 'em, I think) versions of DOS 3.3. PEEK (46725) supposedly
tells you which is running:
165:oldest
186:better
182:latest
I remember one had something to do with the way text files are
handled.
---------------------
From: Dave Althoff
The third version then would be the ][e release which contains yet
another APPEND patch, and an additional bit of code which shuts off the
80-column firmware during boot. That version comes on a new System
Master which uses the LOADER.OBJ0 program to fast-load INTBASIC (or
FPBASIC), and a revised "HELLO" program which displays the "MAKE SURE
CAPS LOCK IS DOWN" reminder on a ][e.
_____________________
From: Neil Parker
018- What information is included in the VTOC?
On track 17 ($11 in hexadecimal) sector 0, you will find the Volume
Table of Contents (VTOC). This is the key sector from which all searches
start out.
Format of VTOC:
Byte Meaning
---- -------
$00 Unused (always $04 on my disks)
$01 Track number of first catalog sector
$02 Sector number of first catalog sector
$03 DOS version number ($03 for DOS 3.3)
$04-05 Unused
$06 Volume number ($01-$FE)
$07-26 Unused
$27 Number of track/sector pairs in a track/sector list (always
$7A on normal disks)
$28-2F Unused
$30 Last track where sectors were allocated
$31 Direction of allocation ($01=inward, $FF=outward)
$32-33 Unused
$34 Number of tracks per disk (normally $23)
$35 Number of sectors per track (normally $10)
$36-37 Number of bytes per sector (normally $0100)
$38-3B Bit map for track 0
$3C-3F Bit map for track 1
....
$C0-C3 Bit map for track $22
$C4-FF Unused on normal disks (may contain extra bit maps on disks
with more than 35 tracks)
Bit map format:
Byte 0 Byte 1 Byte 2 Byte 3
FEDC BA98 7654 3210 ........ ........
A 1-bit in any bit position indicates that the corresponding sector
is free. Bytes 2 and 3 in the bit map are always $00 on normal disks.
Bytes 1 and 2 in the VTOC point to the first catalog sector. On
most disks, the first catalog sector is track $11 sector $0F, and
subsequent catalog sectors occupy track $11 sector $0E, track $11 sector
$0D, and so on down to track $11 sector $01. However, DOS 3.3 doesn't
really care where the catalog sectors are or how many there are, as long
as there is a pointer to the first one in the VTOC. (Note, however,
that some utilities, such as Copy II Plus, DO care, and will get lost if
the catalog isn't in its normal position and exactly 15 sectors long.)
---------------------------------
019- What information is included in a DOS 3.3 Catalog
sector and how is it organized?
Each catalog sector contains a pointer to the next catalog sector,
and seven file entries. The format of a catalog sector is as follows:
Byte Meaning
---- -------
$00 Unused
$01 Track number of next catalog sector ($00 if no more)
$02 Sector number of next catalog sector ($00 if no more)
$03-0A Unused
$0B-2D First file entry
$2E-50 Second file entry
$51-73 Third file entry
$74-96 Fourth file entry
$97-B9 Fifth file entry
$BA-DC Sixth file entry
$DD-FF Seventh file entry
Each file entry looks like this:
Byte Meaning
---- -------
$00 Track number of this file's first track/sector list
$01 Sector number of this file's first track/sector list
$02 File type:
Bit Meaning
--- -------
7 0=unlocked, 1=locked
6-0 File type ($00=Text, $01=Integer, $02=Applesoft,
$04=Binary, $08=S, $10=Relocatable, $20=A, $40=B)
$03-20 File name (high bits set; padded with blanks on right)
$21-22 Number of sectors allocated to this file
----------------------------
020- How does DOS 3.3 remember which sectors
are used to store a file?
Every file has a set of one or more "track/sector lists". A
track/sector list lists sectors (by track and sector number) which make
up the file. Each track/sector list points to up to 122 data sectors;
if the file is too long for one track/sector list, a second one is
allocated, and a pointer to it is stored in the first one. Likewise, if
the file is too long for two track/sector lists, a third is allocated,
and so on.
Note that DOS 3.3 supports "sparse" files...there may 0/0 pairs in
the track/sector list indicating parts of the file that were never
written. When DOS 3.3 is reading a file and encounters a 0/0 pair in the
track/sector list, it passes a buffer full of binary zeros back to the
calling program.
A track/sector list looks like this:
Byte Meaning
---- -------
$00 Unused
$01 Track number of next track/sector list sect ($00 if no more)
$02 Sector number of next track/sector list sect ($00 if no more)
$03-04 Unused
$05-06 Sector number in file of first sector number represented in
this track/sector list sector (0 ($0000) for first T/S
sector, 122 ($007A) for second, 244 ($00F4) for third, etc.)
$07-0B Unused
$0C Track number of 0th (or 122nd, or 244th...) sector
$0D Sector number of 0th (or 122nd, or 244th...) sector
$0E Track number of 1st (or 123rd, or 245th...) sector
$0F Sector number of 1st (or 123rd, or 245th...) sector
....
$FE Track number of 121st (or 243rd, or 365th...) sector
$FF Sector number of 121st (or 243rd, or 365th...) sector
---------------------------
021- What are the formats of DOS 3.3's main file types?
A machine-language program is free to store whatever it wants in
any file, but most programs (including DOS 3.3's own command
interpreter) expect the data in each type of file to conform to certain
formats:
A sequential text file consists of lines of ASCII text separated by
carriage returns, and ending with a $00 byte. The high bit of each
character (except the $00 at the end) is set.
A random-access file may be thought of as a set of "mini sequential
access files" separated by strings of $00 bytes. Each "mini-file"
begins at a file position which is a multiple of the random-access
record length.
(Note that sequential and random-access text files share the same
file type. It is up to individual programs to know whether their data
files are sequential or random-access.)
Applesoft and Integer BASIC files have the following format:
Byte Meaning
---- -------
$00-01 Length of tokenized BASIC program
$02-end Tokenized BASIC program
Binary files have the following format:
Byte Meaning
---- -------
$00-01 Load address
$02-03 Length of binary image
$04-end Binary image
A Relocatable file contains the image of a program, followed by a
relocation dictionary containing the information necessary to relocate
the program to an arbitrary memory location. The file format is as
follows:
Byte Meaning
---- -------
$00-01 Original program load address
$02-03 File length (program image + relocation dictionary)
$04-05 Length of program image alone (not including relocation
dictionary)
$06-xx Program image
$xx-yy Relocation dictionary
(The format of the relocation dictionary is a bit too complex to
describe here. I can provide details if anybody's interested.)
The other three file types (S, A, and B) have never been
consistantly defined by anybody. Several programs use these file types
(especially type S) to store their private data files, but there doesn't
seem to be any agreement on their internal format.
For further information I recommend the book "Beneath Apple DOS" by
Don Worth and Pieter Lechner.
P.S. By the way, all two-byte fields in the above are stored in normal
Apple II byte order, low byte first.
______________________________
From: Rubywand
022- How can I tell which DOS 3.3 programs are safe to run
from my GS hard disk using utilities such as
Dos 3.3 Launcher?
So long as a DOS 3.3 program uses only standard SAVE, etc. commands
to write to disk, it will, most likely, pose no dangers running under
Dos 3.3 Launcher from your GS hard disk. Your main concern is making
sure that the software not do special, non-standard direct writes to
disk.
An example of destructive direct-writing is a machine language
routine which dumps game High Scores to a specially formatted 4096-byte
block. Another example is a routine which assumes that certain tracks
are open for caching data. Such actions could mess up formatting,
over-write directories, and do other bad things to files on hard disk.
First, you probably know enough about your own programs to say
whether or not any of them do direct writes. If all disk I/O is via the
usual DOS commands (like SAVE), then you are not doing any direct
writes.
Non-commercial programs which have no reason to store information,
like simple arcades with no High Scores record or Game Save, are
unlikely to write anything directly to disk. One check is to
write-protect the diskette and play the game. If it does not bomb or do
a lot of clattering while attempting a disk access, it probably does not
attempt any direct writes.
Another fairly good check is to list the program (if it's in BASIC)
under Program Writer and Search for any CALLs and & routines. If all
CALLs are to monitor routines ($F800 or higher); and, you can account
for any & commands (e.g. they play music, etc.); and, any expected Game
Saves, Pic Saves, etc. are accounted for by standard DOS 3.3 commands,
then, there are probably no direct writes.
If, via the above checks, a program seems free of direct writes
except for CALLs to the $300 area, then, you will need to account for
these CALLS. Often, they will be for sound effects, special
screen-clears, and/or KB-input processing.
Via the above checks, quite a few programs will seem free of direct
writes except for CALLs to code BLOADed somewhere before or after the
program. You will need to account for these CALLs.
Any program which does CALLs to the Text Page area ($400-$700) is
very suspect as is any program which does CALLs and/or PEEKs and POKEs
to addresses which fall inside the range occupied by the program.
Any program you cannot list and which saves information to disk is
suspect. This includes any games, word processors, and educational wares
which save scores, record position of an adventure party, maintain a
progress record, do document backups, etc..
Any program with REMs filled with 'garbage'-- evidence of hidden
lines-- or which otherwise seems to behave oddly when listed is suspect.
Any commercial program, especially games, educational programs, and
word processors, and any supposedly deprotected commercial program is
suspect.
Any program which automatically reboots upon a Reset is very
suspect.
About the only way to verify that some "suspect" program does not
do direct writes is go to the monitor and account for the functions of
machine code routines. Just noting than no JMPs or JSR's go to the usual
DOS locations does not protect against custom disk R/W routines which
can be located in all sorts of places.
Note: If code is in the Text Page or any other area which is
automatically changed when the program is halted, you will need custom
firmware to do an auto-move of these areas upon Reset. In fact, you may
need to check such areas at different times in the game, etc..
One alternative to a special auto-move is to look for and view the code
that you believe is going into the Text Page, etc. on diskette using a
utility like the Copy ][+ Sector Editor. This does not, however,
guarantee that the code is not greatly modified after being loaded by
the program.
If any of the above conveys the impression that some wares are
trapped specifically in order to mess up disks of users who copy or in
any way modify the wares, it is because this is the case. Many other
wares do direct writes in order to speed-up game play, make a word
processor's operation more 'transparent' and user-friendly, and for
other good reasons. There are, in short, lots of DOS 3.3 'icebergs'
waiting to sink your hard disk.
So; if you did not write a DOS 3.3 program yourself or do not have
some guarantee from the program's producer or an experienced user of the
program on hard disk, then, either list the program and check the code
or forget about launching it from hard disk.
-------------------------
023- What are some good DOS 3.3 references?
DOS Books
The DOS Manual from Apple
Beneath Apple DOS by Worth & Lechner
Apple II User's Guide by Poole, Martin, and Cook
=============================
024- What is ProDOS?
ProDOS
ProDOS is the official Apple ][ DOS which came after DOS 3.3. Do
not confuse "ProDOS" and "ProntoDOS". ProntoDOS is a slightly modified
DOS 3.3 which provides much faster disk I/O than standard DOS 3.3.
ProDOS is a whole new disk operating system.
----------------------------
025- What are ProDOS's major features?
ProDOS has lots of nice features-- mainly, you can create
sub-directories, diskettes ("volumes") can be named, and ProDOS works
well on hard disks. The GS System 6 Finder can handle ProDOS files and
launch programs from ProDOS diskettes. ProDOS's BASIC command
interpreter shares many commands with DOS 3.3, too; so, it is not
difficult for DOS 3.3 users to get started with the newer operating
system.
____________________________
From: David Empson
026- Which Apple II's can run which versions of ProDOS?
All Apple II's, from the 64k Apple II+ through the IIgs, can run
versions of ProDOS up through version 1.9. (A 48K II+ can also run
ProDOS 1.0 or 1.0.1, but this isn't very useful as there are few
applications that will work in this environment.)
Versions 2.x.x require an Apple II equipped with a 65C02, 65C802,
or 65C816 such as an Apple IIe-enhanced, //c, IIc+, or IIgs.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
027- How can I create bootable ProDOS diskettes?
Creating bootable ProDOS diskettes is a bit more bother because,
unlike DOS 3.3, ProDOS is not automatically written to protected sectors
on the diskette via an INIT command. (ProDOS does not have an INIT
command.) Instead, ProDOS is in a file on the diskette and so is the
ProDOS 'connection' to BASIC, called BASIC.SYSTEM.
To make new bootable ProDOS diskettes, the easiest approach is to
use Disk Muncher or some other whole-disk copier to just copy a bootable
ProDOS diskette. You can delete the files you don't want from the copy.
Another option is to use Copy II+ (a ProDOS version) to FORMAT a
ProDOS diskette. (FORMAT writes blank tracks so that the diskette can be
used to hold files.) Then, copy BASIC.SYSTEM and PRODOS to the new
diskette. On a IIgs, all of these operations are easily handled via the
Finder.
Note: If you want to copy ProDOS from GS/OS, copy the file P8 from the
SYSTEM/ folder and rename it to "PRODOS" on your diskette.
------------------------
028- How do I make a ProDOS disk that will start BASIC?
If you want ProDOS to boot and start a BASIC program, then both
PRODOS and BASIC.SYSTEM must be present. (BASIC.SYSTEM should be the
first .SYSTEM file on the diskette.) The "hello" program on a ProDOS
diskette is named "STARTUP". This is the program which will be run upon
booting the diskette. (If there is no "STARTUP" program, you will end
up at the usual BASIC prompt after booting.)
A simple STARTUP program you can type in and save to your new
ProDOS diskette is ...
10 TEXT: HOME
20 PRINT CHR$(4)"CAT"
30 END
After typing in the program, just enter SAVE STARTUP. Next time you
boot the diskette, the above program will run and the diskette's CATALOG
will be displayed.
A good ready-made STARTUP program and program selector for
launching ProDOS 8 programs on a IIgs is available on Ground as
speedgs.shk. The file unShrinks to the Startup program and a Readme
directions file. You can find speedgs.shk in the 1WSW collection at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Collections/1WSW/
________________________
From: David Empson
029- What is the maximum size of a ProDOS volume?
When a diskette is formatted for ProDOS it is given a name by the
user. A ProDOS diskette is also called a "volume". A ProDOS hard disk
will, usually, be partitioned into two or more named volumes. The
maximum size of a ProDOS volume is 32767.5 kilobytes (65535 blocks).
________________________
From: Rubywand
030- How do I LOAD, SAVE, etc. files under ProDOS?
LOAD (SAVE, RENAME, etc.) work very much as in DOS 3.3.; so, you
can use Slot and Drive parms to specify the target volume. However, to
get the most from ProDOS you will usually be working with volume names
and folders. (or, "directories").
If GAME3.PIC is a binary file in a directory named "PICS" on a
volume named "NARF", you could load it into memory starting at address
$2000 via
BLOAD /NARF/PICS/GAME3.PIC,A$2000
or, in BASIC
100 PRINT CHR$(4)"BLOAD /NARF/PICS/GAME3.PIC,A$2000"
So, in ProDOS, you can access a disk (or volume) by name ...
RUN /GAMES/CHINA.SEA
will find the disk (volume) named "GAMES", then, find, load, and run
CHINA.SEA.
You can, also, refer to a disk by its location ...
CAT,S6,D1
will do a short-form catalog of the main directory of the diskette in
DRIVE 1 connected to SLOT 6.
-----------------------
031- What is a "pathname"?
Suppose the file BARDS2.PIC is in the folder PICS on the diskette
(volume) named "NARF". Then ...
/NARF/PICS/BARDS2.PIC is BARDS2.PIC's complete "pathname".
/NARF/PICS/ is a "pathname prefix" for all files in the PICS
directory on the volume named "NARF".
A leading "/" indicates a volume name (/NARF).
The "main directory" or "root directory" is the one in which the
files PRODOS and BASIC.SYSTEM (along with any other files the user wants
there) are usually located on a ProDOS diskette. NARF's main directory
pathname prefix is just /NARF/.
-----------------------
032- What is the default volume and folder when
ProDOS boots?
When ProDOS boots, it will assume that LOADs, SAVEs, etc. refer to
the main directory of the volume from which it was booted. For example,
if NARF is booted and JOYSTICK.TEST is a program in NARF's main
directory, then
RUN JOYSTICK.TEST
will run the program. There is no need to enter RUN /NARF/JOYSTICK.TEST
.
------------------------
033- How can I set default volume and folder
(directory) under ProDOS?
The ProDOS PREFIX command lets you set the volume and folder (or
directory) .
For example,
PREFIX /NARF
sets the current default directory to the main directory of the disk (or
volume) named "NARF".
PREFIX /NARF
also sets the default drive (that is, defaults for SLOT and DRIVE) to
that in which the volume named NARF is located. Usually, the user does
not notice or care about this feature since the location of a volume
does not, usually, change during a session. However, it _may_ change, as
when a user is swapping-in diskettes among two or three drives. If this
happens, ProDOS will look for the diskette.
To set the default folder without changing volume, you can use the
PREFIX command without a leading "/". For example, if the current
default volume is /NARF and NARF's main directory is the default
directory, then
PREFIX PICS
sets the current (default) directory to PICS. The default pathname
prefix would be /NARF/PICS/. Of course,
PREFIX /NARF/PICS
is also a legal command.
----------------------
From: David Empson
PREFIX /
reverts to the default behaviour of using the root directory of the
default drive, and the slot/drive options can be used to change disks,
as with DOS 3.3.
______________________
From: Rubywand
034- How can I discover the name of the current
default volume?
A program can discover the name of a disk (or volume) in the
current default drive as follows:
100 PRINT CHR$(4)"PREFIX": INPUT"";P$
The volume name will be saved in P$. This command is often employed
after booting to discover the volume name. Line 100 also sets the
default directory PREFIX to match the name of the disk (or volume) it
finds.
______________________
From: David Wilson
035- How do I create a folder?
Creating folders (or directories) is the one time you do not need
to provide a type parameter (e.g. TDIR) for the CREATE command. Hence
CREATE GIFPICS
would create a folder named "GIFPICS" in the current default directory.
______________________
From: Neil Parker
036- How do I access ProDOS routines from machine language?
There are 26 different functions that can be performed through the
ProDOS machine-language interface (MLI), and each one takes its own
unique parameter list. That's far more typing that I'm willing to do
tonight, but the information below should at least give a taste of
what's available. For more information, you might want to check out your
local used bookstores for old Apple ProDOS manuals, or for some of the
third-party books that used to be available (I don't even have Apple's
ProDOS manuals-- I get by just fine with _Beneath_Apple_ProDOS_ by Don
Worth and Pieter Lechner, and _Exploring_Apple_GS/OS_and_ProDOS_8_ by
Gary B. Little).
Machine-language programs call ProDOS by doing a JSR to $BF00. This
entry point is called the machine-language interface, or MLI, and it's
responsible for carrying out almost all of the functions tha ProDOS can
perform.
To determine what function to perform, ProDOS examines the byte
immediately following the JSR instruction. Immediately after the
command byte come two more bytes that point to the command's parameter
list. When the call completes, it returns to the code immediately
following the parameter list pointer. Thus, a ProDOS call looks like
this:
MLI EQU $BF00
JSR MLI
DB COMMAND_CODE
DW PARAM_LIST
BCS ERROR
The MLI returns with the carry flag set if an error occurred (hence the
"BCS ERROR" instruction in this example), and an error code in the
accumulator.
There are 26 command codes available:
$40 ALLOC_INT Set up an interrupt handler
$41 DEALLOC_INT Remove an interrupt handler
$65 QUIT Exit the current program; run prgm launcher
$80 READ_BLOCK Read a block from a device
$81 WRITE_BLOCK Write a block to a device
$82 GET_TIME Get the time from a clock card (if any)
$C0 CREATE Create a new file
$C1 DESTROY Delete a file
$C2 RENAME Rename a file
$C3 SET_FILE_INFO Change a file's charateristics
$C4 GET_FILE_INFO Get a file's characteristics
$C5 ONLINE Find the name of a disk in a drive
$C6 SET_PREFIX Set prefix to be added to partial pathnames
$C7 GET_PREFIX Get the current prefix
$C8 OPEN Open an existing file for I/O
$C9 NEWLINE Set line-terminator character for an open file
$CA READ Read data from an open file
$CB WRITE Write data to an open file
$CC CLOSE Close an open file
$CD FLUSH Flush file's block buffer to disk; don't close
$CE SET_MARK Set the current file position
$CF GET_MARK Get the current file position
$D0 SET_EOF Set the length of a file
$D1 GET_EOF Get the length of a file
$D2 SET_BUF Set the location of an open file's blk buffer
$D3 GET_BUF Get the location of an open file's blk buffer
Each call expects a different parameter list. Like I said earlier, the
list of parameter lists is too long for me to type in tonight. But I
can include a couple of examples...here's how to rename a file, for
example:
JSR $BF00
DB $C2 ; $C2 = RENAME
DW REN_PARMS
BCS ERROR
REN_PARMS DB 2 ; RENAME parm list contains 2 parms
DW OLD_NAME ; 1st parm is ptr to old name
DW NEW_NAME ; 2ns parm is ptr to new nme
OLD_NAME DB 8,"OLD.NAME" ; (name is count byte followed by ASCII chars)
NEW_NAME DB 8,"NEW.NAME"
And here's how to quit from a program and return to the ProDOS program
selector:
JSR $BF00
DB $65 ; $65 = QUIT
DW QUIT_PARMS
BRK ; (QUIT doesn't return)
QUIT_PARMS DB 4 ; QUIT parm list contains 4 parms
DB 0 ; All 4 parms normally null
DW 0
DB 0
DW 0
_______________________
From: Rubywand
037- How can I convert DOS 3.3 wares to run under ProDOS?
Quite a few DOS 3.3 programs will run fine under ProDOS with no
change at all. Unless you have some reason to believe a DOS 3.3 program
will not run under ProDOS, it's worthwhile to just copy it to a ProDOS
diskette and give it a try. Since DOS 3.3 programs which do direct
writes can, possibly, damage a ProDOS disk (see Question 22), be sure to
run any risky-looking tests from a booted ProDOS diskette for which you
have a backup.
The main barriers to running DOS 3.3 programs under ProDOS are ...
1. Size: DOS 3.3 leaves more space for programs than ProDOS +
BASIC.SYSTEM. Some DOS 3.3 programs are too large for ProDOS. To use
them you will need to find ways to reduce program size.
2. Areas of memory used: ProDOS reserves parts of memory, such as Text
Page 1 ($0400-$07FF), for various pointers. Some DOS 3.3 programs LOAD
or BLOAD into one or more of these areas. For example, some games BLOAD
a lo-res pic or Text for you to look at while the rest of the game
loads. Normally, ProDOS will refuse to do such loads and the result will
be a BUFFERS NOT AVAILABLE error message. To run these programs you will
need to unmark the reserved areas which get in the way and/or change the
location(s) of the program's troublesome LOADs and BLOADs.
When ProDOS loads it uses most of the memory in the "language card"
areas. Some DOS 3.3 programs also use this memory. If a DOS 3.3 program
uses the "language card" it will probably have to be modified in order
to run under ProDOS.
ProDOS handles buffer allocation differently than DOS. If a DOS 3.3
program lowers HIMEM in order to create space for BLOADing code or data,
it may need to be modified to guarantee that the code/area is safe. (See
page 237 of Exploring Apple GS/OS and ProDOS 8 or page 7-4 of Beneath
Apple ProDOS.)
3. Names: DOS 3.3 file names can be longer and have more kinds of
characters than ProDOS names. If a DOS 3.3. program BLOADs, WRITEs, etc.
to any files, you will need to be sure that the file names used are
compatible with ProDOS.
4. DOS/ProDOS Commands and Syntax: There are, really, very few DOS 3.3
command and syntax differences likely to cause problems under ProDOS.
Still, there are some and you will need to check for these and make any
indicated mods.
5. Integer BASIC: Int BASIC programs can be transferred to a ProDOS
diskette; but, you can not run them directly under ProDOS. If you are
willing to move an Int BASIC program to a Text editor, convert the
syntax to Applesoft BASIC, and EXEC the resulting Text file, you can
obtain an Applesoft BASIC program which you can modify as necessary for
ProDOS.
6. It's not DOS 3.3: Very old software, old commercial copy-protected
software, and deprotected copies of old software may not be on DOS 3.3
disks. Your first challenge with such software is getting it into a form
which will permit transferring files to a ProDOS diskette.
When checking and modifying a DOS 3.3 program for ProDOS a good
program editor is essential. You will save untold hours of work when you
invest in Beagle's tried and true "Program Writer".
_________________________
From: Jeff Blakeney
038- How can I modify ProDOS to do BLOADs in the input buffer
and Text Page 1 areas?
You can use a POKE 48984,192 to modify the bit map. This protects
pages $00 and $01, and unprotects pages $02-$07.
Note: Because the firmware and I/O cards make use of the "screen hole"
bytes in the $0400-$7FF area, BLOADing over these can interfere with
some devices.
For this reason, it is best to have special DOS wares on a separate
ProDOS diskette with a STARTUP program which does the POKE 48984,192.
This way you will know that the system has been changed to run the DOS
wares and not inadvertently try to run a program like Appleworks, etc..
under the modified ProDOS.
-------------------------
From: David Empson
A safer method is to BLOAD the file elsewhere, and copy data onto the
text screen in a loop, copying 120 bytes and skipping 8 bytes, repeated
8 times.
_________________________
From: Rubywand
039- How can I boot ProDOS on my Franklin computer?
In an old Apple Clinic note, Stephen Craft listed specific
locations to change after your Franklin freezes. You could then restart
via a 2000G from the monitor.
It turns out that the bytes Stephen was diddling are D0 03 in the
sequence 69 0B D0 03 A5 0C 60. The sequence is found in all versions of
ProDOS I've checked so far.
To fix the booting problem, try this:
Start Copy II+ and select "Sector Editor"
Swap-in the ProDOS diskette
READ Track 0, Sector 0
Search for (Hex bytes): 69 0B D0 03 A5 0C 60
When you find the above, change the D0 03 to EA EA
and write the changed sector back to diskette.
This patch has no effect on ProDOS functioning on regular Apple
II's. In fact, most users probably have diskettes on which the patch is
already present.
--------------------------
From: David Wilson
The D0 03 branch is at the end of some code that calculates a
checksum of the APPLE ][ string found in all genuine Apple II ROMs.
When I modified my first copy of ProDOS 1.0.1 to run on my
Multitech MPF-III, I simply changed D0 03 in that sequence to D0 00.
This has the same effect as substituting EA EA-- i.e. the routine exits
with the 'checksum is correct' value in register A.
_________________________
From: Rubywand
040- What are some good ProDOS references?
ProDOS Books
ProDOS Technical Reference Manual from Apple (Addison-Wesley)
Rubywand
Apple II Main Error List
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2ERRLIST.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
001- What does error #___ mean?
002- What does IIgs Diagnostic Self-Test Error Code ___ mean?
003- What does RamFAST Fatal Memory Fault Error ___ mean?
004- What is the explanation for getting a ___ error?
005- Where can I find more information on Apple II series errors?
From: Jeff Hurlburt (in II Alive, 1996)
001- What does error #___ mean?
Error Codes
Codes are in hexadecimal and are listed in numerical order. Except
for a few IIgs System Failure codes, the system or sub-system reporting
the error is shown along with the error description.
Most IIgs tool set error 'descriptions'-- like divByZeroErr--
consist of just the error name as published in the Toolbox References.
When such an error is reported, the first two digits identify the Tool
Set; the last two identify the error# (sometimes this identifies the
individual Tool involved in the error). The name and number of each Tool
Set which reports errors is identified in the listing by labeling the
first error in each Tool Set group.
Most of the descriptions for 00xx codes refer to GS/OS errors.
Usually, these codes have the same (or a very similar) meaning as ProDOS
16 (P16) codes, SmartPort codes, and 8-bit ProDOS 8 (P8) Machine
Language Interface (MLI) codes. When there is a significant difference,
other meanings are shown.
Note: Codes marked **** indicate that a more detailed discussion is
available in Question 004.
0000 No error
0001 GS/OS: bad system call
0001 Tool Locator: dispatcher does not find toolset
0001 P16: System Failure- unclaimed interrupt
0001 P8: Invalid MLI function number
0002 Tool Locator: routine not found
0004 GS/OS: bad parameter count
0004 System Failure- division by zero
0006 SmartPort: bus error in IWM chip
0007 GS/OS is busy
000A P16: System Failure- unusable Volume Control Block
000B P16: System Failure- unusable File Control Block
000C P16: System Failure- Block Zero allocated illegally
000D P16: System Failure- interrupt occurred while I/O shadowing off
0010 GS/OS: device not found
0010 Tool Locator: specified Version not found
0011 GS/OS: bad device number
0011 P16: System Failure- wrong OS version
0015 System Failure- Segment Loader error
0017-0024 System Failure- Can't load a package
0020 GS/OS: invalid driver request
0021 GS/OS: invalid driver control or status code
0022 GS/OS: bad call parameter
0023 GS/OS: character device not open
0024 GS/OS: character device already open
0025 GS/OS: interrupt table full
0025 System Failure- Out of Memory
0026 GS/OS: resources not available
0026 System Failure- Segment Loader error
0027 GS/OS: I/O error ****
0027 System Failure- File map destroyed
0028 GS/OS: no device connected
0028 System Failure- Stack overflow
0029 GS/OS: driver is busy
002B GS/OS: disk write protected
002C GS/OS: invalid byte count
002D GS/OS: invalid block address
002E GS/OS: disk/volume switched
002F GS/OS: device offline or no disk in drive
0030 System Failure Alert- Please Insert Disk
0040 GS/OS: bad pathname syntax
0042 GS/OS: max number of files already open
0042 P8: too many files open (can lead to NO BUFFERS AVAILABLE)
0043 GS/OS: bad file reference number
0044 GS/OS: directory not found
0045 GS/OS: volume not found
0046 GS/OS: file not found
0047 GS/OS: duplicate filename/pathname ****
0048 GS/OS: disk/volume full ****
0049 GS/OS: volume directory full ****
004A GS/OS: incompatible file format
004A P8: incompatible ProDOS version
004B GS/OS: unsupported (or incorrect) storage type
004C GS/OS: End Of File encountered
004D GS/OS: position out of range
004D P8: position past End Of File
004E GS/OS: access not allowed
004F GS/OS: buffer too small
0050 GS/OS: file is already open
0051 GS/OS: directory damaged ****
0051 P8: file count is bad
0052 GS/OS: unknown volume type
0053 GS/OS: parameter out of range
0054 GS/OS: out of memory
0055 P8: Volume Control Block table full
0056 P8: bad buffer address (can lead to NO BUFFERS AVAILABLE) ****
0057 GS/OS: duplicate volume name
0058 GS/OS: not a block device
0058 P8: bad volume bit map
0059 GS/OS: file level out of range
005A GS/OS: bad bitmap address (block# too large/ damaged disk) ****
005B GS/OS: invalid pathnames for ChangePath
005C GS/OS: not an executable file
005D GS/OS: Operating system/file system not available
005F GS/OS: too many applications on stack/ stack overflow
0060 GS/OS: data unavailable
0061 GS/OS: end of directory
0062 GS/OS: invalid FST call class
0063 GS/OS: file doesn't have a resource fork
0064 GS/OS: invalid FST ID
0065 GS/OS: invalid FST operation
0066 GS/OS: FST Caution- weird result
0067 GS/OS: device Name error/ internal error
0068 GS/OS: device List full
0069 GS/OS: supervisor List full
006A GS/OS: FST Error (generic)
0070 GS/OS: resource exists, cannot expand file
0071 GS/OS: cannot Add resource to this type file
0088 network error ****
0100 System Failure- can not mount sys startup volume
0103 [01] TOOL LOCATOR: invalid StartStop record
0104 tool cannot load
0110 specified minimum Version not found
0111 specified message not found
0112 no message numbers available
0113 message name too long
0120 request not accepted
0121 duplicate name
0122 invalid send request
0201 [02] MEMORY MANAGER: could not allocate memory ****
0202 emptyErr
0203 notEmptyErr
0204 lockErr
0205 purgeErr
0206 handleErr
0207 idErr
0208 attrErr
0301 [03] MISCELLANEOUS TOOL SET: bad input parameter
0302 noDevParamErr
0303 taskInstlErr
0304 noSigTaskErr
0305 queueDmgdErr
0306 taskNtFdErr
0307 firmTaskErr
0308 hbQueueBadErr
0309 unCnctdDevErr
030B idTagNtAvlErr
034F mtBuffTooSmall
0381 invalidTag
0382 alreadyInQueue
0390 badTimeVerb
0391 badTimeData
0401 [04] QUICKDRAW II: QD II already initialized
0402 cannotReset
0403 notInitialized
0410 screenReserved
0411 badRect
0420 notEqualChunkiness
0430 rgnAlreadyOpen
0431 rgnNotOpen
0432 rgnScanOverflow
0433 rgnFull
0440 polyAlreadyOpen
0441 polyNotOpen
0442 polyTooBig
0450 badTableNum
0451 badColorNum
0452 badScanLine
0510 [05] DESK MANAGER: Desk Acessory not available
0511 notSysWindow
0520 deskBadSelector
0601 [06] EVENT MANAGER: EM startup already called
0602 emResetErr
0603 emNotActErr
0604 emBadEvtCodeErr
0605 emBadBttnNoErr
0606 emQSiz2LrgErr
0607 emNoMemQueueErr
0681 emBadEvtQErr
0682 emBadQHndlErr
0810 [08] SOUND: no DOC or RAM found
0811 docAddrRngErr
0812 noSAppInitErr
0813 invalGenNumErr
0814 synthModeErr
0815 genBusyErr
0817 mstrIRQNotAssgnErr
0818 sndAlreadyStrtErr
08FF unclaimedSntIntErr- "UNCLAIMED SOUND INTERRUPT" ****
0910 [09] APPLE DESKTOP BUS: command not completed
0911 cantSync- "FATAL SYSTEM ERROR 0911" ****
0982 adbBusy
0983 devNotAtAddr
0984 srqListFull
0B01 [11] INTEGER MATH: bad input parameter
0B02 imIllegalChar
0B03 imOverflow
0B04 imStrOverflow
0C01 [12] TEXT TOOL SET: illegal device type
0C02 badDevNum
0C03 badMode
0C04 unDefHW
0C05 lostDev
0C06 lostFile
0C07 badTitle
0C08 noRoom
0C09 noDevice
0C0B dupFile
0C0C notClosed
0C0D notOpen
0C0E badFormat
0C0F ringBuffOFlo
0C10 writeProtected
0C40 devErr
0E01 [14] WINDOW MANAGER: parm list first word is wrong size
0E02 allocateErr
0E03 taskMaskErr
0F01 [15] MENU MANAGER: menu started
0F02 menuItemNotFound
0F03 menuNoStruct
0F04 dupMenuID
1001 [16] CONTROL MANAGER: Window Manager not initialized
1002 cmNotInitialized
1003 noCtlInList
1004 noCtlError
1005 notExtendedCtlError
1006 noCtlTargetError
1007 notExtendedCtlError
1008 canNotBeTargetError
1009 noSuchIDError
100A tooFewParmsError
100B noCtlToBeTargetError
100C noFrontWindowError
1101 [17] LOADER: id not found / segment not found
1102 OMF version error ****
1103 idPathnameErr
1104 idNotLoadFile (often: file incompatible with system) ****
1105 idBusyErr
1107 idFilVersErr
1108 idUserIDErr
1109 idSequenceErr
110A idBadRecordErr
110B idForeignSegErr
1210 [18] QUICKDRAW AUX: pic empty
1211 badRectSize
1212 destModeError
121F bad picture opcode
1221 badRect
1222 badMode
1230 badGetSysIconInput
1301 [19] PRINT MANAGER: driver not in DRIVERS folder ****
1302 portNotOn
1303 noPrintRecord
1304 badLaserPrep
1305 badLPFile
1306 papConnNotOpen
1307 papReadWriteErr
1308 ptrConnFailed
1309 badLoadParam
130A callNotSupported
1321 startUpAlreadyMade
1401 [20] LINE EDIT: LE startup already called
1402 leResetErr
1403 leNotActiveErr
1404 leScrapErr
150A [21] DIALOG MANAGER: bad item type
150B newItemFailed
150C itemNotFound
150D notModalDialog
1610 [22] SCRAP MANAGER: scrap type does not exist
1701 [23] STANDARD FILE OPERATIONS: bad prompt description
1702 badOrigNameDesc
1704 badReplyNameDesc
1705 badReplyPathDesc
1706 badCall
1901 [25] NOTE SYNTHESIZER: NS already initialized
1902 nsSndNotInit
1921 nsNotAvail
1922 nsBadGenNum
1923 nsNotInit
1924 nsGenAlreadyOn
1925 soundWrongVer
1A00 [26] NOTE SEQUENCER: no room for MIDI NoteOn
1A01 noCommandErr
1A02 noRoomErr
1A03 startedErr
1A04 noNoteErr
1A05 noStartErr
1A06 instBndsErr
1A07 nsWrongVer
1B01 [27] FONT MANAGER: duplicate FM startup call
1B02 fmResetErr
1B03 fmNotActiveErr
1B04 fmFamNotFndErr
1B05 fmFontNtFndErr
1B06 fmFontMemErr
1B07 fmSysFontErr
1B08 fmBadFamNumErr
1B09 fmBadSizeErr
1B0A fmBadNameErr
1B0B fmMenuErr
1B0C fmScaleSizeErr
1C02 [28] LIST MANAGER: listRejectEvent
1D01 [29] AUDIO COMPRESSION EXPANSION: ACE already started
1D02 aceBadDP
1D03 aceNotActive
1D04 aceNoSuchParam
1D05 aceBadMethod
1D06 aceBadSrc
1D07 aceBadDest
1D08 aceDataOverlap
1E01 [30] RESOURCE MANAGER: resource fork used, not empty
1E02 resBadFormat
1E03 resNoConverter
1E04 resNoCurFile
1E05 resDupID
1E06 resNotFound
1E07 resFileNotFound
1E08 resBadAppID
1E09 resNoUniqueID
1E0A resIndexRange
1E0B resSysIsOpen
1E0C resHasChanged
1E0D resDiffConverter
1E0E resDiskFull
1E0F resInvalidShutDown
1E10 resNameNotFound
1E11 resBadNameVers
1E12 resDupStartUp
1E13 resInvalidTypeOrID
2000 [32] MIDI: MIDI tool set not started
2001 miPacketErr
2002 miArrayErr
2003 miFullbufErr
2004 miToolsErr
2005 miOutOffErr
2007 miNoBufErr
2008 miDriverErr
2009 miBadFreqErr
200A miClockErr
200B miConflictErr
200C miNoDevErr
2080 miDevNotAvail
2081 miDevSlotBusy
2082 miDevBusy
2083 miDevOverrun
2084 miDevNoConnect
2085 miDevReadErr
2086 miDevVersion
2087 miDevIntHndlr
2110 [33] VIDEO OVERLAY: no Video device
2111 vdAlreadyStarted
2112 vdInvalidSelector
2113 vdInvalidParam
21FF vdUnImplemented
2201 [34] TEXT EDIT: TE already started
2202 teNotStarted
2203 teInvalidHandle
2204 teInvalidDescriptor
2205 teInvalidFlag
2206 teInvalidPCount
2208 teBufferOverflow
2209 teInvalidLine
220B teInvalidParameter
220C teInvalidTextBox2
220D teNeedsTools
2301 [35] MIDI SYNTHESIZER: MS already started
2302 msNotStarted
2303 msNoDPMem
2304 msNoMemBlock
2305 msNoMiscTool
2306 msNoSoundTool
2307 msGenInUse
2308 msBadPortNum
2309 msPortBusy
230A msParamRangeErr
230B msMsgQueueFull
230C msRecBufFull
230D msOutputDisabled
230E msMessageError
230F msOutputBufFull
2310 msDriverNotStarted
2311 msDriverAlreadySet
2380 msDevNotAvail
2381 msDevSlotBusy
2382 msDevBusy
2383 msDevOverrun
2384 msDevNoConnect
2385 msDevReadErr
2386 msDevVersion
2387 msDevIntHndlr
2601 [38] MEDIA CONTROLLER: MC unimplemented
2602 mcBadSpeed
2603 mcBadUnitType
2604 mcTimeOutErr
2605 mcNotLoaded
2606 mcBadAudio
2607 mcDevRtnError
2608 mcUnrecStatus
2609 mcBadSelector
260A mcFunnyData
260B mcInvalidPort
260C mcOnlyOnce
260D mcNoResMgr
260E mcItemNotThere
260F mcWasShutDown
2610 mcWasStarted
2611 mcBadChannel
2612 mcInvalidParam
2613 mcCallNotSupported
4201 [66] FINDER: bad input
4202 fErrFailed
4203 fErrCancel
4204 fErrDimmed
4205 fErrBusy
4206 fErrNotPrudent
4207 fErrBadBundle
42FF fErrNotImp
----------------------------
002- What does IIgs Diagnostic Self-Test Error
Code ___ mean?
IIgs Diagnostic Self-Test Error Codes
From: a list by Jeff Tarr, Jr., Apple IIgs Technical Reference
by M. Fischer, and IIgs TechNote #095 by Dan Strnad
The IIgs self-test is activated by pressing Open-Apple and Option
on power up, or Open-Apple, Option, and Reset. During the test, the test
number (in hexadecimal) is visible on the bottom of the screen followed
by six zeros. After all tests are complete, a continuous 6 KHz
one-second beep sounds and the screen displays a System Good message.
If any test fails, the screen displays a message of the form System Bad:
AABBCCDD on the lower left hand side and a staggered AABBCCDD on the
upper left hand side to help read the error code in the event of a RAM
failure. In the event of video failure, the failure code is also sent to
the printer port.
Note: There may be a few differences in the GS diagnostic self-test
depending upon ROM version. For example, earlier GS's may not include
Test $0C (AA= 0C).
Error Codes are displayed in the format 'AABBCCDD'.
ROM Test:G
AA= 01 BB= Failed checksum DD= 01: RAM error
Note: A ROM failure will also be denoted by "RM" in the top left hand
corner of the screen.
RAM 1 Test:H
AA= 02 BB= __: Bank number CC= Bit(s) failed
FF: ADB Tool error
Soft Switches:M
AA= 03 BB= State Register bit CC= Read addr. Low Byte
Address Test:K
AA= 04 BB= __: Bank number CCDD= Failed RAM Address
FF: ADB Tool error
Speed Test (FPI):
AA= 05 BB= 01: Stuck slow
02: Stuck fast
Note: If a ZipGS accelerator card is installed and DIP Switch 1-4
(Counter Delay) is set OFF (the normal, default setting), your GS will
bomb on Test 05. This does not indicate any malfunction.
Serial Test:1
AA= 06 BB= 01: Register R/W
04: Tx Buffer empty status
05: Tx Buffer empty failure
06: All Sent Status fail
07: Rx Char available
08: Bad data
Clock Test:H
AA= 07 DD= 01: Fatal error occurred - test aborted
Bat RAM Test:F
AA= 08 BB= 01: Addr. unique CC= bad addr
02: NV RAM pattern CC= bad patt DD= bad addr
ADB Test:J
AA= 09 BBCC= Bad checksum DD= 01: Fatal error
Shadow Register:
AA= 0A BB= 01: Text page 1 fail
02: Text page 2 fail
03: ADB Tool call error
04: Power on Clear bit error
Interrupts Test:
AA= 0B BB= 01: VBL interrupt time-out
02: VBL IRQ status full
03: 1/4 sec interrupt
04: 1/4 sec interrupt
06: VGC IRQ
07: Scan line
Sound Test:3
AA= 0C DD= 01: RAM data error
02: RAM address error
03: Data register failed
04: Control register failed
05: Oscillator interrupt timeout
Note: There are reports that if a ZipGS accelerator card is installed
and not disabled, then, your GS may fail parts of this test depending
upon DIP Switch settings. Such a failure does not necessarily indicate a
hardware fault.
____________________________
From: Paul Creager
003- What does RamFAST Fatal Memory Fault Error ___ mean?
$00 Unknown, probably means that the RamFAST is very confused
$01-08 DRAM memory test failure
$09 EPROM checksum failure
$0C Z180 processor crashed, indicates some hardware fault
$0D Error writing cache data to disk
$0E Termination power error
____________________________
004- What is the explanation for getting a ___ error?
0027 (ProDOS Error $27, ...)
0047 (ProDOS Error $47, ...)
0048 or 0049 (e.g. ProDOS Error $48, ...)
004B (ProDOS Error $4B, ...)
0051 (ProDOS Error $51, ...)
005A (ProDOS Error $5A ...)
0088 "network error"
0201 "could not allocate memory" error
0681 and 0682 "bad event que" and "bad que handler"
08FF "UNCLAIMED SOUND INTERRUPT"
0911 and 09010001 (FATAL SYSTEM ERROR 0911)
1102 "OMF version error"
1104 "file is not a load file"
RAMFAST-SCSI FATAL MEMORY FAULT CODE=08
IIe Self-Test RAM error display
RamFAST MLI Error!
0C000003 GS Diagnostic Self-Test error
RamFAST: RAMFAST.SYSTEM "Incompatible configure.dat"
"NO BUFFERS AVAILABLE"
"UNABLE TO LOAD PRODOS"
0027 (ProDOS Error $27, ...)- In trying to access an apple SCSI hard
drive hooked up to a GS I keep getting a $27 error!?
This is an I/O error (input/ouput error). It may indicate that
there is a problem on the SCSI chain, such as a loose connector, SCSI
ID# conflict, absence of termination at the end of the chain, or absence
of termination power. Another possibility is that one or more hard disk
files have become corrupted. Replacing a few files may fix things; or,
you may need to repartition or, even, low-level re-format the hard disk.
--Rubywand
-------
0047 (ProDOS Error $47, ...)- A "Duplicate pathname" error indicates
that an attempt has been made to create a file which already exists or
to rename a file to one which already exists-- i.e. the full pathname of
a new or renamed file equals the full pathname of a file which already
exists.
Note that it is okay to have a file or folder named, say, "PICS"
inside a folder named "PICS"; and, you can have files named "PICS" in
different folders. Also, ProDOS will permit overwriting a file with a
file with the same name so long as the original and replacement file
have the same filetype.
What ProDOS does not like is an operation which tries to _create_ a
file or folder whose _full_ _ pathname_ is the same as an existing file
or folder. For example, you cannot create a "GAMES" folder on /RAM5
(i.e. /RAM5/GAMES) if there is already a file or folder there named
"GAMES"-- i.e. one whose pathname is /RAM5/GAMES.
This error might easily occur when running a self-extracting file
if the self-extracing file has a name which matches the name of a
contained file-- a solution for this problem would be to rename the
self-extracting file. A more general solution for duplicate name
creation is to create a new folder and use the extraction utility (e.g.
ShrinkIt-GS), instead of doing a self-extraction, to extract files from
the source file to the folder. --Rubywand
-------
0048 or 0049 (e.g. ProDOS Error $48, ...)- Error $48, of course, means
"volume full"-- you are out of space on the target volume.
Unfortunately, "volume full" is, sometimes, incorrectly reported when
the actual problem is too many entries in the volume's main directory.
(see below)
A $49 "volume directory full" error means the main or "root"
directory of the target volume has 51 entries and that an attempt has
been made to create a 52nd entry. When it is incorrectly reported as
"volume full" it can be very confusing to a user who CATALOGs the volume
and discovers plenty of free blocks. The solution is to move some of the
files in the main directory to folders. Only a volume's main directory
has this low limit on number of entries. You can have many more than 51
files in a folder. --Rubywand
-------
004B (ProDOS Error $4B, ...)- is an "unsupported (or incorrect) storage
type" error. I suspect you are on the GS and that the game or whatever
you are trying to run is supposed to have a forked file and now the
program can not find it. This has happend to me when Dragging files
around. I recommend you recopy the game from your original disk, or
re-unShrinkIt to the location you wish it be. If you believe a file may
have a resource fork, avoid copying it with Copy-II Plus or moving it
around on the GS desktop under an old operating system-- either process
could result in losing the resource part of the file. --thedm
-------
0051 (ProDOS Error $51, ...)- My 3.5 copy of AppleWorks 3 said "Error
loading ATINIT" (on my //c, no less), so I tried using Copy ][+ 9.1 to
copy ProDOS 2.0.3 over the top of the apparently broken copy of ProDOS
1.7 on the AppleWorks disk. It then ran the drive, cleared the screen,
and informed me so: Error $51. Does anybody know what the heck this
means?
The error indicates the directory is damaged. You MIGHT be able to
salvage stuff by doing a FILE copy, rather than a disk copy. --Jim Lowe
-------
005A (ProDOS Error $5A ...)- Today, I discovered that one of my
Appleworks files had been overwritten by nulls. Luckily, I have a backup
copy of that file. When I tried to delete the bad file and rename the
backup I got ProDOS error $5A. Any insight into what this error message
means and what I can do about it?
Error $5A "block number out of range" (sometimes known as "baked
bit-map") means there's a bit set in the bit map which corresponds to a
nonexistent block on that volume. You could try taking a block editor
and writing zeroes to the upper bit map blocks on the volume to cure it.
--Randy Shackelford
-------
0088 "network error"- Can anyone enlighten me as to why Copy-II Plus and
ProSel-8 are unable to work with a network volume that the Apple utility
(and plain-old Basic) has no trouble with?
Simple answer. Copy-II Plus and ProSel-8 bypass the file system and
do direct block I/O to disk volumes. This is verboten with server
volumes, and you get error $88 for your trouble when you try. You'll
have to use network friendly apps whenever you access the server volume.
--Randy Shackelford
-------
0201 "could not allocate memory" error- After using the installer to
install the basic Sys6 over Sys 5.04 on my hard drive, I couldnt run a
ProDOS-8 program. Before the ProDOS 2.0.1 sign comes up, it says "Error
$201". I have more than 4MB! What's wrong?
A $0201 error when switching to ProDOS-8 usually means some utility
has left part of bank 0 or bank 1 allocated. You have enough memory
free, but some particular memory that ProDOS 8 needs is not available.
I have seen occasional $0201's after using Find File 1.0 (included
with 6.0) before switching to ProDOS-8. --Dave Lyons
-------
0681 and 0682 "bad event que" and "bad que handler"-- What do these
error codes mean? How does the GS determine if an error is FATAL (as in
FATAL SYSTEM ERROR)???
The errors are 'Event Manager errors'. A key press and mouse button
press are examples of "events". The errors indicate a record of events
was messed up. One of many places this might occur is while you are
typing-in text. "FATAL" usually means that System believes that things
are so messed up in memory that restarting is necessary. Sometimes,
"FATAL" means that System suspects that there may be a hardware failure.
--Rubywand
-------
08FF "UNCLAIMED SOUND INTERRUPT"-- A sound interrupt has occurred but
none of the available interrupt handlers were willing to deal with it.
The Sound tool set thinks this is pretty serious; so, it notifies the
System Failure Manager and you get the error message. A possible cause
is that the table of interrupt vectors or the pointer to the table has
been messed up in memory. --Rubywand
-------
0911 and 09010001 (FATAL SYSTEM ERROR 0911)- Fatal System Error 0911
and Self-Diagnostic Test 09010001 mean the same thing: You are
experiencing an ADB "can't sync" problem which, usually, relates to an
ADB Controller malfunction.
A guess would be that you are running a ROM-01 GS, probably a
ROM-00 machine which has the ROM-01 upgrade. If this is the first time
you've noticed the '0911 problem, it is likely that this is the first
summer you've owned and used this particular machine.
Chronic occurance of Fatal System Error 0911 almost always
indicates a faulty ADB Controller IC. The failure mechanism was first
identified and described in Computist #58 back in 1988.
Many early GS's come with an ADB IC which malfunctions over a
narrow range of relatively low temperatures. Rooms are normally cooler
during summer; so, this is when the error pops up most frequently. Some
users first notice a plague of '0911 crashes after adding a System
Saver-GS (which increases cooling).
'0911 bombs can occur 'any time' but they usually happen at startup
and when doing OpenApple-CTRL-ESC accesses to the Desk Accessories
(CDA's, Control Panel, ...) menu. As the machine warms up, '0911 crashes
tend to become less likely. (See Csa2HDWHACK FAQs for more discussion
and a possible fix.) --Rubywand
-------
1102 "OMF version error"- When trying to launch some GS programs I am
encountering the following error message:
Sorry, system error $1102 occurred
while trying to run the next
application. Return to launching
application or restart system.
So, whats wrong with my IIgs and how do I fix it?
Probably, there is nothing wrong with your IIgs. The "incompatible
Object Module Format" error appears to indicate that your versions of
the problem programs are, in some ways, not compatible with your
operating system. Try launching the program from an earlier version of
GS/OS or after booting an old "ProDOS-16" diskette. --Rubywand
-------
1104 "file is not a load file"- I downloaded some GS Desk Accessories
fine; but, when I try to use them I get this error. How come?
Error $1104 is reported by tool $0B11 LoadSegNum (tool $0B in
toolset $11). The error is reported if a check of a file's directory
entry shows that the file is not file type $B3-$BE.
If an NDA or CDA were downloaded and its file type were not
preserved, then the file might be okay, but it would not be recognized
as a load file. Try changing the file type ($B9 for a CDA; $B8 for an
NDA). An NDA named "File.Manager" by Jeff Hartkopf and Glen Bredon's
ProSel-16 are two utilities that allow changing file type. --Rubywand
-------
1301 "Unknown error $1301"- When I tried to open a file in Platinum
Paint, I got this error message. What's wrong?
I got the same error message when I tried to run Platinum Paint
with Bernie ][ The Rescue on a G3 Power Mac. The error code refers to a
missing driver; but, even if the correct printer driver is present, what
Platinum Paint really wants is for the D C Printer Control Panel
settings to be correct.
-------
RAMFAST-SCSI FATAL MEMORY FAULT CODE=08- Could it be a problem with my
SSCI card?
It looks like RamFAST thinks there is a problem with the on-board
memory. Before calling Sequential or Alltech, you might try pulling the
board from the Slot-- do this only with GS power turned OFF-- and
wedging-up and re-seating each memory IC. (This assumes the mem IC's are
socketed.) If you're not sure which IC's are memory chips, do them all.
Re-seating the IC's may reestablish a pin-to-socket contact which has
been broken due to oxidation coating on an IC pin or due to the IC
working loose over time. --Rubywand
-------
IIe Self-Test RAM error display: RAM 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0- I get this
error message when doing a selftest on my //e enhanced boot up. What's
it mean?
The indication is a bad or loose RAM chip in the Bit 6 position.
The RAM chips are in Row F at the front of the motherboard starting with
Bit 0 and running to the right when viewed from the front of the
computer.
| Row
| E
| Bit 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |
| _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
| Row | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| F |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |
| 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 |
|______________________________________________________|
Front of Apple IIe
If your RAM chips are in sockets, try removing and re-socketing the
second chip from the right. If this does not work or if your chips are
soldered in place, the chip is probably bad and will need to be
replaced. --Rubywand
-------
RamFAST MLI Error!
Command: 04-03 86 00 60 05 00 00 00 00
Status: 2F
I have a new 530MB hard drive, and a ROM 03 GS with a RamFAST (ROM
F, I think). From the Ramfast utilities, I could do a low-level format
on the drive with no problem. However, when I attempted to partition it,
I saw the error message listed above.
As it turns out, this drive has a place for a jumper documented to
"Disable TI Negotiation." Before giving up all hope, I put a jumper in
there. This apparently made it possible to partition the disk, and
things look good now. -- John David Duncan
-------
0C000003 GS Diagnostic Self-Test error/ Sound Test: Data register failed
There is one possible reason for this failure code being reported by the
self-test: do you have a ZIP GS accelerator in the machine? The ZIP GS,
if enabled, causes the IIgs to fail some of its self-tests (only because
the tests are relying on the speed at which the processor normally
operates, and get confused because the CPU is running faster than
expected). If this is the case, you must turn off the computer and
disable the ZIP GS by setting switch 1-6 OFF before you can run the
self-test properly.
-------
RamFAST: RAMFAST.SYSTEM "Incompatible configure.dat"- My 10 year old
came to me this weekend upset because of something that's happened to
his GS. When he boots it up, he is getting a message about an
incompatible configure.dat file, then ends up in the ramfast scsi
utility!?
If the GS ends up displaying the RamFAST.System screen, and
"Incompatible ..." message, click on the error message to clear it and
then click Options. Set these according to your system-- mainly, click
TransWarp to "No" if you do not have a TransWarp installed. Probably,
you will want Password, RomDISK, HD Backup, and Short Timeout set to
"No", as well. (You can experiment with Short Timeout and DMA; but, for
now, set them to "No".) The other options should be "Yes".
Click Save, then Quit. If you get the <<BOOT>> prompt, click it. If
you end up looking at a BASIC prompt, try entering PR#7 (assuming your
SCSI interface is in Slot 7) to see if the hard disk will boot.
If either of the above gets you into the Finder where you can copy
files, then you will have a way to make backups.
To check that the config has been correctly written to hard disk
you will need to turn OFF the machine. (i.e. from the Finder, do a
Shutdown and then turn OFF the GS.)
After 10-20 seconds, turn ON the computer and see if it boots
correctly. If it does, fine. If it does not, you may have to reformat
the hard disk. --Rubywand
-------
"NO BUFFERS AVAILABLE" error message. What does this mean?
This message often indicates that there has been an attempt to load
into an area protected by ProDOS. For example, many old DOS 3.3 programs
like to directly load a text message or lo-res pic into Text Page 1
($400-$7FF), an area protected by ProDOS. Running such a program under
ProDOS would be likely to produce the "NO BUFFERS AVAILABLE" message.
You can recover from the error via a CALL48888. --Rubywand
-------
"UNABLE TO LOAD PRODOS" - Why do I get this message when I try to boot a
ProDOS diskette?
For a ProDOS disk to boot properly, you need a good copy of the
PRODOS file. It can be copied from any bootable ProDOS diskette. Or,
from GS/OS, copy the file named "P8" (in the SYSTEM/ folder) to your
diskette and rename it to "PRODOS". --Adam Myrow
The error message means that the disk was formatted for ProDOS,
but, for some reason, the system file (usually named "PRODOS") fails to
load. Possibly, ProDOS is not present on the disk or it is corrupted. If
the diskette boots okay on another Apple II, the indication is that your
drive has dirty heads, may be poorly connected, has a problem with head
alignment, or (5.25") needs a speed adjustment. --Rubywand
____________________________
From: Rubywand
005- Where can I find more information on Apple II
series errors?
Resources & Credits
IIgs Diagnostic
Jeff Tarr, Jr.
Apple IIgs Technical Reference by M. Fischer (pg. 213-217)
IIgs TechNotes #95: ROM Diagnostic Errors by Dan Strnad Sep, 1990
GS/OS
Apple IIGS GS/OS Reference (pg. 438-439).
For info on Expressload and System Loader refer to pg. 200-234.
ProDOS 16 and System Loader
Apple IIgs ProDOS 16 Reference (pg. 302-311)
ProDOS 8
ProDOS Technical Reference Manual (pg. 77-79)
Beneath Apple ProDOS by Worth & Lechner (pg. 6.59-6.61)
RamFAST
Paul Creager (wi...@svpal.svpal.org)
SmartPort
Apple IIGS Firmware Reference (pg. 156).
Tool Sets
Volumes 1-3 of the Apple IIGS Toolbox Reference set.
A good on-screen listing of errors encountered on the IIgs (plus
lots of other toolbox, softswitch, etc. info) is available via Dave
Lyons's NiftyList CDA package ($15, Shareware). Another good on-screen
list is Jeff Tarr Jr.'s ErrorCodes CDA v1.7 ($5, Shareware).
Applesoft, DOS 3.3, ProDOS BASIC.SYSTEM, and ErrorWindow error
codes are not listed because errors are reported directly in text
messages. For codes and descriptions see ...
Applesoft
Basic Programming Reference Manual (pg. 81)
DOS 3.3
The DOS Manual (pg. 114-115)
Beneath Apple DOS by Worth & Lechner (pg. 8.20)
BASIC.SYSTEM
Exploring Apple GS/OS and ProDOS 8 by Little (pg. 249)
ErrorWindow
'Toolbox Reference: Volume 3 (pg. 52.53-52.56)
Rubywand
Apple II Floppy Disk Drives
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2FDRIVE.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
001- How do I add a write-protect On-Off switch?
002- How do I add external speed adjustment to my Disk ][ drive?
003- How can I adjust my 5.25" drive for optimum performance?
004- How do I clean my disk drive R/W head(s)?
005- What is the pin-out for a duodisk drive connecting cable?
006- What DuoDisk mods are necessary?
007- Will a Duodisk function correctly on my ROM 3 GS?
008- How do I fix a false Write Protect?
009- My 3.5 Disk Drives don't work! What should I try?
010- I added SCSI; now, my 3.5" drives often fail to work. Why?
011- Both of my Disk ]['s come on when booting! Is there a fix?
012- In connecting a Disk II I misaligned the connectors. A fix?
013- A sound like a shotgun going off came from my drive. A fix?
014- Uni-disk and Laser drives: neither works with my IIc. Why?
015- How do I replace a 3.5" drive mechanism with one from a Mac?
016- I have one 5.25" drive. Sys6 shows two icons!? Is there a fix?
017- How can I tell a 13-sect interface card from a 16-sect model?
018- Can a Disk ][ Drive be used on a IIc or GS smartport?
019- How do I install a bi-color LED R/W indicator in my Disk ][?
020- What's the scoop on the 3.5" High Density drive?
021- What is a "UniDisk"?
From: Stephen Buggie
001- How do I add a write-protect On-Off switch
to my Disk ][ drive?
Adding an Auto/Manual Write-Protect Switch
Often, as when doing copying, it is useful to be able to guarantee
that a diskette is Write-Protected whether or not the side is notched.
Other times, it is convenient to defeat Write Protection-- for example,
when you wish to write to a diskette side which is not notched. And,
naturally, you also want a setting which permits Normal,
notch-controlled, Write-Protect.
Based upon a circuit suggested by David Wilson (Australia), the
A/MWP enhancement offers full user control of Write Protect. The
switch's three positions are
Protect OFF: Writing is allowed regardless of notching.
Protect ON: Writing is prohibited regardless of notching.
Normal: a diskette side must be notched to permit writing.
A/MWP Step-by-Step
Unplug the drive from the disk controller and remove the case.
Drill a mounting hole. This can be at a convenient spot in the back or
in the plastic front panel. On the front, a good spot is at the lower
left, above and to the left of the "in use" LED. Another open spot is at
the upper right in the space just above the diskette slot; but, we're
saving this place for Part 2's enhancement. (You can't use the lower
right, of course, because this would mess up the "Apple" logo!)
Cut three wires (Brown, Black, and White) long enough to run from the
mounting point to the Large Connector plugged onto the back, middle of
the Disk ][ circuit board.
Solder the leads to a Single-Pole Triple-Throw mini toggle Switch:
Brown to center, White to one end, Black to other end. Twist the leads
or encase them in tubing.
Mount the Switch. Normally, the Switch handle will point in the White
lead direction for "Protect OFF" and in the Black lead direction for
"Normal". Center is "Protect ON". Route the leads to the area next to
the Large Connector. (Make sure no wires will get in the way of an
inserted diskette.)
Locate the Brown and Black leads coming from the Notch Detect
micro-switch. The leads are the Brown (bottom) and Black (top) pair near
the right end of the Large Connector (as viewed from the front of the
drive).
Cut the Notch Detect micro-switch leads about 1" away from the Large
Connector.
Connect the Black Notch Detect, Black Large Connector, and Black Switch
leads (i.e. strip ends, solder, and cover in heat-shrink tubing or
tape).
Connect the Brown Notch Detect lead to the White Switch lead.
Connect the Brown Large Connector lead to the Brown Switch lead.
Viola! Now you're ready to replace the cover, plug in the drive,
and try out your A/MWP enhanced Disk ][.
Boot a diskette which is not write-protected and load a program,
say the HELLO program (or STARTUP on a ProDOS diskette). Set the A/MWP
to center and try SAVE HELLO. You should get a "WRITE PROTECTED" error.
Place a write-protect tab on the diskette. Set A/MWP to the Left or
UP position and try SAVE HELLO again. If the save works, then Left or UP
is the "Protect OFF" position and Right or Down is "Normal". If you get
a "WRITE PROTECTED" error then it's the other way around.
Now is a good time to mark "Normal" and, if you like, the other
positions. You can use dots punched from self-stick labels.
----------------------------
002- How do I add an external speed adjustment to my Disk ][?
Reference: FAQs Resource file R006SPDKNOB.GIF
Adding a Speed Control Knob to your Disk ][ Drive
This article tells how to move speed adjustment from the Disk ]['s
dark interior to a handy front-panel location and how to "tune" the
drive for optimal performance.
One drive-test software vendor states that Disk ][ is good for
about 500 hours of normal use between speed adjustments-- not exactly a
strong argument for placing the control on the front panel! On the other
hand many of today's Disk ][ owners are interested in applications which
go beyond "normal use".
Some utilities (e.g. DiversiCopy II) report rotational speed during
ongoing applications; so, relocating the speed adjuster to the front
panel is especially helpful. Similarly, users who want to back up their
old, copy-protected wares know that ready access to speed control is
essential.
Finally, there is no question that, whatever your applications,
periodic speed trimming will be required. When it is, you'll be very
glad _your_ Disk ][ has a front panel Speed Knob!
Adding Speed Knob
To install Speed Knob you will need a good quality, linear taper 5k
Ohm potentiometer, some wires, and a knob with a pointer mark or some
other way to show position (e.g. a ring of numbers). Most of the work,
really, consists of opening the drive and drilling a hole. There is no
need to disconnect the drive from the controller card.
1. Remove the 4 bottom bolts and slip off the case. Unscrew the 4 bottom
bolts holding the drive to the case bottom, and unplug the main ribbon
cable. The drive can now be moved to your work area.
2. Drill a hole properly sized and centered for mounting your 5k Ohm pot
in the upper right front panel.
3. Place the drive on its face and unscrew the 2 bolts which hold the
small daughter board to the drive. (Be ready to catch loose spacers,
washers, etc..)
4. Turn the small board over to the bottom side. Locate and cut the
traces going to the mini-pot speed adjuster as shown in pic
R006SPDKNOB.GIF.
5. Cut three wires, White, Gray, Black, long enough to reach from the
board to the front panel. Connect these to your 5k Ohm pot and to the
small circuit board as shown in pic R006SPDKNOB.GIF. (In case you cannot
view the pic, what you're doing is substituting the new pot for the
mini-pot. )
6. Re-mount the daughter board. Mount the 5k Ohm pot. Install knob.
7. Bring the drive back to the computer. Slide it onto the case bottom
plate, reconnect main ribbon cable, replace bottom bolts, slide on and
re-fasten case top.
You can use Copy II Plus, XPS, APEX, or one of several other
utilities to set speed (see next question). A good starting adjustment
will be near the center of Speed Knob's range. Once speed is adjusted,
you can loosen and re-set the knob so that its position indicates a
"correct" speed setting.
----------------------------
003- How can I adjust my 5.25" drive for the best performance?
The typical 5.25" drive will run for months with no need for
maintenance save an occassional dusting or session with a head-cleaner
disk. When adjustment is required, it will usually be to fine-tune Speed
or, less often, to set track centering.
If a 5.25" drive has difficuly reading diskettes, including those
it created, and head-cleaning does not help, then, the odds are it's
time to adjust speed. If your drive is a Disk ][ and does not have the
external 'Speed Knob' mod, look for a small hole on the lower right side
near the back-- some owners add this hole to allow easy access to the
Speed Adjustment mini-pot screw. If there is no hole, you will need to
remove the case. (Remove bolts on bottom and slide out the drive through
the front.)
On the 5.25" Apple 'Platinum Drive', the Speed Adjustment is
accessed through a small hole on the bottom of the drive near the front
on the right side. Non-Apple 5.25" drives may place the Speed Adjustment
almost anywhere. Look for a small hole through which you can see a screw
head. If you don't fine one, remove the case and look for a mini-pot
labeled "Speed" or something similar.
The most popular speed adjustment software utility is, probably,
dear old Copy II Plus. From the menu, just select "Verify", then "Drive
Speed". Put a diskette into the drive you want to adjust and, turning
the Speed Knob (or min-pot shaft) use Copy II's numeric speed display to
zero-in on the 'magic' 200ms. number. (Standard Disk ][ rotation speed
is 300 rpm, which comes out to be 0.2 seconds per revolution.)
Other speed adjustment utilities show an rpm number or a hires
pointer. Whatever, all speed check routines need to read AND write; so,
you will usually need a "scratch diskette" which you do not mind having
over-written.
Track-center realignment is needed when a Disk ][ writes and reads
its own disks fine, but does not 'communicate' with many other Apple II
5.25" drives. It generates disk errors when reading disks written by
other drives and other drives have the same problem with its diskettes.
CALL A.P.P.L.E's APTEST, now in the public domain, tests
track-center alignment. With this software, the user checks the
alignment of the drive with disks regarded as well aligned --- such as
Apple diskware supplied with the computer or some unprotected, original,
commercial software diskette. (In a pinch, a diskette formatted by any
drive that has no problem reading most other diskettes should be okay.)
Basically, a track-centering test tries to step your head between
two tracks of the 'standard' diskette and read the tracks on either
side. If the number of successful reads from each track is about equal,
the head is "centered" and your drive is well-aligned with the standard
diskette.
The test may indicate serious misalignment. ("Aha! That explains
why my IIgs and II+ have problems reading each other's diskettes!")
Centering adjustment is done by slightly repositioning the stepper motor
(mounted on the underside of the drive). This requires loosening the two
bolts holding the stepper-motor, rotating it clockwise or
counter-clockwise, and retightening.
The adjustment/test process may require several repetitions. Each
time, the program will report "differential fractions". The smaller
these numbers, the closer you are to near perfect alignment with tracks
on the diskette.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
004- How do I clean my disk drive R/W head(s)?
The easiest way to clean a drive's R/W head(s) is with a Cleaner
Diskette. This is a diskette with a paper disk such as the 5.25" and
3.5" Cleaner Diskettes available in Radio Shack's Disk Drive Head
Cleaner Kits. These kits usually include "Cleaning Fluid" (isopropyl
alcohol), too.
The 5.25" Cleaner Diskette has panels you pop out to expose the
cleaning surface. Apple II 5.25" drives have a single head which
contacts the disk from the bottom and a pressure pad which presses
against the top side. So, pop out the panel on the bottom side of the
Cleaner Diskette and leave the top panel in place. When cleaning, insert
the diskette with the bottom side facing down. This lets the paper disk
rub against the head and avoids wear on the pressure pad.
The 3.5" diskette has a small plastic panel you can snap out for
cleaning two-head drives. Since the standard 3.5" 800k Apple II drive
has two heads, snap out the panel so that both the top and bottom heads
get wiped.
To clean your drive head(s), you sqirt a few drops of Cleaning
Fluid onto the Cleaner Diskette disk, insert it into the drive, and get
the disk spinning for 20 seconds. (Booting the Cleaner Diskette is one
way to get it spinning. If DOS or ProDOS is installed, doing a CATALOG
is another way. For example: CATALOG,S6,D2 would get your 5.25" Drive 2
spinning.)
If you think it has been several months since the drive was last
cleaned, repeat the procedure-- i.e remove the Cleaner Diskette, add
more fluid, etc.. As a rule, do not let the disk spin more than 20
seconds for any cleaning cycle. This is especially a concern with 3.5"
drives where the heads are mounted on springs and much more subject to
snagging and being pulled out of alignment.
____________________________
From: Steve Jensen
005- I picked up an apple IIe and a duodisk drive at a thrift
store. Could someone describe the connecting cable?
I just checked the pinout on a Duodisk cable. The numbers for the
pins are inside the plug by the pins, but I'll draw them for you.
DB 19 looking at the end of the cable:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
o o o o o o o o o o
o o o o o o o o o
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
DB 25 looking at the end of the cable: (x = no pin)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
x o o o o o o o o o o o x
o o o o o o o o x o o x
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Cable
DB 19 DB 25
1 2
2 4
3 9 & 21
4 10 & 14
5 23
6 7
7 19
8 20
9 8
10 12
11 15
12 16
13 17
14 18
15 5
16 24
17 11
18 3
19 6
____________________________
From: Steve Jensen
006- What DuoDisk mods are necessary?
The following is excerpted from an info file from my old bbs ...
There are TWO modifications that should be made to Duodisk drives:
The First one was recommended by Apple several ago to solve
occasional problems with trashing diskettes. The solution is to remove 2
capacitors.
The Second modification is only required to solve a problem with
daisy-chaining on the GS Smartport, though the modified Duodisk will
still work fine on older Apple II's. It requires removing a resistor.
DUODISK MODIFICATION #1- REMOVAL OF TWO CAPACITORS
This mod should be done on ALL Duodisks, no matter whether they're
used on //e's, IIGS's, etc. The problem was that diskettes would
sometimes be damaged when doing an Open-Apple-CTL-Reset or when using
disks with certain kinds of copy protection. The mod was in an Apple
dealer service bulletin several years ago for "analog board PN 676-[]101
or 676-[]102."
The Analog board is the one inside Drive 1 in the Duodisk. You may
have to unplug the cable near the back right of the board to see the
board's model number. Anyway, if you have the -101 or -102 board, just
snip out Capacitors C29 and C30 at board locations A1 and B1,
respectively.
DUODISK MODIFICATION #2- REMOVAL OF A RESISTOR
This mod should be done for Duodisks used with a GS; otherwise, it
is optional. The problem is that the Duodisk draws just a little too
much current when connected to the GS Smartport. This can render other
drives on the chain inoperable. Problems are MOST likely to occur when
the Duodisk is daisy-chained from a Unidisk 3.5 Drive.
Remove the top cover and turn the drive so that the identifying
number will be at the bottom left of the analog board. The number might
read 676-[]101, 676-[]102 or
676-[]107.
If the I.D.# for the analog board is 676-[]101 or 676-[]102, use
a pair of nippers and cut out resistor R8 (located at position A2).
If the I.D.# for the analog board is 676-[]107, use a pair of
nippers and cut out resistor R39 (located at position A1).
----------------------------
From: Dave Althoff
There are two capacitors which must be clipped from the board on
the DuoDisk regardless of what machine you intend to use them on.
Failure to do this can lead to very nasty failures. For instance, some
copy-protection schemes can cause the drive to start writing
unexpectedly-- say, during a re-boot-- thus trashing the disk without
regard to the write-protect switch.
----------------------------
From: Chet Gerhardt
I have done the capacitor removal mod with all DuoDisks I have sold
and my own DuoDisks. It is amazing that after all of this time most
still have not had the mod done.
____________________________
From: Steve Buggie
007- Will a Duodisk function correctly on my ROM 3 GS?
I have three Duodisks. The one connected to my flagship Rom 3 IIgs
has had the resistor and capacitors clipped out as recommended in a memo
from Mitch Spector. It works perfectly!
____________________________
From: John L. Graham
008- How do I fix a false Write Protect?
I recently ran into this problem with a Disk II. It insisted the
disk was write protected. I checked the write protect switch, but it was
okay. I pulled all the chips out of the analog board inside the drive,
cleaned the contacts with a clean pencil eraser (one was _really_ dirty,
almost looked burnt) and re-installed them. Voila! The problem went
away.
____________________________
from Rubywand
009- My 800K, 3.5 Disk Drive is no longer working on my IIGS.
When a disk is inserted the drive tries to read it and then
locks up the entire system forcing me to do a 3 finger reboot.
Any suggestions on where to start troubleshooting?
If you have a SCSI interface card plugged into your GS, you may
have run into a bug which seems to affect setting up of the diskette
port. (See the next question and answer.)
Try cleaning the heads using a Cleaner Diskette (e.g. a paper
diskette + cleaning solution kit from Radio Shack).
If cleaning does not seem to help, try wiggling the drive cable
while attempting to CAT a known-good, unprotected diskette in the drive.
If wiggling helps, you are likely to have a bad cable or a GS plug with
a loose connection to the motherboard.
Try formatting a diskette. A drive which can format and R/W
diskettes it has recently formatted but cannot read most other diskettes
probably has heads which have become misaligned.
Set your boot Slot to Slot 5 and try power-up booting a couple
bootable ProDOS diskettes known to be in good condition. If you can boot
a variety of disketts, including commercial game, etc. diskettes, the
odds are pretty good that your drive is okay.
A 3.5" drive that, after cleaning, cannot boot known-good diskettes
is likely to have screwed-up heads. However, it's a good idea to try
unplugging and re-plugging the drive (with the computer OFF) and, then,
try another boot.
If you have a 5.25" drive attached, boot ProDOS from the 5.25"
drive and try some CAT's of non-protected known good 3.5" diskettes in
the 3.5" drive. As earlier, do the cable wiggling test while attempting
the CAT's.
A very good test is to try out the drive on a friend's IIgs or
IIc+. If it continues to bomb, it is likely to have R/W heads which have
become badly misaligned, heads which are badly worn, or heads which have
been partially dislodged from the mountings. (The 3.5" drive's heads are
held in place by springy metal sheets. Unlike the mounting for the 5.25"
Disk ][ head, these are fairly delicate. If anyone has tried cleaning
the heads by sticking in an alcohol swab and 'swishing around', there is
a good chance the head mountings are messed up.)
Shops which replace heads are fairly rare. I had this done a few
years ago and the drive still works fine. However the charge is around
$80. It is cheaper and easier to get a good 2nd-hand drive at a
swap-meet. You can, also, look for a bargain Mac drive and do a
"transplant" as described by Steve Buggie in the Winter issue of II
Alive.
Steve Buggie is a good source of information on drive repairs.
Check out some of his recent posts to this newsgroup.
----------------------
010- Sometimes the 3.5" drives on my GS do not function correctly.
This started after adding a SCSI interface card.
Is there a fix?
This problem seems to crop up from time to time when a SCSI
interface is present, especially when no device is connected and
recognized on the SCSI chain. (For example, you may have only a Zip
Drive connected to your SCSI interface; but, it is not powered ON or no
Zip disk is inserted.)
Evidently, something (e.g. a register or softswitch) in the usual
GS power-up routine relating to on-line devices gets messed up.
Arranging to have some active, on-line device on the SCSI chain (or
removing the SCSI card) seems to eliminate the problem.
Otherwise; inserting a 3.5" diskette into Drive 1 before or just
after power-up usually forces recognition of 3.5" diskette drives and
enables correct functioning.
----------------------------
011- Both of my Disk ]['s come on when booting! How can I
fix this?
Basically, it sounds like Drive 2 does not know when to stay OFF.
There are three fairly high-probability places where a glitch may cause
this to happen:
1. The 74LS132 on the Disk ][ Controller card may have a blown gate or
some pins may be making poor or no contact. Try unplugging and
re-socketing the IC. This usually takes care of bad contact problems.
(Or, you can replace the 74LS132 IC with another 74LS132 or 74132. A
74LS00 or 7400 may work, too.) Also unplug and re-socket the 9334 and
556.
2. The ULN2003 IC on the Drive 2 main circuit board may have a bad gate
or may have developed some poor pin-to-socket contacts. Remove the drive
cover. Unplug and re-socket the ULN2003 IC. (Replacing a blown ULN2003
should not be too difficult. Both Mouser and Newark carry the IC.)
3. Drive 2's cable may have developed a short between pins 14 and 16.
Mark the position of the cable at the Controller card and at the Drive 2
circuit board and unplug the cable at each end. Use an Ohm meter to
check for shorts between adjacent pins. If you find a short between 14
and any other pin you can try repairing the cable or cutting out line 14
and running a new lead; or you can get a replacement cable.
----------------------------
012- In connecting a second Disk II drive to my Disk II card I
misaligned the connectors. The result upon turning it on was a
static-like clicking noise. Now I can't load anything from
disk. Is the Disk II card dead? Are the IIe and Drives all
right?
Try removing the drive which was connected incorrectly. If your
system boots from the remaining drive (connected in the Drive One
position), this is a fairly good indication that the Disk II card and
IIe are okay and that the removed drive is messed up.
If it looks like a drive is bad, remove the cover and inspect the
drive's main circuit board for blown components. If nothing obvious
shows up, a decent fix try is to replace the 74LS125 IC on the drive's
main circuit board. (Also, see Question 023.)
----------------------------
013- Last night a sound like a shotgun going off came from my 5.25"
Disk ][ drive. Now it doesn't work. How can I fix it?
The noise was probably an electrolytic capacitor exploding.
Sometimes, these develop internal shorts, heat up, and blow (kind of
like a sealed can of beans on a campfire).
The fix is to remove the drive cover and replace the blown
capacitor. (Look for a small can-like component with goo and/or shredded
foil coming from it.) Circuit board markings should help identify the
component. Here are some suggested replacement values:
C2 (on +12V line): 220uF-500uF at 20V-50V
C4 (on +5V line): 470uF-500uF at 10V-25V
C5 (on -12V line): 10uF-50uF at 20V-50V
If there is some difficulty identifying the blown capacitor,
replace it with a 500uF unit rated at 20V-50V.
Before removing the bad capacitor, note which lead is connected to
the outside 'can' part and mark the circuit board where this lead is
connected. This is the Negative side of the capacitor. When installing
the new capacitor make sure its negative lead goes to the marked point
on the circuit board.
____________________________
From: Wayne Stewart
014- Recently I picked up two 3.5" drives at a swap meet-- a
Uni-disk and a Laser 128 drive. I've tried cleaning the
heads; but, neither works with my IIc. What's the problem?
The 3.5 unidisk won't work on the earlier IIc unless the IIc has
had a ROM upgrade. The Laser 3.5 is actually a Macintosh drive with the
addition of an eject button. It isn't compatible with any Apple II
unless it has a special controller card, which of course a IIc doesn't.
____________________________
From: Stephen Buggie
015- Can I replace a bombed Apple II 3.5" drive mechanism with
one from a Mac?
Yes. 3.5" drive mechanisms are cheaply and abundantly available
from the Macintosh world. Although Apple II users have increased their
interest in 3.5" drives, these drives have declined in their utility for
Mac users who have shifted to hard drives, CD-ROM, and flopticals. Few
Mac owners have use for the external 3.5" drive any more; if they have
not yet discarded their external 3.5" drive, it is now in storage.
MAC AND APPLE II 3.5" DRIVES: SIMILARITIES/DIFFERENCES
The basic Sony 3.5" mechanism is shared by Mac and Apple II. It
stores 800K of data on a two-sided disk. Unlike the IBM version with
its constant rotational speed, Mac/Apple II drives maintain constant
head velocity by varying the rotational speed as the head assembly
approaches towards or moves away from the disk hub. Mac and Apple II
drives differ in their track sectoring arrangements, so disks cannot be
read directly without special translational software. The opportunity
for compatible disk sharing was lost during development, because rival
teams working on Mac/Apple II drives went their separate ways (Steve
Weyhrich, APPLE II HISTORY, Pt. 9, 1992).
The platinum 3.5" drive supplied with the IIgs is directly
compatible with the Mac, although the Mac ignores its front panel manual
eject button; Mac disk ejection is handled strictly by the desktop trash
icon command. An older version of the external Mac 3.5" drive lacks the
manual eject button and, in its casing, is plug-incompatible with Apple
II. Thanks to advice provided by Ken Watanabe, I learned that the inner
mechanism is identical among all versions of 800K Mac and Apple II
drives, including the internal drive mechanism in the Mac CPU. This is
good news for Apple II users who wish to transplant the abundantly
available Mac mechanism into their platinum 3.5" drive casing.
WHAT ABOUT THE APPLE UNIDISK 3.5" DRIVE?
The classic white Unidisk drive was released in 1985 as a 3.5"
platform for the IIe and IIc. This release date was 18 months prior to
the introduction of the IIgs. Disks written by the Unidisk 3.5 and
Platinum 3.5 drives are fully interchangeable; the two models differed
because the earlier Unidisk 3.5 used an intelligent
microprocessor-controlled analog board to slow the data transfer rate to
match the IIe/IIc parameters. This slowdown was not needed for the
popular platinum 3.5 drive used by the IIgs.
Can the Mac mechanism be transplanted to the Unidisk 3.5 casing?
Probably yes, but this has not yet been verified. I am reluctant tohack
with the working Unidisk 3.5's attached to my IIC's. I now seek a
mechanically jammed Unidisk 3.5 drive to verify whether its life can be
resurrected with a Mac transplant.
FINDING A USED MAC 3.5" DRIVE MECHANISM
The internall DSDD 800k drive mechanism can be salvaged from any
mid-vintage Mac except for early models (Mac 128, Fat Mac 512) ----
those two models used a quaint single-sided 400k drive. Suitable models
include the Mac Plus, Mac SE, Mac II, or other Macs that have the
standard DSDD 800K mechanism --- newer Macs have incompatible high
density drives. Get a genuine Mac Sony drive mechanism, not a clone;
the suitability of non-Sony clones is uncertain.
Salvaged internal drives must be removed from the Mac internal
mounting bracket --- take out the four side-mounted bolts, and slide the
mechanism forward. The early version of the external Mac mechanism is
mounted in a plastic casing that resembles the Apple II platinum drive
except that the manual eject button is absent.
Remove the mechanism from the casing, but save its round external
cable and db-19 plug --- that cable/plug can be used later to adapt
flat-ribbon Apple II drives for use with the IIgs or IIIc! The Mac
externaldrive's plastic casing can be saved for use as a coin bank, or
discarded.
You should anticipate that the older Mac drive has had plenty of
use; most Mac users have fewer drives attached to their computer than is
common for the Apple II.
The 3.5" drives are sturdier than hard drives, but to protect the
drive's head assembly from damage during rough shipment, the seller
should be asked to ship the unit with a disk inserted.
DISASSEMBLY OF THE APPLE 3.5" PLATINUM DRIVE
Use a well-light work area that gives you plenty of elbow room,
with containers to hold bolts and other small parts All dimensions
(left/right/top/bottom/front/rear) refer to the unit's own dimensions,
NOT to your own egocentric viewpoint as the observer. Standard
precautions against static or other electrical damage must be followed:
Discharge static frequently by touching grounded metal, wear a grounded
wrist strap, hand all power OFF when attaching/removing drives, put
insulating tape over the db-19 drive plug when not in use.
Move slowly and patiently when removing or inserting the mechanism
from its housing ---- metal parts must not be forced or bent. These
tools areneeded: (a) medium and small Phillips-head screwdrivers, (b) a
small pliers, and (c) a fine-tipped felt marker. This procedure was
outlined in an essay by Lorne Walton (Apples BC, 1992), but many further
details have been added here to facilitate disassembly and drive
replacement.
The first step is to remove the worn/defective mechanism from its
Apple II platinum casing. Flip the casing on its back and rest it on
soft cloth. Re,ove the four shiny bolts from the bottom of the casing.
With the unit inverted, slowly lift the bottom half-shell of the plastic
casing upward and push the external cable's attached grommet towards the
upper casing. The unit's bottom casing should come off cleany.
Use the felt marker to label the unit's own main dimensions,
writing on the metal internal shroud: front-bottom, rear-bottom, left
side, right side. Examine the metal innards as they lie upside down in
the upper casing. Note that a red and black wire pair are tucked on the
inner edge of each side --- These two wires go to the eject switch
(right front) and to the red in-use LED lamp (left front).
At the unit's rear, observe that the wire pairs terminate in RED
and BLACK plugs. Use the felt-tipped marker to write "R" and "B" on
nearby metal surfaces to identifythe positions of these two plugs. These
letters will help during reassembly when reinsterting the two plugs onto
their proper pins. Next, use the small pliers to grasp each plug,
slowly and carefully pulling it backwards to remove it from its mounting
pins.
With the black and red plugs each removed, slide the top plastic
cover in a rear-to-front direction, past the metal-enshrouded mechanism.
The wire-pairs from the eject-button and also from the in-use LED lamp
should remain tucked into their plastic side-braces.
You now hold the mechanism, enshrouded in its grey metal shielding,
with the external db-19 cable protruding from the rear. Remove the two
medium Phillips mounting bolts (with flat washers) from each side.
Remove the single medium Phillips bolt/washer that is centered on the
upper-rear metal shroud. Then lift off the upper-rear should and look
inside.
Note that the round external cable terminates in a familiar IDE-20
flat-ribbon connector that plugs into the inner mechanism. Unplug that
inner connector --- the small pliers can be used to rock and pull the
connector towards the rear. With the IDE-20ribbon connector unplugged,
the inner mechanism can be slid forward and out.
As you hold the inner mechanism in your hand, observe that a shiny
thin metal shroud covers its to and sides. Use the felt-tipped pen to
label this shrou's dimension: TOP-FRONT and TOP-REAR. This thin shroud
should be removed by rocking it and spreading its thin side-tabs. At
this point, you have the bare mechanism in your hand, with heads visible
from its top perspective, and with pancake motor visible underneath.
You are now ready to begin reassembly, but pause to appreciate what
is before you. Hold the old mechanism and its Mac replacement
side-by-side --- they should appear identical. The date of manufacture
is coded on a sticker on the pancake motor (e.g., 8809 = September
1989). Apply rubbing alcohol with a cotton swab to clean the surfaces
of both read/write heads.
REASSEMBLY
Remount the innermost top-and-sides metal shroud, taking care that
its "fingers" have clicked into place on the mechanism's sides. When
properly fited, both bolt-holes on each side will be visible through the
shroud's thin metal. If the shroud does not fit, or if the bolt-holes
are not seen, check with your dimensional labels to verify that the
front and rear have not been reversed.
With the top/side inner shroud correctly in place, then reverse the
disassembly steps: Slide the mechanism through the front of the metal
shroud. Reattach the IDE-20 internal ribbon connector, align the two
bolt holes on each side of the outer shroud with the mechanism and
reinstall the four medium Phillips bolts and their washers. Then
reattach the rear-upper shroud with its centered bolt and washer.
Reassembly of the outer metal shroud is now finished!
The final reassembly task is to refit the enshrouded mechanism into
the plastic outer casing. Lay the inverted UPPER plastic half-shell on
the bench,with its front facing away from you.
Observe the small red or black wires tucked along the sides of the
upper plastic half-shell. With the metal enshrouded drive mechanism
upside down, it should be slid into the plastic top-shell, from its
rear to its front. Check that the red-black wires remain tucked along
the inner edge between the plastic casing and the metal shroud. Insert
the black and red plugs into their respective connectors. Note the "R"
and "B" markings you wrote on the metal shroud; those markings will
guide the plugs' insertion into their proper connectors.
The oblong-shaped grommet attached to the round external cable
should be fitted first to the bottom plastic half-shell casing, which is
then mated to the top casing. Reattach the four small shiny Phillips
bolts through the bottom plastic half-shell, and you're done!
____________________________
From: David Empson
016- I have one 5.25" drive connected to my GS, but the System 6.0.1
Finder display shows two 5.25" icons!? How can I fix this?
You need to change the AppleDisk5.25 driver file's auxilary
filetype from $010E to $0101. You can use File Manager (an NDA utility)
to make the change.
For a standard GS/OS device driver, the lower six bits specify the
number of devices supported by the driver (see the file type note on
GS/OS drivers: FTN.BB.XXXX), so the maximum number of devices that can
be supported by a single driver is 63. You should NEVER increase this
higher than the original value, because the driver probably doesn't have
space in its device tables to support more drivers than it originally
claimed to.
The AppleDisk5.25 driver supports a maximum of 14 devices - two
5.25" drives for each available slot. (In theory, it should be able to
support 16: all seven real slots, plus the built-in disk port, but Apple
never completed the implementation of dynamic slot switching for
drivers, probably for compatibility reasons.)
Don't change any of the higher order bits. The high order byte
specifies the type of driver ($01 = GS/OS device driver), and the top
two bits of the low order byte specify the type of GS/OS driver (00 =
standard).
NOTE: All of the above applies ONLY to GS/OS standard device drivers,
not to GS/OS supervisory drivers, printer drivers, or anything else. See
the filetype note for further information.
There is one bit in the auxiliary type which is the same for all
types of drivers: bit 15 set ($8000) indicates the driver is inactive
(this is what Finder toggles when you click on the "Inactive" check
box).
____________________________
From: Neil Parker
017- How does one distinguish between a 13 and 16-sector Disk ][
interface card?
For a while at least, new 16-sector Disk II cards shipped with a
little white circular sticker depicting a red Apple with the number "16"
in the middle.
But the sticker is hardly a reliable test. A better test is to
look look at the part numbers of the P5 PROM (the lower left chip on the
card) and the P6 PROM (left column, second from the top).
13-sector 16-sector
--------- ---------
P5 341-0009-xx 341-0027-xx
P6 341-0010-xx 341-0028-xx
The 16-sector PROMs may also be labelled "P5A" and "P6A".
A program can test the card type by looking at its slot ROM space. The
signature bytes are as follows:
$Cn01: 20
$Cn03: 00
$Cn05: 03
$Cn07: 3C
$CnFF: 00 if 16-sector, FF if 13-sector
For example,
1 REM Scan the slots for Disk II interfaces
2 REM By Neil Parker
10 FOR S = 1 TO 7
20 A = 49152 + 256 * S
30 IF PEEK (A + 1) < > 32 OR PEEK (A + 3) < > 0 OR
PEEK (A + 5) < > 3 OR PEEK (A + 7) < > 60 THEN 100
40 PRINT "Disk II (";
50 T = PEEK (A + 255)
60 IF T = 0 THEN PRINT "16-sector";: GOTO 90
70 IF T = 255 THEN PRINT "13-sector";: GOTO 90
80 PRINT "other";
90 PRINT ") in slot "S
100 NEXT
____________________________
From: Dan DeMaggio
018- Can a Disk ][ Drive be used on a IIc or GS smartport?
Yes. Call Jameco Electronics. Get the S20-pin header- to -DB19-pin
connector module. It is intended for adapting II/II+ drives for IIc.
(Part# 10022; Product name: AAM APPLE IIC ADAPTER; price: $3.95)
____________________________
From: Rubywand
019- I would like to add a Read/Write indicator to my Disk ][
drive. How can I do this with a bi-color LED?
The circuit described below works well. It shows Red for Drive
Enabled + Write and Green for Drive Enabled + not Write. That is, a Read
is assumed if the drive is ON and no Write is occurring. The advantage
of this approach is that you always have a lighted LED 'drive ON'
indicator and, so, there is no need to drill a new hole in your drive
panel. The new LED can use the hole occupied by the old "in Use"
indicator LED.
Parts
IC- 74121 or 74LS121 1-Shot multi-vibrator
Qgreen- 2N2222A gen purpose NPN transistor
Qred- 2N2222A gen purpose NPN transistor
Rcath- 120 Ohm 5% 1/4 watt resistor
Rgreen- 3.3k 5% 1/8 watt resistor
Rred- 3.3k 5% 1/8 watt resistor
Rp- 20k 5% 1/8 watt resistor
Cp- 10uF/10v 10% "dipped tantalum" capacitor
LED- 2.2V 20ma 3-lead (common cathode) Green/Red bi-color LED
Building the Circuit
IC- locate pin-1 and mark it on bottom side with white-out.
'Dead-bug' mount the IC using epoxy in the open area near
top-middle of board with pin-1 end pointing to the right.
connect Rcath to solder pad at - (minus) end of C2
connect #20 wire from IC pin-7 to solder pat at - end of C2
connect Rp from IC pin-11 to IC pin-14
connect Cp + to IC pin-10 and Cp - to IC pin-11
connect #20 wire from IC pin-14 to solder pat at + end of C4
connect a wire from IC pin-3 to end of R16 closest to 74LS125
connect Rgreen to IC pin-1 (74121 "/Q" output)
connect Rred to IC pin-6 (74121 "Q" output)
solder transistor Qred Collector to Q1 power transistor Collector
(solder pad area at left front of circuit board just to left of
the power transistor). Position toward left edge of pad.
solder transistor Qgreen Collector to Q1 power transistor Collector
solder pad to the right of Qred.
LED- connect a 3-wire 11" cable to the LED (black to center, red to
to lead with right-angle bend, green to lead with slant bend).
Old "in Use" LED- pop off the retainer ring and push through the
LED. Leave the LED mount in the hole. Cut off the LED, spread
cable ends and tab over with cellophane tape. (Put old LED and
ring into parts box.
Spread apart retainer 'leaves' of LED mount (at back side of panel)
to permit easier insertion of new 3-lead LED.
Run LED + cable over back of board and along bottom toward the
hole in the front panel. Push through hole. (If hole is too small,
use a Dremel tool and steel 'bulb bit' to slightly enlarge front
part of hole.)
connect LED cable black to free end of Rcath
connect LED cable green to Emitter of Qgreen (right transistor)
connect LED cable red to Emitter of Qred.
position old LED cable beneath new LED cable.
connect a wire from the free end or Rgreen (on IC pin-1) to the
Base lead of transistor Qgreen.
connect a wire from the free end or Rred (on IC pin-6) to the
Base lead of transistor Qred.
Add epoxy to the back of the LED and holder to secure the LED.
How it Works
When /Enable goes low to select the Drive, the power transistor
(Q1) switches ON and supplies +12V at its Collector. If there is no
Write, 74121 output /Q is high, Qgreen conducts, and the LED shows
Green. That is: the Green LED will light during boots and for any READs.
If the Drive is selected (/Enabled is low) and there is a Write
operation and Write Protect is not ON, then, the /Write Request signal
at 74LS125 pin 8 will go low. This triggers the 74121 One-Shot (at pin
3) producing an aprox. 160ms pulse at 74121 output Q. For the duration
of the pulse, /Q is low and Q is high. Qred conducts, and the LED shows
RED to indicate WRITE.
____________________________
From: Dan DeMaggio
020- What's the scoop on the 3.5" High Density drive?
In order to do High Density on the Apple II, you will need both the
High Density 3.5" drive and the Apple 3.5" HD controller. If you don't
have both, you will only be able to do regular density. Of course, you
will also need High Density diskettes.
Once you have collected the above items, you are in for a pleasant
surprise. ProDos 8 programs not only recognize it, but most programs
format and recognize HD disks just fine. You can even boot off of a HD
disk, allowing plenty of room for GS/OS Desk Accessories and such.
There are a few drawbacks: You cannot boot copy-protected software
or some FTA demos. You can't daisy-chain a 5.25" on an HD card. Also, it
takes up a slot, even on the GS.
____________________________
From: Benjamin Summers
021- What is a "UniDisk"?
The UniDisk 5.25 was Apple's replacement for the venerable Disk ][.
It featured an updated design, tan color plastic case, a DB-19 cable,
and daisy-chain port on the back to which other drives could be
connected. The case color was later changed to platinum and the drive
was rechristened to the "Apple 5.25 Drive".
The UniDisk 3.5 was Apple's first 3.5" drive for the Apple II line.
Like the Unidisk 5.25, it had the DB-19 cable and daisy chain port on
back. UniDisk 3.5 was dropped in favor of the Apple Disk 3.5, a
different design, at the time of the launch of the IIgs.
----------------------------------
From: Mitchell Spector
One important difference you forgot to mention: The UniDisk 3.5 was
an "intelligent" drive, whereas the Apple 3.5 was a "dumb" drive. There
was a specialized circuit board inside the UniDisk 3.5 drive which had
its own processor, memory, IWM controller and firmware. This was needed
for the //c, in order for the drive to process data before sending it on
to the machine (which was too slow to do the job by itself). You can
easily spot a UniDisk 3.5 as it matched the snow-white color of the //c
and had its access LED and eject button _above_ the disk insert slot
(the Apple 3.5 has them in-line).
Rubywand
Apple II Hard Drives and SCSI Interface Manual
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2HDNSCSI.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
001- How difficult is it to add a hard drive to my IIgs?
002- What kinds of hard drive systems are available?
003- What do SCSI ID numbers mean?
004- What is "SCSI-2" and how is it different from SCSI-1?
005- Will a SCSI-2 hard drive work with an Apple II system?
006- Will my Rev. C SCSI Card work with a SCSI-2 drive?
007- What is SCSI "termination power"?
008- Can I avoid the "RamFAST/SCSI is searching SCSI bus" delay?
009- What is the pin-out for the standard 50-pin SCSI cable?
010- What's the SCSIHD.DRIVER patch to ignore DRIVER43 partitions?
011- What is the "bad bug" in the ROM 3.01e RamFAST?
012- What are correct HS SCSI settings, etc. for a Bernoulli drive?
013- What are the settings for a CMS hard drive controller card?
014- Does it matter when I power-ON my SCSI hard disk?
015- Can I leave SCSI devices I'm not using turned OFF?
016- Is there a generic SCSI tutorial available for downloading?
017- What is the correct time-out setting for a Focus hard drive?
018- How do I modify my Apple HSS card to supply Termination Power?
019- Can I get a Focus drive bigger than a couple hundred MB?
020- My hard disk is on a CMS SCSI. How do I install System 6.0.1?
021- How is DMA set for SCSI cards with 8MB RAM cards on the GS?
022- My 20MB Focus bombs and there's some goo on the card. A fix?
023- Where can I find the RamFAST manual on the net?
From: Bradley P. Von Haden
001- How difficult is it to add a hard drive to my IIGS?
Adding a hard drive is not much of a problem. Usually, you will need to
insert an interface card, possibly connect a cable or two, and change a
Slot setting in the Control Panel Desk Accessory.
---------------------------
002- What kinds of hard drive systems are available for Apple II
users?
The most versatile and most common hard drive set-up is an internal
SCSI interface card and an external SCSI drive. Hard drives, cd-rom
drives, removable media (SyQuest, Iomega), flopticals, and scanners all
can be added to the SCSI chain. Insert the card in a slot, connect a
cable or two, and change a slot setting.
The preferred SCSI card is the RamFAST Rev. D SCSI card from
Sequential Systems. The next best card is the Apple Hi-Speed SCSI card.
Here are some RamFAST notes:
- still being produced and supported by Sequential Systems
- faster than Apple Hi-Speed, especially in ProDOS
- provides termination power to the SCSI chain
- allows partitions to be mapped in ProDOS
- device drivers come on the card in the upgradeable ROM chip
(3.01f)
- allows up to 8 devices to be added to the chain
- allows up to 12 partitions to be active at any one time
(switchable)
- allows up to 12 partitions per drive
- about $130 new
Here are some Apple High Speed notes:
- no longer produced or supported by Apple
- does not provide termination power to the SCSI chain (can be
modified to provide termination power)
- does not allow partitions to be mapped in ProDOS
- device drivers are software
- allows up to 7 devices to be added to the chain
- allows over 100 partitions to be active at any one time
- allows up to 20 (?) partitions per drive
- about $110 new (if still available)
For the hard drive itself, look for a SCSI drive in an external
enclosure with the following features:
- 30 day money-back guarantee
- external SCSI ID switching
- dual 50 pin SCSI connectors
- no or switchable termination (use an external terminator at
end of SCSI chain)
- switchable termination power (on/off) is a plus for users of
SCSI interface cards which do not supply termination power
---------------------------
From: Rubywand
Another way to go is a 2.5" IDE drive mounted on an IDE interface
card. This "hard card" plugs into a Slot-- usually Slot 7. Alltech sells
the Focus Hard Card in varying sizes (e.g. 60MB for $99) with system
software installed. SHH Systeme offers the FileCard (about $170 + cost
of drive) as well as a series of IDE controller cards to which you can
add a 2.5" IDE drive (about $120-$170 including mounting kit).
The IDE hard card approach offers speed and capacity comparable to
SCSI, very easy installation, and, it eliminates hassles with external
boxes and cables. Of course, you will still need to add a SCSI interface
card if you want to connect a SCSI CD-ROM and/or Zip Drive.
Note: If you want your system to include a SCSI CD-ROM drive, it is best
to have a SCSI Zip Drive or SCSI hard disk connected to the SCSI
interface, too. This provides a write-able medium for saving SCSI
interface card setup parms.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
003- What do the SCSI ID numbers mean?
SCSI ID numbers identify devices on the SCSI chain. Each device
should have its own, unique ID number in the range 0-7. (If two devices
on the SCSI chain have the same ID number, there will be a conflict and
your system will not function correctly.) Higher numbered devices have
higher priority-- get 'looked for' first-- so, it is standard practice
to set the device you boot from to 6 or 7.
Most external SCSI devices have a thumbwheel switch, slide switch,
or jumper block on the back to set ID number. Some, like the Creative x2
CD-ROM drive let you click through 0-7. The Zip Drive lets you pick 5 or
6. (By the way, SCSI ID numbers have nothing to do with which Slot the
SCSI interface card is in.)
---------------------------
From: David Empson
SCSI ID 7 is usually special because the Apple SCSI and Hi-Speed
SCSI cards count as a device set to ID 7 by default (and every Macintosh
has a hard-wired SCSI ID of 7). The only thing that is special about ID
0 is that it is the standard ID used for an internal drive on a
Macintosh.
There is no problem using SCSI ID 0 on an Apple II. On a RamFAST
SCSI card, it is also safe to use SCSI ID 7 for a drive. The RamFAST
doesn't have a SCSI ID, but every other SCSI card does.
___________________________
From: David Empson
004- What is "SCSI-2" and how is it different from SCSI-1?
For hard drives, "SCSI-2" basically means that the drive supports a
stricter command set. The physical interface is usually identical.
For other device types, "SCSI-2" means a lot more, because the original
SCSI standard didn't define much in the way of device types and command
sets, so most devices use proprietary command sets. SCSI-2 standardises
the command sets for most types of devices.
There are three special types of interface that you might see mentioned:
"Fast SCSI" supports data transfer at twice the speed of the original
SCSI standard (10 MB per second vs 5 MB per second). This will not be
a compatibility issue, as it is just the maximum transfer speed
supported by the drive. The Apple II cannot transfer more than one
megabyte per second.
"Wide SCSI" uses a different cable arrangement to double the width of
the data path (16 bits instead of 8 bits). A wide SCSI drive cannot be
used with an Apple II, unless it can also operated in "narrow" mode
with the original 50-pin connector. (There is also "Fast Wide SCSI",
which doubles the data rate and the width of the bus.)
"Differential SCSI" involves a different type of interface to the
computer, where every data signal has a balanced positive and negative
pair of wires, rather than a single wire and a ground line. I believe
it has a different type of connector. Differential SCSI drives cannot
be used with an Apple II."
Some drives use a proprietary connector, but the standard (narrow,
non-differential) SCSI bus uses the same 50-pin connector for SCSI-1 and
SCSI-2.
The only significant problem you might run into is termination, and
supply of termination power. SCSI-2 devices tend to be fussier about
termination than older devices.
------------------------------
005- Will a SCSI-2 hard drive work with an Apple 2 system?
Usually, yes. I'm on my second Quantum drive that is described as
"SCSI-2".
There is a major caveat to this answer. Some newer drives require
a host which implements the arbitration phase of the SCSI communication
dialogue. The RamFAST doesn't do this, and as a result there are some
drives that cannot be used with a RamFAST SCSI card. A notable example
is the Quantum Fireball series. However; the Trailblazer and all older
Quantum models work fine.
------------------------------
006- I have a plain ol' Rev. C SCSI Card, will this work with a
SCSI-2 drive?
My Quantum LPS240 is working fine on an original Apple SCSI card.
Note: With the original Apple SCSI card, the card itself is not
terminated, so if you are connecting more than one device, you need to
add a second terminator between the computer and the first drive (using
a "pass-through" external SCSI terminator, or internal termination on
the first drive).
------------------------------
007- What is SCSI "termination power"?
At least one device (SCSI card or any SCSI drive) must provide
power for the SCSI terminators by feeding 5 volts onto the TERMPWR line
on the SCSI bus.
Usually, termination power is fed through a diode to prevent
backfeeding from a higher voltage source in case some other device is
also supplying termination power. A good implementation will have a fuse
to protect against shorts and a capacitor to cope with a sudden rise in
termination power drain.
The Apple SCSI cards do not provide termination power (though some
recent Apple Hi-speed SCSI cards were modified by Apple to provide
termination power). The RamFAST SCSI card can supply termination power.
If a drive can supply termination power, I recommend letting it do
so. The TERMPWR line can, in some cases, represent a significant load on
the +5V rail going to the Slots. Both of my Quantum drive mechanisms
provide termination power to the SCSI bus, avoiding the need to supply
it from anywhere else.
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
On the RamFAST SCSI RevC card, DIP switch #1 is set to ON to supply
termination power. On other RamFAST SCSI cards, a jumper is placed at
JP1 to supply termination power.
According to RamFAST documentation, it is okay to have the card set
to supply termination power whether or not another device does with a
few notable exceptions. If a connected hard disk (e.g. a Sider drive)
has a sticker saying that the drive supplies termination power and that
the interface must not, then the RamFAST must be set to _not_ supply
termination power.
____________________________
From: LJSilicon
008- I just reinstalled System 6.01. Now every time I cold boot
I get this message 'RamFAST/SCSI is searching the SCSI bus
for devices..etc.' and have to wait several seconds. WEIRD?!
When you reinstalled the software, the RamFAST set itself for a
long search. This is an option that you can change using the RamFAST
utility. What it is doing is giving your scsi devices a chance to spin
up. If you want a fast check, go to the options menu on the utilities
and reset the Short Timeout option there to "YES".
__________________________
From: David Empson
009- I would like to make my own SCSI cable. Does anyone on csa2
know the pin-out for the standard 50-pin SCSI cable?
The cable pinout is documented in the technical reference manual
for the Apple High-Speed SCSI card (and the original one as well).
This pinout is not a simple mapping from one end to the other.
I repeat that it is NOT easy to make one of these yourself. Apart from
any issues of wiring errors, you also need a properly shielded cable to
minimise noise being picked up or radiated. You should definitely not
use a ribbon cable.
Here is the pinout, assuming I haven't made any typos (I can't see any).
DB-25 50-pin Function
1 49 -REQ
2 46 -MSG
3 50 -I/O
4 45 -RST
5 44 -ACK
6 43 -BSY
7 16,18,19 Ground lines
8 26 -DB0
9 20,21,22 Ground lines
10 29 -DB3
11 31 -DB5
12 32 -DB6
13 33 -DB7
14 1,2,3 Ground lines
15 48 -C/D
16 4,5,6 Ground lines
17 41 -ATN
18 7,8,9,11 Ground lines
19 47 -SEL
20 34 -DBP
21 27 -DB1
22 28 -DB2
23 30 -DB4
24 23,24,25 Ground lines
25 38 TERMPWR
The unlisted pins in the 50-pin connector (10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 35,
36, 37, 39, 40, 42) are ground.
Note: the numbers for the 50-pin connector are counted along each row,
like a DB-25. They are NOT the wire numbers in a ribbon cable.
____________________________
From: Steve Reeves
010- Is there some patch for SCSIHD.DRIVER to make it ignore
APPLE_DRIVER43 driver partitions?
Yes; you can change the counter in the string comparison routine
that checks for the "Apple_Driver" partition type string so that it only
checks the first 12 characters. This counter is at byte $3574 in the
System 6.0.1 SCSIHD.DRIVER file and is originally $1F. Change this to
$0B and the driver will then ignore "Apple_Driver43" partitions.
If you make this or any other patch to the driver, I also you
recommend you bump up the version number. Change byte $01FF from $10 to
$2E (for version 6.02 experimental).
____________________________
from Harold Hislop
011- Someone told me there's supposed to be a bad bug in the
ROM 3.01e RamFAST. What is it?
Don't use the built in backup/restore in 3.01e!!! The restore
opeation will nuke the partition map on the drive being restored to, as
well as all existing partitions on that drive!
____________________________
From: Bradley VonHaden
012- What are correct HS SCSI settings, etc. for a Bernoulli drive?
My system is as follows:
ROM 1 Apple //gs
4mb AE RAM card
8mhz ZIP GS
Apple High-Speed SCSI card
90 mb Bernoulli hard drive
System 6.0.1
Three things I can think of to check:
One possibility is DMA compatibility. If your memory card is not DMA
compatible, then switch 1 on the Apple HS SCSI card should be open (up).
Another possibility I guess is a SCSI ID conflict. The Apple HS SCSI
card's ID at the factory is set to 7. Here are the Apple HS SCSI card
switch combinations:
note1: Switch 1 controls DMA; open (up) turns DMA off
note2: Switches 2-4 control SCSI card ID
note3: 'U' means open (up), 'D' means closed (down),
'z' means Set for correct DMA (see note1)
SWITCH: 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234
SETTING: zUUU zUUD zUDU zUDD zDUU zDUD zDDU zDDD
CARD ID: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Third, the scsi chain needs termination power to work properly. This is
different from termination. Both are required for a properly
functioning scsi chain. It is possible that neither the Bernoulli drive
nor the Apple HS SCSI card is supplying termination power. If this is
the case, and there is no other device on the scsi chain to supply said
power, it probably won't work. There is a modification (requires
soldering skills) to the Apple HS SCSI card to make it supply
termination power.
____________________________
From: Jack Countryman IAC
013- I want to configure a CMS hard drive controller card to run a
20 meg drive for a //e. Could someone supply info on settings?
According to the CMS manual, page D3, the six sets of eight pairs
of jumpers
(u1....u6) are for the following purpose:
_______________________________________________________________
/ |
/ u 1 u 2 u 3 u 4 j2 |
/ |
/ |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| u 5 u 6 |
|___________________________________________ j1 |
| |
|______________________|
u 1: Boot Scan delay....manual shows no jumpers here in default
configuration
u 2: first (left) jumper is 'Enable I.C.P. (Yes/No)', middle 6 not
used, last (right) is 'multiple initiators (Yes/No)'...manual
shows no jumpers in default configuration
u 3: Selection phase time out delay....I believe this sets how long
the card waits for the drive to come up to speed(?)...manual
shows the default as having 4, 5, and 7 with jumpers installed
u 4: Arbitration phase time out delay....manual shows default as no
jumpers installed
u 5: Bus Free phase time out delay...manual shows default as jumper
on number 1
u 6: Interrupt recovery delay....manual shows jumpers on 3, 4,
and 5
J1 and J2 are single sets of pins. The manual says J2 is not used,
but J1 is to be jumpered.
The card I have here, came out of a IIGS where it was hooked to
first a twenty meg CMS drive, and later a forty meg CMS drive. It has
the following jumpers set:
u1: jumper on 7
u2: no jumpers
u3: jumpers on 4, 5, and 7
u4: no jumpers
u5: jumper on 1
u6: jumpers on 3, 4, and 5
j2: no jumper
j1: jumper
As I recall, this setup yeilded a rather long pause for the hard
disk to come up to speed (about 40 to 45 seconds) that we found
necessary at the time to avoid boot problems.
____________________________
From: B.J. Major
014- Does it matter when I power-ON my SCSI hard disk?
From the Apple IIgs Owner's Reference, page 267:
"In order for the Finder to recognize a hard disk, the hard disk must be
switched on and up to speed before you start up (or restart) the
computer. Switch on the hard disk, wait about 10 seconds for it to come
up to speed, and then restart the computer."
From the Macintosh User's Guide for desktop Macs, page 216:
"IMPORTANT: Always turn on any external SCSI devices connected to your
Macintosh before turning on the computer itself. Otherwise, your
computer cannot recognize the SCSI devices."
___________________________
From: Randy Shackelford
015- Can I leave SCSI devices I'm not using OFF when I
turn ON my GS?
If it were not okay, I would have fried plenty of hardware. I do
this all the time. I have seen no problems with having some devices off.
As I have mentioned, I keep my magneto optical off most of the time;
and, my buddy who uses my 700 now has a flatbed scanner and leaves it
off most of the time. Both work fine.
____________________________
From: Daniel L. Miller
Related FAQs Resources: R008SCSITUT.TXT (text)
016- Is there a generic SCSI tutorial available for downloading?
Yes. Bus signals, commands, etc. for the Small Computer Serial
Interface are described in the text resource file R008SCSITUT.TXT .
____________________________
017- What is the correct time-out setting for a Focus hard drive?
From: Rubywand
Supposedly, the purpose of having the Focus spin down and stop
after 2, 10, or whatever minutes of idleness is to prevent over-heating
and unnecessary wear. After a few days of trying various TO settings, I
set my "Time Out" to "Never" and have had no problems with over-heating
or crashes even after many all-day sessions.
----------------------------
Related FAQs Resources: R009HSSTMOD.GIF (GIF pic)
018- How do I modify my Apple Hi-Speed SCSI card to supply
Termination Power?
The Apple High Speed SCSI Termination Power modification consists
of adding a diode. It is shown in resource file R009HSSTMOD.GIF from
Harold Hislop and Dan Brown.
The pic shows a simple sketch of the back of the Apple High Speed SCSI
card near connectors 26-33. The directions say that you connect a 1N914
diode between two points:
The anode (non-banded end) of the diode goes to the *top* of L1. The
cathode (banded/striped end) of the diode goes to the >bottom< of RP2
The pic shows the *top* of L1 to be a solder pad (just a solder pad with
no trace showing) a little ways up from a point between connectors 32
and 33.
The >bottom< of RP2 is just a bit up and to the left of the *top* of L1.
It is the lowest of several points (the pic shows 8) arranged in a
vertical column and should have a trace going off to the left.
____________________________
From: Scott G
019- Can I get a Focus drive bigger than a couple hundred MB?
Get a 40MB Focus Hard Card from Alltech. Get an 800MB IDE 2.5"
Quantum GO-drive from Computer Shopper sources for pennies. Replace the
original drive on the Focus Hard Card with the big one (VERY easy and
self-explanatory, just use a screw driver). Low level format,
partition, and high level format. That's it!
___________________________
From: Gary Black
020- On my ROM-03 GS the hard disk is connected to a CMS SCSI card.
How do I install System 6.0.1?
It turns out that the SCSI drivers that come on the Sys 6.0.1
Install Disk downloaded from ftp.apple.com are incompatible with CMS ver
3.0 (and probably earlier) SCSI cards.
What I did was to replace scsi.manager and scsihd.driver in the
System 6.0.1 Install disk SYSTEM/DRIVERS folder with scsi.manager,
scsihd.driver, AND CMS.driver from the CMS Utility disk.
With the replacement scsi drivers installed, the Install disk
recognizes the hard drive and installation went smoothly from that
point. (The CMS files are dated 1989 and 1990, so they are a bit older
than the 6.01 files, which are dated 1993. But, they work!)
____________________________
From: Scott G
021- How is DMA set for SCSI cards with 8MB RAM cards on the GS?
DMA needs to be turned off with the Apple HS SCSI card or the
RamFAST revision C card. It does not need to be turned off with the
RamFAST revision D card (differentiated by being half sized). All
Sequential Systems RamFAST cards are revision D as are late model CV
Tech cards. It is the RamFAST revision D that is designed to DMA into
any RAM card, even 8MB models. It was made around the time of the CV RAM
8MB model that turned into Sequential's RAM GS Plus, but functions just
as well with the Sirius card.
____________________________
From: Louis Cornelio
022- My 20MB Focus bombs and there's some goo on the card. A fix?
The goo is leaking from the drive due to a failed seal which seems
to plague some of the older Conner drive modules. The fix is to check
with the seller of the drive for a replacement. At Alltech, a good Apple
II person to contact is Tony Diaz.
____________________________
From: Joe Walters
023- Where can I find the RamFAST manual on the net?
You can find it at several sites:
Plain text on-line readable at ...
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/SCSIandIDE/
In a .SHK and/or binscii file at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Docs/
ftp://apple2.caltech.edu/pub/apple2/miscinfo/
Rubywand
Apple II CPU Hardware and Hardware Projects
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2HDWHACK.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
001- What's a good hardware project book for the Apple IIe?
002- How can I use a thermistor to read temperature on my A2?
003- Will a prototyping Slot Board fit all Apple II's with Slots?
004- What is the pin-out for the Apple II series Slots?
005- I've been getting Fatal System Error 0911. Is there a fix?
006- Why does my GS Control Panel keep resetting to the defaults?
007- How do I replace my GS "BatRAM" battery?
008- Is there a program to record/restore Control Panel settings?
009- How I can safely clean out dust from my Apple II?
010- How can I safely remove oxidation from IC pins?
011- After smoke came from my GS the KB doesn't work. What's wrong?
012- What is the mini circuit board near the front of my GS for?
013- How do I add RAM & set jumpers on the IIgs 1MB Memory Card?
014- How can I move my IIgs to a PC tower case?
015- How can I convert a IIgs into a portable IIgs?
016- Where can I get Robot kits to use with my Apple II?
017- Where can I get the chips to expand memory on my AE GS-RAM III?
018- What is a TrackStar? Does it need special software?
019- Could someone please post a resistor color code chart?
020- What advantages does the ROM 3 GS offer vs. the ROM-01 GS?
021- How can my ROM 3 GS + 8MB Sirius card do large file copying?
022- Where can I find a listing of Apple II socket, etc. pinouts?
023- Where can I find Apple II diagrams?
024- How do I add a video output level adjustment to my TrackStar?
From: Paul Guertin
001- Could anyone suggest a good project book for the Apple IIe.
I'm interested in using an old box for tracking the
temperature in a water bath.
Vernier software publishes a book called "How to Build a Better
Mousetrap" which contains 14 hardware projects for the Apple II. Project
#6 is a temperature probe connected to PDL0.
ISBN for the book is 0-918731-16-X.
Vernier Software ( http://www.vernier.com )
2920 S.W. 89th Street
Portland, Oregon 97225 USA
(503) 297-5317
----------------------------
From: Sheldon Simms
A good book is _Inside The Apple IIe_ by Gary B. Little. It isn't a
project book, but it does have a good chapter on using the Game I/O
connector for "electronics experiments."
____________________________
From: Cyrus Roton
002- How can I use a thermistor (a resistor which has a variable
resistance related to ambient temperature) to read temperature
on my Apple II?
You can connect a thermistor to a paddle input and supply a voltage to
the other end. Current flows through the thermistor to charge a .022 mfd
capacitor inside the apple2. When the paddle is read, the apple2
discharges the capacitor and resets a timmer. Then the cap is allowed to
charge. When the charge reaches the trigger level (3.2 volts) the timmer
is stopped and the count is read out.
The lower the value of the thermistor, the faster the charge and the
lower the count. Also, the higher the voltage, the faster the charge. A
resistance of about 120K with a 5 Volt supply will give a count of about
250. You can add an external capacitor across the paddle input (to
ground) to increase the charging time (if needed)
The formula is (charge) = (input volts) * (1 - exp(-t/RC))
So, you can use a supply voltage and external capitor as required to fit
the resistance value of the thermister (or other resistive component).
Probably, the best way to find the correct values woud be to try a
variety of values and plot the "count" as a function of the variable
resistance. Then compare the plot against the resistance curves for the
thermistor (probably not linear), and work out some conversion formula
to use in your program to correlate "count" to temperature.
____________________________
From: David Empson
003- Can I use the same prototyping Slot Board for all of the
different Apple II's with Slots?
Prototyping boards certainly would be the same for the II, II+, IIe, and
IIgs. The slots on all slotted Apple IIs are physically identical
There are minor differences between the slot signals on the various
machines and on some slots in the same machine, mostly affecting rarely
used special pins. (See Question 004 for more details on signal
differences.)
----------------------------
004- What is the pin-out for the Apple II series Slots; and, what
differences are there in Slot signals from machine to machine?
Here is a quick summary of the Apple II series Slot signals:
Pin 1: I/O Select ($Cn00-$CnFF, where n is the slot number).
Pins 2-17: Address bus A0-A15.
Pin 18: Read/Write.
Pin 19: unused on the II and II+. On the IIe and IIgs, this has
composite horizontal and vertical sync on slot 7, and is unused on other
slots, except for slot 1 on the IIe only, which has a diagnostic
function to disable the oscillator on the motherboard.
Pin 20: I/O Strobe ($C800-$CFFF).
Pin 21: this is the RDY input to the micro on all machines, but it
behaves a little differently in the IIgs, or in a machine with a 65802
installed.
Pin 22: this is the DMA pin on all machines. Again, there are special
issues for doing DMA on the IIgs which can cause compatibility problems.
Pin 23: this is used for the interrupt daisy chain (out) on all Slots
except 7. In the IIe only, this pin can be connected to the GR signal
(graphics mode enabled) via a motherboard modificatoin.
Pin 24: DMA daisy chain out.
Pin 25: +5V.
Pin 26: Ground.
Pin 27: DMA daisy chain in.
Pin 28: Interrupt daisy chain in.
Pin 29: Non Maskable Interrupt.
Pin 30: Interrupt Request.
Pin 31: Reset.
Pin 32: this is the INHIBIT pin on all machines. This behaves
differently on all three machines: the II and II+ only allow the
$D000-$FFFF ROM area to be inhibited. The IIe allows RAM to be
inhibited as well, but has strange interaction with main and auxiliary
memory. The IIgs only allows this signal to be used if the machine is
running in slow mode.
Pin 33: -12V.
Pin 34: -5V.
Pin 35: unused on the II and II+. On the IIe and IIgs, this is the
colour reference signal on slot 7 only. It is unused for other slots in
the IIe, except for slot 1 where it provides a poorly documented
facility to disable the keyboard address decoding. On the original
IIgs, slot 3 provides the M2B0 signal (Mega II Bank 0) via this pin and
it is unused on other slots. The ROM 3 provides M2B0 for slots 1 to 6.
Pin 36: 7 MHz system clock.
Pin 37: Q3 - Asymmetrical 2 MHz clock.
Pin 38: Phase 1 clock (1.023 MHz).
Pin 39: something called "USER 1" on the II and II+, which can be used
to disable all I/O decoding if a modification is made on the
motherboard. On the IIe, this pin provides the SYNC signal from the
micro, which indicates an opcode fetch. On the IIgs, this pin provides
the M2SEL signal, which indicates that a valid slow memory access is in
progress. This pin must be used by IIgs cards that decode the address
without use of the IOSEL, IOSTRB or DEVSEL pins.
Pin 40: Phase 0 clock (1.023 MHz).
Pin 41: Device Select ($C0n0-$C0nF, where n is the slot number plus 8).
Pins 42-49: Data bus D7-D0.
Pin 50: +12V.
____________________________
from Rubywand
005- I've been getting Fatal System Error 0911 and when I do the
internal diagnostic it gives a system bad : 09010001.
Is there a fix?
Fatal System Error 0911 and Self-Diagnostic Test 09010001 mean the
same thing: You are, very likely, experiencing an ADB Controller
malfunction.
A guess would be that you are running a ROM-01 GS, probably a
ROM-00 machine which has the ROM-01 upgrade. If this is the first time
you've noticed the '0911 problem, it is likely that this is the first
summer you've owned and used this particular machine.
Many early GS's come with an ADB IC which malfunctions over a
narrow range of relatively low temperatures. Rooms are normally cooler
during summer; so, this is when the error pops up most frequently. Some
users first notice a plague of '0911 crashes after adding a System
Saver-GS (which increases cooling).
'0911 bombs can occur 'any time' but they usually happen at startup
and when doing OpenApple-CTRL-ESC accesses to the Desk Accessories
(CDA's, Control Panel, ...) menu. As the machine warms up, '0911 crashes
tend to become less likely.
The bad news is that there is no 100% fix except to replace the
temp sensitive ADB IC-- hard to do since it is soldered to the
motherboard and, in any case, known-good replacements are difficult to
find.
As to _which_ ADB IC-- there are two, the ADB Controller and the
ADB GLU-- our notes say the ADB Controller; but, we could have easily
misidentified the function back then and the ADB GLU IC 'clicks' better
with memories of the fix. (The ADB GLU IC is a bit larger and easier to
reach.)
Note: The easiest way to identify the temp sensitive IC is to apply the
fix (below) and see if it works. If it does, fine. If not, it is easy to
move the fix to the other IC. For now, my suggestion is to try the ADB
GLU IC first.
Since the problem is coolness, a decent cure is to tape a small 12V
bulb (e.g. a 20-30 ma. panel light bulb) to the top of the ADB IC (a
square IC near the right front of the motherboard). Use duct tape and
try to enclose the bulb and IC in a kind of mini-oven. Run the leads
from the bulb to the +12V Fan power pins near the back left area of the
motherboard.
The idea is to quickly warm up the IC. I used a scheme like this on
our early GS and 0911 bombs dropped from 4-5 per day to 2-3 per week. If
you can safely power the bulb via an external power module (e.g. a
calculator or radio 'AC adapter') so that the bulb can be ON at least a
few minutes before powering up the computer, 0911 bombs might disappear
entirely.
----------------------------
006- My GS control panel keeps resetting to the defaults and
forgetting the date between power-ups. What's wrong?
Most likely, your battery-- also called the "BatRAM battery" needs
to be replaced. When the GS is OFF, the battery supplies power to the
clock and its attached 256-byte RAM. This small RAM is where Control
Panel settings are 'remembered'.
If, upon power-up, the GS believes the Control Panel settings have
been messed up due to a low battery, it will reset the settings to their
default (check-marked) positions.
----------------------------
007- How do I replace my GS "BatRAM battery"?
The standard GS battery is a 3.6V Lithium type rated at 1.2AH. It
is called the "BatRAM" battery because it keeps the Battery RAM and
Clock IC going when you turn OFF power. To get to the battery, you must
pop out the Power Supply.
If you have a ROM 03 GS, you can slip out the old battery and slip
in 'one like it'. On the ROM 01 GS, you will need a Lithium battery with
leads you can connect to cut-off leads from the old battery-- about 3/4"
each-- remaining on the motherboard. Be sure to mark the "+" lead on the
motherboard with white-out.
Night Owl Productions used to sell a convenient "Slide-On" Lithium
battery made by Tadiran. It came with springy ends that would slip over
the cut-off leads from the original GS battery.
Radio Shack sells a few models of 3.6V Tadiran Lithium batteries.
Mostly, these have smooth ends and are intended to fit into a holder--
for example, one model is "AA" size. Connecting an insulated size AA
holder and using a size AA 3.6V battery is one way to handle BatRAM
replacement now while making future replacements easier.
Another Radio Shack 3.6V Tadiran Lithium battery comes as a small
rectangular insulated pack with red and black wires going to a plug.
From the catalog illustration, it appears that the plug could be fitted
onto the cut-off leads if these were long enough to be shaped to match
the plug's connectors. (If you decide to have long cut-off leads, it's a
good idea to slip heat-shrinkable tubing over the leads to insulate them
for most of their length.)
It may be that your best bet for getting a good BatRAM replacement
battery is All Electronics (800-826-5432; http://www.allcorp.com ).
Their last catalog lists two 3.6V 2.5AH Lithium batteries with wire
leads which should fit well in a ROM-01 GS for $3.50 each. They also
offer a 3.6V "AA size Lithium battery" ($3.50) which looks good for
computers with AA size holders.
If you like, you can always solder, crimp, etc. insulated leads
going to some plug or socket which matches the connector of a particular
battery you'd like to use. For connecting bare leads, Duncan Entwisle
suggested using the springy connectors from a Radio Shack electronics
experimenter kit to connect a new battery's leads. Another way is to
use "wire nuts". Should you do any soldering to the cut-off leads, try
to avoid long heat exposure-- you do not want to melt the connection at
the motherboard.
Make sure that the new battery's "+" lead connects to the "+" lead
on the motherboard. Since, possibly, you will be joining bare leads to
bare leads, you could end up with more bare wire than you are
comfortable with. Check that the bare leads do not touch anything they
should not. Bend the leads as required and position the new battery so
that nothing will bump into the Power Supply when it is replaced.
The usual recommendation for this kind of work is that the computer
be OFF. This reduces the risk of damage should a bit of solder, a wire,
etc. fall onto the motherboard.
GS users are sometimes shocked to discover that a replacement
battery may cost $8 to $13. This has led to suggestions that 2-3
standard 1.5V cells in a holder be used. While any number of lower-cost
replacement setups can work, this is pretty close to a classic 'you get
what you pay for' situation. Regular 1.5V cell combos reportedly crater
in about a year. A 3.6V 1.2AH Lithium battery is routinely good for at
least 5 years.
Our old Nite Owl battery is going on year 7 or 8. That's a lot of
years without having to worry about burst and leaking cells or needing
to pull the Power Supply and mess with swapping-in replacement cells.
----------------------------
008- Is there a program to record my Control Panel, etc. settings
and restore them after the GS BatRAM battery is replaced?
Reference: FAQs Resource file R007BATRAMM.SHK
Yes. A number of users have created programs to Save and Restore
BatRAM values. The one included as a FAQs Resources file is named
"BATRAMMER". It is in file R007BATRAMM.SHK. Use ShrinkIt or GS-ShrinkIt
to unpack the file.
____________________________
From: Adalbert Goertz
009- How can safely clean out dust from my Apple II's
motherboard, case, and expansion cards?
I use a Dustbuster. Block one exit vent and aim the other vent as a
blower into the computer. That Dustbuster has strong lungs!
____________________________
From: George Rentovich
010- I'm afraid that oxidation on pins may be causing bad
contacts and memory problems. How can I remove the
oxidation without resorting to sand paper?
Tarn-X works great for removing oxididation from chip pins without
a lot of work or risk in harming the chips.
Soak the chips in a shot glass until all black oxidation is gone;
then, remove the chips and put them in another shot glass with alcohol
to rinse. I use a third shot glass with alchol again to be sure and,
then, take out the chips and let dry.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
011- Recently I was using my GS and smoke started coming from the
inside. Now my ADB peripherals (KB and mouse) don't work! It
looks like the smoke came from an 8-legged module in the upper
leftmost corner right behind the composite video connector and
ADB jack. What's wrong? How can I fix my GS?
The module you are talking about is L2 "D-15C". This is an 8-pin
thing containing four inductors (coils). Three inductors are used. They
are in series with the ADB Desktop connector. Evidently, one of the
inductors burned out. This would explain the smoke and the loss of ADB
functioning.
The three inductors run ...
pin 1 to pin 8
pin 2 to pin 7
pin 3 to pin 6
You can use an Ohm meter to detect which one is open. (Example: the
correct reading from pin 2 to pin 7 would, probably, be less than an
Ohm.) Since the pin2-pin7 inductor connects to +5V on the pin7 side, it
is the best candidate for a burn out should pin2 some how have been
shorted to ground.
Note: Jon Christopher reported that when his L2 module bombed it was due
to a short in a spliced-on KB cable. It turned out that the resulting
burn out fused some of the inductors together inside the module. So, if
you detect any break after such a burn out, it is probably best to just
remove the module and replace all three inductors.
Replacing the inductors should be fairly easy, although it will
probably be necessary to remove the motherboard. The value of the
inductors is not critical, so 15-20 turns of small wire-- like wirewrap
wire-- wrapped on a pencil or screwdriver shaft will make a small coil
you can use. Make three coils.
After removing the damaged L2 module, use an Ohm meter to check for
a short to ground at pins 1, 2, and 3. (If, as in the case of a short in
a spliced-on KB cable, you know where the short is/was, you can skip
this check.) Eliminate the short before continuing.
Solder your home-brew coils in place (pin 1 to pin 8 for the first
coil, etc.), put everything together, and your GS should be as good as
new.
----------------------------
012- My ROM-01 GS has an odd postage stamp size circuit board
tacked onto the motherboard near the front edge. What is the
board for?
The circuit on the mini-board is a low-gain 1-transistor amplifier
which seems intended mainly as a buffer/voltage-level shifter between
the 'old Apple' sound output of the Mega Chip and Op Amps which drive
the Speaker and Sound jack.
On the underside of the motherboard, beneath the boardlette, a
surface-mounted resistor (SR1) has been scratched out. Leads from the
mini-board run to SR1's connection points as well as Ground and a +12V
supply point near Op Amp UM12.
The circuit does not appear in the GS 'Hardware Reference ROM-01
schematics; but, it is shown in ROM-03 schematics. Some ROM-01 GS's do
not have the mini board; so, it seems likely that the circuit was
included on-motherboard in later ROM-01's and all ROM-03's. By the way,
the circuit was certainly installed at the time of manufacture and was
not part of the standard ROM-00 to ROM-01 upgrade.
----------------------------
013- I have 256kB on my 1MB Apple IIgs Memory Expansion Card.
How do I add more memory and set the jumpers?
The standard Apple IIgs 1MB Memory Expansion Card can be usefully
configured for 256kB, 512kB, and 1MB.
For 256kB, the top left 8 sockets (i.e. the left half of the top
row) should be filled. No jumpers should be placed on the pins near the
lower right end of the board.
XXXXXXXX--------
----------------
O O (no Jumpers)
0 0
For 512kB, the entire top row of sockets should be filled. The
bottom
pair of pins should be jumpered.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
----------------
O O
0-0 Jumper bottom pair
For 1MB, all sockets should be filled. The top and bottom pairs of
pins should be jumpered.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
O-O Jumper top and bottom pairs
O-O
To get the full IIgs mem card upgrade to 1MB you can order a kit of
24 256k x 1 41256 DRAM mem IC's from Alltech (760-724-2404) for
$24.00.
____________________________
From: SuperTimer
014- I've heard that some have moved their IIgs's to PC tower cases.
Is this hard to do?
It is not hard to do at all...
I mounted the motherboard with the expansion cards going horizontal
in relation to the ground (you need to drill some extra holes in the
tower case because the GS has different mounting holes than the PC). The
cards are light enough that they stay put this way. The only time this
could be a problem is with unusually heavy cards, like the Focus or
MicroDrive units...
The cards don't line up with the openings on the case, but that's
not a problem because Apple cards, unlike PC cards, have ribbon cable
extended DB connectors that can be mounted on the openings at the back
of the case...
For the power supply, I rewired a PC power supply to feed the GS.
The voltages are the same, so simply match +5V with +5V, +12V with +12V,
-5V with -5V, -12V with -12V, and the grounds and your GS will be ready
to run!
The PC power supply (250 watts) and fans have a benefit...my GS is
more stable now than it was in its native case. I recommend this
upgrade for those who feel up to it. Use a full tower case for the best
results and most room to work with.
----------------------------
015- I recently picked up a spare GS from a flea market and
would like to convert it into a portable. Has anyone done this?
Yes. Tony Diaz has an article describing a couple conversions on
his web site at
http://www.apple2.org/AppleIIgsPortables.html .
____________________________
From: Erick Wagner
016- Where can I get Robot kits to use with my Apple II?
If you have a an RS-232 interface (2400 or 9600bps) you might
consider a kit from Lynxmotion ( http://www.lynxmotion.com ). They sell
various robot and robotic arm kits that utilize hobby R/C servo motors.
Scott Edwards Electronics and several other companies sell devices that
allow you to control up to 8 servos per board.
You'll have to write all of the software yourself (sending commands
to identify a servo and a position value).
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
A good source of current information on robot making, Parallax
BASIC stamp programming, and related projects is Nuts & Volts Magazine
(800-783-4624; http://www.nutsvolts.com ).
___________________________
From: Dick Pirong
017- Where can I get the chips to expand my AE GS-RAM III memory
Expansion card to 4MB?
The Applied Engineering GS-RAM III uses 20-pin "Zip" package 1M x 4
DRAMs (NEC D424400V-80 or OKI H5144024-70). Mike Morton led me to a
supplier in the Computer Shopper magazine. (Thanks Mike.) The supplier
is L.A.Trade (800-433-3726; http://www.4LATrade.com/memmisc.htm ). I
now have a total of 5 megs in my ROM 3 and all is well.
____________________________
From: Bill Whitson
Related FAQs Resource: R022TRKSTAR.TXT (text file)
018- What is a TrackStar? Does it need special software?
A TrackStar is a single board Apple 2 computer that plugs into an
expansion slot in a PC Clone. With this board (and an A2 disk drive) a
PC can run Apple II software. See the FAQs Resource file R022TRKSTAR.TXT
for details.
----------------------------
From: m...@here.com
Yes, TrackStar does need some software. I have it; it's less than
30k in a zipped file.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
019- Could someone please post a resistor color code chart?
Color Digit Multiplier (when 3rd band) Example
Black 0 x1 -- Red Red Black = 22 Ohms
Brown 1 x10 -- Blue Grey Brown = 680 Ohms
Red 2 x100 -- Orange White Red = 3900 Ohms
Orange 3 x1000 -- Yellow Violet Orange = 47k Ohms
Yellow 4 x10000 -- Red Green Yellow = 250k Ohms
Green 5 x100000 -- Orange Orange Green = 3.3M Ohms
Blue 6 x1000000 -- Red Yellow Blue = 24M Ohms
Violet 7 x10000000 -- ...
Grey 8 x100000000
White 9 x1000000000
Gold - x 0.1 -- Brown Brown Gold = 1.1 Ohms
Silver - x 0.01 -- Orange White Silver = 0.39 Ohms
Tolerance (4th band)
Red is <5% (courtesy of Edhel Iaur)
Gold is 5%
Silver is 10%
no color is 20%
Example: Grey Red Orange Gold is 82k Ohms +/- 5%
Example: Brown Black Green Silver is 1M Ohms +/- 10%
Note: carbon resistors almost always err on the high side.
____________________________
From: Mitchell Spector
020- What advantages does the ROM 3 GS offer vs. the ROM-01 GS?
The ROM 3 Apple IIgs offers many minor enhancements vs. the ROM-01
which make the machine more functional and pleasant to use:
- You get a machine that is about 5-10% faster for GUI, floppy disk
loading and RAM Disk operations (due to updated smartport firmware
and System 5 tools being in ROM).
- A machine that is more flexible when working with AppleTalk and
slots (you don't have to give up an extra slot and you can stick a
card in slot 4 and still use the mouse in GS/OS).
- A nicer text Control Panel that lets you resize RAM Disk with a
warm-boot and a cleaner way to size it too (no min/max size junk).
Also a 'Mouse' menu and other existing things cleaned up and made
better.
- A just over 1 megabyte of RAM built-in to start off with; so, you
can have 5 MB of DMA compatible memory in total.
- The MB0 signal provided in slots 1 through 6, so you can stick
in a Video Overlay Card _and_ Second Sight in together, and not
worry about having to reserve slot 3.
- Hardware shadowing of text page 2 with Alternative Display Mode
(no slowing down your system to a crawl when you see a screen full
of 2's running 8-bit software).
- A newer ADB keyboard microcontroller with built-in sticky keys,
keyboard mouse and compatibility with the indicator LEDs
on extended keyboards.
- A removable Lithum battery (in a snap case. Just pop the old one
out when your clock and Control Panel settings stop working).
- Less power consumption and electrical noise from the motherboard,
- A set of pins (location 'S1') on the motherboard to make the text
Control Panel disappear, making your GS settings tamper proof where
young children are around
There are even a couple of more goodies, like the Step/Trace
commands in Monitor or the improved disassembler. Even if you are not a
programmer, they're handy for peeking at SHR graphics still in memory
(from Monitor hit 'S' and then the return key).
Things like sticky keys and mouse keyboard come in handy too-- like
if you are eating or drinking with one hand, you can still reset the
computer using the other.
The down side is that some old GS games and demos won't run. However
many of the more worthwhile ones have been patched.
____________________________
From: Scott G
021- How can my ROM 3 GS + 8MB Sirius card do large file copying?
An error in the Sirius manual (a 1 page paper) recommends that ROM
3 users remove one of the SIMM modules since the ROM 3 has 1MB and 8MB
is max. When I did this, the GS reported 8MB, but copying large groups
of files or large files (>800k) failed. When I put the missing SIMM
back, the GS still reported 8MB, but the file copy problems vanished.
It appears that the Sirius needs eight 1MB SIMM modules for 8MB even on
a ROM 3.
____________________________
From: Charles T. Turley
Related FAQs Resource: R023PINOUTS.TXT (text file)
022- Where can I find a listing of Apple II socket, etc. pinouts?
See the FAQs Resource file R023PINOUTS.TXT.
____________________________
From: David Wilson
023- I have several different model Apple II computers ranging from
a II+ up through a IIgs. Does anyone know where I can get
diagrams for these machines?
I know of three books with Apple ][+ schematics:
Jim Sather's "Understanding the Apple ]["
"The Apple II Circuit Description" by Winston D. Gayler
published by Howard W. Sams & Co (ISBN 0-672-21959-X)
Apple II Reference Manual (1979)
----------------------------
From: Mike Westerfield
"Understanding the Apple II," by Jim Sather, has a complete set of
II+ schematics, as well as more information about putting them to use
than the official Apple manual.
It's available from Byte Works for $14.95. Check out our list of
software and books at www.hypermall.com/byteworks. And if you'd like a
printed copy of our catalog, just send me a snail-mail address.
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
The IIe Technical Reference 1986 edition includes diagrams and an
annotated firmware listing. Probably, the IIc and IIc/IIc+ Technical
Reference manuals are similar to the IIe Technical Reference-- not sure,
since I have not seen a IIc manual.
The Apple IIgs Hardware Reference has a good set of schematics. The
First Edition covers the ROM-01. The Second Edition covers ROM-01 and
ROM 3. Unfortunately, there is no firmware listing.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
024- I got a TrackStar E and plugged it into our old PC. It seems to
be booting a diskette okay from an attacked Disk ][ drive; but,
the composite video doesn't give any kind of display on a
monitor I know is good. Someone said I need to add a video
output adjustment. How do I do this?
Most likely, the video level from TrackStar's composite output is
too high. On an Apple II+, this would be no special problem because
there is a mini-pot to adjust the video output level. If either monitor
had an adjustment for video level input, it would not be a problem,
either.
A check of the TrackStar board revealed that composite video comes
from the emitter of a transistor connected to ground via a 75 Ohm
resistor. This output goes through a small RF choke to the RCA socket on
the back of the board.
The cure is to replace the 75 Ohm resistor with a pot. Here are
step-by-step directions for swapping in a Video Output adjustment ...
1. On the back of the board, find the trace going to the 75 Ohm resistor
and the choke. (The choke is close to the RCA socket. The 75 Ohm
resistor is near the choke.) Cut the portion of the trace going to the
choke.
2. De-solder and remove the 75 Ohm resistor. (You can snip it off if you
like.)
3. On a 200-300 Ohm potentiometer-- I used a, roughly, 250 Ohm
mini-pot-- connect three leads. (The length of the leads depends upon
whether you have some place on the back of the PC to mount the pot or
just plan to put some tape around the pot and let it flop around near
the board. I don't know how long the leads can be before noise pickup is
a problem. It seems like a good idea to keep length within about 8" or
so.)
Use three different color wires-- say White, Green, Black. Viewing the
pot from the back, connect White to the Left tab, Green to the middle
tab, and Black to the right tab. (Mainly, the Green wire needs to be on
the middle tab.)
4. Solder the Green wire to the end of the choke which used to be
connected to the 75 Ohm resistor-- i.e. the end _not_ going to the RCA
socket.
Solder the White wire to the place the 75 Ohm resistor used to be
connected which used to connect to the choke before the trace to the
choke was cut-- i.e. this is the point which goes to the emitter of a
nearby transistor.
Solder the Black wire to the other place the 75 Ohm resistor used to be
connected. This is the Ground end.
Note: Mixing up the White and Black leads is okay. The only reason for
connecting them a certain way is so that a clockwise turn of the pot =
increased Video Output.
The circuit you end up with looks like this ...
|----
Pot /
_______ White_____________/ emitter of transistor
Z
Z
Z <----- Green -----------UUUUUUUUU-------- to RCA socket center pin
Z Choke Composite Video Output
Z_______ Black____
|
_|_
Ground
5. Insert the board. Find some place safe to mount the pot or let it sit
so no leads or metal parts touch any circuit. Connect the monitor and
power up the computer. Start TrackStar and adjust the pot and monitor
for a good display.
Rubywand
Apple II History
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2HISTORY.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently
Asked Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
001- Where can I find an in-depth history of the Apple II?
002- What happened in the final years of the Computer Wars?
003- How did Woz invent the Apple computer?
004- What did the first Apple ads look like?
From: Steven Weyhrich
Related FAQs Resources: R016V1HIST.TXT - R021V6HIST.TXT (text files)
001- Where can I find an in-depth history of the Apple II?
A comprehensive history is presented in six volumes. The FAQs
R016V1HIST.TXT resource file is Volume I. Volume V (R020V5HIST.TXT) ends
the actual history; and, the Appendices are in R021V6HIST.TXT.
_____________________________
From: Rubywand
002- In 1981 it seems like 'the world' was Apple's for the taking.
What happened?! What were Apple II users saying and feeling
in the final years of the Computer Wars?
The Computer Wars Chronicles
What follows is a series of articles I originally did for COMPUTIST
beginning in the late 80's. They chronicle the end of an era. You will
find all of the speculation, analysis, predictions, and hype one might
expect in writings which oscillate between recognition of impending
reality and a crusade to oppose it.
The pieces are, roughly, dated by Issue number. The first article
appeared in Issue 67 in the late Summer of 1989. I'm pretty sure the
last article appeared in the Fall of 1991.
This collection was recently reprinted in Tom Turley's A2-2000
on-line 'zine. Tom keeps insisting that old A2 writings will be of
interest to 1990's computer users. Maybe he's right. It may be
entertaining to relive these snapshots of Apple II history.
Jeff Hurlburt, 1997
ISSUE 67/ Revolution
The Missing Upgrade
Spring has long since sprung and my predicted "significant IIgs
upgrade" has yet to materialize. The problem, according to Western
Design Center's Bill Mensch, is not available hardware--- 65816's have
been tested above 12 Mhz and the '832 will soon be ready for
prototyping--- the problem, he says, is that Apple is not particularly
interested in an upgrade, or, even, in preserving the II series!
Unbelievable? Not at all. Neither Commodore nor IBM were willing to
upgrade their lower priced lower profit lines; if Apple lets the II
stagnate into obsolescence, it will be following a well-worn trail.
Elimination of the II line would free the company of any remaining
hacker/experimenter influence, cure a chronic case of microprocessor
schizophrenia (65xxx vs. 68xxx), and release resources currently devoted
to II series development, production, and marketing. Finally,
speculation aside, one has only to look at what the company has done---
or, more precisely, NOT done--- to support its IIgs...
NEED: Traditionally, upgrades are forced by the competition. By fall of
last year, it was clear that lower prices for VGA resolution IBM clones
posed a serious threat. The II series would be in serious trouble, I
reasoned, if Big Green did not soon introduce a MAJOR IIgs upgrade. The
bare bones requirement has to be something around 8 MHz speed, with a
mod to access display memory at current "fast" speed, AND access to 640
x 480 16-color graphics. More sound RAM, a second display block, better
disk I/O, and a multi-color TEXT mode would be nice; but, obviously,
without speed and graphics parity, the IIgs isn't even in the ball game.
Such demands are not, as some like to claim, merely a product of
users losing out in 'my computer is better than yours' contests. For
many applications, it is now possible to define something like speed and
resolution 'absolutes': there is such a thing as "not fast enough" or
"not enough detail", whatever the competition is doing. Today, no
super-res word processor or desktop publisher runs "fast enough" on the
IIgs-- the user is always conscious of trading away speed for "power"--;
nor can the user obtain anything like an accurate on-screen view of many
fonts. "WYSIWYG" just isn't possible with only 200 lines of vertical
resolution.
Similar considerations apply with respect to many utility,
scientific, and entertainment applications. The worry is that continued
incompatibility with VGA-developed 'control panels', windowing setups,
and artwork will slow the release of IIgs versions; and that,
increasingly, speed may become a disqualifier. No one, in short, is
talking about 'gilding the lily'; the focus is upon such mundane
concerns as decent 'productivity applications' comfort levels and
continued access to new products.
Now, as you read this, it is summer; IIgs sales are on a
double-digit slide, and, assuming there is no last minute upgrade
announcement, the II line IS in serious trouble. Just how serious became
obvious to me when a fellow IIgs devotee, Baywoof (a.k.a. "the
Boardbasher"), confessed that he was dumping his Apple and moving to an
IBM. He figures that, for the price he can still get for his IIgs stuff,
he can buy a complete VGA color '386 clone system.
I've seen his numbers; and, at worst, the difference is probably
less than three or four hundred dollars!-- this for a three or four
times speed increase, twice the hard disk storage, faster floppy access,
lower peripherals prices, easier upgrades, larger software base, and
much better graphics. (BUT, he will, for now, have to give up
IIgs-quality sound. Ha!)
Anyone still inclined to accept the pomp and glitz of Apple group
festivals at face value need only peruse a recent "Computer Shopper".
With luck, somewhere in a few hundred pages of IBM clone ads and product
reviews, you will find Don Lancaster holding forth in the the three or
four pages of what qualifies as the "Apple" section.
"Wait!", you cry, "what about the 'New II in '89' promised at last
winter's 'Fest? or reports of a plug-in upgrade?" So far, the only
evidence of a "New II" is yet another addition to the malingering IIc
series and some talk of a "New IIgs" with in-ROM operating system smarts
and on-board MIDI. As for Apple's plug-in upgrade, this is rumored to be
a bridge board to partial Mac compatibility. That is, for a few hundred
dollars, you may soon be able to turn your IIgs into a Mac Jr.! (Gosh,
wasn't it just a few months ago that IBM carried off a Fortune Worst
Marketing Blunder of the Decade Award for its PC Jr.?)
We have, long ago, passed the point where it makes any sense to
talk about maintaining II series dominance in software markets. And,
since schools must select computers with an eye to what students will
use at home, Apple's much-touted education base is about to 'turn blue'
as well. The question now is: how much of the current base of users and
creative talent can be held while someone (Applied Engineering, Comlog,
Laser, ?) puts together a significant, reasonably priced upgrade?
QUALITY CONTROL and SERVICE: Our II+ ran flawlessly for nearly six years
before requiring a new power supply and keyboard IC replacement. A
veteran of countless experimental mods, it continues to perform well.
Our IIgs, on the other hand, is presently on its third motherboard!
(Actually, it may be the fourth; it's hard to be sure. I do recall that
one of the replacement boards didn't do anything, except short out the
power supply.)
The main problem is an apparently endless supply of sub-spec
proprietary IC's (e.g. video and ADB controllers). So, why three (3)
motherboards!? Well, Apple does not allow its local sales/service reps
to replace soldered-on IC's. Should your ADB controller bomb (or, more
likely, you finally discover that it has been sporadically
malfunctioning all along), "repair" consists of swapping out the
motherboard. If your warranty has expired, the cost is $270 plus your
old board!
As to old complaints-- a II series marketing strategy designed to
create a toy image, high prices, slowness in releasing documentation,
Mac exploitation of II events, etc., etc.-- elaboration is hardly
necessary. The record is one of studied insult, rapacious greed,
sloppiness, and dismal neglect.
Let Them Eat Cake
Does Big Green management truly wish to be rid of the II? I doubt
it. As security against future Mac troubles, the II series has proved to
be priceless insurance. (Remember, it was the IIgs and solemn oaths to
'be true to our Two' that turned things around in '86.) The Apple Lords
appear, instead, to have opted for the no-development-cost,
string-the-user-along strategy perfected by Commodore in dealing with
its 64/128 line. Unfortunately, the IIgs is priced against '386-class
competition, not cartridge arcade machines.
In the long run, the biggest problem with this 'Mac in red, II gets
fed; Mac in black, II gets sack' philosophy may be that it makes for
remarkably poor PR. Scan through the message bases of a few local Apple
BB's and what you find is the kind of mistrust and ill will that used to
be reserved for 'The Phone Company'.
There is, for some reason, a widespread perception that Apple is
perfectly willing to sit on its hands while hefty user computing
investments turn to mush. Now, what do suppose is going to happen when
many of these thousands of II owners and former owners are asked to
suggest company, school, and university computer purchases? Somehow,
Apple is managing to convert its most valuable asset into a fatal
liability. (It's not nice to skimp on your II insurance premiums!)
Another Way
Anticipating that, whether by design or accident, Apple may be
angling for a Mac-only strategy, several respected II series supporters
have joined to combat the shift and develop alternatives. In our
conversation, Mensch identified such "Working Group" participants as
himself and other WDC personnel, Tom Weishaar, Mike Westerfield, and
representatives from Applied Engineering and Comlog.
While his "preferred remedy" is to persuade Big Green stockholders
to force II support, Mensch admits that the group is already exploring
non-Apple options. Among these, the simplest calls for third-party
development of a speed-up/graphics add-on. For an outlay "well below
$500" you would retain access to current IIgs wares and enjoy the
benefits of a new, higher performance standard. More dramatic cures call
for Apple to 'spin off' an independent II products company or even sign
away II rights to one or more established manufacturers.
When asked if a cloner (e.g. Laser) might launch its own super
IIgs, Mensch steadfastly refused any comment. From Laser, Grant Dalke's
response was a somewhat obtuse, carefully worded observation that, if
such a product appeared to be feasible, Laser would announce it when it
was ready. (Hmmmmm) "So, are you saying that no IIgs-like product is
being developed?" Answer: "No comment". Well, the last time I got
answers like these to questions like these was back in the summer of '85
when trying to pin down Bill Mensch about a 65816-based "IIx". IF Jim
Hart's rumored 7.8MHz, 640 x 400 resolution, ... "IIgs+" actually
exists, a reasonable guess is that it's sitting in Laser's labs.
Change
We have, it seems, reached the situation narrowly averted only
three years ago. Hobbled by inept generalship and beset by swarms of
power-packed IBM clones, the II world is moving to an inevitable
consensus: Apple has lost the 'Mandate of Heaven'; II leadership is up
for grabs. I believe most users would like to see the company rediscover
its hacker/experimenter roots and become a 'serious player'; it had
better. What remains of the Empire (fat, contented Macsville) is already
scheduled for plundering by hordes of '486-based monsters.
The 'bad news' is that, as the battle over speed, graphics, disk
I/O, and other needed advances heats up; it will, for a time, become
difficult to present software designers with a 'standard II'. Clones,
plug-in upgrades, and third-party motherboards (along with firmware and
operating system mods) will add to the confusion; some established II
suppliers will fold; etc., etc.. (It ain't gonna be pretty, Pilgrim.)
Indeed, once it becomes clear what revolutionaries mean by having to
"break eggs to make an omelet", more than a few users are sure to bail
out and head for the relatively peaceful IBM clone realm.
On the positive side, just such a state of flux is most likely to
produce fierce competition, lower prices, increased opportunities for
developers, and significant leaps in performance. One way or another,
you WILL get your upgrade. If all this sounds interesting-- even, like
it might be fun-- then hang on. You have the 'right stuff' for the II
Revolution!
Note: Bill Mensch's semi-informal "IIgs Working Group" plans one or more
meetings this summer. To offer comments, ideas, etc., or to otherwise
'get involved', contact Andrew Hall at the address listed in "Vendors".
ISSUE 68/ Keep-It-Simple Upgrade
If the best Apple can do for its II line turns out to be a "new
IIgs" with 1MB of motherboard RAM and 128K of sound RAM plus NO upgrade
offer to current IIgs owners... Well, the next "Apple Fest" could turn
into the first "Apple Frost". As to movement on the 'II manufacturers
upgrade front', I have yet to here a peep from Applied Engineering,
Comlog, Western Design Center, or anyone else in the business. (Like,
where are the Japanese when you really need them?!)
So, to get things rolling, here's a specific proposal: Since the
big problem with any worthwhile upgrade is maintaining current
compatibilities while extracting graphics control and output from the
motherboard kluge, why not put everything on a single, slot-pluggable
board which also plugs into the motherboard 65816 socket?
"Everything" includes an 8-10 MHz 65816, cache RAM, 640 x 400 (at
least) x 256 colors graphics controller, an input (via a short jumper
chord) from 'old graphics' output, video output & switching circuitry,
ROM's, 1MB of RAM, duplicate sound system with 256K RAM, sound input for
'old sound' output (via another jumper chord), and a mini-connector to
drive a 'to be developed' improved disk interface. The board amounts to
a vastly improved IIgs which can, when asked, take over the motherboard
and work like the old machine-- NOT, to be sure, so dramatic an approach
as some might wish; but then, the idea is to 'keep it simple'.
ISSUE 72/ No Foolin'
Last year's Apple II predictions were, mostly, on-target. According
to a Reuters News Service release, II series shipments fell nearly 52%.
Many new games have not been released in a II format, some users have
defected, and a few established publications (notably dear old CALL
Apple) disappeared. On the other hand, the Great Apple Dump predicted by
some, turned out to be a 'Dump-ling'; net user base probably held or
increased. Most product releases continue to include, eventually, a II
version; and, several very attractive products are available ONLY for
IIe or IIgs. In Star Trek terminology, the II series took a 'direct hit'
in '89; and has come back stronger and tougher.
Which brings us to the other half of the infamous Issue #67
commentary. True, we do not see curls of smoke rising from Cupertino,
circling vultures, and fat barbarians bidding for the crown. We do see
lower profits, dropping stock value, and declining market share. Big
Green, as in the days just prior to its last II series 'rediscovery',
needs a major, attention-getting, marketing success. Some "industry
analysts" have suggested a low-priced Mac; but, aside from being a
contradiction in terms, IF a for-real '90's technology Cheapo Mac were
offered, the first casualty would be the current high-profit-margin Mac
II. A not-for-real sub-performing Cheapo would, of course, merely repeat
IBM's PC Jr. fiasco.
In following through with release of GSOS 5.0, Apple demonstrates
that it is not quite ready to fall on its sword. Whether Big Green has
forgotten how to wield it remains to be seen. A vast market is still
wide open, ripe for plucking by the first manufacturer able to tell a
"PC" business machine from a genuine "Home Computer". Apple used to know
the difference; and, with Spring in the air and just a bit of prompting
from its II users, may be on the verge of remembering.
ISSUE 74/ (Report from the Computer Wars)
When the great wheel of the small computing universe takes a major
turn, wobbles, and settles into a new plane, there are bound to be many
users who will doubt the evidence of their senses. ("Did the earth
tremble? Did the stars shift? WHAT happened?!") Hence, the 'last
minute' decision to compress this month's reviews and issue the
"Report'".
Report from the Computer Wars
I. Tsunami
What promised just last summer to be a PC wave has become a rolling
tsunami. One minute you're strolling down a city street, considerately
stepping over and around islands of PC hardware; the next, you're
running for your life in the shadow of a churning skyscraper-high wall
of machines and circuit boards. Something important has happened in
Computerville; a milestone has been reached. When? Sometime between last
fall and this spring. What? Nothing less than the end of Computer Wars
I!
II. Myth
During some fifteen years of competition among names like Altair,
Southwest Technical, Imsai, (Ohio Scientific, Tandy, Atari, Apple,
Commodore, ...), it became an article of faith that the outcome would be
THE dominant computer maker. Presumably, the manufacturer of the best
machines would attract the overwhelming majority of users and that would
be that.
Much to the delight of TRS-80, Apple II, and Atari 800 makers, the
Microcomputer Club soon gave way to product-specific groups of true
believers determined to expand membership and win immortality ("II
Forever!", etc.) for their machines. It was entertaining; but, of
course, it was mainly hype.
Even were users willing and able to flit from machine to machine
like butterflies, no major manufacturer was particularly attracted to
anything so intangible as Computer Wars "victory". The corporations
(believe it or not) were aiming to maximize profits, not user numbers!
Both Apple and Commodore built up large, enthusiastic home user bases,
then neglected them in favor of the lower volume, higher profit business
market. So much for "winning the world".
III. Sluff-off
For home users, developers, software publishers-- for everyone, in
fact, with a stake in the "low end" machine-- such half-hearted support
has always been as puzzling as it is frustrating. We invest hard cash in
an Apple computer, join Apple clubs, subscribe to Apple publications,
(slap Apple stickers on binders, use an Apple key ring, ...), fill
shelves with Apple software, and buy Apple peripherals. Apple, in
return, drags out development of a IIgs operating system, pours money
into its business machine, and adopts a 'dog in the manger' position
which all but kills any chance of a timely third party upgrade needed to
maintain IIgs performance parity with the competition.
To be fair, Apple has behaved no worse-- indeed, on the whole, much
better-- than other home user 'flagships'. Each new II model has
preserved broad downward compatibility; and documentation, from early
manuals through the current Addison Wesley series, has been among the
best. Finally, both the IIgs and its operating system benefitted from
recent minor upgrades. It's no wonder home users are confused. If Apple
is at all concerned about its II series, why isn't it concerned enough?
After the near brush with collapse in '85, we reasoned that Apple
(now also "Big Green" the business machine maker) would forever regard
holding onto its II home user base as a high priority. Surely, Apple had
learned its lesson.
So it had, though not the lesson we supposed. IIgs revenues were a
help in those troubled times; but the more important contribution was an
industry-wide confidence that "Apple is back". Stock values rose,
capital rolled in, the Mac II was launched, and viola!, Apple WAS back!
The lesson for Apple was clear enough: 'everyone' still equated
corporate health with II prosperity. It had become captive to its low
end, low profit product line.
There are several reasons why Apple might view this situation with
alarm. Of these, the popular notion that a IIgs resulting from a series
of forced upgrades might impact Mac sales is probably the most
over-rated. As Apple's own marketing people have adroitly demonstrated,
it is entirely possible to render a product "business invisible". Your
ads merely assert that the IIgs is a home/school computer and that the
Mac is for business. Once the systems are bundled with appropriate
software and the price tags slapped on, few IS managers would consider
filling an office with IIgs's.
No, the simplest explanation for Apple's concern is also the one
which best fits the facts. Well before the '85 crisis, Apple had decided
that costs of its II series were beginning to outweigh rewards. Selling
all of those computers, disk drives, and printers to create a large home
user base was great fun. Customer service, support R&D, and selling
upgrades to maintain it was not nearly so profitable. Apple wished to be
free to deal with its II series on its own terms. Most certainly, the
Lords of Cupertino were determined to be rid of a situation which
allowed home user complaints, doomsday editorials, or expressions of
teacher dissatisfaction to rock corporate pylons at the foundation.
By 1988, an aggressive ad campaign and expanding Mac II sales had
solved the problem. Apple shed its "home computer maker" skin and became
"Apple, the maker of pricey, high class business computers". Whether the
II line is spun-off, sold, or merely "supported" at current low levels,
one thing seems clear. The odds are very slim that II users will ever
again be an important part of Apple's empire. Consider yourself sluffed.
IV. IBM: Grud-maker
IBM's first PC was chiefly remarkable for what it was not. It was
not a closed-box, highly complex machine packed with proprietary
hardware. Featuring an out-of-the-Intel-manual design with slots for
peripheral boards, it was virtually Apple's II+ 'done in business grey'.
From the start, PC's simple, straightforward profile proved both a
blessing and a curse. The blessing was that flocks of third party
manufacturers quickly began to fill the machine with
performance-enhancing boards and peripherals. The curse, from IBM's
point of view, is that it proved impossible to protect PC from hordes of
grud-like cloners.
[Note: In case you missed playing "Dark Forest" or a sequel, gruds are
short, green, swarthy, fast-multiplying reptiles-- sort of a one-horned
ninja turtle without the shell.]
Anybody could make a "PC compatible" and, from AT&T to one-garage
assembly shops, 'anybody' did. Worse still, as IBM moved first to the XT
and then the AT, it encountered successively more cloners taking
progressively less time to develop better copies at lower prices! When,
at last, Big Blue moved to its supposedly less clonable PS/2 platform,
it was already widely understood that the best grud AT's were at least
as good as the IBM original AND cheaper.
Had the Mainframe Moguls set out purposefully to create a
dangerously competitive computer making sub-culture, they could hardly
have improved upon the course followed. Faced with such inept meddling,
the Apple Lords must have felt a bit like the old Sorcerer watching his
Apprentice chop the animated broom into a million pieces. Naturally, by
the time Big Blue ran for the hills, the small computing landscape was
knee-deep in gruds. (Even today, it is said, Apple's Consummate
Enlightened One will awaken in the dead of night, sit up bolt straight
in his bed, and scream "Why must I lose to such idiots!")
For good or ill, IBM had delivered big manufacturer technology and
the market to go with it into the hands of countless small manufacturing
free enterprise fanatics. Here the "big names" appear on metallic
stickers slapped into square indentations thoughtfully provided by PC
case manufacturers; and you're only as good as your prices are low.
Though, in this maze of interlocking board makers, assemblers, and
sellers, each component may come from almost anywhere, by 1988 the
cloners had managed a 'stock' AT featuring VGA color. Soon there
followed compatible '386 models, low cost Ad Lib sound; and (barely
months after the chip became available) the first '486 machines were
ready. Incredibly, the no-name gruds had moved beyond mere clone-making
without missing a beat.
V. Outcome
Computer Wars I did not pick a winning manufacturer; it did pick a
winning, standard platform: the "PC AT or compatible". Just look at unit
sales, the quantity, quality, and range of software releases,
peripherals variety, and newspaper/magazine advertising. The clincher is
a pattern of plummeting prices, increasing performance, and rapid
adoption of cutting-edge technology. It all adds up to the same thing: a
'standard computer'. Today, when you say "computer", everyone knows you
mean "PC".
As of summer 1990, the 'typical PC' is an 8-16MHz '286-based
machine with 640K-1MB (zero wait state) RAM, 1.2 MB 5.25" floppy, and
40-60MB hard disk. Featuring VGA color and Ad Lib sound, the system also
includes "enhanced keyboard", VGA monitor, and cards for serial &
parallel I/O, disk controllers, clock, and joystick ports-- all for
about $1400. (33MHz '386 versions sell for roughly $2000). If current
trends persist, by late fall prices will have dropped 10-15%.
Where does this leave II users? As of this spring, IIgs users sat
atop a large, divers software base. As of summer, very little has been
added. While you can reasonably expect continued releases in such areas
as utilities, languages, and education, the outlook for productivity
wares is rather poor. As for major vendor entertainment releases, don't
ask! Just take last summer's predictions and slap on a "You are Here"
sticker.
Though loyal, literally, to a fault, II users are not likely to
long tolerate a situation which not only saddles them with sub-par
performance, but also shuts them out of the major vendor software
stream. Mainly, you 'won't take it any more' because you don't have to.
Look at the economics: As a IIgs owner you are probably looking forward
to a speed/graphics upgrade and the addition of a 40-60MB hard disk.
Well, at normal Apple stuff prices (and assuming a graphics upgrade
becomes available) your planned outlay comes painfully close to the
total cost of the "typical PC AT"! This much seems clear, by next summer
many (perhaps most) II owners will also be PC users.
Doom? Gloom? The 'end of forever'? Not at all. In fact, the gruds
may have delivered what Apple only promised: practically unlimited II
continuance. One of the ironies of the present situation is that the
very forces which make taking the PC plunge so appealing (e.g. low
prices) also make dumping your IIgs stuff unattractive. Even as the
junior partner in a two-machine installation, your IIgs is worth vastly
more to you than it is likely to sell for. (Besides, all of your records
are in Appleworks files; little Suzy just started "Dungeon Master",
etc., etc..) So long as II's remain in the hands of skilled users there
will be no lack of interest in performance enhancements, peripherals,
and new software.
The gruds may be dancing in the streets, but the biggest winner in
Computer Wars I is the computer user. Proprietary fiefdoms and
semi-monopolistic pricing are being swept away; and, for the first time,
we can look forward to a unified software base spanning home, school,
and business users. Granted, this was a conflict that ended, not with
the clash of cymbals, but the toot of a kazoo. The big name
manufacturers, assorted publications, and many others will, naturally,
try to pretend that it's 'business as usual'. It isn't. Computer Wars I
is history. Computer Wars II is a whole new ball game!
75/ One More Time?!
After four years of minimal 'gs support, Apple's Consummate
Enlightened One has issued an inCider encyclical assuring II users of
the company's continued commitment. The letter mentioned such worthwhile
achievements as an improved operating system and the imminent II
Hypercard (but neglected to specify where the company had been committed
or how long the treatment is expected to last). Fine; but, why now?
If letters, BB postings, etc. are any indication, many II partisans
believe the explanation is to be found in continued 'unstoppable' PC
market share advances. Supposedly, The Computer Company MUST play its
'II card' yet one more time or face extermination.
In the best of all possible worlds, Big Green's new Macs would sell
like hotcakes; AND a portion of the capital generated would go into a
serious II-based assault on the home/school market. (As even PC devotees
will admit, the smugly confident PC universe could stand a good scare.)
In the Real World, our experience has been that the level of attention
to II user concerns is inversely related to Mac success. Small wonder,
then, that The C.E.O.'s latest proclamation resembles less an assurance
of support than a trial balloon. (Basically: "Just in case things really
get bad; what will it take to jump-start your interest in Apple
products?") Fair enough; and, it goes without saying, any trial balloon
from the First Apple Lord merits a response.
Dear C.E.O.:
First comes THE upgrade; then, we can talk about hypercards, frame
grabbers, CD interfaces, Mac links, and other such embellishments. Our
needs are modest enough; say an 8 MHz '816 motherboard with 2 megs of
main RAM, 256K or so of sound RAM, and capabilities for 640 x 400
256-color graphics. By way of compensation, you are encouraged to rip
out the network of expensive, glitch-prone kluges designed to promote
IIe compatibility. (This should help with costs; and, you can always
market a IIe plug-in for old-II diehards.) An in-ROM '816 BASIC would
be nice; but, for now, an empty socket and a promise will suffice.
Price is very important. Not only must the individual IIgs owner be
convinced that the upgrade represents a good buy; he/she must also
believe that other IIgs owners will feel the same. So far, my polling
indicates a number somewhere around $300. Naturally, when we bring in
our machines to buy the new board, we shall wish to keep our old boards.
They're no good to you anyway, and will supply many experimenters with
endless hours of fun (to say nothing of generating countless interesting
articles for Apple user publications).
A tad costly? No doubt. Stll, a few hundred mil to reinvigorate
your IIgs base and attract new buyers is a bargain. (Like, it sure beats
losing the whole ball of wax!) In return, we'll buy your products,
enlist recruits, kick stock prices up ten or twenty points, and save
dear old Apple-- one more time.
Your pal,
Jeff
79/ Home Again
Change-over
Last fall the lone remaining advertiser-supported Apple II-only
monthly announced the intention to "include Mac coverage". At the time,
there seemed little reason for comment. Unlike, say, a TI-99 bulletin
board I've called, a computer magazine can not be content with
discussions of summer vacations and fishing trips. If a publication
can't find enough II products 'action' to pay the bills, it has to find
something else to talk about.
Re-discovery
My reason for mentioning the II-to-Mac shift now is that inCider's
move is symptomatic of maneuvering we must expect and be wary of in the
post-Computer Wars I world. Regular viewers of the weekly PBS
computer-stuff show "Computer Chronicles" have already heard the new
'party line'. Basically, it goes like this: "For years the home
computing market has been in the doldrums. Recently, however, Apple and
IBM have re-discovered the individual user! They are coming to the
rescue with powerful, low-priced products like the Mac LC and PS/1."
Okay, so what is the pay-off in being "re-discovered"? First, the
PS/1: It is a compact, attractive, AT-compatible '286 machine which
requires an optional box to accommodate standard PC/AT peripheral cards.
At $2000 for the basic color version, PS/1 is priced near the limit of
what most home buyers seem to be willing to 'go for' in an initial
purchase. It is also priced above faster '386 no-name (a.k.a. "grud")
AT's with more RAM and larger hard disks and far above equivalent grud
'286 systems.
Mac LC is an attractive, compact, Mac-compatible 68020 machine
which, with the addition of a low-cost IIe card, can run IIe software.
At, roughly, $3000 for the basic color version it is priced far beyond
the typical home buyer's initial investment limit. However, as inCider
noted in it's "Meet the Mac LC" face-off with an equivalent hard disk II
system, the IIgs can end up costing as much as the base 'LC plus IIe
card (assuming the IIgs purchaser makes a series of remarkably poor
buying decisions). Same-price grud competition includes a new crop of
much faster '486 AT's with more RAM and much larger hard disks.
It was, I believe, Abraham Lincoln who once observed: "You can
re-discover some of the people all of the time and all of the people
some of the time... " At least "'Chronicles" avoided references to the
"little people" and "unwashed masses"; but the meaning is clear enough.
Technological trickle-down has proved out, we have been noticed by the
big name manufacturers! The "doldrums", of course, refers to THEIR home
markets-- understandable, when you consider that no major manufacturer
has paid any real attention to home users for the last five years. THE
home market has been flourishing since 1989, when home buyers began to
snap up no-name VGA+AdLib PC/AT's like they were going out of style.
They were (going out of style). First came the '286 wave; and now,
as of spring '91, higher speed '386 systems are selling for well below
$2000. A good barometer of what's hot (and what's not) is the computer
advertising in your newspaper's Sunday "Business" section. This,
typically, is where all computer stuff advertisements (with prices!)
appear. I checked ours; and, believe it or not, in five or six pages
plastered with computer ads, neither the PS/1 nor the Mac LC were
listed. The word "Apple" did not appear even once! (Yes; I have, in the
past, found an 'LC ad. Prices were NOT listed.)
Today's home programmer/ game-player/ composer/ author/ educator...
is learning to shop for speed, power, and upgradability (i.e. slots!)
regardless of brand name. Any suggestion that he or she is willing to
settle for PS/2-1's, "Low Cost" Macs, or other sub-business-class
machines is not merely off-target, it is the reverse of the actual
situation. Typical office applications have little need for quality
sound, large color palettes, or exceptional speed-- all areas under
continual pressure from designers of entertainment products. The home
computer MUST be a relatively 'hot', versatile performer; and, there are
all sorts of reasons why the home purchaser, in particular, aims for the
'most machine' he or she can reasonably afford.
First, of course, he or she is buyer AND user. Shopping for five or
ten word processor/office machines someone else will use is one thing;
buying the one YOU and family members will be using is quite another
matter. Other home user motivators include an interest in a wide range
of steadily more demanding software, peer pressure, and concern that
younger family members truly have 'the power to be their best'.
In the same broadcast, "'Chronicles" notes that home markets are
becoming more attractive because "business markets are becoming
saturated". Again, we are dealing with THEIR business markets. One can
expect to sell just so many $4000-$6000 name brand units when more
powerful machines are available at half the price. Eventually, buyers
for oil corporations, universities, etc. were bound to wise-up. (Does
anyone still blow $49.95 on a box of ten For-Sure-Certified diskettes?)
I do not doubt that IBM, Commodore, Apple, Compaq, etc. WANT to
sell piles of machinery to home users. I do doubt that any of them knows
what this market looks like. If the big guys and their media placidly
presume home computists to be both less demanding AND less informed, it
does not augur well for their home market showdown with the gruds.
Where Are You?
You are here! Should "here" mean "primarily a II+ (IIe, IIc, II
clone) user", then you are acutely aware of being out of the mainstream
of personal computing. (Either that, or you've been 'out' for so long
that you're starting to think you're 'in'!) Not only is very little new
software coming from the major vendors; but nothing looks as good as the
super-res and VGA stuff you've seen on other machines. You CAN upgrade
the II, even to the point of adding a VGA display; but the biggest
problem isn't YOUR hardware. It's the thousands of other 'old II' users
who must be persuaded to make the same changes-- that is, if you wish to
create a recognizable 'super II' user base, develop and trade programs,
attract vendors, etc., etc..
Recommendations: Keep your II, use it, enjoy it; and, when opportunities
arise, improve it if the costs are not too steep. Hardware
experimentation is a valuable, time-honored II owner activity. Given the
rapid pace of microprocessor and component advances, there really is no
telling what you might be able to achieve. Should you decide to sample
the era of modern store-bought personal computing, go for the best, most
II-like machine you can afford. As of Spring '91, this probably means
either 1. take a risk on the IIgs OR 2. grab a PC-owner friend and
shop the local grud establishments for a '386 PC/AT.
"Here" may be the joyful realm of PC-ville. Your 'big problems' are
deciding whether to
1. add another 2MB of RAM (to handle "Windows 3.0" stuff), and/or
2. fill that little vertical panel slot with a 1.44MB 3.5" drive,
and/or
3. swap out your old 40MB drive for a 120MB unit, and/or
4. dump your old VGA card plus the non-multi-sync monitor and
replace
with extended VGA equipment.
Recommendations: Yes, Yes, Maybe, Not yet. It may also be a good idea to
keep your weekends open and your car gassed-up, just in case someone
calls about doing some shopping.
If "here" is IIgs-ville then you already know the 'old place' isn't
what it used to be. I've lost track of the number of IIgs projects
"cancelled for lack of market interest", deceased hardware suppliers,
and major vendor PR persons who (politely) barely refrain from laughing
when I ask about "availability in IIgs format". As to
national/international publications which actually devote hundreds of
column inches to II coverage on a monthly basis...; suffice it to say
you won't need base ten numerals to count them.
A sampling of local bulletin board listings pretty well sums up
what has happened. In a printout from 1986, of 70 boards, 17 (24.3%) are
listed as "Apple" BB systems, which ties with PC for the lead. By
December 1990, of 298 boards, 8 (2.7%) are "Apple" BB's. Amiga and Atari
shares are even smaller; C-64/128 (4.4%) and Mac (3%) come in a bit
higher. PC's share is 81.5%.
You (we) were entirely justified in expecting Apple to make a major
II series effort long before now-- if only to prevent nearly complete
dominance of unit sales, peripherals development, and software releases
by a platform with which no Apple product is compatible. Think back to
the late '80's and you can see that the threat of a strong, improving
IIgs was the last barrier to a no-name PC/AT sweep. When, by mid-'89,
the "threat" evaporated, Amiga, Atari, Mac, and even IBM each had good
reason to be very very concerned. If they weren't then, you can bet they
are now. Mac's big watchword used to be "Friendliness"; today it's
"Connectivity". IBM, who used to believe IT decided PC standards, dares
not market the PS/1 without offering an optional expansion box to hold
AT-compatible cards!
So much for spilt milk. As they say in the beer commercials: "Well,
Pard, (slurp) it don't get no worsen this!" 'It' could; but, evidently,
it won't. Several bright spots on the horizon point to, if anything, the
beginnings of a IIgs upturn. First, there's the Mac LC. Last Fall,
according to "industry watchers", 'LC was destined to displace IIgs and,
thus, signal the inevitable demise of the II series. Instead, as we now
know, 'LC positions color Macs, more or less permanently, OUT of IIgs
territory. Big Green's Mac cards are on the table. When Apple makes a
serious low-end market play, it will be the 'IIgs card'.
Every IIgs user is aware that most major software vendors are not
releasing 'all of that great PC stuff' in IIgs format. Too little
attention is given to the continuing strong support from sources like
Beagle Bros, Roger Wagner, Byte Works, and MECC. Nibble and SoftDisk-GS
regularly release quality software and individual programmers continue
to produce useful, innovative shareware.
Two recent product releases are especially encouraging. Apple's
GS/OS 5.04 may come on as "just another revision of old, familiar GS/OS"
to IIgs owners preoccupied with hardware needs. No problem; the 'Rule
Book' says that if you use a machine, you're supposed to carp about the
operating system. Meanwhile, PC/AT users are falling all over themselves
in glee at the thought that they may soon have something like GS/OS.
The other release is "Platinum Paint" from Beagle Bros. It's the
kind of product that could have "mainstream users" wondering where the
mainstream is. If the IIgs is dead, at least it's attracting some very
classy flies. If it's not, what might we look forward to when the upturn
REALLY gathers steam?!
Though inCider's "Meet the Mac LC'" piece made no recommendations
and was hardly enthusiastic-- well, actually, it reads like something
one might come up with in a Mac prisoner of war camp-- even so, Roger
Wagner responded with a full-page rebuttal. One comment was especially
thought provoking: "The IIgs is the best platform with which to enter
the '90's."
My first reaction was something along the lines of "Poor RW. He's
finally blown a 'higher functions' LSI chip. How can IIgs be the 'best
platform' if it's not supported?" But that, of course is RW's point.
Viewed 'in itself', instead of "Will it be around next year?", "Is it
smart buy?", etc. the IIgs has remarkable potential. For starters, it is
the ONLY platform to offer both an abundance of expansion slots AND
sophisticated firmware. It is also a compact machine widely regarded as
the best looking computer ever produced by anyone. (Well, it never hurts
to be good looking.)
Granting that IIgs is in the "Best Platform" running; what's the
problem? Why isn't the Best Platform doing BP-type stuff? This one's
easy. Just imagine that you've switched-in a bigger power supply and
crammed a 1MB model IIgs with the best available performance enhancers.
What is missing? Exactly! Until we can either swap-out motherboards or
plug in a card to obtain 'state of the world' graphics capabilities, non
of the other add-ons will be enough to spark a full-scale IIgs swarming.
Conversely, once super graphics ARE in place, all of the other add-ons
and the IIgs itself will immediately become vastly more attractive.
Recommendations: Keep, use, enjoy, and learn about your IIgs. It could
wind up as one of the big winners in Computer Wars II. Speed-up, math
co-processor, and similar enhancements are worth a serious look, so long
as you are willing to accept the risks (i.e. future compatibility) that
come with 'leading the pack'.
As to user hardware experimentation, why not? Your Apple club's
IIgs VGA card project could be THE way to crack the graphics logjam.
("What about the CRT monitor and 'old IIgs' super-res?" Easy. We buy
multi-syncs, plug them into your new super IIgs VGA card and
'standardize' IIgs as a dual color monitor machine! Now, what sort of
programming, flight-sim, CAD, and adventure game software do you suppose
THAT would attract!!)
82/ II to Two
By now it should be clear that, for the active computer user,
access to a PC/AT machine is a 'given'. Along with your radio, TV, and
telephone, it has become 'standard equipment'. Interestingly, it has not
attracted much experimenter interest nor anything like a fanatic user
group following. Today's generic PC/AT IS a good, solid machine and, by
far, the best price/performance personal computing value-- besides
which, it continues to absorb an overwhelming portion of major software
vendor attention. It has not, however, replaced the Apple II.
Why? Many reasons; but, to keep it short: you can't and/or won't do
"Apple II" stuff on your PC. This especially applies to experimentation
and one's willingness to try out enhancement products from a growing
list of new 'garage shop' suppliers. Ironically, when a II user moves
from II-only to "two"-- i.e. adds a PC-- there is more enthusiasm for
enhancements and, after a brief dip, time spent using the older machine
actually increases! For whatever reason, the "endless Apple II" does
seem to be on the rebound. Two computers really are better than one.
____________________________
From: Charles T. "Dr. Tom" Turley
Related FAQs Resources: R010APPLE1.GIF (GIF pic of Apple I)
003- How did Woz invent the Apple computer?
Following is a Steve Wozniak interview which appeared in the
Summer 1997 issue of II Alive.
Looking Back: Woz Tells: "How I Did It!"
Charles T. Turley, interviewer
The recent flurry of speculations surrounding Apple Inc.'s future
seems to have stirred up questions concerning birth of the Apple II.
Some writers have reported that coding of the first II ROMs was a fairly
simple affair since, "of course", Steve Wozniak had access to an
assembler and terminal. Similar "obvious" and "easy" comments have
surfaced about the decisions to use dynamic RAM and include a BASIC
interpreter. I decided to ask Woz for all the facts.
C.T.: You've seen the report; how much is accurate?
Woz: The author of the report I received from you is wrong when he says
no ROM of large size was assembled by hand. I could never afford an
assembler for the 6502 which I bought for $20.
First, I connected the 6502 to Static RAM and a video terminal of
my own design. I then wrote a short "monitor" program to watch the
keyboard and display characters, both under interrupt and polled. We
didn't have 256 byte PROMS, just 256x4 PROMS at that time. I used two of
the ones we burned for calculator development at HP. The first hardware
bringup had a few frustrating hours but I got it working with polled
keyboard that night.
I then wrote a 256 byte "Monitor" program which watched the
keyboard for hex data entry (address:data data data) and hex display and
program initiation ("Run"). I got very good at typing in hex and very
very good at checking data entry carefully, character by character. I
still can't read a credit card number without a high expectation of
mistake, but I have good habits to this day.
C.T.: Even Commodore's Vic20, which appeared years later, uses
easy-to-design-for static memory IC's. What was behind the decision to
use dynamic RAM?
Woz: I switched to dynamic RAMs when someone at our club sold some for a
couple of bucks each. After all, in 1975 these were the first RAMS
cheaper than core memory, the 4K dynamics. I bought some 22 pin AMI
ones, there were three vendors.
Virtually none of the other hobby computers around that time used
dynamic RAMs, I decided it was because of the hobbyist technician sense
of most fans I met, they weren't true engineers. Also, they were
familiar with low-cost routes like surplus stores where the favorite RAM
was the 2102 static. But for me, designing for the dynamic RAM was a
piece of cake and I had fun at that which I excelled, combining MSI
chips in clever ways.
Steve Jobs asked what did I think of the Intel dynamic RAMs. I told
him I felt they were the best. Although they required more driving
circuitry for Row and Column addressing (not just a wire from the CPU
for each address line) they were in a smaller package. I had for some
time measured the worth of my IC designs in terms of how little board
space they took, not how few chips. So these 16-pin Intel chips, plus
some row/column multiplexers and timing signals, actually took less
board space than the 22-pin AMI RAMS. And saved some transistor clock
drivers as well.
I felt we could never afford any Intel chip, having heard how the
8080 was $370. But Steve got a rep to give us 16 samples. So the Apple I
started with the best possible RAM choice, even before it was certain
how things would go with RAMs. When the 16K dynamics appeared in the
Intel compatible format we were luckily on the right track.
C.T.: How did BASIC come to be part of the first Apple computer?
Woz: The book "101 BASIC Games" made me think that the right higher
level language for these low cost computers was BASIC, even though I'd
never used it. I referred to an HP BASIC manual to develop my syntax
diagrams. Hoping to be noted as the first with a 6502 BASIC, I left out
floating point. But what I wanted was games, logic simulations, puzzle
solving, etc. and integers are fine. Most of my college programming was
numerics done with integer only operations for large accuracy.
I wrote the entire BASIC by hand with no assembler. I kept
thousands of pages of my hand-done work from day 1. The final Apple II
Rom code was entirely done by hand and is in a notebook. The Apple II
was the first product to ship with 2K Roms from Synertek. 4K total of
code. I built in a disassembler and wrote a mini-assembler (no symbols,
only absolute hex or decimal addresses and constants) which shipped
either in the Apple II or in a later Rom addition.
C.T.: What about peripherals like the printer interface, cassette, and
disk? I guess these were all coded using an assembler; right?
Woz: By the time the Printer card was done with it's 256 byte ROM I may
still have been coding by hand or we might have gotten our first
assembler. It's unusual to this day that you plugged in a printer and it
attached itself to the op-sys by means of a driver in ROM on the printer
card. True plug'n play. Possible to this day but rarely done (I've heard
of some Newton exception).
The ROM op-sys of the Apple II could direct output and input to any
of 7 slots. Mass media was read and write an entire cassette file at
once.
The floppy brought a very tight hardware design, coupled very
tightly to the lowest level access subroutines which I wrote without an
assembler. Randy Wiggington wrote the "Read Write Tractor Sector"
routines, a step higher. Randy and I began a full op-sys but we farmed
it out to Shepardson associates. Needless to say, none of that was done
by hand!
____________________________
From: Jason Aubrey Wells <jaw...@engr.latech.edu>
Related FAQs Resources: R001A2AD.HTM (html text of ad)
R002A2ADPIC.JPG (JPEG picture of ad)
R003A2ADPIC.GIF (GIF picture of ad)
004- What did the first Apple ads look like?
Below is the text of the Apple II advertisement which appeared in the
September 1977 issue of Scientific American.
The home computer that's ready to work, play and grow with you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clear the kitchen table. Bring in the color T.V. Plug in your new Apple
II*, and connect any standard cassette recorder/player. Now you're ready
for an evening of discovery in the new world of personal computers.
Only Apple II makes it that easy. It's a complete, ready to use
computer--not in a kit. At $1298, it includes features you won't find on
other personal computers costing twice as much. Features such as video
graphics in 15 colors. And a built in memory capacity of 8K bytes ROM
and 4K bytes RAM--with room for lots more. But you don't even need to
know a RAM from a ROM to use and enjoy Apple II. It's the first personal
computer with a fast version of BASIC--the English-like programming
language--permanently built in. That means you can begin running your
Apple II the first evening, entering your own instructions and watching
them work, even if you've had no previous computer experience.
The familiar typewriter-style keyboard makes communication easy. And
your programs and data can be stored on (and retrieved from) audio
cassettes, using the built-in cassette interface, so you can swap with
other Apple II users. This and other peripherals--other equipment on
most personal computers, at hundreds of dollars extra cost--are built
into Apple II. And it's designed to keep up with changing technology, to
expand easily whenever you need it to.
As an educational tool, Apple II is a sound investment. You can program
it to tutor your children in most any subject, such as spelling,
history, or math. But the biggest benefit--no matter how you use Apple
II--is that you and your family increase familiarity with the computer
itself. The more you experiment with it, the more you discover about its
potential.
Start by playing PONG. Then invent your own games using the input
keyboard, game paddles and built-in speaker. As you experiment you'll
acquire new programming skills which will open up new ways to use your
Apple II. You'll learn to "paint" dazzling color displays using the
unique color graphics commands in Apple BASIC, and write programs to
create beautiful kaleidoscopic designs. As you master Apple BASIC,
you'll be able to organize, index, and store data on household finances,
income tax, recipes, and record collections. You can learn to chart your
biorythms, balance your checking account, even control your home
environment. Apple II will go as far as you imagination can take it.
Best of all, Apple II is designed to grow with you. As your skill and
experience with computing increase, you may want to add new Apple
peripherals. For example, a refined, more sophisticated BASIC language
is being developed for advanced scientific and mathematical
applications. And in addition to the built-in audio, video and game
interfaces, there's room for eight plug-in options such as a prototyping
board for experimenting with interfaces to others equipment; a serial
board for connecting a teletype, printer and other terminals; a parallel
interface for communicating with a printer or another computer; an EPROM
board for storing programs permanently; and a modem board communications
interface. A floppy disk interface with software and complete operating
systems will be available at the end of 1977. And there are many more
options to come, because Apple II was designed from the beginning to
accommodate increased power and capability as your requirements change.
If you'd like to see for yourself how easy it is to use and enjoy Apple
II, visit your local dealer for a demonstration and a copy of our
detailed brochure. Or write Apple Computer Inc., 20863 Stevens Creek
Blvd., Cupertino, California 95014.
Apple II is a completely self-contained computer system with BASIC in
ROM, color graphics, ASCII keyboard, light-weight, efficient switching
power supply and molded case. It is supplied with BASIC in ROM, up to
48K bytes of RAM, and with cassette tape, video, and game I/O interfaces
built-in. Also included are two games paddles and a demonstration
cassette.
SPECIFICATIONS
* Microprocessor: 6502 (1 MHz).
* Video Display: Memory mapped, 5 modes--all Software-selectable:
o Text--40 chars/line, 24 lines upper case.
o Color graphics--40h x 48v, 15 colors
o High-resolution graphics--280h x 192v; black, white,
violet, green (16K RAM minimum required)
o Both graphics modes can be selected to include 4 lines of
text at the bottom of the display area.
o Completely transparent memory access. All color generation
done digitally.
* Memory: up to 48K bytes on-board RAM (4K supplied)
o Uses either 4K or new 16K dynamic memory chips
o Up to 12K rom (8K supplied)
* Software
o Fast extended Integer BASIC in ROM with color graphics
commands
o Extensive monitor in ROM
* I/O
o 1500 bps cassette interface
o 8-slot motherboard
o Apple game I/O connector
o ASCII keyboard port
o Speaker
o Composite video output
Apple II is also available in board-only form for the do-it-yourself
hobbyist. Has all of the features of the Apple II system, but does not
include case, keyboard, power supple or game paddles. $598.
PONG is a trademark of Atari Inc.
*Apple II plugs into any standard TV using an inexpensive modulator (not
supplied).
Rubywand
Apple II Input Devices
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2KBPADJS.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
027- How do I write programs which use the mouse?
From: Steve Jensen
001- How do I do the Shift Key Mod?
Here's info from my files on the 'shift key mod':
The one wire shiftkey mod is the oldest and simplest fix that can be
made to the Apple II to get true upper and lower case operations with
the shift key. Most good word processors have input routines that check
the PB2 input on the game I/O port to determine if the shift key is
being pressed. Some programs that have these routines are Wordstar,
Write-on, Apple Pascal 1.1 and many others. Follow the steps below to
install the shift key mod.
parts:
1 mini-grabbette clip (Radio Shack PN 270-370)
1 15 in. piece of small guage wire
1 16 pin socket
1) Solder one end of the wire to the mini-grabbette clip.
2) Solder the other end of the wire to pin 4 of the 16 pin socket as
close to the body of the socket as possible.
3) Turn the Apple II off and remove the cover.
4) Remove anything plugged into the game I/O socket.
5) Attach the mini-grabbette clip to pin 24 of the keyboard encoder
connector. This connector is located inside the Apple II directly
beneath the RESET key. Pin 1 is nearest the power supply and pin 25 is
nearest the right edge of the Apple II. Use the grabbette clip to attach
to the standoff _pin 24_ (second from the end).
6) Lead the other end of the wire with socket attached along the right
edge of the motherboard and plug it into the game I/O port. Be careful
to plug pin 1 to pin 1 when putting this socket in. Pin 1 of the game
I/O port is towards the front of the computer.
7) Replace the cover and start using lower case characters.
____________________________
From: Paul Creager
002- I opened an Apple II+ the other day found that there was a
board labeled "VIDEX" tacked under the keyboard. What's a
"VIDEX" board?
The official name is the Videx Keyboard Enhancer. It replaces
Apple's keyboard encoder board underneath the keyboard. Besides
providing true U/L capability (with the Shift Key), it had a small
(10-20 character) buffer and supported programmable macro keys.
I had one on my ][+. I remember a couple of wires had to be run to
the motherboard. One enabled true Shift key usage. The other I can't
remember. If you don't have a wire running to an IC on the motherboard,
that explains why your Shift key isn't working. It could very well be
the same spot where the "traditional" Shift key mod is made.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
003- I got a free IIGS but with no GS ADB keyboard cable!
Where can I get one?
Jack Somers and Supertimer report that ADB cables which will work
fine are available at low prices from stores which carry Mac supplies.
An alternative is to get an SVideo cable from your nearest
video/audio electronics store. Although these cables have no external
shield, all four ADB lines are connected. I tried one on our GS and it
worked fine. One thing: the absence of an external shield may produce
extra TV/Radio interference.
____________________________
from Rubywand
004- How can I make a PC-to-Apple Joystick converter?
If you are looking for the best stick at the best price for your
Apple II, building a simple PC-to-Apple2 joystick converter is the way
to go. Practically every computer stuff store carries PC sticks and you
will have a wide selection of brands and models from which to choose.
My PC stick is a standard CH Products "FlightStick". A resistance
measurement produced a disconcerting revelation: the X and Y pots
top-out around 100K Ohms-- 50K less than a standard Apple II stick!
Fortunately, you can compensate for the difference just fine by adding a
bit of capacitance. The finished converter is shown below:
To PC Stick To Apple II Or to 16-pin IC plug
15-pin Dsub 9-pin Dsub ribbon cable to
female connector male connector internal Game socket
[1] [4] and [5] ----------[2] +5V [ 1]
[2] ----------------------[7] Button 0 [ 2]
[3] ----------------------[5] X-axis [ 6]
[6] ----------------------[8] Y-axis [10]
[7] ----------------------[1] Button 1 [ 3]
[3] Ground [ 8]
On the Apple II side ... 9-Pin 16-Pin
add 680 Ohm resistor between [7] & [3] [ 2] & [ 8]
add 680 Ohm resistor between [1] & [3] [ 3] & [ 8]
add .01 uF cap* between [5] & [3] [ 6] & [ 8]
optional: for fine-tuning,
add 50K-100K trim pot
in series with the cap
add .01 uF cap* between [8] & [3] [10] & [ 8]
optional: for fine-tuning,
add 50K-100K trim pot
in series with the cap
*Note: The Capacitors compensate for smaller R range of PC
sticks.The C values are approximate. For standard 100K Ohm
PC sticks, .01 uF pretty well guarantees you will be able to
cover the full Apple II X and Y range (0-255).
Values of .01 uf (X-axis) and .005 uF (Y-axis) worked
well for a PC "FlightStick" when plugged into our Apple II+.
For checking and adjusting stick performance on your Apple II, use
a program which continuously reads and displays X and Y stick values.
The program below does this and displays "B0" when Button 0 is pushed
and "B1" when Button 1 is pushed. Do a CTRL-C to exit.
20 PRINT "X= "; PDL(0); TAB(15); "Y= ";PDL(1); TAB(30);
30 IF PEEK(49249)>127 THEN PRINT " B0";
40 IF PEEK(49250)>127 THEN PRINT " B1";
50 PRINT: GOTO 20
Note: If your Apple II uses an accelerator chip or board, make sure that
it "slows down" for joystick accesses or just set Speed to "Normal"
(1MHz).
Most likely, you will find that the a stick tops-out too early in
the X-max and/or Y-max direction. For best control precision, what you
want is for extreme values to occur near the extremes of stick movement:
X (horizontal) Left= 0 Right= 255
Y (vertical) Up= 0 Down= 255
This way, you have lots of active swing which makes graphics
work and playing most games much easier.
If you included the trim pots in your converter, adjusting for
maximum active swing will be easy. If your converter does not include
the trim pots, experiment with swapping in capacitance values between
.002 uF and .01 uF to get the best control 'spread'.
The converter I built fit inside heat-shrink tubing. Putting it in
a small plastic box may be better. You could mount the trim pots (and/or
switches with fixed "trim resistors") and select between settings for a
'Fast', short swing, 'hot' Game Stick and a 'Normal', full swing, 'cool'
Game/Graphics Stick.
----------------------------
005- I have a great Apple II joystick I'd like to use on my PC.
How can I do an Apple-to-PC Joystick conversion?
If you've compared the pin-outs and info for Apple II and PC
joysticks, then you know there are some important differences:
The Apple II stick uses a 9-pin plug vs. the PC's 15-pin plug. (Older
Apple II sticks may use a 16-pin plug which fits in an IC socket.)
The Apple II stick's X, Y controller potentiometers are a bit larger.
The buttons are wired differently.
You can use an Apple-to-PC adaptor (such as the one supplied with
the Epyx A2/PC joystick) to handle plug conversion; or, you can replace
the entire cable with one from an old PC stick.
The PC's joystick interface will work with the Apple2 150k pots;
but, in some applications, you may notice a tendency to max out early in
the stick swing. You can correct this by connecting a 300k resistor
across each pot (from the center to the end with a wire going to it).
The difference in button wiring is the main reason an Apple-to-PC
conversion involves opening the joystick and making changes. (The Apple
stick has a slightly more complex, less flexible circuit. Apple2-to-PC
is not as easy as PC-to-Apple2.)
Basically, you need to change the Apple stick's button wiring so
that it looks like the PC stick's button wiring.
The mods mentioned above are not difficult, especially if you swap
in a PC cable. If you want to be able to use the stick on an Apple II,
then some kind of switching will be required.
Apple II Joystick
(9-pin male connector) (Old 16-pin IC-style plug)
[2]--------------- +5V ------- 1
[7]--------------- Button 0 ------- 2
[5]--------------- X-axis ------- 6
[8]--------------- Y-axis ------- 10
[1]--------------- Button 1 ------- 3
[3]--------------- Ground ------ 8
PC Joystick
(15-pin female connector)
[1]--------------- +5V
[2] -------------- Button 0
[3] -------------- X-axis
[6] -------------- Y-axis
[7] -------------- Button 1
[4] and/or [5] Ground
Both sticks tie one end of each X, Y potentiometer to +5 and send
the center (wiper) to the an output. (Or the wiper may go to +5V and
an end to the output; it doesn't much matter.) The standard Apple II
pot is 150K Ohms; most PC sticks use 100k Ohm pots.
The buttons are wired differently.
On the Apple II stick (see below), each button switch goes to +5V.
The other end goes to GND through a resistor (one resistor for each
button). A button's Output is from the junction of the switch and its
resistor. When the button switch is not closed, its Output is near 0V
(=logic 0). Pressing a button sends +5V to the output (= logic 1).
+5V
|
|
X Button Switch
|
|_____Button output to Apple (Press => "1")
|
Z
Z 680 Ohm resistor
Z
|
GND
As shown below, a PC stick button Output is normally an unconnected
wire. Most likely, inside the computer, a PC or compatible Game Port has
this line tied to a 1k-3k resistor going to +5V. So, the line will
normally be at something close to +5V (= logic 1). Pressing the button
grounds the line and pulls it down near to 0V (= logic 0).
_____Button output to PC (Press => "0")
|
|
X Button Switch
|
|
GND
Apple2-to-PC Joystick Conversion: Step-by-Step
DOING THE CONVERSION
To convert an Apple2 joystick for PC use you will need a cable from an
old PC stick (or a 6-wire cable and 15-pin female connector). You can
find junk PC sticks with good cables at flea markets and lots of other
places. You will also need two 330k resistors.
1. First, open the Apple joystick case and mark each wire going to the
cable. The best way is to use small self-stick labels. Label each wire
by function (e.g. "+5", "X", "GND", etc.).
You can use an Ohm meter to, for example, verify that the wire you think
is Button 0 really goes to pin 7 on the Apple 9-pin connector (or pin 2
on the old 16-pin IC style connector). Pinouts for both kinds of A2
sticks are shown below:
Apple II Joystick
(9-pin male)
[2]---- +5V
[7]---- Button 0
[5]---- X-axis
[8]---- Y-axis
[1]---- Button 1
[3]---- Ground
Apple II Joystick
(16-pin IC-style plug)
[1]---- +5V
[2]---- Button 0
[6]---- X-axis
[10]--- Y-axis
[3]---- Button 1
[8]---- Ground
The +5V wire is easy to find. It will go to each pot and to one side of
each Button switch.
The Apple2 Ground wire goes to the 'bottom' end of each fixed resistor.
You do not need to label it; because it will be removed.
2. Once the wires are labeled, cut each about 1 inch from the point it
goes into the cable. Remove the cable. (Keep the cable; it may come in
handy for some later Apple2 project.)
Now, is the time to rewire the Buttons.
3. Remove (snip or unsolder) the two fixed resistors. If the Button 0 or
Button 1 lead becomes disconnected from its switch during removal of a
resistor, reconnect the lead.
Check to see that, now, the Button 0 wire is the only one going to one
side of the Button 0 switch. The same goes for the Button 1 wire.
Snip off or unsolder the +5 leads going to the other side of each button
switch at the non-switch end. If a wire runs from one switch to the
other, leave it alone. If not, connect a wire from switch to switch.
This is the "common" side of the switches.
You want to end up with a single wire going to the common side of the
switches and separate Button 0 and Button 1 wires going to the other
side:
____Button 0 wire
|
|
X B0 Switch
|
|
------- COMMON Wire
|
|
X B1 Switch
|
|____Button 1 wire
Label the COMMON wire as "GROUND"
4. The 330k resistors will help bring the outputs of the Apple2 X and Y
150k Ohm pots closer to the 0-100k range PC prefers. Connect a 330k
resistor 'across' each pot-- i.e. from the center post to the post going
to a +5 lead.
5. Label each of the leads coming from the PC cable. If it is still
connected to a joystick, the following pic will help identify each lead:
PC Joystick
(15-pin female connector)
[1]--------------- +5V
[2] -------------- Button 0
[3] -------------- X-axis
[6] -------------- Y-axis
[7] -------------- Button 1
[4] and [5] --- Ground
If the cable is still connected, snip the the leads once they are all
labeled. If both Ground ([4] and [5]) leads are present, twist them
together and treat like a single Ground lead.
FINISHING UP
6. You have six labeled wires in the Apple2 joystick case: +5, GROUND,
B0, B1, X, and Y. The same six leads are labeled on the PC cable. Splice
each Apple2 wire to the corresponding PC cable wire. Use heat-shrinkable
tubing to cover each connection.
7. Seat the new cable in the joystick case, arrange leads to avoid
mounting posts, etc., and close up the case. Viola!
CHECKS
If you have an Ohm meter here are some checks you can do:
X (Horizontal) Check- check R between cable pins 1 and 3. As you move
stick left to right R should go from 0 to about 100k.
Y (Vertical) Check- check R between cable pins 1 and 6. As you move
stick up to down R should go from 0 to about 100k.
Button 0 Check- (Button 0 is the main, "Fire" button.) cable pins 2 and
4 or 5. It should be very high and go to 0 when Button 0 is pressed.
Button 1 Check- check R between cable pins 7 and 4 or 5. It should be
very high and go to 0 when Button 1 is pressed.
TRYOUT
Plug in the stick and try it with a game.
Some games (such as Elite Plus) will claim no joystick is present if the
stick is badly out of adjustment. If this happens, try the stick on a
game which is less picky and includes pre-play stick adjustment.
Once adjusted, your 'new' stick should work fine with all PC wares.
____________________________
From: Alberto Roffe
006- Can someone tell me the dip-switch settings for the
"BITMOUSE" card by Sequential Systems?
The following comes from the BitMouse card manual, which I have
installed
in my //e:
Switch 1- This switch controls mouse tracking sensitivity
OFF: Slow
ON: Fast
Switch 4- CPU speed
OFF: 1 to 4 MHz
ON: 5+ MHz
Switches 2&3 currently have no function.
____________________________
From: David E A Wilson
007- How can I switch my IIe keyboard layout to Dvorak?
There are a number of ways to set the NTSC //e keyboard to Dvorak.
1) If you have a Rev A motherboard cut X1 and join X2. This will
allow AN2 to control the keyboard layout (default will be Dvorak).
2) If you have a Rev B motherboard and want AN2 to control the
keyboard layout cut X2 and solder a short wire between the back half of
X2 and the back half of X3 (do not join X3).
3) Obtain a 24 pin IC socket. Solder 3 fine wires to pins 12, 19 and
24. Solder the other ends to a SPDT switch (pin 19 to the centre/common
terminal). Remove the keyboard ROM, insert the switch+socket and then
insert the keyboard ROM. Cut X1 (if Rev A) or X2 (if Rev B) to isolate
pin 19. Mount the switch somewhere convenient.
All the above was taken from "Understanding the Apple IIe" by Jim
Sather.
I recommend it to you.
____________________________
From: Bradley P. Von Haden
008- My stock GS keyboard has been acting flaky; and, now
I'm looking for a GS keyboard replacement.
What's available?
Here is a list of ADB keyboards that I have compiled as of 96/01/06.
Additions/corrections welcome.
'+' designates changes from previous list
I have the following that work:
AppleDesign Keyboard ($85-90)
Apple Extended Keyboard II ($155-160)
Adesso 105 Extended Keyboard ($80 - Mac's Place, MacZone, Tiger SW)
Adesso 102 Extended Keyboard w/ Trackball [Trackball does NOT work]
($100 - Mac's Place, MacZone, Tiger Software)
Arrive Extended ($50 - MacMall)
Interex 105 Extended ($55 - MacMall, Syex Express; $34 - Computer City)
Key Tronic MacPro Plus ($130 - MacZone, APS Tech.)
OptiMac Extended Keyboard (???)
PowerUser 105E Extended Keyboard ($50 - MacWarehouse)
SIIG, Inc MacTouch Model 1905 (~$100.00)
Sun OmniMac Ultra [extended, ADB type] (???)
Suntouch ADB Extended Keyboard ($75 - Syex Express)
VividKey Extended Keyboard ($60 - MacMall)
Do not work:
Apple Adjustable Keyboard
MacALLY Peripherals Extended Keyboard
MicroSpeed Keyboard Deluxe MAC
Unknown:
ClubMac Extended Keyboard ($59 - ClubMac)
Datadesk MAC 101 E ($100 - MacWarehouse, MacZone)
Datadesk TrackBoard ($100 - MacWarehouse, MacZone)
Key Tronic Trak Pro Plus ($230 - APS Tech.)
Performance Soft Touch Extended Keyboard ($59 - MacZone)
Spring Sun Tech MacPride 97 ($90 - MacMall)
Spring Sun Tech MacPride 105 ($59 - MacMall)
Spring Sun Tech MacPride 110 ($80 - MacMall) [MAC/IBM switchable]
Spring Sun Tech MacPride KidBoard ($100 - MacMall)
Adesso Tru-From Ergonomic extended keyboard ($90 - CDW)
Adesso Tru-Form Ergonomic ext kb w/ pointer ($116 - MacZone)
____________________________
From: Rubywand
009- What is a Koala Pad and how do I test it?
The Koala Pad is drawing pad peripheral. It 'looks like' a
two-button joystick to your Apple II. So, any software which accepts
joystick input can use the pad. This includes the paint program
originally included with the pad (the "Koala Micro-Illustrator"),
"Blazing Paddles", "Dazzle Draw", "816 Paint", and many other programs.
The Koala Pad has the old 16-pin game plug. It is supposed to be
plugged into the Old Game Port socket. This is an 'IC socket' near the
back right side of the Apple II (II+, IIe, IIgs) motherboard. The cable
end should be facing toward the back.
It's a good idea to get a 9-pin plug -to- 16-pin socket converter
cable so that the pad can be plugged into the newer, external, 9-pin
Game Port. This makes it much easier to unplug the pad when you want to
swap-in a joystick for games. The converter cable is not hard to build;
or, you may find one at a swap meet.
You can test your KoalaPad using software which checks joysticks.
For example, touching the stylus to the upper left corner outputs X,Y
readings close to 0,0; touching the stylus to the lower right corner
outputs X,Y readings of 255,255. Near the center of the pad, the output
is about 130,130.
Some indication of shrinkage or stretching on the pad seems to be
normal. Our pad does not present a 'slate flat' look either; but, it
works fine. Before deciding that your pad is defective, try it out on a
joystick checker program. If you are using some kind of accelerator on
your Apple ][, be sure to set speed to 1MHz.
Similarly, you can check your software by substituting a joystick
for the KoalaPad.
------------------------------
010- I have a Koala Pad with a 9-pin DIN female plug. I guess it's
a C-64 model. Can I convert a C-64 Koala Pad to work on my
Apple II?
Since the standard Commodore-64 9-pin DIN port is male, it looks
like your Koala Pad (with a female plug) is, indeed, intended to work on
a C-64, VIC-20, etc. machine.
As to whether or not the C-64 Koala Pad can be used on an Apple II,
it looks like, probably, it can, if you can find or build an adaptor.
This is, really, a guess. It is based upon the capabilities of the C-64
Game port, time constant capacitor values used in the C-64, and the
probability that Koala Pad's makers would not wish to make major design
changes between Apple and C-64 models.
Although C-64 joysticks are of the simple "switcher" type which
connect to Game port switch inputs, the C-64 Game port also includes X
and Y analog "paddle" inputs. These are at pin 9 (X) and pin 5 (Y).
The C-64 manual does not ever seem to specify an optimal max R
value for the pots connected to these inputs; but, the capacitor part of
the expected R/C circuit is 1000 pF in each case and the caps go to
ground just as they do in the Apple II.
In short, the C-64 "paddle" inputs look very much like the Apple II
joystick inputs. A _try_ at an adaptor would look something like the
following ...
To C-64 Koala Pad To Apple II Game Port
(9-pin male DIN) (9-pin male DIN)
1 ?
2 ? 2nd Button -> 1
3 ?
4 ?
5 <- PDL1 (Y) -> 8
6 <- main button -> 7
7 <- +5V line -> 2
8 <- GND -> 3
9 <- PDL0 (X) -> 5
The above assumes that the C-64 Koala Pad will use C-64's "Fire
Button" input for its main button. The second button would, then,
connect to one of the four joystick switch inputs. (Actually, since all
of the switch inputs, including the Fire Button, are just inputs to a
port IC, any two may be the ones used to handle Koala Pad's buttons.)
It should be possible to detect the button lines on the Koala Pad
connector using an Ohm meter (on R x 100 range) with one lead connected
to the GND pin (pin 8) and using the other lead to check pins 1, 2, 3,
4, and 6. A button lead similar to one on an Apple II should show up as
a 500-700 Ohm resistance.
Again, we are dealing with guesses. If you decide to try making a
converter, be sure to post what you discover. Good luck!
____________________________
From: Mark Wade
011- Does anyone have the pin-to-pin mapping that would allow me
to construct a suitable internal cable for a IIe numeric
keypad?
You need a female Dsub-15 to 11 pin female header. If the female
Dsub-15 is numbered like this:
__________________________________________
\ /
\ 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 /
\ 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 /
\__________________________________/
And the 11 pin header is numbered like this:
_______________________________________
| |
| 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 |
|_____________________________________|
Then:
DB-15 | Header
__________|_____________
12 11
11 10
10 9
9 8
NC 7
7 6
6 5
5 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
The header is as viewed on the motherboard. The DB-15 is the female
connector that you would plug the keypad into.
____________________________
from Rubywand
012- Is there some cable or card which lets a II user connect
two joysticks?
Yes. One is Paddle-Adapple from Southern California Research Group.
It is a small external card with sockets for the joysticks. A ribbon
cable runs into the Apple II and plugs into the 16-pin Game socket.
As noted in the "for Apple II, //e, & Franklin" model's data sheet,
Paddle-Adapple lets you switch between two sticks; or, with the switch
set to "A" plus proper jumper settings, you can access two two-button
sticks. The jumpers also allow programming the card for different X-Y
and button configurations.
____________________________
From: Oliver Schmidt
013- How do I write programs for the Apple Graphics Tablet?
The Apple Graphics Tablet I know of is rather large and heavy; its pen
is attached to it with a (too short) cable; it makes funny sounds that
change when the pen is moved in/out the reach of of the tablet.
A long time ago I patched a few programs to make use of this tablet. To
make it clear in the first place - I don't have these patched versions
available anymore :-(. But I found a listing from which I can tell you
this:
To detect the interface card, I looped over all slots to check in its
firmware for
$B0 at location $Cx01 and
$20 at location $Cx09
x being the slot number. I never found this 'signature' in any other
firmware.
To check for the pen position one has to poll the tablet (again x being
the slot number):
LDA $CFFF ; switch off all extension ROMS
LDA $Cx00 ; switch on the extension ROM of the tablet
LDA #$Cx
STA $07F8 ; initialize some hidden text screen data area for the
tablet firmware
JSR $CBB9 ; call well known location ;-) in tablet firmware
When the pen is in reach of the tablet (up or down) this routine will
return immediatly. Else it will block - fortunatly the routine checks
the keyboard strobe ($C010) too and will also return if a key is
pressed, even if the pen remains out of tablets reach.
After the routine has returned one can get the information:
$0280 contains the state of the pen (up or down), I don't know excatly
any more wich bit it is nor if one can distiguish between 'pen up' and
'pen out of reach but key pressed'
$0281, $0282 contains the absolute X position of the pen
$0283, $0284 contains the absolute Y position of the pen
As far as I can remember the values have about 12 bit resolution (!).
Usually I needed screen coordinates (280 x 192), so I dropped the 4
least significant bits and did some additional adjustment. Unfortunatly
I can't remember either what coordinates will be there in the 'out of
reach but key pressed' case.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
014- My ][+ keyboard acts like the CTRL key is always pressed
when it isn't. (Press 'G' get beep....press 'M' get CR, etc..)
Is there a way to fix this problem?
Are you sure that your CTRL key is not stuck? Try diddling the key.
You can, also, pull the keytop and shaft and see whether (carefully)
lifting out the small crossbar wire makes any difference. (If it does, a
squirt of Radio Shack Control Cleaner into the switch and a wipe with a
cotton swab may de-gunk things and help restore normal functioning.)
Another possible source of the problem is a KB Controller IC pin
making poor contact with the line coming from the CTRL key circuit. (Try
removing and re-socketing the KB IC.)
U1, a 7400 quad nand gate IC, could have gone bad or be making poor
contact at some pins. This could result in an 'always-pressed CTRL key'
signal at pin 11.
When the CTRL key is not pressed, pins 12 and 13 of U1 (connected
to the CTRL key switch) should be at nearly 5V and pin 11 (which goes to
pin 19 of the KB Controller IC) should be at logic "0" (roughly 0V -
0.25V).
If U1 pins 12 and 13 are at 0V (or very close) when the CTRL key is
not pressed, your CTRL key switch is, probably, stuck.
If U1 pins 12 and 13 are at/near 5V and pin 11 is not near 0V, U1
is probably bad or making poor contact at some pins.
If U1 pin 11 is near 0V and pin 19 of the KB Controller IC is not,
then, there is either a break in the line connecting the pins or one or
both IC's are making poor socket contact.
If pin 19 of the KB Controller IC is near 0V when the CTRL key is
not pressed and near 4-5V when the CTRL key is pressed, then, if you
still have 'stuck CTRL key' symptoms, there is a good chance that the KB
Controller IC is messed up.
Note: all of this assumes that your KB is like the one diagrammed in the
Apple ][ Reference Manual on page 101.
____________________________
From: Owen Aaland
015- Can I replace my bombed IIe keyboard with one from another IIe?
All four styles of the early keyboards are interchangeable. The
first production machines have the keyboard mounted to the base pan
while later ones are mounted to the underside of the top of the case.
The mounting holes for all the keyboards except the platinum models are
located the same.
____________________________
From: Bruce R. Baker
016- At my school we have a IIe that has some problem with its
keyboard. When you push a key it keeps on repeating until
you push another, which also repeats. Is there a cheap easy
way to fix this?
My experience is that this is more simple than it looks. You have
one stuck key. It is stuck down. Have you opened the machine and moved
the keyboard? If so you may have replaced it wrong, it is rubbing on one
of the edges. The key that is stuck is next to the edge.
If this does not apply to you, often pressing all of the keys until
it stops (because by pressing on the right key, it comes unstuck) will
work.
----------------------------
From: Dave Althoff
My first suspicion is a stuck key, and if this is a beige ][e, the
first place I'd look is the [`/~] key, adjacent to the power light.
----------------------------
From: Owen Aaland
The escape is a likely key for this as it is located where it can
easily contact the case but does not exhibit any problems until another
key is pressed and then that key will repeat.
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
If the KB Encoder IC or the IOU IC is loose or has pins making poor
contact, you could get the symptoms described.
Open the case and locate the KB Encoder (a big, 40-pin IC on the
right side of the motherboard just to the right of three ROMs). Use a
small, thin-blade screwdriver to scootch up the IC. (You want to get
some lifting for all pins, even if you end up just removing the IC.)
Press the IC back into the socket.
Do the same with the IOU (a big, 40-pin IC just to the left of the
three ROMs).
The idea of lifting up and re-socketing each IC is to let the
socket contacts scrape a fresh connection with each pin on the IC.
____________________________
From: tg...@pro-gumbo.cts.com (System Administrator)
017- A while ago someone posted about how to read the joystick on
a GS in native mode. They said that it was possible to read
both paddles at once and therefore get much more accurate
readings?
Only the high bit of these locations is valid. When the high bit of
either location becomes 0 then the corresponding analog input has timed
out.
You will actually get more accurate results by reading them one after
the other with the accumulator set to 8 bits wide and the index
registers used to hold the counts (16 bits wide). This allows for a
much faster loop, giving better resolution. Assuming that this routine
is called from full native mode, the following code will do the trick:
strobe equ $C070 ; analog input timing reset
pdl0 equ $C064 ; analog input 0
pdl1 equ $C065 ; analog input 1
start php ; save processor status register
phb ; and data bank register
sep #%100000 ; make accumulator 8 bits wide
lda #0 ; make data bank = 0
pha
plb
ldx #0 ; initialize the counters
txy
lda strobe ; strobe the timing reset
loop1 inx ; increment pdl0 count
lda pdl0 ; is high bit = 0?
bmi loop1 ; no, keep checking
lda strobe ; yes, strobe the timing reset again
loop2 iny ; increment pdl1 counter
lda pdl1 ; is high bit = 0?
bmi loop2 ; no, keep checking
plb ; yes, restore data bank
plp ; and processor status register
rts ; return to caller (could be RTL)
Notice that the actual counting loops are only 9 cycles long. This
gives the best possible resolution. You will need your counters to be
16 bits wide as the results will easily overflow the capacity of an 8
bit counter.
Using memory locations as counters will only serve to slow the counting
loop down. If X and Y contain valid data before entry, you will need to
save them off to the stack and pull them back in after interpreting the
joystick results. I have used this exact method to read the analog
inputs on my Science Toolkit box which connects to the joystick port.
The results have been extremely accurate (much more than would be needed
for a game which reads the joystick).
____________________________
From: Dan DeMaggio
018- Is a Y-adapter available for my GS keyboard?
Yes. Redmond Cable has an ADB Y-connector cable for separating your
mouse from the side of your keyboard.
____________________________
From: Mark Wade
019- How do you use the Kensington TurboMouse with a IIgs?
The Version 3.0 Kensington TurboMouse ADB works fine on a later model
(post-Woz) IIgs. The Version 4.x TM will not work on a IIgs.
Dip switches:
Right handed use: (L but click, R but click lock) SW1 Up
Left handed use: (R but click, L but click lock) SW1 Down
The other switches are for what they call "chording" and
are listed as:
SW2 SW3 SW6
Command N Dn Dn Up
Command O Dn Up Dn
Command W Dn Up Up
Command S Up Dn Dn
Command P Up Dn Up
Command Q Up Up Dn
Command Z Up Up Up
____________________________
From: Rubywand
020- My mouse feels very bumpy. Everyone says it needs cleaning but
when I look inside there is just a little dust and the rubber
treads on the rollers look okay. So, how am I supposed to get
my mouse any cleaner?
It does sound like you have a gunked-up mouse. Rollers are whitish
plastic, black plastic, or metal-- they do not have treads. The "tread"
is gunk.
It is best to clean a mouse with the computer OFF. The main reason
is that, otherwise, it's hard to avoid unintended clicking on stuff that
could cause problems. There is no need to disconnect the mouse unless
you want to move to a better work area for the cleaning.
First, get together a few supplies and tools:
A wooden desoldering stylus or flat-tipped plastic TV technician's tool
is handy for dislodging gunk. (Probably, a small jeweler's screwdriver
is okay. However, you do not want to scratch a roller.)
Small skinny long-nosed pliers are good for picking out globs of gunk
and dust.
Windex or some relatively safe spray cleaner.
Paper towels and a cotton swab.
To open the mouse use fingernails to rotate the panel insert around
the ball opening on the bottom. The panel and ball should come out.
Spritz the ball and panel with cleaner (or put them in a glass with soap
and water). Wipe dry.
Dampen a paper towel with cleaner and wipe the outside case. With a
cleaner-dampened paper towel, clean the cord for at least a foot or so
near the mouse.
Look inside the mouse. You may see globs of dust and gunk. Remove
these-- pick them out-- as best you can.
Inside, there should be 3-4 rollers. If it's been a month or more
since the last cleaning each will probably look like it has a dark gray
rubber tread. Use the desoldering stylus, etc. or a fingernail to
dislodge gunk on each roller.
The best way to dislodge gunk is to push the 'tread' sidewise (kind of
like removing a tire) as you work your way around the roller. Use the
skinny long-nosed pliers to pick out strips of the 'tread' as it
unpeels.
Use a cleaner-dampened swab to finish cleaning each roller.
Use the swap to wipe around and pick out any remaining dust or
gunk, replace the mouse ball, and rotate the plastic panel into place.
One way to simplify mouse cleaning is regular timely use of an
Ergotron "Mouse Cleaner 360" or similar kit. The Ergotron kit includes a
couple velcro balls, cleaner, wipe cloth or shammy, and a mouse cleaner
track pad. You squirt cleaner on the proper size ball, stick it in your
mouse, run it around in a circular motion on the track pad, and finish
up with a wipe using the cloth or shammy.
Such kits do not seem to be much help in removing established gunk
'treads'. (Actually, the Ergotron might get the job done; but, it would
take a _lot_ of revolutions. It is easier to dislodge 'treads' by hand
and use the Ergotron to get rid of residue.) Cleaning kits can avoid
tread build-up if used every week or so.
----------------------------
021- What is the best kind of mouse pad?
The best mouse pads are cloth-covered 1/8" - 1/4" rubber foam. The
cloth should have a slightly prickly feel when brushed by your finger
tips. Such pads offer some resistance to mouse movement. This makes
positioning easier and helps reduce fatigue.
The worst mouse pads are plastic or plastic coated. These usually
offer little resistance to movement and transfer hand oils, dust, and
other gunk into the mouse so rapidly that cleaning becomes a nearly
daily chore.
Cloth-covered pads do get dirty. It's a good idea to wash your
mouse pad every couple of months. (Use warm soapy water, rinse, blot
with towel, and let dry.)
-----------------------------
022- Does anyone know what is the best way to clean a keyboard
after several months of using it without affecting the
imprinted letters or numbers on the keys?
First, if you do not have a picture of the keyboard, it's a good
idea to make a diagram of key locations.
If the keyboard is a separate unit, remove the keyboard cover--
i.e. the 'shell' that surrounds the keys. Spritz it with a cleaner (like
Windex, Fantastik, etc.), wipe, and let soak in warm soapy water.
What you need to do next is pull the key tops. A puller tool which
lets you get around and under a key on two sides is very helpful; or,
you can use fingers and a small screwdriver or leter opener to pop off
the key tops. For SPACE and other large keys, take care to unhook
stabilizer bars and pay attention to how the bar for each is connected.
Spritz each key top with Windex, Fantastik, etc., wipe, and let
soak in warm soapy water. The letters, numbers, etc. on key tops are,
usually, solid plastic and should not be in any danger of getting wiped
off. For sure, you would not want to use any petroleum distillate or
other solvent which attacks plastic for cleaning.
Everything is rinsed, blotted with paper towels, and allowed a
couple hours to dry.
Once the KB interior is de-dusted you can blot away remaining
moisture from key tops, etc. and put everything together. Install the
large key tops with stabilizer bars first, then press on the others. If
the keyboard is a separate unit, wipe/clean the cable.
-----------------------------
023- Is there a fix for a bad trigger on a CH Products Flight Stick?
If the trigger on your "Flight Stick" doesn't always fire when
squeezed, the problem is likely to be too much space between the trigger
and the PB0 microswitch. A simple fix is to apply two or three layers of
self-stick label bits to the back of the trigger piece (easily accessed
once the handle is opened). To check your work, use an ohmmeter
connected across the button output or plug in the stick and RUN a
two-liner to display PB0 status:
10 IF PEEK(49249)>127 THEN PRINT "X";
20 GOTO 10
Pressing the trigger should spit out X's. Once you know your stick
is fixed, just slap it together and you've got the hair-trigger
snap-action response "Flight Stick" is supposed to deliver.
____________________________
From: Mitchell Spector
024- How can I improve the feel of my original (beige-key)
IIc keyboard?
You can improve the feel by removing the black rubber mat. This is
a spill-guard; but, people complained it hindered their typing so it was
removed in next generation IIc's. You can safely remove yours by just
lifting it up; it's attached by a few drops of glue.
Some people claim typing is even further improved if you remove the
small metal clips in between each key stem (these produce a click sound
when you type). You can reverse all this if you do it carefully, I did
myself.
____________________________
From: Supertimer
025- Can I replace my broken GS mouse with one from a Mac?
Yes, if it is a Macintosh ADB mouse. The "teardrop" ADB Mouse II
that comes on newer Macs works great on the IIGS and can be found for a
few bucks in Mac for-sale groups. Third party ADB mice should work too.
Note: Mice for Mac Plus and before are not ADB so won't work. Mice for
the new iMac won't work because they are for the USB interface.
____________________________
From: David Empson and David Wilson
026- What is the pinout for the IIe, //c, Laser and similar
9-pin mouses?
The IIe/IIc/Mac Plus mouses can plug into the //c or IIc+ Game/Mouse
Port or, on a IIe, into the 9-pin socket of a Mouse Card. When plugged
into the //c or IIc+, several Game Port pins are redefined for use with
a mouse.
Dsub-9 Female Socket on Computer Dsub-9 Male Plug on Mouse
,---------------------. ,---------------------.
\ 5 4 3 2 1 / \ 1 2 3 4 5 /
\ 9 8 7 6 / \ 6 7 8 9 /
`-----------------' `-----------------'
Mouse Usual //c, IIc+ Game Port Function
1 MOUSE ID Pushbutton 1
2 +5V +5V
3 GND GND
4 XDIR no Game Port function on //c, IIc+;
this TTL-compatible input can be read at $C066
5 XMOVE Game Control 0 or PDL0 (Joystick X-axis)
6 n.c. (no Game Port function on //c, IIc+)
7 MOUSE BUTTON Pushbutton 0
8 YDIR Game Control 1 or PDL1 (Joystick Y-axis)
9 YMOVE no Game Port function on //c, IIc+;
this TTL-compatible input can be read at $C067
____________________________
From: David Empson
027- How do I write programs which use the mouse?
The assembly language interface to the mouse firmware is documented in
three places:
- the reference material that was supplied with the AppleMouse card for
the IIe.
- the IIc Technical Reference Manual.
- the IIgs Firmware Reference Manual.
Interfacing to the mouse is somewhat complicated, especially if you want
to implement some kind of mouse cursor (usually requires writing an
interrupt handler).
The first problem is locating the mouse firmware. It could be in any
slot for a IIe or IIgs, or either of two slots for the IIc. The safest
method is just to do a slot search, looking for the mouse ID bytes:
$Cn05 = $38
$Cn07 = $18
$Cn0B = $01
$Cn0C = $20
$CnFB = $D6
On a ROM 3 IIgs, it is possible that the mouse firmware will not be
available, because this doesn't prevent the use of the mouse from GS/OS
(the Miscellaneous Toolset or Event Manager can still be used). An
AppleMouse card, if installed, is not used by the toolbox.
On a ROM 1 IIgs, the slot mouse firmware is used by the toolbox, so slot
4 must be set to "Mouse Port", or an AppleMouse card may be installed in
any slot.
Using the mouse firmware consists of calling the various parameters
provided by the firmware. An entry point table is provided in the mouse
slot. The routines common to all implementations are:
$Cn12 SETMOUSE Sets mouse mode
$Cn13 SERVEMOUSE Services mouse interrupt
$Cn14 READMOUSE Reads mouse position
$Cn15 CLEARMOUSE Clears mouse position to 0 (for delta mode)
$Cn16 POSMOUSE Sets mouse position to a user-defined pos
$Cn17 CLAMPMOUSE Sets mouse bounds in a window
$Cn18 HOMEMOUSE Sets mouse to upper-left corner of clamp win
$Cn19 INITMOUSE Resets mouse clamps to default values;
ets mouse position to 0,0
Each of the above locations contains the low byte of the entry point for
the routine. The high byte is $Cn. The usual method for calling these
routines is to set up a single subroutine which is patched with the
location of the appropriate routine as required. You could also set up
a series of subroutines for calling each routine.
The general logic would be as follows:
Locate the mouse slot by searching for the ID bytes described earlier.
Patch the slot into the following routine:
TOMOUSE LDX #$C1 ; Patch operand byte with slot in $Cn form
LDY #$10 ; Patch operand byte with slot in $n0 form
JMP $C100 ; Patch high byte of operand with slot in
; $Cn form. Low byte of operand must be
; patched with entry point from table above
You should also set up a pair of locations on zero page containing
$Cn00, which will be used to look up the table. You can then have code
as follows to call each of the routines:
MOUSEPTR EQU $00 ; (or some other pair of zero page locations)
SETMOUSE
LDY #$12 ; Offset to entry point
BNE GOMOUSE ; Go to the mouse routine - always taken
SERVEMOUSE
LDY #$13 ; Offset to entry point
BNE GOMOUSE ; Go to the mouse routine - always taken
[etc. - one routine for each mouse call you will be using]
GOMOUSE TAX ; Preserve the value in A
LDA (MOUSEPTR),Y ; Get the routine entry point
STA TOMOUSE+5 ; Patch the JMP instruction
TXA ; Restore the value in A
; The following operand bytes must be patched by the
; initialization code which detects the mouse.
TOMOUSE LDX #$C1 ; Set up slot in $Cn form in X
LDY #$10 ; Set up slot in $n0 form in Y
JMP $C100 ; Go to the mouse routine
With code like the above, your program can just use JSR INITMOUSE, etc.
to call the appropriate routine.
The mouse routines make use of screen holes for the slot containing the
mouse interface firmware/card. The screen holes are as follows:
$0478 + slot Low byte of absolute X position
$04F8 + slot Low byte of absolute Y position
$0578 + slot High byte of absolute X position
$05F8 + slot High byte of absolute Y position
$0678 + slot Reserved and used by the firmware
$06F8 + slot Reserved and used by the firmware
$0778 + slot Button 0/1 interrupt status byte
$07F8 + slot Mode byte
You can access the screen holes by getting the mouse slot number in the
$Cn form (LDX TOMOUSE+1), then indexing off the above locations minus
$C0 with X (or just AND the value with $0F and use the base addresses
directly).
The screen holes should be used only as specified by the mouse routines
below. You should never write to them, except as specified by POSMOUSE.
The interrupt status byte is defined as follows:
Bit 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | \--- Previously, button 1 was up (0) or down (1)
| | | | | | \----- Movement interrupt
| | | | | \------- Button 0/1 interrupt
| | | | \--------- VBL interrupt
| | | \----------- Currently, button 1 is up (0) or down (1)
| | \------------- X/Y moved since last READMOUSE
| \--------------- Previously, button 0 was up (0) or down (1)
\----------------- Currently, button 0 is up (0) or down (1)
(Button 1 is not physically present on the mouse, and is probably
only supported for an ADB mouse on the IIgs.)
The mode byte is defined as follows.
Bit 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | \--- Mouse off (0) or on (1)
| | | | | | \----- Interrupt if mouse is moved
| | | | | \------- Interrupt if button is pressed
| | | | \--------- Interrupt on VBL
| | | \----------- Reserved
| | \------------- Reserved
| \--------------- Reserved
\----------------- Reserved
The button and movement status are only valid after calling READMOUSE.
Interrupt status bits are only valid after SERVEMOUSE and are cleared by
READMOUSE. The appropriate screen hole information must be copied
elsewhere before enabling interrupts with CLI or PLP.
The routines are used as follows. X and Y must be set up with $Cn and
$n0 in all cases. Interrupts must be disabled before calling any of
these routines. Assume all registers are scrambled on exit unless
otherwise noted.
SETMOUSE
Sets mouse operation mode.
Entry: A = mouse operation mode ($00 to $0F) - see mode byte.
Exit: C = 1 if illegal mode entered.
Screen hole mode byte is updated.
SERVEMOUSE
Tests for interrupt from mouse and resets mouse's
interrupt line.
Exit: C = 0 if mouse interrupt occurred.
Screen hole interrupt status bits are updated to show
current status.
READMOUSE
Reads delta (X/Y) positions, updates absolute X/Y pos,
and reads button statuses from the mouse.
Exit: C = 0 (always).
Screen hole positions and button/movement status bits are
updated, interrupt status bits are cleared.
CLEARMOUSE
Resets buttons, movement and interrupt status 0.
(This routine is intended to be used for delta mouse
positioning instead of absolute positioning.)
Exit: C = 0 (always).
Screen hole positions and button/movement status bits are
updated, interrupt status bits are cleared.
POSMOUSE
Allows caller to change current mouse position.
Entry: Caller places new absolute X/Y positions directly in
appropriate screen holes.
Exit: C = 0 (always).
Screen hole positions may be updated if necessary (e.g.
clamping).
CLAMPMOUSE
Sets up clamping window for mouse user. Power up default
values are 0 to 1023 ($0000 to $03FF).
Entry: A = 0 if entering X clamps, 1 if entering Y clamps.
Clamps are entered in slot 0 screen holes as follows.
NOTE: these are NOT indexed by the mouse slot number.
$0478 = low byte of low clamp.
$04F8 = low byte of high clamp.
$0578 = high byte of low clamp.
$05F8 = high byte of high clamp.
Exit: C = 0 (always).
Screen hole position is set to top left corner of clamping
window for the IIgs.
Note: The IIgs automatically homes the mouse when this call is
made, but this doesn't happen for the IIc and AppleMouse
card.
HOMEMOUSE
Sets the absolute position to upper-left corner of
clamping window.
Exit: C = 0 (always).
Screen hole positions are updated.
INITMOUSE
Sets screen holes to default values and sets clamping win
to default value of 0 to 1023 in both X and Y directions,
resets hardware.
Exit: C = 0 (always).
Screen holes are updated.
The general method of using the mouse firmware is as follows:
- Call SETMOUSE specifying a mode of 1 (enabled, no interrupts).
- Call INITMOUSE.
- Call CLAMPMOUSE to set up the required clamps (once per ea axis).
- If necessary, call SETMOUSE again with the actual mode you want.
You must set up a ProDOS interrupt handler if you want to use the
interrupt modes.
If you are using polled mode, call READMOUSE as required to update the
mouse position and button status information.
If you are using interrupt mode, your interrupt handler should call
SERVEMOUSE to check for a mouse interrupt. If none occurred, return to
ProDOS with C=1. If one did occur, note the type of interrupt (if
necessary), then call READMOUSE to the new position information, and
copy the data elsewhere. Finally, return to ProDOS with C=0.
When your program is finished, it should disable the mouse by using
SETMOUSE with A=0, and remove the interrupt handler (if necessary).
Rubywand
Apple II Power Supplies and Cooling
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2POWER.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
001- What's the pin-out and load specs for the IIgs Power Supply?
002- Are the power supplies for the ][+ and IIe interchangeable?
003- What are the output capabilities of GS and IIe power supplies?
004- Can I use a 'generic' surplus power supply in my Apple II?
005- How do fatter leads reduce noise on the +5V & +12V lines?
006- Is there any more that can be done to eliminate glitches?
007- Is there a power supply upgrade kit for the Apple IIgs?
008- What kind of internal fan can I install in an Apple IIgs?
009- Why do so few GS power supplies have a fan installed?
010- Some of our classroom IIe's don't work at all. Is there a fix?
011- What are some good Apple II power supply fix tries?
012- Why does my Apple IIe fail to turn on?!
013- What does a rapid chirping noise on a GS power supply mean?
014- How do I fix a nearly dead GS power supply?
015- What is a "Buggie Power Supply"?
016- Do I need the metal shielding in my GS case?
017- My System Saver IIgs has gotten very noisy. How can I fix it?
018- My System Saver IIgs panel feels springy? Is there a problem?
From: David Empson
001- Does anyone have pin-out and current ratings info for
the Apple IIgs Power Supply?
7 - 5 Volts 0.25 Amps
6 -12 Volts 0.25 Amps
5 +12 Volts 1.0 Amps
4 + 5 Volts 4.0 Amps
3 --nc--
2 GND
1 GND
The Power Supply connector pins are numbered as above. When you are
sitting in front of the computer, pin 1 is nearest you. (i.e. pin 7 is
nearest to the back of the motherboard).
____________________________
From: Rubywand
002- Are the power supplies for the ][+ and IIe interchangeable?
Yes. The plugs are the same and the ratings are the same and they
look alike. Aside from, possibly, needing to add mounting holes for
particular models, you should be able to swap ][+ and IIe power supplies
whenever you wish.
----------------------------
003- Could someone compare the output capabilities of the GS and
IIe power supplies?
Okay. This is from information presented in GS and IIe manuals:
PS Connector Output Max. Output Current
Pin# (GS/IIe) Volts (GS/IIe)
7/6 - 5 V 0.25 Amps /0.25 Amps
6/5 -12 V 0.25 Amps /0.25 Amps
5/4 +12 V 1.00 Amps /1.50 Amps
4/3 + 5 V 4.00 Amps /2.50 Amps
2/2 GND
1/1 GND
----------------------------
004- Can I use a 'generic' surplus power supply in my Apple II?
Sure. Check out the power supplies listed in the JDR and Jameco
catalogs. Mainly, you are looking for a relatively compact switching
power supply which fits the following guidelines:
1- all four Voltages (+/- 5V and +/- 12V) are available
2- the power supply can be fitted into your Apple II
3- the +5 Volt output is rated at 5-10 Amps
4- the +12 Volt output is rated at 1.5-3 Amps
5- price is no more than $25
As more and more new surplus power supplies are dumped, part of
your shopping challenge is finding one which is _small_ enough to work
well with the Apple II. This explains the price guideline. If a unit
costs more than $20, the odds are pretty good that it's too big
physically or electrically.
Too big electrically? In general, power supplies need to be loaded
in order to do a good job of regulation. A 25-Amp output which is called
upon to deliver 1 or 2 Amps is more likely to exhibit problems with
feedback and regulation than were it asked to deliver, say, 5 or 6 Amps.
An Apple II with a few power-sucking Slot cards will work fine with many
PC power supplies; a base system with no cards could have problems
adequately loading some PC supplies.
Your best choice for an in-the-case replacement is likely to be
some $15.95 unit rated at a total of less than 125 watts which was
originally designed to power a printer, monitor, or portable PC.
Probably, it will be "open frame" with no case, switch, fan, or power
cord.
Installing a power supply unit-- i.e. one not specifically designed
for the Apple II-- inside your Apple II can involve a fair amount of
work. When I did such an install on our II+, the most time-consuming
part was fixing up a way to mount the On/Off switch and AC cord socket
in the usual power supply opening in the back of the case. (Mounting the
stuff on a small plastic panel set into the opening worked fine.)
The power supply board itself mounted nicely on spacers in the
space provided for the standard PS. Once the AC and various DC lines
were connected, the new PS came on-line without a hitch. Our II+ hasn't
had any power supply problems since.
----------------------------
005- Could you please explain how adding thicker wire will decrease
noise on the +5V and +12V lines? I received and installed
my new "Heavy Duty" A2 power supply and get the same results
with my Second Sight board as before-- it still locks up the
computer on boot-up.
Ohm's Law says: E = I x R. The Voltage drop across a resistance
equals the Resistance (in Ohms) multiplied by the Current (in Amps).
The leads coming from most A2 power supplies have a low
resistance-- less than an Ohm-- but, as a user piles on peripherals and
current increases, a wire lead's "low resistance" may suddenly prove to
be too high. For example, suppose the +5V lead coming from a GS power
supply has a total resistance of 0.2 Ohms. If the average current load
on the +5V line is 2 Amps, the voltage drop across the wire is 2 x .2 =
0.4 Volts.
If the PS regulation is set to hold the +5V line at +5 Volts (at
the PS end) then, in the above situation, you are running your GS at 5 -
0.4 = 4.6 Volts. The system may run fine even though your main supply
voltage is a little low.
Then, the user adds a ZipGSx accelerator, a RamFAST interface, a PC
Transporter, and/or a Second Sight board. Now, suppose average current
load on the +5V line goes to 3.5 Amps. Our +5V wire now drops 3.5 x .2 =
0.7 Volts. The system must now run with a main supply Voltage of 5 - 0.7
= 4.3 Volts!
Though the above analysis speaks only of average voltages, it is
easy to see that a system designed to work at 5 Volts will eventually
begin to malfunction due to the voltage drop across a skimpy +5V lead.
In fact, any actual computer system would be likely to experience
crashes long before the average, measured at-motherboard voltage got
down to 4.3 Volts.
A Volt-meter reading at the motherboard PS plug does not show
instantaneous spike voltages. Each time a circuit switches, there is a
change in current drain. Quite a few circuits are switched with each
clock transition; so, the change in current can be substantial at 1 x
and 2 x clock frequency. Other events, like turning ON a disk drive, can
also produce brief up or down shifts in current drain. Either way, you
have brief changes in voltage across the PS lead(s) through which the
current is drawn.
The brief voltage changes are called "spikes" because they are VERY
brief. The larger the current shift and the greater the resistance of
the PS wire, the higher the spike Voltage. Since these spikes are in
series with the circuits connected to the PS and since they are
difficult to eliminate via bypass capacitors, they propagate throughout
the system. They are a kind of "noise".
Even worse, as current draw increases and spike voltage increases,
at-motherboard supply voltage decreases. So, you have a 'double whammy':
the lowered supply voltage reduces "noise immunity" just when you need
it most!
At some point, noise spikes appear which cause latches, memory
IC's, etc. to switch state. If the latch is on a RAMfast, you may get a
disk read error. If a memory chip is affected, data will be corrupted,
program instructions may change, ....; in short, your computer is likely
to malfunction.
All of which, to be sure, is "bad enough"; but, evidently, there's
more. Piles of anecdotal evidence indicates that operating the power
supply under such high-noise conditions drastically curtails its life.
How many csa2 posts complain about GS power supplies that crater "for no
reason" after just a couple months? How many users seem to be on eternal
quests for a solution to PS woes?
Our current GS power supply is the one which came with the computer
when it was purchased in the Fall of 1986. The main difference between
our PS and the piles of blown units is that fattened leads were added
back when we upgraded to an accelerator board.
To 'close the loop': you want THICK, heavy-gauge power supply leads
because they have less resistance. Less resistance means that the
voltage drop or loss across the lead is smaller. Noise is reduced AND
noise immunity is increased. Another effect which usually goes
unmentioned is that voltage regulation also improves because the 'sensed
voltage' is closer to the actual at-motherboard voltage.
Perhaps, now, taking a good look at your new Heavy Duty power
supply, you can see why it has not cured your glitch problems. Very
likely it has heavier leads than your old PS; but, the new leads are not
heavy enough.
The PS leads which carry significant currents are +5V, +12V, and
GND. These are the leads which should be replaced with heavier gauge--
e.g. #14 or #12 gauge-- wires. (You need to replace just one of the two
GND leads.)
----------------------------
006- Fattening my GS's power supply leads greatly reduced system
crashes. Is there any more that can be done to eliminate
glitches?
Yes. There is another weak link in the power delivery 'chain': the
motherboard circuit traces supplying power to Slot boards are fairly
skimpy, especially on ROM-01 boards. A heavy power user, such as a
souped-up Transwarp accelerator board, in Slot 7 can produce significant
noise up and down the entire Slot 'backplane'.
The cure is to remove the motherboard and tack on #18 - #16 gauge
jumper leads. (See Question 007 for details.)
----------------------------
007- Does anyone here remember the Mac SE upgrade kit that included
18-ga wire, a bunch of new caps and other fun stuff, that
increased the computer's amperage and allowed more upgrades,
also fixed many problems? Is there a power supply upgrade kit
for the Apple IIgs that someone has constructed?
Okay; here is your very own
A2-2000 On-Line Power Supply Mods Kit!
Swapping-in fat leads is, technically speaking, a pretty simple
job. You pop out the power supply, open it, unsolder old +5, +12, and
Ground leads, solder in the new leads, close and replace the power
supply. The tricky part is what hackers call the "mechanics".
First, #12 or #14 gauge wire is not very flexible. Getting stranded
wire (instead of solid) helps. Probably, #14 gauge is more than fat
enough for all three leads. One case where #12 or #10 gauge may be worth
the extra trouble is the +5V lead.
Use wires colored the same as those you replace. On the standard
connector, the first two leads are Ground. Almost always, these are
black. Next, there is a space, then, in order +5, +12, -12, -5.
Depending on the bother involved, you can unwedge the wire bundle
where it passes through the supply case and remove the three old wires
(+5V, +12V, and one Ground wire). Or, you can just cut away each old
lead. Leave the -5V and -12V leads and one Ground lead alone.
Getting to the PS circuit board involves some work. After removing
the mounting bolts, you will have to scooch up the board in order to get
to the bottom side. This will be easier if the wire bundle has been
unwedged.
Another hurdle is soldering to the circuit board. Once the old
leads and excess solder are removed, you will probably find that the
holes are too small! A jeweler's screwdriver makes a good hand drill for
enlarging holes. (Drill from the circuit side. Be careful not to tear or
dislodge the printed circuit.)
The new leads should be routed through the unused fan slots. (If a
fan is attached, remove it. It's in the wrong place to do much good in
cooling your GS.)
Note: If you have a fan mounted to the PS and you wish to keep it, then,
it will be necessary to enlarge the original cable exit hole. A sheet
metal "munching" tool should let you do this without having to entirely
remove the PS circuit board. (Just be sure to catch all of the munched
pieces!)
When routing the leads be careful not to place a twisting force on
a lead where it is soldered to the circuit board.
To get to each spronger (contact) in the plug, press on it through
the slot on the side near the wire end. This pushes up a small retaining
tab so that pulling on the attached lead will pull out the spronger.
Cut off the old lead, clean the end, and solder on the new lead.
Press the spronger back into the plug. To avoid mixups, it's best to
complete the process for each lead before doing the next.
When plugging in the power supply, take time to shape and arrange
the wires to minimize stress on the motherboard.
Motherboard Mod
Fatter +5, +12, and Ground leads should protect you power supply
and reduce circuit noise.
If audio noise in your stereo card output and/or system bombing due
to noise glitches were problems, they may be eliminated. A lot depends
upon which cards you've installed, which slots they are in, and whether
your IIgs is a ROM-01 or ROM-03.
The motherboard circuit traces supplying power to each Slot are
fairly skimpy, especially on ROM-01 boards. A heavy power user in Slot 7
can produce significant noise up and down the entire Slot 'backplane'.
The cure is to remove the motherboard and run leads to a couple
Slots ...
First, flip over the motherboard and get oriented. Below is a
quickie sketch showing the Power Connector points as well as key power
pins for a Slot. The view is from the _Bottom_ with the _Back_ of the
motherboard facing you:
Bottom of Motherboard
Power Connector Socket Slot
X GND +12V (pin 50) X X (pin 1)
X GND X X
.
X +5V .
X +12V .
X -12V
X -5V X X
GND (pin 26) X X (pin 25) +5V
.... Ground Plane Area (plug shields, etc. connected here) ....
|
|______________ Back Edge of Motherboard _________________________
A good way to make sure you know what's where is to use an Ohm
meter to check Resistance from pin 26 (GND) to a metal plug shield near
the back of the motherboard. (Set your meter to Ohms X1. Touch one meter
lead to pin 26 and the other to a metal plug shield. Resistance should
read nearly zero. Reverse the leads and repeat the check. Again,
Resistance should read nearly zero.)
Repeat the check for R between pin 26 and the GND points on the
Power Connector socket. R should be nearly zero. Using a marker pen or
white-out, mark pin 26 (GND) on Slots 3 and 7. Also mark the GND points
of the Power Connector socket.
GND: On the bottom side of the motherboard, connect a Black #16 gauge
wire from one of the Ground points of the Power Connector socket to the
Ground plane area near the back of the motherboard. Run a short Black
#16 gauge wire from pin 26 of Slot 3 to the Ground plane; run a short
Black #16 gauge wire from pin 26 of Slot 7 to the Ground plane. (You may
need to scrape through green insulating lacquer to solder to the Ground
plane area.)
+5V: On the bottom side of the motherboard, connect two #16 gauge Red
wires to the +5V point of the Power Connector socket. Connect the other
end of one +5V Red wire to pin 25 of Slot 3; connect the other end of
the second +5V Red wire to pin 25 of Slot 7.
+12V: If you have any cards which are likely to draw heavily on the +12V
line, then, on the bottom side of the motherboard, run a #18 gauge White
wire from the +12V point of the Power Connector socket to pin 50 of the
Slot in which the card is normally located. Otherwise, just run an #18
gauge White wire from the +12V point of the Power Connector socket to
pin 50 of Slot 7.
Check your connections. One quick check is that the GND and +5V
wiring to Slots 3 and 7 should be Black, Red (moving left to right) and
Slots 3 and 7 should 'look the same'. Any +12V wire should be on the
same side of the Slot (i.e. the same column of pins) as GND. None of the
wires should be connected to a middle pin on any Slot.
Notes:
1. All wires are insulated.
2. When cutting wires, allow enough slack to permit routing each wire.
You want to avoid having a wire rest against pointy connections on the
motherboard. Route wires away from motherboard mounting holes and around
places where the bottom of the case supports the motherboard.
3. The case's bottom and back metal shields are something of a shorting
hazard. Replacing the motherboard is much easier if these shields are
popped out and ditched.
Once everything checks out, replace the motherboard taking care
that no wires are caught between a support point and the motherboard.
____________________________
From: Mitchell Spector
008- I would like to install an internal fan in an Apple IIgs. I
pulled a good looking fan from an old PC power supply. It is
an NMB "FLOW MAX" rated: DC +12V @0.14 Amps. Is this fan okay?
How do I connect it?
The voltage rating is fine, the amperage level should be fine as
well.
You can connect the fan to the two-pin connector near the back left
side of the motherboard. The pinout for the "Fan connector" is +12V and
Ground. The +12 is the pin closest to the powersupply, or the pin on the
left if you are facing the GS motherboard from the front end. Most fan
wires are color
coded, so the red wire goes to power and black to ground.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
009- Why do so few GS power supplies have a fan installed?
Most users depend upon System Saver GS to handle cooling because
the GS case is not designed to take advantage of an internal fan. With a
fan mounted on the power supply, you can, mainly, blow air around inside
the case. The fan is not much good for drawing in cool air from outside
or pushing hot air out.
Another problem is noise-- both the kind produced by a fan when its
bearings begin to go and electrical noise which degrades the quality of
sound output. The fan uses the +12V pins which are needed for simple
installation of a popular sound digitizer card. A fan mounted on the PS
case could prevent plugging long circuit boards into Slot 1 and,
possibly, Slot 2.
Perhaps, as Charles Plater seems to suggest, there is some reason
for an internal fan. Mounted on the power supply (which is the only
place a mounting point is available), a fan could blow some air into the
power supply. Supposedly, this could extend power supply life.
Still, many users have 11 year-old GS's with original power
supplies which continue to work fine with no internal fan.
Basically, a PS-mounted fan in a GS appears to be the cure for a
problem which has yet to be discovered.
----------------------------
010- Some of our classroom IIe's work fine; but, some don't work
at all. Do the power supplies need to be replaced?
If "don't work at all" means you plug in a IIe, flip ON the power
switch, and 'nothing happens', then ...
1. Open the case and check inside for indications of Coke spills,
debris, etc.. If everything looks okay, continue on. If not clean away
the mess; it could be causing a short. After cleaning (and drying), turn
ON the power to see if the problem is fixed.
2. If there is a fuse socket, pull the fuse and check it. (If it's
blown, try replacing it. If the new fuse blows, replace it, pull all
Slot cards and try powering ON again. If the fuse does not blow, hop to
#7 below. If the fuse blows with no cards installed your best course is,
probably, to forget about repairs and get a replacement power supply.)
3. Unplug and replug the power cord at the point where it connects to
the IIe. Turn ON power. Try wiggling the power cord.
4. Substitute a power cord from a known-working IIe and turn ON power.
5. Turn ON the power. Jiggle the power switch. If the machine shows
signs of life, the switch is probably bad.
6. Open the case. Unplug and re-plug the Power Supply cable to the
motherboard. Turn ON power. If the machine seems to respond, try
cleaning the power supply plug and socket.
7. Pull all cards from Slots and turn ON power. If the machine 'comes
alive' one or more of your cards may have a short or may have been
cross-socketed. Clean the contacts on each card (e.g. with alcohol).
With power OFF, replug a card (be sure to line-up card and Slot
contacts) and turn ON power. Do this for each card. If a card causes the
machine to fail, it is, probably messed up. If no card produces a
failure the original problem was, likely, a card which was not properly
inserted.
If the above tries get you nowhere, remove the power supply from
the 'dead' machine and swap in one removed from a good machine.
(Removing power supplies is pretty easy.) If the 'dead' machine now
works you will know that the original power supply is, probably, bad.
----------------------------
011- What are some good Apple II power supply fix tries?
Apple II power supplies can often be repaired. The bother involved
varies considerably with the cause of malfunction.
Note: The following refers more or less directly to II+ and IIe
supplies; however, many of the ideas will work with the IIgs power
supply as well.
Bad Power Cord
Unplug and replug the power cord at the point where it connects to
the IIe. Turn ON power. Try wiggling the power cord. If the Power Supply
comes ON at any time, try substituting a power cord from a known-working
IIe. If this fixes the problem, you can be pretty sure that the problem
was a power cord with a broken wire.
Poor Power Supply Connector Connection
Unplug and re-plug the Power Supply cable to the motherboard. Turn
ON power. If the machine seems to respond, or responds when the
connector is wiggled, you probably have a dirty or loose connection.
Clean the power supply plug and socket with an alcohol swab. Using
long-nosed pliers slightly re-crimp the 'holes' on the socket (or,
insert a jeweler's screwdriver into the space between each hole and the
plastic casing and twist). The idea is to restore a firm grip for all
contacts.
Another possibility is a loose or broken socket solder connection
to the motherboard. The repair is to remove the motherboard and
re-solder the connections to the socket.
Bad Switch
It is fairly easy to identify a bad switch-- it will, usually, not
snap cleanly into position, feel crunchy, and/or have a burn spot. The
repair is to replace the switch with some AC power switch that will fit.
Or, you can permanently connect the switched lines and add an in-line
switch to the power cord.
Blown Fuse
Some power supplies may have a fuse. Open the power supply. Look
for a fuse mounted to the circuit board. If there is one, check it. An
Ohm meter can be used to check for continuity if it is not obvious that
the fuse is blown. If the fuse is blown, replace it.
Bad "Globar" Element
Look toward the end where the power cord is connected. Somewhere
close to the place where wires from the switch go to the circuit board
there should be a small disk-shaped component which is not a disk
capacitor. Probably, it will be black with no markings. This is a
"globar" resistor. Check it to be sure that it is not cracked and that
both leads are really connected to the disk.
If the globar element is broken or if a lead has popped off, you
will need to get a replacement from an electronics supply shop. (Tell
the shop person where the globar resister comes from and describe its
size.)
Blown Electrolytic Capacitor(s)
On the end of the circuit board near the Switch are some relatively
large electrolytic capacitors (typically these are tubular aluminum
things with shrink-wrapped grey or light-green covers on which there are
markings). Usually, they are the same size and have the same uF value
and Voltage rating. One (or more) of these may be obviously blown or may
just show some slime near the base.
If you find something like this, the suspect capacitor should be
replaced by one of the same (or slightly larger) uF value with the same
(or larger) Voltage rating. Size and shape are, also, important in order
to get a good fit.
When removing the bad cap, be sure to mark the "+" side on the
board-- use the markings on the cap's cover to identify the "+" side.
Install the replacement cap with its "+" lead in the marked hole.
Note: Also see the C7 fix discussion in next Question.
Messed-up or 'Dirty' Adjustment
The power supply may have a mini-potentiometer mounted on the
circuit board for fine-tuning voltage output. Usually, it will be
somewhere near the end opposite the Switch and will have a slotted
plastic 'knob'.
If there is such an adjustment, mark its current position and,
then, turn it back and forth. (If you have some Radio Shack, etc.
'Circuit Cleaner', into the mini-pot first is a good idea.)
Set the adjustment a bit to one side of the original setting and
plug in the power supply. If it now seems to work the problem was a
'dirty' voltage adjustment control.
Check the voltage on the +5V line with a meter and adjust it to 5
Volts. (Note: _no_ output due to a dirty adjustment control seems
unlikely. Incorrect output is more probable; and, this could cause a IIe
to not work.)
Beyond the above, you are, most likely, looking at a bombed
electrolytic capacitor which is not obviously bad or a blown main power
transistor (the big silvery thing mounted on a heatsink). Unless you
enjoy more involved electronic testing and repair work, your best course
is, probably, to get a replacement power supply.
____________________________
From: O Aaland
012- My Apple IIe fails to turn on! I have to turn its power
switch on and off several times and sometimes wait a long
time before it finally powers up!
If the power supply you are working on is an ASTEC brand the most
common problem is the 10V 220 uf capacitor located about 1 inch to the
rear and left of the transformer. I find this to be the cause in about
80 pecent of the ones I repair. Use a 25V 220uf capacitor as a
replacement and chances are real good that it will not fail again.
----------------------------
From: Stephen Shaw
If you open the power supply up (WITH THE MAINS PLUG OUT!) you will
find a capacitor C7 near the transformer in the middle of the printed
circuit board (a 220 uF 16V capacitor if I remember correctly) change it
for a 220uF 25V 85 degree Centigrade rated capacitor and it should clear
the problem up.
----------------------------
From: Jeff Allen
I've been trying to fix several dead Apple II power supplies from a
local school and have managed to bring back one from the dead now. The
fix was to replace the 10V, 220uF electrolytic cap with a new one. (I
used a 35V piece). Assuming that the board markings are useful, this was
C7, on an Astec board with the datecode "T8312" on it. I'm curious if
anyone else that has replaced that cap has noticed any browning of the
pc board where the leads enter from that 27ohm 2W 'R4' beast. ....
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
Very interesting! A bad C7 would screw up the regulator's feedback
voltage.
Even better, Jeff Allen's observation of the heat spot on the PCB
seems to indicate that heat from the nearby 27 Ohm power resistor is
responsible for shortening C7's life. If there is some way to eliminate
this hot spot-- e.g. using a 10W resistor, perhaps with a heatsink
attached, or mounting the resistor on the power supply's metal case--
many II+ and IIe power supply crashes might be prevented.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
013- To my horror, this morning when I flipped my GS ON it
emitted a rapid chirping noise (maybe 8-10 times a second)
and refused to start!?
The chirping usually means that the PS load-detect circuit thinks
that the load is too great (i.e. that it draws too much current) or that
there is an 'open' in a major output line (i.e. that there is,
practically, no load at all).
This can mean that the power supply is bombing and, so, almost any
load is too great. It may, however, mean that a short has developed on
the motherboard or on a Slot. It can, also, mean that a break has
developed somewhere in the +5V line or at the connection of the
connector to the motherboard.
One test is to unplug the power supply, remove it, and do some load
tests. (Note: If the PS has a slotted adjustment pot, mark its position
and, then, turn it back and forth in case it has become stuck at a dead
spot on the control.)
If the PS can deliver +5V with a 3 Ohm power resistor connected
across the +5V and Ground lines, +12V with a 15 Ohm power resistor
connected across the +12V and Ground lines, and correct Voltage for -12V
and -5V lines into, say, 100 Ohm resistors, then the PS is likely to be
okay.
If the PS starts to chirp when even small loads are applied (e.g.
10 Ohms across the +5V output), then it has one or more bad components
or is badly off-adjustment. If it has an adjustment, try cleaning the
control and retry the load tests after a small change in the adjustment
setting.
If the chirping persists, replacing the unit with a new A2 power
supply, a module from Jameco, etc. or a Buggie external PS may be the
easiest cure.
____________________________
From: Mike Smith
014- My GS power supply seems to be nearly dead! The only odd
looking symptom so far is that one of the big electrolytic
capacitors near the power input side is at 260 volt & the
other is at 30 volt?!
There is a 100k bias resistor in the front end of the inverter. If
this resistor is broken, loose, or otherwise 'open' you will get the
symptoms described. Replace the resistor and both capacitors should be
at the same voltage ( approx 140 volt) and within the 200 volt working
rating of the capacitors. This should fix the power supply.
____________________________
From: Stephen Buggie
015- What is a "Buggie Power Supply"?
It is an external power supply, usually a surplus PC unit, which
connects to the Apple II via a heavy-duty cable.
My IBM-style power supplies generate the same voltages (+5v, +12v,
-12v, -5v) as those required by the Apple II. But IBM-style power
supplies deliver 150-200 watts of power, more than twice the weak output
of the standard 60 watt Apple II power supply. Thus, problems
associated with weak power (screen freezeups, crashes) in the Apple can
be reduced or eliminated by using an IBM power supply on the Apple.
With a strong IBM power supply, you can fill all your interface
card slots or add extra disk drives without overloading the power
source.
Recently, I have offered these power supplies for Apple II:
IBM 150 watt power supply, soldered to 5 ft cable; choice of either
IIgs or IIe plug. $27.00 plus $5.00 UPS shipping ($8.00 shipping
to Canada)
or
Cable-only; connects to IBM power supply at power-points P8, P9, and
Molex-4. Allows you to connect the IBM power supply you already own to
an Apple II (Specify whether IIgs or IIe plug is needed). $14.00 plus
$3.00 priority mail; To Canada: US$4.00.
Above cables made with heavy duty wires (AWG-18, with 600v insulation;
color-coded. All power supplies and cables thoroughly pre-tested prior
to shipping.)
200 watt power supplies occasionally available at $3.00 extra cost, but
an extra 3-4 weeks must be allowed.
Eight page illustrated instruction manual sent with each order; also the
manual is available on self-booting text-file disk.
Faster service!
During the past month, users have had to wait 2-3 weeks from
payment to shipment. More power supplies have arrived, and I have
ordered the cable components in larger quantities, so through the
remainder of the summer I expect to ship the orders within 4-7 days.
Steve Buggie bug...@unm.edu
200 College Rd. (505) 863-7504 office
Gallup NM 87301 (505) 863-2390 home
____________________________
From: Joseph Lee
016- Does the metal R/TV interference shielding in my GS case matter?
I've done some testing. The Radio/TV interference shielding
mattered, at least for all the people around in my former dorm.
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
My tests were done in a separate dwelling (i.e. not an apartment,
dorm, etc.) and focused upon effects in our 'Computer Room'. Turning ON
the GS produces some interference with or without shielding and the
level seems to be the same.
One problem with R/TV interference is that its level and kind is
dependent upon many factors. For example, I can get virtually complete
elimination of GS-produced Radio station interference by simply turning
ON a printer connected to our PC!
Each user will have to weigh the trade-offs for his/her situation.
Removing the shielding eliminates a dust trap and improves air flow. It
is easier to pass cables through case slots; and, if you need to remove
the motherboard (to make repairs, add Slot jumpers, etc.), removing the
bottom shield removes a shorting hazard when the board is re-installed.
If you remove the lid and do not like the way Radio or TV reception
is affected, leave the shielding alone. If the result is acceptable,
scrap the shielding.
____________________________
From: Scott G
017- My System Saver IIgs has gotten really noisy. How can
I fix it?
It may be that the fan inside the unit is showing wear. The good
news is that replacing the fan is an easy and rewarding task.
I knew my fan was starting to die when it sounded like it was
wheezing during spin-up. The fan, a Sprite model SU2C7, uses sleave
bearings, whose lifespan is determined by the lubricating oil supply in
the bearings. When enough of the oil evaporates, metal will grind
against metal resulting in heat and resistance that cause the fan to
quickly lock-up. Better quality fans use ball-bearings, but Kensington
apparently used the cheapest component available. Even among the models
with sleave bearings, the SU2C7 is the least capable. It can only move
18 cubic feet of air a minute (half what a typical PC fan moves) and has
a 55,000 hour rating.
In looking for a replacement for my dying fan, I chose to use a
better model. The Sprite model SU2B1 has the same dimensions as the
SU2C7 used in the System Saver and is readily available from Digi-Key
corporation. It uses ball bearings for long life (the fan is rated for
73,000 hours) and can move 34 cubic feet of air a minute. The higher
quality is readily apparent: the replacement is currently noticeably
quieter than the original even though it is moving more air per minute.
To replace the System Saver fan, first make sure the System Saver
AC power cord is unplugged. Next, you will need to open the case.
Opening the System Saver case involves removing eight screws. You
can remove the foam weatherstriping along the periphery of the case to
expose the screws OR you can poke through/around the foam at each screw
hole. The screw access holes are arranged as shown in the following
diagram (bottom view of the System Saver):
FRONT
______________________________________________________________
| ________________________________________________________ |
| | | |
| | * | |
| | _____________ | |
| *| | | Screw holes revealed ------>|* |
| | | | after removing foam | |
| | | Fan | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | |_____________| | |
| *| |* |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| *| |* |
| | | |
| | * | |
| |________________________________________________________| |
|______________________________________________________________|
BACK
Once inside, the fan can be removed by unplugging the power cord
that connects it to the circuit board. A grounding wire that is
attached by a screw must also be removed. The fan itself is held to the
case by two screws. Once you remove the SU2C7, you can replace it with
the SU2B1. Now mount everything back together again with the screws.
Apply new foam weatherstripping if necessary.
The refurbished System Saver is now better than a factory new
model! Notice the difference in sound: a quiet hum rather than a load
rumble. If you have a lot of cards, you will notice that the inside of
the IIGS is a lot cooler too. An upgraded System Saver is a great way to
counteract accelerator instability caused by heat.
Sources and parts needed:
1) Part: Sprite model SU2B1 (Digi-Key Part No. CR103-ND)
Source: Digi-Key Corp. (1-800-344-4536/www.digikey.com)
2) Part: Foam weatherstripping tape (3/8th inch width, 3/16th inch
thick) Source: Home Depot (or a comparable hardware store)
----------------------------
From: Louis Cornelio
The fan I removed from my System Saver IIgs is the Comaire-Rotron
Sprite SU2C1-- 'C1, not 'C7. Actually, out of the case, it seems very
quite. Much of the noise seems to be rattle from contact with the
plastic case of the SS ...
I put down some foam weatherstrip along fan-case contact points and
that did the trick! I guess there was a bit of vibraction or something.
The fan is stil audible, but only slightly from the air.
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
Below are specs, ordering numbers, and prices for several possible
System Saver IIgs replacement fans. As you can see, the noise numbers
for the sleeve bearing fan models originally used in System Saver IIgs
are not bad. The catch is that the numbers are for new units before
bearing wear begins to increase noise. If you replace your fan, a ball
bearing model is recommended.
Digi-Key 800-344-4539
Mouser 800-346-6873
Newark 800-463-9275
cfm = cubic feet per minute of air moved
db = measure of noise produced (for a new unit); lower is better
Comaire-Rotron Sprite SU2C1 <SS Original> (Digi-Key #CR251-ND,
p.234 in Apr-Jun 1998 catalog)
3.14sq. x 1.64 20cfm 27db 6watts 115VAC sleeve bearing $25.38
Comaire-Rotron Sprite SU2C7 <SS Original> (Digi-Key #CR108-ND,
p.234 in Apr-Jun 1998 catalog)
3.14sq. x 1.64 18cfm 26db 6watts 115VAC sleeve bearing $25.38
Comaire-Rotron Sprite SU2B1 (Digi-Key #CR103-ND,
p.234 in Apr-Jun 1998 catalog)
3.14sq. x 1.64 34cfm 40db 11watts 115VAC ball bearing $35.88
Augusta Tubeaxial (Mouser #432-81552, p.229 in Fall 1997 catalog)
3.15sq. x 1.5 21cfm 26db 9watts 115VAC ball bearing $23.63
Augusta Tubeaxial (Mouser #432-81554, p.229 in Fall 1997 catalog)
3.15sq. x 1.5 26cfm 31db 9watts 115VAC ball bearing $23.63
Augusta Tubeaxial (Mouser #432-81558, p.229 in Fall 1997 catalog)
3.15sq. x 1.5 32cfm 38db 10watts 115VAC ball bearing $23.63
NMB Peewee Boxer type 3115FS-12W-B10 (Newark #46F5098,
P.405 in 1998 catalog)
3.1sq. x 1.5 22cfm 36db 6watts 115VAC ball bearing $11.42
NMB Peewee Boxer type 3115FS-12W-B20 (Newark #46F5097,
P.405 in 1998 catalog)
3.1sq. x 1.5 27cfm 40db 7watts 115VAC ball bearing $11.42
NMB Peewee Boxer type 3115FS-12W-B30 (Newark #46F5096,
P.405 in 1998 catalog)
3.1sq. x 1.5 32cfm 44db 9watts 115VAC ball bearing $11.42
____________________________
From: Rubywand
018- My System Saver IIgs front panel has started to feel more
springy? Could this be a problem?
Yes. It indicates the plastic may be becoming brittle and that
supports behind the panel are weakened or broken. Some 'springy panel'
users report pressing on a switch and poking a hole in the panel!
Prolonged exposure to sunlight and/or long exposure to heat from
the GS are the usual causes. Preventative measures are to keep your GS
away from sunny windows and to increase airflow through the System Saver
for hot running systems. The easiest way to achieve the latter is to
swap in a fan with a higher cfm rating. (See fans listed in the previous
answer.)
Panels which feel very springy should be reinforced. Open the case
and used epoxy to reinforce panel and switch supports.
Rubywand
Apple II Display Monitors
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2MONITOR.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
Monitor Repair Mini-Manual (Q&A 001-014) 4/98 version
This mini-manual describes Repairs & Adjustments which usually
involve removing the case. Before removing the case, check to see that
the your problems are not due to a poorly connected monitor cable or
misadjusted monitor controls.
From: Rubywand
001- My display is sharp but it seems to be unstable. Is there
a quick, easy fix for this?
Maybe. First, check your cable connections to make sure they are
solid. Also, try diddling the side and back controls. Sometimes, these
become dirty or develop bad spots.
If diddling a control seems to cure or nearly cure an unstable,
jumping, etc. display, you can be fairly sure that a squirt of Control
Cleaner will help. The cleaner needs to reach the control's resistance
element-- the place where the wiper touches the carbon track in a
potentiometer-- and you should turn the control back and forth after
squirting the cleaner. Probably, you will need to remove the case to get
a good shot at the dirty control.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =
002- My Apple IIc has the IIc RF modulator module and is connected
to a color TV through a TV/Game switch. The color is okay but
the display is more or less ragged depending on where I run
the cable. Is there a way to get a better, more stable display?
If you are using a plain hi-fi type cable to connect from your IIc
modulator to the TV/Game switch, then, changing to a video cable may
help. If you are using a much longer cable than necessary, try a
shorter cable.
Another popular trick is to form any unused length into one or more
loops (use wire ties or tape to hold the loops together). Wrapping
unused cable length around a ferrite or iron core (e.g. from an old
transformer) is a variation on the same idea.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =
003- What Safety precautions should I take when working
on my monitor?
Basically: unplug the monitor and let sit for a day, wear goggles,
work on a non-conductive table surface, do not stress CRT neck.
Unplugging the monitor and letting it sit for a few hours reduces
the danger of shock from stored charges; it does not eliminate it. The
usual warning for this kind of work is AVOID touching two different
circuit points at the same time. Like, don't touch the metal chassis and
the conductive surface of the CRT at the same time.
WEAR protective GOGGLES. If you should, somehow, bump or stress the
CRT neck-- as in jumping when you get shocked-- it may break. The result
may be a peaceful THOOP! or the CRT may implode in a spray of glass.
(Avoid using the CRT's neck to support the monitor in any position.)
Work on a wooden or plastic-topped table with plenty of space. Try
to position yourself, tools, and the monitor so that when you get
'stung', the chances of breaking something are reduced.
As much as posible, avoid using heavy tools of any kind. An
inadvertant tap from a mini-screwdriver is much less likely to crack the
CRT than a bonk from a full-sized screwdriver or pair of pliers.
Rubber gloves are probably a good idea so long as they do not get
in the way. Of course, pointy connections and components can puncture
gloves.
It's a good idea to clip a wire to the chassis and touch the other
end to the conductive surface of the CRT a few times before doing any
work in order to drain off any charge there.
Note: Several places in a monitor or TV carry high enough voltages to
deliver an uncomfortable shock. Draining the charge from one point does
not guarantee that other points have been discharged.
===========================
From: Joe Walters
004- How do I discharge the High Voltage?
The HV charge (20,000+ volts) might not be much reduced by just waiting
a few hours (or days), especially if you are in a low humidity location
and the tube, etc., are of good quality. You can, probably, _reduce_ the
shock hazard by discharging the High Voltage at the anode. You can not,
really, expect to eliminate the shock hazard. (See WARNING below.)
1. There is a long wire (called the anode) that goes from the high
voltage power supply to the top of the tube where it is snapped
into a hole. You can't see the hole because there is a rubber
shield built onto the wire. The end of the wire goes to a metal
clip which, without the rubber shield, looks somewhat as below.
One squeezes the clip so the end slips into the hole in the tube.
--- ---
== \ / ===== back of CRT
\ / <-- metal clip (This is what your grounded
| screwdriver needs to touch.)
[|]
[|] insulated Anode lead going to HV module
[|]
Needless to say, UNPLUG the monitor before beginning. Simply
turning it off isn't good enough.
2. Get a clip lead and clip one end to a long slender screwdriver
3. Clip the other end to the metal chassis of the TV (i.e the
metal frame parts)
4. Carefully! slip the screwdriver tip under the rubber flap on the
top of the tube until it touches the internal wire that both
holds the anode wire in place and conducts electricity.
Step 4 may result in a somewhat loud "SNAP" as the tube is discharged.
Be prepared so you don't jump and break something.
WARNING: After "discharging", do _not_ assume that no High Voltage is
present. Almost certainly, some High Voltage remains or may reappear
over time.
===========================
From: Rubywand
005- How do I open my RGB monitor's case and get set for doing
internal adjustments or repairs?
Whatever it is you plan to fix, if you remove the monitor case, you
will probably need to unplug the cable running from the circuit board to
the Controls/Switch Module on the side of the case. Use 'whiteout',
nail polish, etc. to mark the position of the plug. In more detail ...
1. Unplug everything from the monitor & let it sit for a day.
2. Put on protective GOGGLES. Place the unit face down on a wooden or
plastic-topped surface with lots of space and good lighting. Remove the
the screws. Place the unit in nomal position.
3. Have a fat magazine ready. Slide the case off until you are able
to see the control leads plugged into the main board on the right side
of the case. Mark the plug position with 'white-out', nail polish, etc..
Unplug the connector.
4. Slide off the case while supporting the monitor and slide the fat
magazine under the circuit board to prop up the monitor from behind.
5. Discharge the HV (optional, but, generally, a good idea).
6. <Do adjustments, fixes on Monitor>
7. When done, reinstall the control assembly.
8. Still wearing GOGGLES, support the monitor, remove the magazine,
slide on the case, reconnect the plug, finish sliding on the case,
replace screws.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =
006- What tools and solder should I use for repairs?
For any soldering use a good quality pencil-style iron rated at
25-40 watts with a holder and sponge. Use high quality (60/40 tin/lead
or better) rosin core solder (e.g. Kester "44" 20 gauge).
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =
007- How do fix a Flickering, Jumping, display which sometimes
collapses to a line?
If the monitor exhibits major flickering, periodic collapse of the
display to a line, etc., then it may help to know that a common source
of such problems is one or more bad connections where the High Voltage
module is joined to the main circuit board. (This module is the black
thing with a HV lead running to the CRT-- it's near the left, back. The
slotted nub controls in its case set Focus and base Intensity.) Often
these connections look okay because it is hard to see the small
fractures in the solder surrounding the pins.
The cure is to resolder all of the pins coming from the module (on
the under-side of the circuit board). Before doing the soldering, clip
a wire to the metal chassis and touch the other end to each HV module
pin and other points in the area. While soldering, avoid touching
anything conductive on the monitor with anything but the iron and
solder.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =
008- Suddenly my monitor has an all-blue (all-red, etc.) screen!
How do I fix this?
You probably have a blown choke on the little chroma board mounted
to the back of the CRT. The choke will be connected to one of the
larger, R/G/B output transistors. Use an Ohmmeter to find the open
choke. Replace the bad choke with 'one like it' or brew your own: wind
about 25-30 turns of #30 wire on a small ferrite core.
A more detailed procedure is presented below ....
1. The part that causes the problem when it fails is a "choke" or
"inductor" , it is mounted on a small circuit board attached to the back
of the monitor tube itself. This part looks like a small blue ceramic
ball with two leads coming out the bottom, and is color coded for 10
microhenries.
2. There are three of these items on that circuit board, and if any one
of them fails, the symptom is a screen all of one color, with total loss
of any controls of the monitor. The parts are identified by number, and
what color the screen is will tell you which one to replace.
L6R2 for a Red screen
L6G2 for a Green screen
L6B2 for a Blue screen
3. You can probably get a 10 microhenry choke at Radio Shack, or it is
available for $1.28 (plus a $5 Handling charge) from Digikey Corporation
at (800) 344-4539. They take Mastercard, Visa, and C.O.D.. The Digikey
part number is M8025-ND.
4. After replacing this part, the monitor colors may need to be
readjusted via the small color trimpots on the same circuit board.
===========================
From: David Fretz
009- Any more RGB Adjustments info?
R13- RGB Intensity
C86- Horizontal Position on RGB
C85- NTSC Color Hue Adjustment
C45- NTSC Frequency Adjustment
===========================
From: James Poore
010- How do I adjust Centering on my GS RGB color monitor?
Color monitors do vertical and horzontal centering differently than
do monochrome monitors. Almost all color monitors have either a jumper
arrangement or actual centering controls, sometimes both. Centering
adjustments are usually located on the PCB with no access holes, so the
back will most likely have to be removed to get to them.
If your monitor uses jumpers, there should be 3 tabs that each
jumper can be connected to. For vertical adjustment the tabs should be
marked as 'up', 'down', and center. If your pix is too high, then you
would connect the jumper to the down tab. For horizontal adjustment the
three tabs should be marked 'left', 'center', and 'right'.
If your monitor has centering controls, then adjust for best
centering.
Many GS monitors use small tab switches to adjust centering. These
are located near the back of the main circuit board.
Adjustment of Vertical Size, etc. via shafts on back of GS monitor
can affect centering. For small changes, these adjustments may get the
job done.
Adjustment of Intensity and Focus (see below) can affect centering.
===========================
From: Rubywand
011- How do I adjust Focus and Intensity on a blurry
GS RGB Monitor?
These adjustments may also help cure display "bowing", etc..
Intensity and Focus controls are on the High Votage Module (black
module near back of circuit board) inside the case.
Follow procedure outlined earlier for safety (e.g. unplug, wait,
wear goggles, ...) and removing the case.
Note the position of the two controls on the HV Module (at the
left, back). Mark the back of the cover where handy access hole should
be. Take the case cover to another area (i.e. away from the exposed
CRT neck). Remove the control assembly from the right side of the
case.
Using a Dremel tool, hole saw, ... cut an approx. 1" diameter hole
in the back of the case. Use this opportunity to give the case interior
a good cleaning. (If you wash it, be very sure it's dry before
continuing.)
Reinstall the control assembly.
Put everything back.
Reconnect cable and AC cord. Turn on the computer & monitor. Let it
sit 10-20 minutes. Use the normal side of case controls to get the
brightest, 'decent-focus' picture you can obtain.
Using a plastic TV technician's tool (and flashlight if necessary)
adjust the Intensity and Focus controls (through the hole in back) on
the HV module to get a good looking display.
Work back and forth between the back and side controls. What you're
aiming for is a display with good brightness and sharp focus when the
side controls are near their middle positions.
Cover the back hole using a piece of duct tape, a large sticker,
etc.. (The opening is a potential shock hazard, especially if the
monitor is within reach of children.)
===========================
From: "John F. Reeves" and Sam Goldwasser
012- I need to replace the High Voltage "flyback" power transistor
in my Applecolor monitor. The part bears no manufacturer's
mark, just two lines of text:
D1650
7A
What part should I get?
The transistor is part Q502 on the PCB of the Applecolor RGB
monitor, manufactured in 1987. This is the only power transistor in the
HV section, the only one which is on a heat sink. ...."
D1650 is a 2SD1650 which crosses to an ECG2331. You should be able
to pick one up at your local electronics shop. Try MCM Electronics,
Dalbani, etc..
===========================
From: Rubywand
013- How can I fix sporatic Shrinking and Flicking
in-out of Focus?
Arcing from the metal brace to the HV module can cause the display
to momentarily shrink and flick out of focus.
Follow safety and setup procedures outlined earlier.
The cure is to bend the brace up enough to increase the arc path
and clean the surfaces involved. Apply HV dope to the brace and module
where distances are small.
If the case interior seems pretty clogged with dust and gunk, it's
a good idea to remove the side-mounted Controls/Switch (C/S) Module and
give the case a good washing. (Be very sure it is well dried before
replacing.) You should also clean the two controls on the C/S Module
with spray-in Control Cleaner.
Before putting the case back, this may be a good time to adjust
base Intensity and Focus (the two nub controls on the HV module).
Position the monitor so that screen is easy to see and the nub controls
are accessible.
Plug in the the C/S Module. Adjust the C/S Module controls to
center positions. Plug in the monitor to the computer. Get a Desktop
display with some text and icons. Use an insulated tool to adjust the
nub Intensity and Focus controls for maximum sharpness at 'normal'
viewing intensity. A magnifying glass is helpful to obtain max pixel
sharpness.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =
014- Suddenly my GS monitor exhibits a serious case of display
shimmy which sometimes degenerates into jagged lines. How
can I fix this problem?
Side-to-side shimmy indicates that Horizontal lock is not stable.
A good fix try is to adjust Horizontal Hold (the "<- ->" knob/stub)
until the shimmy stops. This usually works unless 1- The HH control is
already at its extreme setting, 2- The HH control has 'dirty' or burn
spots at the position which would, ordinarily, be the correct setting,
3- The display stabilizes but ends up moved too far to the left or right
side of the screen.
If, adjusting Horizontal Hold does not fix the problem, you will
probably need to remove the case. For starters, this will let you squirt
some Control Cleaner into the HH control.
With the case removed, you will have access to some other controls
which may help solve the shimmy problem. Two are on the black High
Voltage module: one nub controls base Intensity; the other controls
Focus. There are also a couple small tab switches located near the back
edge of the main circuit board. One sets Horizontal position; the other
sets Vertical position.
If you reconnect the side controls and power cord, you will be able
to experiment with adjustments.
Working with monitor adjustments with the case removed requires
constant awareness of potential hazards. For example, you would connect
the AC power cord to the monitor _before_ plugging it into an AC socket.
The monitor needs to be on a plastic or wooden table with nearby clutter
removed. It may be easiest to support with the rear of the circuit board
resting on a thick magazine.
You should have one or two plastic TV technician tools. These are
rods with ends for turning slotted controls. (A whole set will cost a
few dollars at Radio Shack.) Such tools are handy for adjusting the
controls on the back of the HV module, for flipping the tab switches,
for tapping components you suspect may be loose, etc..
Note: If the HH control seems to have serious burn spots-- e.g. you
notice a crunchy feel when turning the knob-- you may have to get it
replaced in order to achieve a correct setting. Replacing such a control
is a job for someone with experience in working with monitors or TV's.
If you decide to do it, be sure to check safety and setup suggestions
listed earlier. De-solder the control, remove it, and take it to an
electronics parts seller to get a replacement.
Working with Horizontal Hold, the Horizontal tab switch, and the
Intensity control on the HV module, (and, maybe, the Focus control and
Vertical Size) you should be able to eliminate any shimmy and end up
with a properly sized and positioned display.
Note: On some monitors, you may have to trade-off Vertical Size in order
to get a stable display which retains good linearity.
Once the shimmy problem is cured and the display is the right size
and positioned correctly, work back and forth between the side controls
and Focus to get a sharp display.
======= End of Monitor Repair Mini-Manual =========
From: Michael Hickey
015- I need a new RGB monitor for my GS. Will the
Commodore Amiga 1084 monitor work?
I have good information that the AMIGA 1084s monitor will work with
the Apple IIgs. I have no information on the quality of the output, I've
seen some Amiga displays that look no better than your average colour
TV. Perhaps the local WAL-Mart will have a few in stock at a low price.
You will need to build your own DB9 to DB 15 cable.
1084s to IIgs
DB9 DB15
1 13
3 2
4 5
5 9
7 3
____________________________
From: Stefan Voss
016- What is the pinout for Commodore's 1084s monitor?
pin assignment of 1084S monitor:
pin # analog RGB signal
1 ground
2 ground
3 red
4 green
5 blue
6 not used
7 composite sync.
8 horizontal sync.
9 vertical sync.
____________________
\ 5 4 3 2 1 /
\ /
\ 9 8 7 6 /
-------------
I can't give any garantee!
____________________________
From: Rubywand
017- What is a "composite video monitor"?
A composite video monitor is a display which requires a composite
video signal such as that output by an Apple II computer. The signal is
called "composite" because it is a mix of Video, Horizontal Sync, and
Vertical Sync signals. A color composite video signal will, also,
include Color Burst. These signals are separated inside the monitor.
The cable for connecting such a monitor is a single wire surrounded
by insulation with an outer shield (usually braided copper) covered by
insulation. The inner wire carries the signal, the shield is at
'ground'. Often, each end of the cable has a standard RCA plug-- so; the
cable looks much like a normal audio hi-fi cable. (In fact, a decent
hi-fi cable will, often, work fine for connecting your Apple II to a
composite color monitor.)
The main differences between a hi-fi cable and one intended to
carry video signals are 1) the video cable usually has a better,
tighter shield; 2) the video cable is characterized for impedance
matching at, usually, 50 or 75 Ohms; and 3) the video cable exhibits
lower capacitance between the center lead and the shield.
You can connect your Apple II to a Monochrome or Color composite
video monitor.
----------------------------
018- When I play old hires games on my GS the RGB monitor display
does not look as good as my old Amdek Color-1 connected to
the II+. What's wrong?
Most hires displays look better on a composite color monitor, such
as the Amdek Color-1, than they do on the GS's RGB monitor. The
difference is even more striking for double-hires displays. (King's
Quest and Air Heart look much better on a Color-1 connected to a IIc+
than on an RGB monitor connected to the GS.)
What's wrong is that the GS's display circuits do just a passable
job of translating hires and double-hires into RGB form.
----------------------------
019- Does anybody know how to do the "Color Killer Mod"
on a //e?
It looks like you should be able to do a full-screen color-killer
on a IIe by using a general purpose NPN transistor (2N3904, 2N2222,
etc.) to shunt the Color Burst signal. The transistor's collector would
connect to the junction of R15 and R13; the emitter lead would go to
Ground. The transistor should be connected directly to the R15-R13
junction and ground.
The base lead would go through a 2k-3k Ohm resistor to an
annunciator output, such as An-3 at pin 12 on the 16-pin J-15 Game
connector. PEEKing the appropriate addresses should flip Color OFF and
ON.
The reason for qualifiers such as "looks like", etc. is that I have
not actually tried a mod like this on a IIe. Monitors are remarkably
sensitive to Color Burst. If the transistor does not do a good job of
shunting the signal, enough may get through to trigger Color-ON.
A more positve (but less easy) technique is to use a 74LS32 OR gate
to control flow of the 3.58MHz signal. The IC could be tack-soldered
onto U88 via its +5 and GND pins. U88 is the 74S02 which has the gate
which produces Color Burst.
Pin 12 of the 'S02 would be bent up and connected to the output of
an 'LS32 OR gate (e.g. pin 3). One of the OR gate's inputs (pin 2) would
go to Pin 12 of the 'S02 socket. The other (pin 1) would go to an
annunciator output.
Turning ON the annunciator forces the OR gate output to "1" and
eliminates Color Burst. Turning OFF the annunciator lets the OR gate
output follow the 3.58MHz signal and enables Color Burst.
----------------------------
020- I connected my IIe to a color TV using a Radio Shack
"TV/Game Switch" but it doesn't work. How come?
A "TV/Game" switch is, usually, intended to switch RF (radio
frequency) signals. For example, in the "TV" position it connects the
TV's VHF antenna input to the VHF antenna (e.g. the long "rabbit
ears"). This way, you can watch TV.
In the "Game" position it connects the TV's VHF antenna input to a
game machine's or computer's CH 3 or CH 4 output. To see the computer's
display, you need to set the TV Channel selector to the channel being
output by the computer.
The reason your setup does not work is that the IIe does not output
an RF signal. (In fact, no Apple II has built-in circuitry for
outputting an RF signal.) The IIe outputs composite video. Composite
video is pure video information like the kind output by a VCR through
the standard 'Yellow' cable. It produces a better, sharper image than
video which is converted to RF and fed into a TV's antenna input.
If your TV has a "Video In" plug, that is where you want to plug in
the IIe's video output. An alternative is to plug the IIe output into a
VCR's "Video In" and let the VCR take care of interfacing to the TV.
Getting an "RF Converter" ("TV Converter", etc.) module is another
way to go. For about $30 Radio Shack sells a box which will convert an
Apple II's video signal to RF on CH3 or CH4.
One thing to consider when looking for ways to connect to a color
TV is that you could end up wasting time and money better spent on just
getting a standard composite color monitor (like the Amdek Color-1) at a
local Apple II swap meet.
----------------------------
021- Can I use a color TV with my IIc+?
Yes. You can use one of the methods described above or you can use
the RF Modulator module especially designed for the IIc series.
The IIc RF module is formed to fit the IIc case and has a "CH3-CH4"
slide tab on the top. Once the module is plugged in and a cable run to
the TV's antenna inputs or to a TV/Game switch, you can get very nice,
colorful on-TV hires and double-hires displays.
____________________________
From: David Empson
022- I have a friend with an Apple IIc+ who wants to connect
an RGB monitor. What is the IIc+ video pin configuration?
First, I should correct a misconception: the video port on the back
of the IIc+ is _not_ an RGB port. It is a video expansion port, which
provides all of the internal video generation signals used by the
IIc/IIc+ which can be used to generate an alternative video output
signal.
The actual functions of the IIc video port are as follows:
1 TEXT Indicates text mode is active (spcl fn in DHR mode)
2 14M 14 MHz clock sigal
3 SYNC Horizontal and vertical sync
4 SEGB Vertical counter signal from IOU, or lo-res indication
5 1VSOUND Sound output (one volt peak-to-peak)
6 LDPS Video shift load enable
7 WNDW Active area display blanking
8 +12V +12 volts DC
9 PRAS RAM row address strobe
10 GR Graphics mode enable
11 SEROUT Serialized character generator output
12 NTSC Composite NTSC video output
13 GND Ground reference
14 VIDD7 Bit 7 of video shift latch (hires mode col shifting)
15 CREF Colour reference timing signal
These come from the IIc Technical Reference, both first and second
editions.
You cannot connect a monitor directly to the IIc video port (with
the possible exception of the the LCD display, or an NTSC monitor). To
produce RGB output (or anything else) from this port, you need an
external adaptor box.
This adaptor is not simple: it has to decode the colour information
from the NTSC video signal (or generate it by detecting the graphics
mode and monitoring bit patterns), generate appropriate sync signals,
etc.
I believe there is (or was) an RGB output adaptor for the IIc,
which should also work on the IIc+.
____________________________
From: James Stafford
023- Where can I buy a replacement RGB monitor for my GS?
Alltech Electronics sells RGB monitors that they specially set up
for the Apple II for arround $150.00 I believe. These monitors were
Attari monitors that they fixed to work on Aplle II's. Alltech also has
used Aplle RGB monitors. Quality Computers has monitors made by Magnavox
for the Apple II. The price of these RGB monitors is $300.00.
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
Intrec ( http://www.intrec.com/storeinventory.txt ) lists used
"good" condition IIgs monitors for $60.00.
____________________________
From: David Empson
024- What kind of RGB monitors will work with a IIc and a
Laser 128?
I don't know about the Laser. The IIc doesn't have built-in RGB
output. Its video port provides several low-level timing signals which
allow RGB data to be decoded from the composite video signal (which is
also provided on the port), but this requires external hardware.
The "standard" IIc RGB adaptor (assuming there was one) would probably
have produced digital RGB output, the same as the Apple III and the
Apple IIe memory expansion cards with RGB output. With a digital RGB
monitor, standard digital logic levels (TTL) indicate whether a colour
(or colour weighting) is present or absent. One wire is required for
each bit of each primary colour.
The IIgs, on the other hand, produces an analog RGB signal - a voltage
on the Red, Green and Blue outputs represents the intensity of each
primary colour. Any number of shades of each colour can be supported, by
providing a finer resolution digital to analog converter within the
computer. The IIgs has 4-bit D-to-A for each primary colour. High-end
video cards on the Mac and PC (SVGA) use 8-bit D-to-A for each primary
colour.
Digital RGB monitors cannot be used with an Analog RGB signal (unless
comparators are used to generate a digital signal from the analog one).
Analog RGB monitors cannot normally be used with a Digital RGB signal,
but generating an analog signal is possible with a resistor network (an
example of this is given in the Apple III Owner's Guide). In some
cases, it may be possible to plug an Analog RGB monitor into a Digital
RGB output, but it won't produce the correct colours (when compared with
a Digital RGB monitor).
There are two common types of digital RGB monitor: one type will work
with the Apple III, Apple IIe (with RGB card), Apple IIc (with RGB
adaptor) and CGA on an IBM PC (different cables or adaptors are
required). This type has intensity and one bit each for red, green and
blue (16 colours in total).
The second type is usable with EGA. This has two bits each for red,
green and blue (64 colours in total). These monitors also have a higher
scan frequency than the first type, and cannot be used with an Apple II
(unless a card has been specially designed to use them).
Analog RGB monitors are mainly classified by the scan frequency and
resolution. The IIgs RGB monitor (A2M6014X) operates at similar
frequencies to television - around 15 kHz. Macintosh and VGA/SVGA RGB
monitors do not support such low scan rates, and typically work at about
30 kHz or higher. The Mac cannot use the IIgs RGB monitor, and the IIgs
cannot use Mac/VGA RGB monitors.
Some third-party multisync monitors will work on the Mac/VGA and IIgs,
but these are very rare now. Most multisyncs do not go as low as 15
kHz.
"15 kHz" and "30 kHz" refers to the horizontal scan frequency - Apple II
video output has a horizontal retrace roughly 15,000 times per second.
Vertical retrace is a different issue (it is much slower - usually 50 to
100 retraces per second), and most monitors are very flexible in the
supported vertical retrace rate, as far as I know.
This is also where "interlacing" comes in. Interlacing is a technique
which doubles the effective vertical resolution of the monitor, by
performing two vertical scans (fields) per frame, with a slight vertical
shift in the second field. The scan lines for the second field are
interleaved between the scan lines for the first field.
An interlaced display has more noticeable flicker than a non-interlaced
display with double the frame rate, because the phosphor is only lit
half as often.
For example, the Second Sight card will support a 400 line interlaced
mode with the IIgs RGB monitor. There will probably be noticeable
flicker in this mode (especially out of the corner of your eye).
This mode will have 60 fields (i.e. 30 frames) per second, whereas the
standard IIgs video output is non-interlaced with 60 frames per second
(but only 200 lines vertical resolution).
(I'm assuming 60 Hz mode - the IIgs also support 50 Hz mode, for use in
countries with 50 Hz mains supplies and TVs.)
Television also uses interlacing - with NTSC, there are 525 lines per
interlaced frame and 30 frames per second, with alternating lines being
scanned on each pass of the electron beam (262.5 lines per field, 60
fields per second).
PAL uses 625 lines per frame, usually at 50 frames per second (312.5
lines per field, 25 fields per second).
____________________________
From: Rubywand
025- Can I replace my GS RGB monitor with one from a PC?
Modern PC monitors have a Horizontal scan rate which is too high to
be compatible with the GS. Some users report success using some old PC
VGA monitors with a special adapter cable.
----------------------------
From: Steve Jensen
I just tried a Sony CPD 1302 multisych monitor on a GS and it works
perfectly. Very crisp picture. I used a standard cable from a Mac II.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
026- What are the specs and pin-out for the GS RGB monitor?
Max Resolution: 640 Horizontal dots x 200 Vertical dots
(200 lines of 640 dots)
Dot Pitch: .37mm
CRT Size: 12"/ 11.5" viewable
Video Bandwidth: 6.5MHz (+/- 1.5DB)
Scanning Frequencies
60Hz model 50Hz model
Horizontal: 15.734kHz 15.696kHz
Vertical: 60Hz 50Hz
Pin Function
1 Red video ground
2 Red composite video
3 Composite sync
4 (not used)
5 Green composite video
6 Green video ground
7 (not used)
8 (not used)
9 Blue composite video
10 (not used)
11 (not used)
12 (not used)
13 Blue video ground
14 (not used)
15 (not used)
Shell Shield ground
----------------------------
From: Mitchell Spector
The above specs show only maximum resolution when used with a plain
Apple IIgs. It has an interlaced mode which allows you to display
640x400, though it isn't going to be easy to look at for long periods of
time. You can see the interlaced mode if you have a VOC or Second Sight
card.
The viewable area on an Apple IIgs is probably a fair bit less than
12"/ 11.5" viewable when you take into account all the space reserved
by the border in all display modes. That probably makes it about 10"
viewable or so. If you hook up another video source (e.g. a
SuperNintendo) then you can use the entire 11.5", including what would
be the border area.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
027- Do I need to connect a monochrome monitor to my IIe to get
readable 80-column text?
Maybe not. Try turning down the "Color" control to get a B/W
display and adjusting Brightness and Contrast. This will, possibly, make
80-column text readable on your composite color monitor. Just how
readable will depend upon the particular monitor. On the popular Amdek
Color-1, readability is marginal at best. According to some user
reports, readability is decent on Apple's composite color monitor.
____________________________
From: Jim Krych (ab...@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
028- Is there a high-quality replacement for RGB monitors?
Yes. It's called the "VideoTurtle." (What follows comes from a
Video Turtle advertisement.)
The VideoTurtle is a product that converts your RGB signal, known
as TV RGB-15.75KHz scan rate for NTSC, into S-Video! S-Video is an
enhanced form of TV with better clarity and resolution than the "TV" we
are all familiar with.
With your computer, the VideoTurtle, and an S-Video equipped TV,
you get equal or better display quality, than your old RGB monitor. Not
only that, you get a much bigger and eye-pleasing display, and a TV to
boot!
The VideoTurtle, from Turtle Enterprises, can be purchased for
$149.95 from one of it's authorized distributors, such as Tex Comp Ltd.
To order all 1-800-846-3474. For technical information on TV RGB systems
we haven't mentioned, or general technical help, call 1-626-967-3341.
Turtle Enterprises can be reached via email: video...@hotmail.com
____________________________
From: Tony Cianfaglione
029- Can I use a GS RGB monitor with my IIc?
I use a IIc with a GS RGB monitor constantly through a Video 7
cable and it works fine. The 80 column text is crystal clear plus you
can make it 4 different colors by flipping switches on the Video 7. A
digital RGB displays 16 colors on a IIc but the GS RGB still displays 8.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
030- I connected a composite monitor to my GS at the standard "RCA
plug" output but I get a fuzzy dim display. The monitor worked
fine on my II+. What's the problem?
When a composite monitor is known to be okay, a fuzzy/dim display
usually indicates that the video output level is too low. (A too-bright,
whitish, faded look could indicate the output is too high.)
You can adjust video output on a II+ via the small on-mother knob
near the Game I/O socket. There does not seem to be any way to adjust
composite video output on the GS. If your monitor has a video input
level adjustment, try changing the setting.
----------------------------
031- Ever since adding a SecondSight video board it seems like my
GS is always crashing. Is the SS board causing problems?
SecondSight adds some nice features; but, it is known to be a power
hog. Most likely, your system is crashing due to noise glitches on the
+5V and/or +12V power busses. The fix is to fatten power supply leads
and, probably, add on-motherboard +5V and +12V jumpers to a couple
Slots. Details are supplied in the POWER FAQs (csa2POWER.TXT).
____________________________
From: James D. Keim
032- My SecondSight board bombs every time I try to run Inwords or
PublishIt. What's wrong?
Inwords and PublishIt use the DHR display. The SecondSight cannot
emulate the DHR display and locks up the system.
____________________________
From: Eric Jacobs
033- Including the left and right borders, how many dots are
actually sent per line in 320 and 640 modes on the GS?
Including the left and right borders, plus the horizontal retrace,
the video sends out more than 320 or 640 "dots" before the screen begins
scanning the next line. Here's a quick summary of the Apple II video
that's been used throughout the whole series (assuming 60 Hz video
here). It's a slightly modified NTSC signal, though the differences are
small enough for most monitors to accomodate.
Everything in the Apple II is derived from a 14.31818 MHz master
clock. This runs both the video and the processor/memory subsystems. The
cycle time is therefore 69.8 ns. For 640-mode (or 80 cols, or
double-hires) the dots are sent out at simply this rate. In 320-mode (40
cols or single-hires) the dots are sent out at half that rate, 7.15909
MHz (one pixel every 139.6 ns). The NTSC standard calls for 227.5 cycles
of color reference (3.579545 MHz) per horizontal line, for a horizontal
scan rate of 15.734 KHz (3.579545/.2275). The Apple II rounds this up to
228 cycles of 3M, so the horizontal scan rate is 15.699 KHz
(3.579545/.228). This is well within the tolerance of most monitors. So
therefore in 320-mode 228*2 = 456 "dots". In 640-mode there are 912
"dots". I put dots in quotes because, obviously, only 320 or 640 of them
are actually seen as part of the screen.
When the GS is outputting a composite video signal, each horizontal
line must contain a horizontal sync pulse and color burst, and there
can't be a border during this time, or else the TV won't register a
sync. On the RGB, the GS puts the border color on. So, the answer to
your question is 456-320 or 136 pixels in 320-mode and 912-640 or 272
pixels in 640-mode. This includes both borders and the horizontal sync.
Of course, a good proportion of this time is not visible; this depends
on the overscan settings of the particular monitor.
____________________________
From: Eric Jacobs
034- I picked up a IIgs RGB monitor at a garage sale. The focus is
off and it took several minutes until the display got brighter
but it's still not very good. Are there any adjustments that can
be made?
The problem you describe is consistant with low B+ going to the
flyback transformer which results in low brightness level, poor focus,
and blooming when the brightness and/or screen level is turned up. More
than likely if this monitor has been sitting around for awhile, the
filter capacitors have gone to mush. Sometimes they can be revived by
leaving the monitor on for a long period of time <over 24hrs> but,
usually, they require replacement.
Rubywand
Apple II Printers
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2PRINTER.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
001- What is pin-out for a GS to ImageWriter I cable?
002- What are the DIP switch settings for IW-II and IW-LQ printers?
003- How do I do the ImageWriter-LQ alignment test?
004- Can I use a 'straight-through' cable to connect my IW-II?
005- My ImageWriter II doesn't print! What's wrong?
006- How can I keep paper from jamming in my Imagewriter II?
007- The bottoms of letters don't get printed. How can I fix this?
008- What is the 'trick' for restoring a printer ribbon?
009- How do I connect a "Centronics interface" printer to my Apple?
010- Where can I get a Grappler+ cable? What is the pin-out?
011- What are the DIP switches on my Grappler+ for?
012- What printers will the Harmonie drivers work with on my GS?
013- What's the best GS interface for connecting a parallel printer?
014- How can I use my Epson Color Stylus 800 with my IIgs?
015- Why aren't fonts found after being moved to a new GS volume?
016- When I run Platinum Paint I get error $1301. Whats wrong?
From: David Empson
001- Can anyone tell me what the pin to pin throughput is on the
GS to ImageWriter I cable?
Looking at the IIgs serial connector, the pins are numbered as follows:
8 7 6
5 4 3
2 1
The signals on each pin are:
1 Handshake Out (DTR)
2 Handshake In (DSR)
3 Transmit Data minus
4 Signal Ground
5 Receive Data minus
6 Transmit Data plus
7 General purpose input (DCD)
8 Receive Data plus
Shield is frame ground.
The ImageWriter I or DeskJet 500 has a female DB-25 connector, arranged
in the standard order for DTE (Data Terminal Equipment):
1 Frame Ground
2 Transmit Data
3 Receive Data
4 Request to Send (output from printer, probably not used)
5 Clear to Send (input to printer, probably not used)
6 Data Set Ready (input to printer)
7 Signal Ground
8 Carrier Detect (input to printer, probably not used)
20 Data Terminal Ready (output from printer)
The pinout of the cable is:
IIgs (Mini-Din-8 male) Printer (DB-25 male)
1 (HShk Out) 6 (DSR)
2 (HShk In) 20 (DTR)
3 (TxD-) 3 (RxD)
4 (Gnd) 7 (Gnd)
5 (RxD-) 2 (TxD)
6 (TxD+) no connection
7 (DCD) no connection
8 (RxD+) must be conected to signal ground (IIgs pin 4, printer pin 7)
If you have a shielded cable, also connect the cable shield to the
Mini-Din-8 plug's shielding, and to pin 1 and the shield of the DB-25.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
002- I bought an ImageWriter II and an ImageWriter LQ. What are
the DIP switch settings for these printers?
While a number of settings are the same; there are some differences
between IW-II and IW-II LQ in DIP switch settings as well as which DIP
switches are present.
ImageWriter II & II LQ DIP Switch Settings
In Imagewriter manuals, "SW-1" refers to DIP switch module 1. Each
such module has several individually numbered switches. For example SW-1
#5 refers to switch #5 on the SW-1 module. When a switch is UP it is
open. When a switch is Down it is closed.
The settings for SW-1 #1-#8 have to do with printout format. On
SW-1 all of the switches are normally open (UP) except #6 which is
closed (DOWN). These settings work for printouts under Appleworks and
several other programs which take care of page breaks. For tasks like
listing a program, doing a hex dump in the monitor, etc. you may want
SW-1 #5 to be DOWN. (This enables automatic skipping over perforations
between pages).
Character Set
SW-1 #1 #2 #3
American U U U default
Italian D U U
Danish U D U
British D D U
German U U D
Swedish D U D
French U D D
Spanish D D D
Form Length
SW-1 #4
11 inches U default
12 inches D
Auto Perforation Skip
SW-1 #5
No U default
Yes D
Character Pitch
SW-1 #6 #7
10 cpi U U
12 cpi D U default
17 cpi U D
160 dpi D D (proportional)
Line Feed with Carriage Return
SW-1 #8
No U CR only
Yes D CR plus LF
The settings for SW-2 #1-#6 are concerned with hardware
interfacing. #1 and #2 set the baud rate the printer will expect:
#1 #2
UP UP- 300 (on IW-II) 19200 (on IW-II LQ) 'LQ default
DOWN UP- 1200
UP DOWN- 2400
DOWN DOWN- 9600 IW-II default
You should set the switches to match the speed of your printer
interface.
SW-2 #3 is usually set UP to enable DTR hardware handshaking. If your
interface wants to use XON/XOFF handshaking, set #3 DOWN.
If you have the 32K Memory Option, LocalTalk card, etc. installed, SW-2
#4 should be set DOWN. Otherwise, it should be set UP (the usual
setting).
IW-II: SW-2 #5-#6 on the IW-II are factory-set to optimize hammer firing
and should be left alone by the use (On my IW-II #5 is DOWN and #6 is
UP.)
'LQ: SW-2 #5-#7 on the IW-II LQ are used to set the number of cut sheet
feeder bins attached to the printer. (The standard default setting for
SW-2 #5-#7 is UP UP UP.)
'LQ: SW-3 #1-#5 (only on the 'LQ) are factory-set to optimize printer
operation and should be left alone by the user.
'LQ: SW-3 #6-#8 (only on the 'LQ) control vertical allignment of dots
in bidirectional printing mode.
----------------------------
003- How do I do the ImageWriter II LQ alignment test?
The 'LQ Alignment Test
With printer OFF, press Select, Line Feed, Form Feed. Hold them
pressed, turn ON printer, and release buttons after printer head starts
to move.
The printout shows four possible switch settings with six lines of
vertical bar printouts for each setting.
Settings are indicated like this: 1 0 0 (which means DOWN UP
UP). An asterisk by a setting means it is the current setting.
Set the switches to the setting which best lines up the vertical
bars in the printout.
---------------------------
004- Will a 'straight-through' cable work for connecting an
ImageWriter II to my GS?
No. In the ImageWriter cable, Pins 1 & 2, 3 & 5, and 6 & 8 are
supposed to be swapped from one end of the cable to the other.
----------------------------
005- My ImageWriter II doesn't print! The head moves, and I can hear
the pins striking the paper, but I get nothing. What's wrong?
Check ribbon positioning. If the ribbon is properly positioned,
then, you may need to adjust the the print head - to - roller distance
(sometimes called the "paper width" adjustment). There is a small lever
near the lower right side of the roller. Click-position it in a notch or
two.
----------------------------
006- How can I keep paper from jamming in my Imagewriter II?
A surprising number of Imagewriter users go for years putting up
with paper jams during long printouts. A nearly 100% cure is to just pop
up the top rollers so that they do not press the paper against the
roller.
----------------------------
007- I notice that the bottoms of letters on my ImageWriter II's
printout are not showing up. How can I fix this?
A likely explanation is that the printhead needs to be moved in
(toward the big roller) a notch. This is a standard "Paper Thickness"
adjustment on many printers. On IW, you do it with a lever to the right
of the roller.
Another possibility is that the printhead needs cleaning. Be
careful what you use to clean a printhead because some solvents can
dissolve the mask which lines up the pins. Light oils and gasoline seem
to be especially bad. A fine bristle toothbrush plus some standard
detergent in warm water or a household cleaner (like Fantastik, etc.)
should remove most dust and gunk. Whatever you use, avoid soaking the
printhead in anything very long-- i.e. get it reasonably clean and then
blow/blot dry.
Changing settings on the DIP with the factory settings which "users
should leave alone" _may_ have some effect on firing of the bottom pins.
I don't know. Probably, you would want to try everything else first.
----------------------------
008- What is the 'trick' for restoring a printer ribbon?
For cartridge ribbons, such as the one in ImageWriter II, it is
easy to 'restore' a ribbon to dark printing with a few spritzes of
WD-40. Using a pocket knife, pry off the lid of the cartridge, and, as
evenly as possible, lightly spritz the bunched-up ribbon. Restore the
lid and roll the tape back and forth a few inches. Let the cartridge sit
for several days in a plastic bag.
The idea is that the WD-40 spreads unused ink into the ribbon's
print area; so, it will not work for restoring multi-Color ribbons.
Since you are adding no ink, this trick is good for only one or two
'restorations'.
----------------------------
009- Can anyone tell me how to connect a printer with a "Centronics
interface" to my Apple II?
The Centronics interface is the standard parallel interface for
many printers. To connect such a printer to an Apple II, you need a
printer interface card and cable. Since the cards were a popular item in
the early 80's and were produced by several different companies you
should be able to get a good one without too much trouble.
The cards turn up fairly often at swap meets, should be easy to
find on comp.sys.apple2.marketplace, and are still sold by regular A2
vendors. MC Price Breakers (360-837-3042 Mon-Fri 9:30am-5:30pm Pacific
Time) offers a "Full Text & Graphic Interface" w/cable for Centronics
type parallel printers for $29.95.
____________________________
From: Mitchell Spector
010- I bought a Grappler+ printer interface card at a swap meet.
Where can I get a cable? What is the pin-out for the cable?
The cable you need is the very common "Centronics cable". It is
sold by several Apple II vendors. The pin-out is shown below:
Grappler+ Pin Assignments
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
STB 1
D0 3
D1 5
D2 7
D3 9
D4 11
D5 13
D6 15
D7 17
ACK 19
BUSY 21
P.E. 23
SLCT 25
N/C -
GND all others
----------------------------
011- What are the DIP switches on my Grappler+ for?
The DIP switches are used to configure your card for a series of
different printers out there. I'll list those settings:
DIP switch settings:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DIP SWITCH POSITIONS 1 2 3 4
Epson Series and Star Gemini OFF ON ON ON
NEC 8023/C, Itoh 8510/DMP 85 OFF ON ON OFF
Centronics 739-1 OFF ON OFF ON
Anadex Printers OFF ON OFF OFF
Okidata 82A, 83A, 92, 93, 84 OFF OFF ON ON
Okidata 84 w/o Step II Graphics OFF OFF OFF ON
Apple Dot Matrix OFF OFF ON OFF
IDS Printers (Any position)
Notes: DIP switch ON = "+" side or set to right.
Switch 1 controls MSB, the 8th bit. Setting switch 1 to 'ON'
makes MSB _not_ transmitted...
_________________________
From: Scott G
012- What printers will the Harmonie drivers work with on my GS?
The 4550 automatically senses Epson LQ code and turns on emulation.
It is like if the DIP switch were set to automatic in older BJC models.
----------------------------
From: Jim Stafford
My Canon BJ 600 works fine with the above driver. The only thing
the driver doesn't do is color!!! Make sure you have the epson dip
switch set on your printer(see the manual).
----------------------------
From: Joe Kohn
I know for a fact that Harmonie supports HP LaserJets, DeskJets,
and DeskWriters.
Tony Diaz (of Alltech Electronics) brought home an Epson Stylus 600
and connected it to the IIGS. Of all things, the first thing he tried
was Print Shop GS, and he said it printed out beautifully, in full
living color. The margins were all correct, and everything else about it
was right...using the PSGS Epson LQ driver.
He was also able to output text at 360 x 360 from EgoEd, using
Harmonie's Epson LQ4000 driver; and, he could dump text to the printer
with a PR#1 from the Applesoft prompt. So, apparently these Epson Stylus
printers do have internal fonts and can be used from ProDOS-8.
Tony was able to print out a graphic from Platinum Paint at 360
dpi; but, only in grayscale. In Fact, so far, everyone reports that they
can print in full glorious color from Print Shop GS, but that, when
printing from GS/OS via Harmonie's EpsonLQ drivers, the printout is
limited to grayscale.
____________________________
From: Supertimer
013- I have recently acquired an Apple IIGS and I want to use my
Panasonic PanaPrinter parallel dot matrix printer with it.
What is the best parallel card to use with my IIGS?
The best parallel card is no parallel card. The IIGS is has serial
ports and the best way to use parallel printers is with a serial to
parallel converter.
Global Computer Supplies, http://www.globalcomputer.com/ , has a
bi-directional model (TAC6180) that is excellent. It supports serial
rates of 300-57600 bps, so using a fast serial driver on the GS can get
you printing at 57600 bps. I doubt most printers go faster than this.
____________________________
From: Ronald Clark
014- How can I use my Epson Color Stylus 800 with my IIgs?
I have an Epson 800 and it works with PrintShopGS and Proterm 3.1
with a Grappler+ card.
----------------------------
From: Supertimer
You can also use the Epson 800 on the GS serial printer port. You
need an ImageWriter II serial cable and the Epson LQ4000 driver from the
Harmonie package of printer drivers. Send email to jo...@crl.com to
order.
____________________________
From: Owen Aaland
015- I have a problem with getting fonts recognized. I copied the
entire contents of one PRODOS Volume (named "AA") to another
hard drive with a different volume name for use on another GS.
When I launch AWGS or any other GS word processor on the second
GS, I am told to "insert disk AA" when a font is requested. Is
this a Pointless problem? A Typeset problem? Should I reinstall
the fonts or what?
Reinstalling them should make them work but an easier thing to try
first is to go into the FONTS folder inside the SYSTEM folder and trash
the 2 files called TrueType.List and Font.Lists. When you restart your
computer it will search through your Fonts folder and rebuild these
lists. This is the procedure to use if you install fonts by dragging to
the folder instead of using an installer.
----------------------------
From: Joe Kohn
If you are using Pointless, the problem is not a bug; it's a
feature ;-)
When you open the Pointless Control Panel and click on a font name,
you'll notice that pathname information (where the font is stored) is
displayed. So, you could always open the Pointless Control Open, click
on a font, click the Remove button, and then click the Add button in
order to let Pointless know where on your other system the fonts are
located.
____________________________
From: Jim Pittman
016- When I run Platinum Paint I get error $1301. Whats wrong?
Yes, I got the same error message when I tried to run Platinum
Paint with Bernie ][ The Rescue on a G3 Power Mac. The error code refers
to a missing driver, meaning, I assume, a printer driver. But even if
the correct printer driver is present, what Platinum Paint really wants
is for the D C Printer settings to be correct.
1) Be sure you have an appropriate printer driver in
*/System/Drivers.
2) Go to the Control Panel. Open D C Printer. Be sure the
appropriate port or slot is checked, as well as the
appropriate printer driver.
(If you have a cable connecting the printer port to the printer, then
"Select a Port" would be "Printer" and "Select a Printer Type" would be
"ImageWriter" or whatever you have. If you have a parallel card in Slot
1 then "Select a Port" would be "GrapplerPlus" or whatever, and "Select
a Printer Type" would be "DeskJet560C.HAR" or whatever you have.)
Rubywand
Apple II Sound
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2SOUND.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
From: Todd Whitesel
001- If the GS only has eight output chanels, then it would
seen to me that it could only play eight different sounds
at a time. So how can I digitize fifteen different sounds
and play them all back simultaneously?
To summarize the following lecture:
There are 32 oscillators (16 generators) and 16 channels. Not all are
used for actual sound output.
Oscillators are "smart voices" Generators are oscillator pairs that can
generate extra effects with each other Channels are actual independent
output lines like left and right speaker
That said, let's start at the top.
The DOC is a coprocessor with its own dedicated 64K of RAM. All the
sound samples have to be put in this RAM before they can be played.
The DOC has 32 'oscillators' which are essentially smart DMA channels.
Their basic function is to sweep through areas of the DOC memory reading
samples and playing them. They can do so at variable speeds
(automatically repeating or skipping sample values as necessary), they
can loop on a power of two boundary, they can stop when they read a
zero, they have independent volume settings, and various other things
that aid in reproducing complex instruments without loading down the
main CPU.
But when you come down to it, the DOC is capable of playing 32 sounds
simultaneously and independent of each other, provided that all the
sample data fits in the DOC RAM.
The oscillators are not all perfectly identical in operation. For the
basic sample playing and looping they are, but for some more complex
functions they must be paired. This is where the concept of 'generators'
comes from -- the 16 generators ARE operationally identical and that is
why software prefers the generator concept. Both oscillators and
generators are numbered from 0, so oscillators 0 & 1 are generator 0,
oscillators 2 & 3 are generator 1, and so on.
Generator 15 (oscillators 30 & 31) is reserved for system use (one
oscillator is set to loop slowly at zero volume, to generate tempo; I
forget if the other is used by anything, it's probably used to play mono
samples).
Most software use one generator per voice. Since 15 generators are left
over, spec'ing the GS as having "15 voice sound capability" is a fair
statement.
The actual output that comes out the DOC is a 'time-domain multiplexed'
sound output and five digital bits. What happens is this: the DOC
services each oscillator in turn, and for each oscillator the current
sample value is multiplied by the oscillators' volume setting and a
voltage proportional to the product is output on the sound output. Four
of the digital bits are set to the 'channel number' setting for the
oscillator and the last one simply changes voltage from about 3 volts to
about 0.5 (for you EE folks out there, this is the negative edge of an
output-valid strobe).
External hardware is responsible for splitting off the various channels
(4 bits means that there can be 16 of them) and outputting them
seperately. The motherboard hardware just ignores the channel setting
and mixes all the sound outputs into the speaker/earphone. The sound
connector on the motherboard only has room for 3 of the four bits, so
expansion cards that plug into the sound connector can only get 8
seperate output channels. Most stereo cards (AE's sonic blaster, for
example) only pay attention to the lowest bit, so even numbered channels
are left and odd numbered channels are right (or is it the other way
round? I forget).
No, it isn't simple, but it gives a lot of flexibility -- most of which
is largely untapped.
____________________________
From: Keen Jeffrey Alfred
002- Is there a way to output quadrphonic sound on a IIgs?
We all know that the "S" in GS stands for sound. Stereo cards
abound but the GS is capable of much more. The following circuit uses
the same technique as stereo cards to decode stereo but decodes
quadrophonic. Inside the GS by the memory expansion slot exists the J-25
sound expansion connector that most stereo cards use. The pin outs are
as follows:
J-25 Connector
1 Analog to digital in (end nearest front of computer)
2 Analog ground
3 Waveform out
4 Channel address zero
5 Channel address one
6 Channel address strobe
7 Channel address two
The analog in (pin 1) doesn't concern us here. The waveform out is
the important signal. The contains the output of all oscilators one
after the other in quick succession (the DOC only handles one at a
time). When the DOC is outputing the waveform from an oscilator it puts
the channel address from the DOC register $A0 + osc (most significant
four bits) on the three channel address lines and pulls the channel
address strobe low. (The DOC realy has four lines but only three are
connected in the GS).
The circuit below uses the first two lines the decode the channels
(creating 4 unique channels) and breaks the signal into four parts
depending on the address using cmos single position single toggle wired
as dual position single toggle switches. Then the chopped output is
smoothed with an active low pass filter with a corner frequency of
17.7KHz.
Because most programs only use stereo the second channel address in
normally low so this circuit will also decode stereo and this will turn
up at the front two outputs. I have built this circuit on a bread board
but need to make a PC board to make a better sounding circuit. Also the
output impedance should be set to 75K ohms but I haven't yet gotten
around to it.
To make sound in stereo or quad all you have to do is place the
binary address of the channel you wish the sound to have in the control
regsister for the ocsilator (the tools can do this) and there you have
it.
C1
o----||----o |\ 1/4 IC7
| R2 | o-----------o--| >o---o
o--/\/\/\--o | | |/ __|___
| _ o-|-----o-----|-------|____|--o
R1 | | \_ IC1 | | | __|___ 1/4 IC5 | *
Pin 3--/\/\/\--o-|- \_ | | | o-|____|------------o---[O]--FL
| \__o | | | 1/4 IC5
o-|+ _/ | | | |\ 1/4 IC7
| | _/ | o---|-|---o--| >o---o
| |_/ | | | | | |/ __|___
_|_ | | o-|---|-------|____|--o
/// | | | | __|___ 1/4 IC5 | *
| | | o-|____|------------o---[O]--FR
IC2 | | | | 1/4 IC5
______ | | | | |\ 1/4 IC7
| | | | o-|-|---o--| >o---o
Pin 4----|a 1|-------------o | | | | | |/ __|___
Pin 5----|b 2|---------------o | o-|---|-------|____|--o
| 3|-----------------o | | __|___ 1/4 IC6 | *
|__ 4|--------------o | o-|____|------------o---[O]--BL
Pin 6----|EN | | | | 1/4 IC6
|____| | | | |\ 1/4 IC7
o----|-|---o--| >o---o
| | | |/ __|___
o-|---|-------|____|--o
| __|___ 1/4 IC6 | *
o-|____|------------o---[O]--BR
| 1/4 IC6
|
| *Notes: [O] = Output Stage
_|_ FL = "Front Left"
/// BR = "Back Right"
... etc.
Typical Output Stage [O]
C2 - C5
o----||----o
| R3 - R6 |
trim pot o--/\/\/\--o
o----o | _ |
| v | | \_ |
----o--/\/\/\--o-|- \_ |
R7 - R10 | \__o---------
o-|+ _/
| | _/
| |_/ 1/2 IC3 - IC4
_|_
///
R1 - R6 : 1.2k ohm
R7 - R10 : 2k ohm trim potentiometer
C1 - C5 : 47pf
IC1 : LM318 high speed op-amp
IC2 : 74F139N dual 2 to 4 decoder
IC3 - IC4 : TL072 dual op-amp jfet input
IC5 - IC6 : 4016 cmos SPST analog switch
IC7 : 4069 cmos hex inverter
----------------------
From: Brian Willoughby
While there is nothing *wrong* with your circuit, I thought that I
would mention that the functionality of IC2, IC5, 6 & IC7 are combined
in a few standard CMOS chips. It turns out that your circuit is so
useful in many applications that you can easily find it in one chip,
thus saving wiring and lowering noise.
Look for a Siliconix DG506 or any make of 4058. I'm not absolutely
sure about the number 4058, but just check in any CMOS 4000 series list
for an 8-channel to 1 analog multiplexer/demultiplexer (not the digital
type, they won't handle audio/sound signals).
----------------------
From: Seth D. Kadesh
One of the chips Brian refers to is a 4052. Both the LM318 and the 4052
can be purchased from B.G. Micro (214-271-5546). Cost for both was
$3.75 USA.
The other parts can be purchased from Radio Shack.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
003- My IIgs has a stereo cable plugged right into the
Sound Output jack. Isn't that two-channel sound?
Nope; and, it is not "stereo" either. The jack is a standard stereo
jack; but, the "Left" and "Right" outputs are connected to a single
'composite' source. Possibly, Apple originally intended to supply
two-channel sound; perhaps, the idea was just to simplify connections to
stereo systems. (Stereo devotees get upset when you give them just one
'channel' to plug in.) Whatever, the fact remains: for multi-channel
output you need to add a "stereo board".
-------------------------
004- Why should I add a stereo board to my GS?
Some programs offer true stereo-- effects and music are lifted from
stereo sources or 'recorded' using two mikes-- others deliver simulated
stereo. Many products output some effects (like a bow twang) through one
channel and other effects (the THUNK! of an arrow hit) through the
second channel. Stereo, of course, produces spacious, '3-D sound'; but,
even the 'separated channels' approach can spread out the action and add
realism.
--------------------------
Related FAQs Resources: R004STEREO.GIF (GIF pic file)
005- Can I build my own GS stereo board?
Yes. Apple includes a rough outline for a stereo board design in
the GS Hardware Reference Manual. The "TDX Stereo Board" is a real-world
realization of the Apple description.
Note: See the FAQs Resource file R004STEREO.GIF for the TDX diagram.
From input to output, the TDX design is straight-forward and
simple. First, IIgs audio enters the 14052 where the "Left" and "Right"
channels are separated using the C0 input to turn ON the appropriate
section (output X or Y) when its channel is valid. (This happens at
supersonic speeds so that the user doesn't notice that each channel is
ON half of the time.) Then, each output goes to a pair of op amps where
it's filtered and amplified.
Design objectives were low noise, low distortion, and low power
consumption. From the start I expected that on-board power amp IC's
would be too puny to drive our speakers to desired volume levels and
maintain low distortion; so, the board includes no power amp IC's and is
not intended to directly drive low impedance loads such as speakers.
Like a tuner, CD deck, or other hi-fi source, it connects to a stereo
amplifier's AUX inputs (or "Tuner", "Tape", etc. inputs) or to the
inputs of speaker units with built-in amplifiers. TDX has plenty of
juice to drive any decent stereo system at 'blow out the windows' volume
levels.
As shown in the diagram, nearly all connections between TDX and the
computer, including ground, are made over the J-25 lines. Power (+5
Volts and -5 Volts) comes from the slot into which the board is plugged.
The outputs go to "RCA-type" hi-fi jacks mounted on the rear of the
board for easy access via standard audio cables. When placing the jacks,
be sure to allow space (between the jacks and rear of the computer) for
the cable plugs or arrange for the jacks to line up with an opening.
The J-25 connection is via a 7-pin mini-molex ribbon cable. It can
go to J-25 (located near the memory expansion slot); or, if J-25 is
being used by the Hyperstudio A/D input board, it plugs in there. (On
both J-25 and its extension on the A/D board, pin #1 is nearest the
front of the computer, pin #2 is next, etc..) All of the parts,
including the Apple-compatible circuit board, are commonly available.
I built the TDX stereo board near the start of the IIgs era just as
games like "Tower of Myraglen" were beginning to appear. It sounded
great then and it sounds great today running "Dungeon Master", "Instant
Music", "Jam Session", and Hyperbole MIDI-synth pieces. If your IIgs is
still in mono mode, why not make this the year you 'go stereo'. Add a
commercial unit or build the TDX. Either way, when you spread out the
sound you open up the fun!
____________________________
From: Bryan Ogawa
006- How can I transfer sound files created on a Mac to my GS?
I did the following to get stuff that my next-door neighbor digitized on
his LC using the Control Panel Document Sound for Mac Sys. 7:
1. Digitize
Find the System Folder, and the System document/whatever (it's called a
SUITCASE) and double-click:
find the sound I wanted...
copy to my HFS formatted 800K disk
plop it into my GS
2. Convert
Get AudioZap out and sic it on the files.
Click RESOURCE fork when it asks where to get the sound for.
Save it in any format you want.
Then, you can probably use SynthCreate to make a SYNTHLAB wavebank...
____________________________
From: Mitchell Spector
Related FAQs Resources: R013PHASOR.TXT (Phasor Mini-Manual text file)
007- I just got a Phasor Sound Card and now I need some info.
What are the 4 DIP switches used for? What are the 2 POTs
used for? And, where can I get programming information?
The Phasor is a great sound card. Offers you 12 sound channels
(using all sorts of wave-form patterns and effects, simular to
FM-synthesis in IBMs), 4 white noise generators (synthesized drums, etc)
and a 1-voice synthesized speech channel, expandable to 2 speech
channels. Has a 4 watt amplifier that can drive stereo speakers (left &
right). It's compatible with most older sound cards, like the
Mockingboard, ALF, SMS and Echo+. Few programs ever supported it, let
alone many programs out there that supported the older cards. It did,
however, come with some decent software that showed off the card's
features and let you experiment with it a bit.
The four DIP switches control emulation modes and standard Apple ][
internal speaker sound-level (only if you disconnect internal speaker
and have old speaker toggling sent to Phasor). Switches #1 and #2 are
for emulations. Switches #3 and #4 control your old internal speaker
sounds, again, *if* you have speaker disconnected and that pin location
on motherboard connected to Phasor.
You can set Low, Medium and High volume with three different DIP
positions. This doesn't affect Phasor music/sound however. To do that,
you must turn those two pots you asked about. Each controls either the
left or right stereo channel. Turning them clock-wise increases volume,
and you probably don't want this too high up, or sound gets distorted!
Put both on an equal setting, unless you want one channel louder/softer
than the other.
Phasor DIP switch emulation modes:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Native Phasor mode: 1: closed, 2: closed
Mockingboard mode: 1: opened, 2: closed
Echo+ mode: 1: opened, 2: opened (Never got this mode to
work!)
____________________________
From: Adrian Whichello
008- What is required to build a Sound Input board for my IIgs?
I found the following circuit on ground (in
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/MiscInfo/Hardware/digitizer.circuit
[quote]
If you don't mind putting together a few parts, you can build your own
adapter, though (explanation follows):
GS
Analog 10-500 uF
In ---------------+------------+----+------------||------ >>
| | |
-+- -+- + To CD player,
5V Zener /_\ Signal /_\ = 1.5V microphone,
diode | Diode | - Battery etc.
GS | | |
Ground -------------+------------+----+-------------------- >>
[end quote]
but I changed it to this (a better ascii rendition of the circuit is
available!):
GS
Analog 100 uF
In ------------+-----------+----+---------+-------||----- >>
| | Z +
-+- -+- +-----+ Z 10K To CD player,
5V Zener /_\ Signal /_\ = 3V Z Z microphone,
diode | Diode | - Z<--+ etc.
GS | | | Z 10K pot
Ground ----------+-----------+----+-----+------------------ >>
The Ensoniq is designed to handle 0 to 2.5V input, but audio sources
usually swing more or less equally +/- about zero. Therefore we need a
level shifter, to put the appropriate DC bias onto the input. The 3V
battery and the 10K pot are for this. To stop the low internal impedence
of the battery effectively shorting the sound source (which happens with
the first circuit), I've included another 10K resistor.
The easy way to set this up is to use a program like AudioZap and with
the CD etc. end input shorted, set the centreline of the oscilloscope
display to be halfway up the screen, so the input signal will swing
equally either side of this reference voltage. The zener diode is to
clip the top of spikes to limit them to about 5V and the signal diode is
to clip any negative going signal to -0.6V. This is protect the Ensoniq
chip from overload.
The capacitor keeps the DC out of the source. Pin one on the GS
connector is closest to the *front* of the computer (ie with the
expansion slots at the back.
The Ensoniq has a fairly low input impedence (about 3-5K), but most
portable cassette or CD players should be able to handle this, since
most headphones have a much lower impedence than this (usually around 50
to 100 ohms, even as low as eight for old ones). You can use a tape deck
as an amplifier and "impedence buffer" for a microphone.
If you can get the file
http://cassius.ee.su.oz.au/~adrianw/gsaudioin.bsq
there's proof there that it all works (a raw sound file I made).
____________________________
009- Does anyone know where I can get some details on
MockingBoard hardware and programming?
MockingBoard Mini-Manual 11/97 version
From: Rubywand
Part 1: Kinds of MockingBoards
The original MockingBoards come in four basic 'flavors':
Sound I-- produces music tones and a variety of sound
effects (3 voices to 1 Audio Output)
Speech I-- produces speech or limited sound effects
(1 voice output to 1 Audio Output)
Sound II-- 2 x Sound I on a single board (3+3 voices
to 2 Audio Outputs)
Sound/Speech I-- Sound I + Speech I on a single board
(3+1 voices to 2 Audio Outputs)
Note ...
Audio Output: This goes to a speaker or hi-fi amplifier
Voice: a musical note, sound effect, speech sound, etc.
Quite a few of the original MockingBoards were sold. Later MB's use
model names like "MockingBoard A", etc.. The main difference between the
original series and letter-named boards is wider availability of Speech.
Edhel Iaur and Mike Mahon supplied details on models A-D. Prices are
from a Sweet Micro Systems ad in the December, 1985 issue of _A+_
magazine:
MockingBoard A is a stereo music and sound synthesizer with six voices.
Suggested retail price is $99.00. This model has two sockets for adding
speech synthesis IC's so that a user could add speech to one or both
Audio Outputs. Except for the speech upgrade options, MB-A is very
similar to the earlier Sound II.
"MockingBoard B" is just the name of the Speech Upgrade; it is not a
separate MB board. The kit consists of one speech synthesizer chip.
Earlier MB's used the 16-pin SC-01 speech IC, while later board runs
provided 24-pin sockets for the newer (but somewhat flawed) SSI-263
speech synthesizer chip. Suggested kit retail price is $89.00.
MockingBoard C is simply a MB-A that has been upgraded by plugging in
one speech chip. Suggested retail price is $179.00. (There was an
'undocumented' upgrade, obtainable by plugging in the other speech chip,
which allowed the board to "sing harmony" with itself!)
MockingBoard D is a stereo music, sound and speech synthesizer for the
Apple IIc. It connects to a IIc through a serial port and is, of course,
external (unlike the Slot board models for other Apple II's). Its
drivers are very different from the slot I/O of the other MockingBoards.
Suggested retail price is $195.00.
Phasor is a MockingBoard-compatible sound card produced by Applied
Engineering. Looking at the software that comes with the Phasor may be
helpful to MB users.
MockingBoards work on Apple II's with at least 48K RAM. MB can go
into any Slot (except for MB-D, which must plug into a IIc). Most
programs expect it to be in Slot 4; however, it is fairly common for a
program which supports MB to ask you to enter the Slot #.
Most for-MB products will work with Sound I, Sound II, Sound/Speech
I, A, and C. (Some work with D.) Products that use MB include Ultima
III, IV, V Sky Fox, Wiley Byte', Thunder Bombs, Lancaster, Under Fire,
Music Construction Set, GuitarMaster, and Music Star.
MB's 0.5 Watt Audio Output(s) can directly drive an 8 Ohm speaker.
You can also run the Output(s) to a hi-fi amplifier.
Except for speech-only models, MB uses the General Instruments
AY-3-8910 Programmable Sound Generator IC. The PSG has 3 on-chip tone
oscillators (via channels A, B ,C) and a Noise Generator (NG). So, for
example, the Sound II can play up to 6 notes or effects at once. The NG
on each PSG can be mixed with any, all, or none of the three tones.
Many MB "Speech" version boards use the Votrax SC-01 Speech
Synthesizer IC. The SC-01 uses 64 phoneme sounds to produce speech. MB
software lets you adjust duration of each phoneme in 4 steps, create
"rules" for custom sounds, and speak sentences from text in BASIC
programs. The SSI-263 speech synthesizer appeared on later model MB's.
(At present, more info on the SSI-263 is not included here.)
All MB versions use the 6522 Versatile Interface IC to handle board
I/O. Except for the Sound I board, early models have circuit board
points to which you can add cables to utilize I/O ports not needed for
Sound or Speech.
Part 2: Sound Programming
Each Programmable Sound Generator (PSG) has 3 output Channels: A, B,
and C. There are also 3 Tone oscillators, one committed to each Channel,
and one Noise Generator (NG) which can send its output to any
Channel(s). Amplitude (output Level or Volume) and Envelope Control
ON/OFF is set for each Channel.
The PSG's Enable/Disable register has 8 bits. Three bits let you
decide whether or not to send a Tone oscillator''s output to its
Channel. For example, you can enable Tone outputs for the oscillators
going through Channels A and B while disabling Tone output for the
oscillator connected to Channel C.
The Enable/Disable register also lets you decide whether or not to
send the Noise Generator's output through a Channel. Three bits let you
decide which Channel(s) the NG's output will go through. For example,
you can enable NG output through Channels A and C but not through B; or,
disable NG output through all three Channels, etc..
If, for example, Channel A's Tone oscillator output is enabled and
NG output is enabled for Channel A, then, a mixed Tone + NG signal will
go through Channel A. Setting Channel A's Amplitude controls the Level
for the mixed signal.
Often, a programmer will want to individually control the Levels of
Tone outputs (for music) and Noise outputs (for sound effects). This is
accomplished by using one PSG Channel only for Noise and two Channels
only for Tones. Since the MB Sound II has 2 PSG's, a typical game
application using the board will have 4 music tones and 2 effects
sounds-- each individually controlled for Level.
More specifically, the user can set Tone Frequency (12 bits, 4
coarse & 8 fine) and Amplitude (4 bits) for each channel individually. A
fifth Amplitude bit lets you decide if a channel's Level will be "fixed"
(use the Level value) or "variable" (i.e. follow the current Envelope
pattern). You have 4 bits to set Noise Generator Frequency.
Tone Freq = A2 Clock Freq/ [ (4096 x Coarse) + (16 x Fine) ]
Noise Freq = A2 Clock Freq/ (16 x NG value)
The Envelope of the combined outputs of enabled sources can be
controlled for Period (16 bits, 8 coarse & 8 fine)** and, roughly, for
Shape (4 bits).
Env Freq = A2 Clock Freq/ [ (65536 x Coarse) + (256 x Fine) ]
The registers of the PSG are described briefly below:
Reg. Function and Bit(s) used
00 A Freq. fine (bits 0-7)
01 A Freq. coarse (bits 0-3)
02 B Freq. fine (bits 0-7)
03 B Freq. coarse (bits 0-3)
04 C Freq. fine (bits 0-7)
05 C Freq. coarse (bits 0-3)
06 NG Freq. (bits 0-4)
07 Enable/Disable note: Enable =0/ Disable =1
bit 5: NG sent to A
bit 4: NG sent to B
bit 3: NG sent to C
bit 2: A Tone
bit 1: B Tone
bit 0: C Tone
Ex: Writing $F0 to Reg 07 plays tones A, B, C plus noise on C
Ex: Writing $F8 to Reg 07 plays tones A, B, C and no noise
08 A Level (bits 0-3) and
Envelope Control (bit 4): 1 = Use Env; 0 = Use Level value
09 B Level (0-3) and
Envelope Control (bit 4): 1 = Use Env; 0 = Use Level value
0A C Level (0-3) and
Envelope Control (bit 4): 1 = Use Env; 0 = Use Level value
0B Envelope Period Fine (bits 0-7)
0C Envelope Period Coarse (bits 0-7)
0D Envelope Shape (four bits):
Continue (bit 3) 0= do 1 cycle and set Level to zero
Attack (bit 2) 1= count up 0= count down
Alternate (bit 1) 1= reverse count direction each cycle
Hold (bit 0) 1= do 1 cycle and hold count
To program the MB you write to the board's 6522 I/O chip(s). All
address references here are for a MB Sound II (2 Audio Outputs) in Slot
4.
$C400 ORB1 function to perform, Output 1
$C480 ORB2 function to perform, Output 2
$C401 ORA1 data, Output 1
$C481 ORA2 data, Output 2
$C402 DDRB1 data direction, Output 1
$C482 DDRB2 data direction, Output 2
$C403 DDRA1 data direction, Output 1
$C483 DDRA2 data direction, Output 2
Before sending music, etc. data to the MB you must Initialize the
board's I/O. To Initialize the 6522's: Store $FF at $C402 and the other
three DDRxx addresses. This needs to be done by your program just once.
Your program gets access to a PSG via the 6522 by using a few basic
Function codes which set the PSG's I/O control lines:
Set Inactive = $04
Set PSG Reg# = $07
Write Data = $06
Reset = $00
To Write to a PSG register: Tell the PSG which Register you wish to
access (i.e. Set the "current register" #) and Write the data. This is
easiest to do with subroutines to handle the basic Functions.
Example Subroutines (for Output Channel 1):
Set Reg # 1000: A9 07 8D 00 C4 A9 04 8D 00 C4 60
Write Data 100B: A9 06 8D 00 C4 A9 04 8D 00 C4 60
Notice that each Function sub ends by setting the PSG control lines to
Inactive.
Similarly, to do a Reset (set all PSG regs to zero) ...
Reset 1016: A9 00 8D 00 C4 A9 04 8D 00 C4 60
To put the value $55 in PSG Register 02 (Channel B Freq. fine) ....
1080: A9 02 put Reg# in A (6502 accumulator register)
1082: 8D 01 C4 store A at the Data address ORA1
1085: 20 00 10 JSR to Set Reg# (sets "current register" to Reg 2)
1088: A9 55 put the value $55 in A
108A: 8D 01 C4 store A at the Data address ORA1
108D: 20 0B 10 JSR to Write Data ($55 goes into PSG Register 2)
1090: 60 Exit from subroutine
----------------------------
010- How do I get my MockingBoard to work on my GS?
You need to go to the GS Control Panel and change the Slots setting
for the Slot your MB card is in to "Your Card".
The 'standard' place for a MockingBoard is Slot 4. A few early
programs require that the board be there in order to work; but, most
programs which use MB will let you specify the Slot. A few games and
other wares require modifications or interface software to work with MB
on a GS.
---------------------------
011- I have a Mockingboard Sound II board installed in my GS but
cannot get it to work with Ultima IV and Ultima V. How can
I play these games with MockingBoard music and sound effects?
U4MOCKV2.SHK is a collection of programs which will let you play
Ultima IV on your GS with MockingBoard sound. You can also set game
speed and border color.
For playing Ultima V with MB sound, check out U5MBONGS.SHK.
Both of these wares take care of activating the MockingBoard Slot
without changing Control Panel settings. You can find them on Ground in
the AOL area:
ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Collections/AOL/Games/Adv./Roleplay
____________________________
From: Tom Mage
012- How can I get 'regular Apple sound' (like BEEPs, etc.) to play
through my Mockingboard's outputs?
I recently got a Mockingboard C, which, it turns out, has a plug
and cable specifically for connecting in sound from the Speaker! (Most
likely, the MB A has a similar connection.)
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
Evidently, older Mockingboards (like our Sound II) do not include
the built-in Speaker connection; so, users with these boards will need
to do a simple mod.
The Apple II speaker is in the Collector circuit of the sound
output transistor-- one end of the spkr goes to a resistor and capacitor
connected to the output transistor Collector and the other goes to +5V
(not ground). To get an audio output signal, the spkr must be in place;
or, you can substitute a 1 watt resistor-- something in the 22-39 Ohm
range.
The output should come from the side of the spkr (or 1 watt
resistor) going to the resistor & capacitor connected to the
transistor-- i.e. the side which is _not_ the +5V side. The output goes
through a coupling capacitor to the center lead of your RCA plug. The
Ground side of the RCA plug goes to ground.
"Ground" is DC ground = any motherboard trace area which is
connected to the ground side of the power supply. For example, the
outside "shell" of the composite video output is soldered to ground.
Here is a rough picture ...
+5V side
|
|
[]< Speaker or 27 Ohm resistor
|
|---------------------|(--)|------------------------ Output
| 10uF 10uF to Amplifier
| 2 caps connected as bi-polar capacitor
|
Transistor _________________ Ground
side |
DC Ground
You can get a bi-polar coupling capacitor at Radio Shack (2uF-5uF
is fine) or make one by connecting two 10uF caps neg end to neg end.
(The value is not critical, two 5uF caps connected back to back is
fine.)
----------------------------
From: Michael Mahon
For the vast majority of connections to external amplifiers, a
non-polarized capacitor is not required in this circuit, precisely
_because_ the transistor side of the capacitor never goes below ground.
A 4.7 uF capacitor, with the (+) side toward the transistor collector
and the (-) side toward the amplifier will do the job nicely.
____________________________
From: Mitchell Spector
013- Are there any GS programs that will let me play
MIDI files that I get from the web?
The best one out there is MIDISurgeon 2.0, formely available from
EGO Systems. It lets you convert and tweak (very finely if need be) MIDI
files into MIDIsynth format, what most people heavily associate with
synthLAB. MIDIsynth is really the best way to hear MIDI sequences,
though it is very limited these days: 7 voices and 64K worth of patches
maximum (choosen from a small number of instrument banks out there, with
a sparse selection). If you have MIDI files that are under 7 voices and
only use a couple of instruments it is passable.
There is also the freeware MIDIConvert program, but it isn't very
flexible.
WaveLAB (another program by Dave Tribby) is also worth downloading,
it allows you to create new instrument banks.
You should be able to get MIDIConvert from the Caltech and Ground
FTP sites. SynthLAB/MIDIsynth is part of System 6, downloadable from
Apple's FTP site. As for MIDISurgeon, you'll have to contact Dave Tribby
to find out its status.
I personally just use a MIDI connection between my Apple IIgs and
PC with one end running synthLAB and the other CakeWalk Express, then
have one side "play" the other and I record that. Makes editing much
easier and faster.
----------------------------
From: Edhel Iaur, Esq.
Apple's SynthLAB may be necessary for many solutions. Check out the
following URLs for related midi wares:
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Music.and.Sound/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/Music/Applics/
---------------------------
From: Clayburn Juniel/Effective Software Solutions
Hey, what about Music Composer? It's much better than synthLAB for
doing MIDI playback.
Just a note. Music Composer* does use the MIDIsynth tool to play
the music, and to do some editing. MIDIsynth does a lot that synthLAB
doesn't use. It was always my impression the that synthLAB was never
finished.
*ESS web site: http://www.primenet.com/~clay1/
_______________________
014- Would FExt.NDA let you play thru Synthinit if you
placed Synthinit in the System.Setup folder?
OK, I guess it's shameless plug time :) FExtNDA will allow you to
use SynthInit from any desktop program. Place SynthInit in your
System.Setup folder, and FExtNDA in your Desk.Accs folder (of course :).
Then, in FExtNDA's preferences, check 'Send finderSaysIdle'. If you want
to be able to use keypresses to change songs, also check 'Send
finderSaysKeyHit'. For more useful information on using the two
together, check the docs in FExtNDA.
PS: SynthInit isn't the only Finder Extension that will work: IR,
DeskTracker, FinderView, FinderSounder, TeacherReader, EGOed, etc. etc.
etc. all work.
________________________________
From: Charles T. Turley
015- Can I play .WAV files on my GS?
Yes. Download and check out 'Universal Sound Edit'. It's a GS sound
editor that handles virtually every type of sound format from just about
all computer platforms.
You can read the documentation file and download the program
archive-- USE.SHK -- from the GS.AUDIOWARES/ folder at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Collections/1WSW/GS.WorldView/
________________________________
From: Dave Huizing
Related FAQs Resources: R011SNDFMTS.TXT (text file)
016- What formats are used for audio files?
See the Audio File Formats Guide FAQs resource file R011SNDFMTS.TXT
.
________________________________
Related FAQs Resources: R012ECHO.TXT (Echo mini-manual text file)
017- How do I use my Echo speech synthesizer to produce speech?
See the Echo Speech Synthesizer Mini-Manual FAQS resource file
R012ECHO.TXT .
________________________________
From: Ian Schmidt
018- What types of sound files are used on the GS?
Several types of sample files are used. Here are the most common.
Name Ext. FType Description
---------------------------------------------------
Raw no std. BIN Contains only raw sample data. The
auxtype is normally the sample rate
divided by 51. (See section CA for
more on why this is).
ACE .ACE $CD Contains raw sample data compressed with
ACE, Apple's Tool029 sound compressor.
ASIF no std. $D8 Contains sample data plus additional data.
Notable due to its use by SoundSmith.
AIFF .AIFF $D8 Interchange format popular on the
Macintosh. Not used much on the IIgs.
Hyper
Studio no std. $D8 Contains raw or ACE compressed data plus
additional information.
rSound no std. $D8 Resource fork contains one or more rSound
and rResName resources. Used by HyperCard
IIgs and the Sound CDev.
--------------------------------
Related FAQs Resources: R015SNDNMUS.TXT (text file)
019- Where can I find more info on cards, editing, digitizing, ...?
See the Sound & Music info FAQs resource file R015SNDNMUS.TXT.
________________________________
From: Rubywand
020- What is "old Apple" sound and how is it produced?
All Apple II computers can produce "Old Apple" sound without any
special boards or add-ons. The system BEEP you hear upon a Reset is an
example.
The sound is produced by code which addresses memory location
$C030. Each time $C030 is referenced the output of a flip-flop going to
a simple audio amplfier stage changes state.
For example, in BASIC, X= PEEK(49200) will produce a single click.
In machine code, so would AD 30 C0 (Load Accum from address $C030).
Duration and Frequency of sound can be set by placing the address
reference instruction inside a loop and using other loops to control
speed of references.
Although the signal going to the internal amplifier is always a
square wave, creative coding by music enthusiasts, game developers, and
other users has produced remarkable effects ranging from two-voiced
music and game sounds to speech.
________________________________
From: Mitch Spector
021- What is a good source for .WAV and .BNK files?
Have a look at ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/apple16/Music and
you should find a couple of different custom made instrument banks for
MIDIsynth. A couple to look for: 'Europe.bnk', MIDI.bnk', 'InstF.bnk',
'InstA.bnk', 'GrandPiano.bnk', 'Jazz.bnk', 'MT32.bnk'.
________________________________
From: Rick Diffley
022- How can get more System Sounds for my GS?
IF you have HCGS (HyperCard GS) then, one way to get System Sounds is to
place a HCGS stack with rSounds in the Sound folder. You'll have plenty
of new sounds to use with the Sound CDev.
Making a new stack and moving sounds into it works fine, but so does
making a COMPLETELY EMPTY file of type $55/$0001 (HyperCard Stack -- you
can save an empty text file and then change its file type to do it) and
then moving the sounds into THAT. Afterwards, you can change the file
type of that file to $D8/$0003 (Sound Resource) so HyperCard won't try
to actually open it as a stack. This saves about 7K of space.
Also, sound files that are placed in the */System/Sounds folder can be
directly used by HCGS v1.1! You don't need to install those sounds into
a stack! There's a smaller and much more manageable hammer. All that's
required is HyperCard GS and some utility to change file types.
To get sounds out of a HCGS stack and into a system sounds file, with NO
OVERHEAD whatsoever, do the following:
1) Create an empty text (or binary, or whatever) file on disk.
2) Change the file type of that file to $55/$0001 (HyperCard
GS stack).
3) Use HyperCard's XCMDs (or Hang's sound stacks) to copy sounds
into that file that used to be a text file.
4) Change the file type of that file to $D8/$0003 (Sound resource).
5) Throw that file into your system Sounds folder.
You could also just create a new stack from within HCGS and do the same
thing, but it'll be about 7K larger, due to the information HCGS puts in
a stack's data fork when it's created.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
023- How do I get System 6.0.1 to run Music Studio 2.0
from hard disk?
A problem which seems to trip up many users is placement of the
WAVES folder. You can put most of Music Studio in a folder named
"AppleMusic" (or whatever); but, the WAVES folder needs to be in the
main directory of the volume.
----------------------------
024- Using Sound Shop and similar utilities, I get static and
scratchiness on my GS sound samples and, sometimes, hum.
What's wrong and how can I get better recordings?
There are several ways to get "static" when recording sounds on
your GS. One is to have incorrect settings for the sound recording
program. If input level is set too low, you may be recording relatively
more noise than sound. If input level is set too high, you may be
getting "clipping"-- the signal gets chopped at the peaks-- which can
sound like static.
Also, check the Sampling Rate setting. A too-low sampling rate can
result in glitchiness which sounds like static. If you have not already
done so, try experimenting with your sound recording program's settings.
If your sound input board has more than one input, then, one may be
for "Line Input" for recording from a tuner, tape deck, etc. and another
may be for "Mic". If there is a choice, be sure your sound source goes
to the right input. For example, to record using a microphone, it should
be plugged into "Mic".
Hum usually indicates a different problem. Almost always it
indicates a broken or very poor Ground/shield connection. Check your
connector jacks and plugs. Sometimes just turning a cable plug in the
socket/jack will establish a good contact and end hum.
If you are using a microphone, it could be the source of problems.
Static can come from a mike which is damaged, has some sand, etc.
sitting on the diaphram, has an intermittant ON/OFF switch, has a
damaged cord, or has a loose connection at the plug.
Or; you may be using a perfectly good microphone which is badly
mismatched to your sound input board. For example, a high quality mike
may deliver a very low output. Your input circuit may auto-boost
amplification to try to compensate; but, the result may be to obtain an
audible recording with greatly increased noise. (Your signal-to-noise
ratio at the input is too low.)
By the way, the mike supplied with Hyperstudio (the Apple IIgs
version) is not an especially high quality unit; but, it works fine with
Hyperstudio's GS sound input board. If you are not sure that your mike
is okay and is the right sort for your sound input board, try swapping
in one from a tape recorder, etc..
----------------------------
025- Squeals and other noises spoil my GS stereo board sound? A fix?
Your stereo board is plugged into a Slot and the noise probably
comes from the Slot bus. The problem is noticed more often on Rom-01
GS's than ROM-03's because the latter seem to have heavier power traces
and this helps reduce noise. However, any GS may exhibit Slot noise when
a few power-sucking boards (e.g. an accelerator) are plugged in. For
ways to reduce noise see Q&A related to fattened power supply leads,
motherboard jumpers, and similar enhancements in the Power and Cooling
FAQs file CSA2POWER.TXT.
----------------------------
026- My IIgs has no sound from the internal speaker. How can
I fix this?
The fix _may_ be fairly easy. Try plugging Stereo headphones into
the Sound Output jack on the back of the GS. Whatever you plug in
(headphones, a connection to an amplifier, etc.) must have a Stereo
plug. If you get sound through the headphones but no sound when the
headphones are unplugged, it means that your jack is, probably, messed
up.
There's a leaf switch which is part of the jack which is supposed
to close and connect-up your internal speaker when nothing is plugged
in. If this switch's contacts become dirty or the leaf loses its
springiness, the switch fails to close. The easiest long-term fix is to
either
A. solder a jumper which keeps the switch closed whether or not
anything is plugged in or
B. plug in an external speaker (using a Stereo plug).
Another, fairly rare, cause of Sound loss is that the internal
Speaker "+" lead has been pressed against a pointy Ground circuit point
on the motherboard. This sometimes happens when the small front panel
and/or the motherboard has been removed and replaced without making sure
the Speaker lead is routed correctly.
If neither of the above fits your Soundlessness problem, describe
your system and post the question to Csa2.
Rubywand
Apple II Telecom Manual I: Hardware and Transfers
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2T1TCOM.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
001- How do I transfer files between my Apple and a PC or Mac?
002- How do I transfer/convert my A2 word processor files to a PC?
003- How do I transfer Apple II disks between Apple2 and PC?
004- How do I transfer files between computers using NULL modem?
005- How do I NULL-modem Text files without getting garbage?
006- How do I make a "NULL Modem" cable?
007- What is the maximum length for a NULL modem connection?
008- I have a Super Serial Card. What cable should I use?
009- How do I make a GS hardware handshake High-Speed modem cable?
010- What is the fastest modem I can use on an Apple IIe?
011- Does what applies to the IIe also apply to the //c and IIgs?
012- What telecom programs run on Apple II computers?
013- What are the settings for the Apple Super Serial Card?
014- What are the Serial Pro card's dip switch settings?
015- What are the settings for an Apple Serial Interface Card?
016- What cable can I use to do NULL modem transfers with my IIc?
017- What cable(s) can I use to connect a modem to my IIc?
018- How can I connect a modem with a Dsub-9 socket to my IIgs?
019- What is the maximum modemming speed I can get from my IIgs?
020- How can I transfer files from PC to GS using Zip disks?
021- How do I get an Applesoft program into a PC-DOS computer?
022- I want to use a faxmodem with my //GS. Is this possible?
023- Can I do modem-to-modem transfers between my home computers?
From: Rubywand
001- How do I transfer files between my Apple and a PC or Mac?
The best, most flak-free way to move stuff between Apple II and PC
or Mac is via a NULL modem connection. This is a direct
machine-to-machine transfer between serial ports with a NULL modem
connector joining modem cables from each computer.
Other ways of doing a direct PC-Apple II transfer include ADT and
Ap2222. These software packages include A2 and PC programs which let the
user do transfers via serial ports (ADT) or game port and printer port
(Ap2222). They are, mainly, intended for moving whole A2 5.25" disks.
Another option is to use a BBS-- perhaps your own company BBS-- or
a website, etc.. You upload from one machine and download with the
other.
A completly different approach is to move files on diskette. For PC
transfers, this requires that either the Apple II or the PC have a
plug-in card and/or special diskette drive which lets it read diskettes
from the other machine. The mechanics of each machine's diskette
interface are too different to permit Apple II to read a PC diskette on
an A2 drive or PC to read an A2 diskette on a PC drive.
Depending upon model, installed OS, and available utilities, Macs
can exchange files with Apple II computers via ProDOS and HFS 3.5"
diskettes. Macs with the A2 plug-in board can handle standard 5.25" A2
diskettes.
----------------------------
From:SuperTimer
If your other computer is a Mac, you can format a Mac HFS
(standard) DS/DD 3.5" disk and the GS can read and write it if you have
the HFS FST installed. That's how I exchange files with a Mac...
____________________________
From: Rubywand
002- How can I transfer and convert word processor files from an
Apple IIe to a PC Microsoft format (DOS, Word)?
There is a Sequential Systems package named "CrossWorks" which
lets you transfer Appleworks, Word Perfect, text, and other ProDOS files
to a PC and transform them to a variety of PC formats including those
which fit a variety of PC word processors. It includes Apple & PC
software plus an 8' cable which connects your IIe, IIc, IIc+, or IIGS to
a PC. Sequential is at http://www.sequential.com . Their number for
orders is 800-759-4549.
____________________________
From: Bill Mackin
003- Is there a way to transfer Apple II disks between a an Apple II
and a PC?
Sure. Yesterday I downloaded ap2222pc.zip. It was written by some
guy in Hong Kong. You buy a 25-pin male parallel port connector and two
8-pin DIP sockets from Radio Shack. He gives the wiring diagram for
connecting 9 wires between them. You type in a 6502 assembly program on
your apple at address 300. Save the program, shut things off, hook up
the wire from your PC printer port to the Apple Game Controller socket,
turn them on, and run his programs.
It copies whole Apple disk images over to the PC, or PC to Apple,
or individual files back and forth! It works great! I've already made
26 disk images from my old Apple disks (great for backup, too!) and have
been playing the games from them, moving games around, etc.
I only had one problem with the ap2222pc program; the first time I
ran it, my PC was already in Windows and I had printed something to a HP
LaserJet IV from it; when I turned the Apple on after hooking up the
cable, the Apple locked up, giving me several different hi-res graphics
screens in series, no beep, and no cursor. The problem went away when I
turned the Apple on first, then the PC.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
004- How do I transfer files between computers using NULL modem?
You will need a NULL modem connector and each computer needs a
modem cable and telecom program. A IIe or II+ will also need a serial
card.
____________ ____________
| PC or Mac | | Apple II |
| running a | | running a |
| telecom | <--modem--> [NULL modem] <--modem--> | telecom |
| program | cable [connector ] cable | program |
|____________| |____________|
"NULL modem" means "no modem". A NULL modem connector is just a pair
of connectors wired 'back to back' with a few lines switched so that
each computer views the other pretty much as though it were a modem.
NULL modem connectors can be found at Radio Shack for a few dollars or
you can make your own.
On the Apple II side, you can choose from several good telecom
programs. Since you would like to be able to do z-modem transfers, good
choices include Intrec's ProTerm-A2 3.1 (Enhanced IIe -- IIgs), MGR
Software's Modem MGR (II+ -- IIgs), AnsiTerm (IIgs), and Spectrum
(IIgs). You can also choose from many freeware and shareware programs.
Generally, these support x-modem but do not support z-modem.
If you're running under a current version of Windows, HyperTerm
works very nicely on the PC side. (For sending Text files from PC to
Apple under HT, be sure to uncheck "send line enders" in the ASCII
settings.) If there is a choice of terminal emulations, it seems best
to stick with something simple, such as "TTY". A good NULL modemming
program for running under DOS is Telemate, commonly available as
shareware. Many other telecom programs are available and work fine under
current Windows, old Windows, and DOS. Similarly, there is a good
selection of Mac telecom wares.
To do transfers, you just connect the modem cable from each machine
to the NULL modem connector. If your PC or Mac has a spare COM port, the
connection can remain in place without disrupting normal net connections
through the other COM port. For a GS, the modem cable should be a "high
speed" type which allows hardware handshaking and this option should be
set in the GS telecom software. The same is true for other Apple II's
running at 9600 baud or above.
Set the same format (8-N-1) and baud rate on each telecom program.
(The format will, almost always, already be set to 8 bits-No parity-1
Stop bit.) A good first-try speed setting is 9600 baud. If errors
indicate this is too fast for either machine, you can move down to 2400
baud. An accelerated GS running Spectrum can connect with modern PC's
running HyperTerm at 56k baud or better.
Note: Spectrum (and most other newer Apple II telecom programs) do not
require that you modify Control Panel settings for speed and
handshaking. Since Spectrum directly accesses the GS serial port, speed,
etc. settings are done in the program. (By the way, this frees-up Slot 2
-- the GS modem firmware Slot-- for any peripheral card which needs to
have its Slot set to "Your Card" in the Control Panel.)
Place each program in terminal mode-- often, this is the default
mode. Or, the particular telecom program may have menu items or buttons
you select for specific kinds of transfers.
Next, you will usually select the function (send or receive) on
each machine and the protocol. The protocol should be the same on both
machines. Z-modem is the best choice for most single or multiple file
transfers. Text files can be an exception (see the next question). A
plain ASCII transfer will circumvent most problems but is slower; and,
you may need to send and receive/capture files one-by-one instead of in
batches.
Finally, you will select the file or files to send or "Open".
Usually, it is best to start Receive on the target machine before
starting Send on the source machine. If you find that one telecom
program or the other does not give you enough time to start Send-- i.e.
it keeps "timing out"-- change the program's "Time Out", "Inactivity
Delay", etc. setting.
Note: Some telecom programs may expect an end-of-send signal which the
sending program does not supply. Pressing CTRL-X or RETURN on the Apple
II or ESC on the PC often seems to work okay for terminating the Send.
----------------------------
From: Jeff Blakeney
You don't need to manually tell Spectrum or other modern telecom
programs to receive a file each time you do a Z-modem transfer. Just
make sure that you have Auto Receives turned ON. In Spectrum the setting
is in the Settings/File Transfer/Receive Options... dialog.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
005- How do I NULL-modem Text files without getting garbage?
The main problem in A2-PC Text file transfers is that Text files
created by the PC use a CR _and_ an LF to end a line whereas Apple
II-created Text files use just a CR. So; PC files show up on Apple II
displays with annoying "#" or inverse "?" symbols; and, Apple II files
show up on PC displays with long, un-terminated lines interspersed with
block symbols.
For PC-to-A2 Text file transfers, Z-modem, X-modem, etc. usually
work fine if you have some way to deal with the extra Control
characters, mainly line feeds. On the GS, Appleworks 5 does a good job
of automatically cleaning out such garbage; and, Text editors like
ShadowWrite and CoolWriter have options to quickly strip out offending
line-feed Control characters. Some telecom programs, including Spectrum,
have Text editors which can strip out Control characters and perform
other manipulations to clean up a file.
An alternative is to do a plain ASCII Text transfer. (The PC
telecom program should be told _not_ to add line feeds or "line
enders".) Depending upon your A2 telecom program, the result may be
saved from your Capture Buffer, captured directly to an on-disk Text
file, or selected and saved from the Scrollback buffer.
Similarly, for A2-to-PC Text transfers, you can use Z-modem or some
other block transfer protocol if you have a PC utility which can convert
Apple II text to text PC's like. For example, one way to send several
Text files is to put them in a .SHK file, z-modem them to the PC, and
use Nulib (v3.24) to unshrink the files in PC Text format.
Otherwise, you are probably better off doing a Text transfer. Set
your A2 telecom program to "send LF's". If there is a "Prompting" option
it should be OFF. Do an "ASCII Text", "Plain Text", etc. Send. The PC
telecom program should be set to Receive Text if this option is
available. If it is not, you will be able to select and save the text
from the PC program's display or save the text from some capture buffer.
Note: Some programs with a "Receive Text" option may expect some
end-of-send signal which the sending program does not supply. Pressing
CTRL-X on the Apple II or ESC on the PC often seems to work okay for
terminating the Send. For example, Telemate will ask if you wish to
abort the transfer-- you answer "Y"es-- but, the file will still be
saved on the PC.
----------------------------
From: Edhel Iaur, Esq.
Appleworks 5.x seems to do a pretty good job of cleaning up text
files from the net. (e.g. it automatically clears out the annoying LF's
which show up in most text file viewers.) There is, also, a standard
Awks macro which will get rid of end-of-every-line CR's.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
006- Does anyone have directions for making a "NULL Modem" cable?
A NULL modem is two 25-pin female sockets (call them "A" and "B")
wired back-to-back as follows ...
Socket-A Socket-B
1 -> 1
2 -> 3
3 -> 2
4 & 5 -> 8
6 & 22 -> 20
7 -> 7
8 -> 4 & 5
20 -> 6 & 22
If you can find a couple old-style Dsub25 plug casings, the sockets
can be mounted and the casings can be glue-gunned together to make a
nice compact unit.
For GS-PC (or Mac, etc.) transfers, you plug the modem cable from
the GS into one side of the NULL modem and the modem cable from the PC
into the other side. If the PC has a 9-pin serial port connector, use a
9-to-25 adaptor cable to connect to the NULL modem. Similarly, if the
Mac cable has a special connector, use a converter to a male Dsub-25M
connector for plugging into the NULL modem.
----------------------------
007- What is the maximum length for a computer-to-computer
NULL modem hardware-handshaking connection?
Most texts agree that around 50 feet is the 'safe' maximum length.
----------------------------
008- I'm using the Super Serial Card. What cable should I use
to get Hardware Handshaking?
According to a diagram in the "Modem Works" manual, there is a
special modem cable recommended for connecting to a Super Serial Card to
get hardware handshaking flow control:
SSC side Modem side
25-pin 25-pin
2 -------> 2
3 <------- 3
4 -------> 4
5 & 8 <--- 5
6 <------- 8
7 <------> 7
20 ------> 20
For NULL modem transfers, the Modem side plugs into the NULL modem
connector.
____________________________
From: Tae Song (White Wolf)
009- Does anyone out there in Net.Land have the pin connections
to use for a GS CTS/RTS hardware handshake compatible
"High-Speed" modem cable?
View is looking into the cable connector/plug at the pins.
Male Mini-Din 8 RS-232 Male Dsub-25M
6 7 8 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13
3 4 5 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
1 2
DIN-8 Dsub-25M Signal Discription
3 2 TD (Transmit Data)
5 3 RD (Receive Data)
4,8 7 GND (Ground)
2 5 CTS (Clear to Send)
1 4,20 RTS & DTR (Ready to Send and Data Term Ready)
7 8 DCD (Data Carrier Dectect)
____________________________
From: Richard Der
010- I have an Apple IIe and was wondering what is the fastest
modem I can use on it?
The Super Serial Card and compatible serial cards max out at 19200.
As a result, 14.4 modems are the fastest modems that can be used on the
IIe. A 28.8 modem will work; but it will automatically switch into 14.4
mode.
----------------------------
011- Does what applies to the IIe also apply to the //c and IIgs?
For the //c, mainly it does. The //c requires a different cable. If
your //c is a IIc Plus, you can use a Macintosh modem cable with it.
These are available in most computer stores.
What is said about the IIe applies to the IIGS except:
1) The IIGS port can easily go up to 57600, so faster modems
are no problem.
2) The IIGS uses Macintosh modem cables available in any
computer store.
3) The IIGS can use its own modem software, such as Spectrum
which is more powerful and graphical.
4) You will be able to use your normal PC style internet
connection when a GS graphical web browser is ready.
A GS TCP/IP already exists.
____________________________
From: Gareth Jones
012- What telecom programs run on Apple II computers?
KERMIT: This runs on any Apple II. It comes in DOS 3.3 and ProDOS
versions. It is free. It supports Kermit and XModem file transfer
protocols; VT52, VT100, and dumb terminal emulations. It is a little
harder to set up and use than some other programs, but works perfectly
well once you've done that. On a GS, remember to turn the "DCD Detect"
option in the modem control panel OFF, or it won't work.
Z.Link: a ProDOS system program that requires a IIe, //c, or IIgs. It
supports XModem and YModem file transfers; VT100 and partial VT220
emulations. The "macro" program that comes with it is simple, but fine
for some things, like auto-entering your password. A nice feature is
that ALL the options are shown and set in a single screen display,
reached by pressing Open-Apple-?. I used this program quite happily for
a number of years, so it is probably worth a download to see if it meets
your needs.
Talk is Cheap 4.0: An excellent program for the IIe, //c, or IIgs. It
requires an accelerator chip (e.g. a Zip Chip) in a IIe or //c to
communicate over 4800 baud. With the accelerator chip, you're fine up to
19,200 baud. It has an excellent scripting language, which was used as
the basis for Spectrum's scripting language. File transfer protocols are
Xmodem (various types, such as 4K xmodem and 1K xmodem) and Ymodem (for
downloads). The manual is a good tutorial for telecommunications. You
may be able to find an early shareware version on the nets or in your
User Group's Library.
ProTerm 3.1: I can't talk too much about this since I haven't used it. A
demo is available for trying out. What I CAN say is that this has been
the most popular commercial telecommunications program available for the
Apple II. The program supports many emulations, every file transfer
protocol I know (including Kermit), and if you have a mouse, it'll give
a mouse and pull-down-menus environment. If you don't have one, you
won't need it.
Telcom: This is a recent discovery for me: a telecommunications program
for the IIgs with Xmodem uploads and downloads, ymodem downloads, VT100
or ProTerm Special Extended terminal emulations. It runs only on the GS,
and uses a mouse-and-menus interface implemented on the text screen. It
is free, because it is a never-finished commercial product. The author,
Jawaid Bazyar, would like your comments on it. This is similar to Z.Link
in features (except no macros), and cheaper, but GS only.
Spectrum: This is the ONLY GS/OS telecommunications desktop program
(i.e., standard menus, the system clipboard for cutting and pasting,
etc.). VERY strong scripting language that even supports sounds, icons,
fonts, colours, clickable buttons (like HyperCard). It supports most
terminal emulations, many file transfer protocols (e.g. Zmodem, though
not Kermit. Yet). The author and publisher have released version 2.0 and
are committed to developing it further.
ANSITerm: from Parkhurst Micro Products. Paul Parkhurst's program is
supposedly the best colour ANSI graphics available on a GS. It supports
macros, many file transfer protocols, and there is a demo version to try
out. GS users only.
----------------
From: Rubywand
Another very good program is Modem MGR from MGR Software. It runs
on any Apple II and works with a wide range of modems, 80-column boards,
and clock cards. MM supports popular protocols from x-modem through
z-modem and many terminal emulations. The last number I have for MGR
Software is 714-993-0294.
____________________________
From: Tom Kelly
013- What are the settings for the Apple Super Serial Card?
SUPER SERIAL CARD (SSC) SETUP SETTINGS
Recomended slots:
slot 1 for terminal use (e.g. printer)
slot 2 for communication use (e.g. modem)
Jumper Block:
for communication use label is upside down (arrow points up)
for terminal use label is right side up (arrow points down)
Note that RS-232-C signals on the SSC use negative-true logic; that is,
they are true at 0v and false at +5 volts.
SW1 Dip Switch Settings:
Baud SW1-1 SW1-2 SW1-3 SW1-4 SW1-8
50 on on on off not used
75 on on off on "
110 on on off off "
135 on off on on "
150 on off on off "
300 on off off on "
600 on off off off "
1200 off on on on "
1800 off on on off "
2400 off on off on "
3600 off on off off "
4800 off off on on "
7200 off off on off "
9600 off off off on "
19200 off off off off "
Switch Settings For Communication mode:
SW1-5; SW1-6; SW1-7 are all set on
Data Parity Stop SW2-1 SW2-2 SW2-3 SW2-4
Bits Bits
7 none 1 on off off on
7 odd 1 on off on off
7 even 1 on off off off
7 none 2 off off off on
7 odd 2 off off on off
7 even 2 off off off off
8 none 1 on on off on
8 odd 1 on on on off
8 even 1 on on off off
8 none 2 off on off on
8 odd 2 off on on off
8 even 2 off on off off
Note: SW2-1 thru SW2-4 settings can be overridden by software.
SW2-5:
ON for linefeed out
OFF for no linefeed out
SW2-6:
ON for baud rates greater than 1199 baud
SW2-7:
OFF in communication mode
SW2-8:
Not used
Connector Pin Assignments
10-Pin Dsub-25
Header Connector Signal Name
______________________________________________________
1 1 Frame Ground
2 2 Transmit Data (TXD)
3 3 Receive Data (RXD)
4 4 Request To Send (RTS)
5 5 Clear To Send (CTS)
6 6 Data Set Ready (DSR)
7 19 Secondary Clear To Send (SCTS)
8 7 Signal Ground
9 20 Data Terminal Ready (DTR)
10 8 Data Carrier Detect (DCD)
Pins 1-7 and 2-7 are set together to determine the SSC pin to be read
for the Hardware Handshaking signal. Generally set to monitor Pin #20.
Common Configurations: [Don't Forget The JUMPER Block]
Hi Speed Modem ImageWriter I/II
1234567 1234567 1234567 1234567
ON XXXXXX XXXXXX X XX X XX
OFF X X XXX X XX XX
____________________________
From: Kevin M. Carr
014- Could someone who has an Applied Engineering Serial Pro
card please post a list of the dip switch settings for
the 2 banks of switches?
I use an AE Serial Pro in my //e to connect to my ImageWriter II.
All of the DIP switches are set to OPEN (switch down). The switch block
next to the printer interface connector is for hardware handshaking
signals. (Copied without any permission whatsoever from the AE Serial
Pro User's Manual.)
o Switch 1, when closed, select pin 4 (Request to send) as the flow
control handshaking line. Some printers which use this line are: Data
General TP2; Heath H-25; Olympia ESW102/103; QUME Sprint 5; and
Smith-Corona TP1
o Switch 2, when closed, selects pin 11 which is, according to RS-232-C
specifications, undefined and is used by some serial printers as a
printer-ready signal. Some Centronics, Texas Instruments, and Epson
serial printers may use this pin.
o Switch 3, when closed, selects pin 19 (Secondary Request to Send) as
the handshaking line. Some of the printers that use this pin are the
Anadex DP8000/9000, Bell TP-1000, Lear Seigler 310, NEC 3500/7700, and
Digital Equipment (DEC) LA-series serial printers.
o Switch 4, when closed, selects pin 20 (Data Terminal Ready) as not
only the device-available handshaking line but also as the data-flow-
control line. Some Diablo, C.Itoh, Okidata, QUME, Tectronics, or Xerox
printers may use this handshaking signal.
o When all of the switches are open, Data Terminal Ready (Dsub-25 pin
20) is the only line monitored as the hardware handshaking line from
your printer. This supports most popular serial printers.
The second set of DIP swithces (close to the front of the card) is
for generating Maskable (IRQ) and Non Maskable (NMI) interrupts from the
6551 Asynchronous Communications Interface Adaptor (ACIA) chip and the
6818 clock chip. The swithces select the type and source of interrupt
request. Normally all switches are in the OPEN position.
o Switch 1: IRQ from 6551
o Switch 2: NMI from 6551
o Switch 3: IRQ from 6818
o Switch 4: NMI from 6818
____________________________
From: Cyrus Roton <cro...@ridgecrest.ca.us>
015- What are the switch settings for the old
Apple Serial Interface card?
The switch settings are as follows:
1 2 3 baud rate
on on on 110
off on on 134.5
on off on 300
off off on 1200
on on off 2400
off on off 4800
on off off 9600
off off off 19200
sw 4 off = enable delay after CR
5 6 line wt video
on on 40 enable
off on 72 disable
on off 80 disable
off off 132 disable
sw 7 off = enable LF after CR
____________________________
From: Supertimer
016- I've heard that I can use some sort of printer cable to do
NULL modem transfers with between my IIc and a PC. Which cable?
Get an "Apple IIc to ImageWriter I" cable. It has a DIN-5 plug on
one end and a standard Dsub-25 plug on the other with the correct line
swapping for NULL modem. Depending upon whether your PC connection is to
a 25-pin or 9-pin port and whether or not an extension cable is used,
you may also need a Dsub-25 to Dsub-9 cable and/or a Dsub-25 gender
changer. (The latter are standard items at many computer stuff stores.)
____________________________
From: David Empson
017- What kind of cable should I use to connect a modem
to my IIc?
Here is the pinout of the IIc serial port looking at the back of the
computer:
DIN-5F (female)
socket with
Apple's numbering
5 1
4 2
3
The functions are:
1 Handshake Out (nominally DTR)
2 Data Out (TxD)
3 Ground
4 Data In (RxD)
5 Handshake In (nominally DSR)
To connect a IIc to a typical modem use the following pinout
for a non-hardware handshaking cable:
IIc Modem
DIN-5M Dsub-25M DIN-5 Dsub-25M
plug male connector
1 Handshake Out 20 DTR
2 Data Out 2 TxD 1 5 ,--------/ /---------.
3 Ground 7 Gnd 2 4 \ 1 2 ... 12 13 /
4 Data In 3 RxD 3 \ 14 ... 25 /
5 Handshake In 6 DSR* `------/ /-------'
*You might want to use pin 8, DCD in some cases.
To connect a IIc to a modem with a 9-pin connector you can use
the pinout below for a non-hardware handshaking cable:
IIc Modem
DIN-5M Dsub-9M DIN-5 Dsub-9M
plug male connector
1 Handshake Out 4 DTR
2 Data Out 3 TxD 1 5 ,--------/ /---------.
3 Ground 5 Gnd 2 4 \ 1 2 ... 4 5 /
4 Data In 2 RxD 3 \ 6 ... 9 /
5 Handshake In 6 DSR* `------/ /-------'
*You might want to use pin 1, DCD in some cases.
The IIc cannot do hardware handshaking** very well, but this is as close
as you can get:
IIc Modem
DIN-5M Dsub-25M DIN-5 Dsub-25M
plug male connector
1 Handshake Out 4 RTS
2 Data Out 2 TxD 1 5 ,--------/ /---------.
3 Ground 7 Gnd 2 4 \ 1 2 ... 12 13 /
4 Data In 3 RxD 3 \ 14 ... 25 /
5 Handshake In 5 CTS `------/ /-------'
** Note that you need comm software which supports hardware handshaking
on the IIc to do this properly. I expect ProTerm does, but Z-Link and
Talk Is Cheap almost certainly don't.
The IIc's handshaking lines have annoying side effects, which cause
problems with hardware handshaking:
1. The "Handshake Out" signal is implemented to mean "I want to send
data" (the official and original meaning of RTS). If you turn off the
output handshake line, the IIc will stop sending data. For a hardware
handshaking modem, RTS is supposed to mean "You are allowed to send me
data" (from the computer's point of view).
If the computer tells the modem to stop transmitting, the computer
will also be unable to transmit. This will reduce the rate at which
data can be transferred bidirectionally, but doesn't cause any other
problems.
2. The "Handshake In" signal is implemented to mean "There is receive
data present" (the official meaning of DCD). If the incoming handshake
line is disabled, the IIc will stop receiving data (ignore any data on
RxD). For a hardware handshaking modem, CTS is supposed to mean "You are
allowed to send me data" (from the modem's point of view).
If the modem tells the computer to stop transmitting, the computer
will also be unable to receive, and will discard any data sent by the
modem while CTS is not active. This can cause screen corruption and
loss of data blocks or acknowledgements during a file transfer, which
will require retransmission. It is only likely to be a problem while a
lot of data is being sent, so is more likely to cause problems during a
file upload than a download. If the comms software is quick enough, it
can drop RTS immediately when CTS is lowered, which will prevent the
modem from sending any more data.
The original IIc motherboard has another problem: it uses a cheap method
of generating the clock frequency for the serial ports. Most
implementations based on the 6551 chip use a 1.8432 MHz crystal, which
gives exact baud rates, but the IIc takes the master system clock
(14.31818 MHz in an American IIc) and divides it by eight to produce
1.7898 MHz. The 3% decrease in clock frequency produces a 3% drop in
the baud rate, which is enough to prevent operation with some serial
devices, particularly intelligent modems running at 1200 bps or faster.
This is not always a problem, and I have successfully used one of these
IIc's with a ZyXEL U-1496E modem and a direct connection to a IIgs at
9600 bps. I have had problems in other cases.
You cannot identify whether you have this motherboard except by opening
up the computer and looking for a tell-tale component. (I don't have
the details handy.)
You can make a reasonable guess at whether you have the original
motherboard by checking which firmware version is installed in the IIc.
Get into BASIC, and type PRINT PEEK(64447).
If the value displayed is 255, then you have the original ROM, and
almost certainly have the original motherboard, though it might have
been modified to use a crystal.
If the value displayed is 0, then you might have the original
motherboard or the revised one. (This ROM version supports the UniDisk
3.5 drive.)
If the value displayed is 3 or 4, then you have the "memory expansion"
version of the firmware, and almost certainly have the latest
motherboard, which includes a memory expansion slot under the keyboard.
In theory, the IIc's maximum baud rate is 19200. Whether it can
actually keep up with that rate is another question. 9600 should be
fine.
____________________________
From: SuperTimer
018- I have a good modem that has a standard RS232 serial port
and responds to standard "AT" commands; but, it has a Dsub-9
connector. Is there an adaptor or cable that will let me
connect the modem to my IIgs?
Yes; the cable to use is a Macintosh to Hayes Modem cable. This can
be found in any computer store. Just ask for a Mac to modem cable. All
new Mac cables are usually hardware handshake cables, so you should have
no trouble with higher speeds.
----------------------------
019- What is the maximum modemming speed I can get from my IIgs?
The IIGS can use much faster modems than is indicated by the
Control Panel. Using a hardware handshake cable and with the right third
party driver (like the one in Spectrum), the serial port can go up to
57600 baud.
----------------------------
020- How can I transfer files from PC to GS using Zip disks?
The trick is not to use MS-DOS, but instead use HFS. On the PC, you
need to install a program called MacDrive 98. This program allows
Windows 95 to read, write, and format HFS volumes. On the IIe, you need
a freeware program called A2fx. A2fx will read any HFS volume, even
CD-ROMs.
With HFS as a link, you will be able to move files from your PC
onto Mac/HFS formatted Zip disks (no need to make 32MB partition) to
your IIe via A2fx. The reverse transfer needs another program, but I am
pretty sure that one exists to let the PC read ProDOS volumes.
____________________________
From: Dave Althoff
021- How do I get an Applesoft program into a PC-DOS computer
in text format? Both computers have modems, but I have no
terminal program for the Apple.
Make sure that your serial ports are connected together, and run the
comm program on your PC. Now, for our purposes, lets assume you have the
serial card in Slot #2.
Force the PC into terminal mode.
Make sure the ][ is displaying a *40-column* screen.
Now, try typing "IN#2" on the ][. Type something on the PC. It should
appear on the Apple. (Cool, ain't it?!)
In fact, try typing "PR#2". On either computer. Now, you should get an
Applesoft prompt on your terminal screen! In fact, you can use the PC
comm program as a keyboard for your ][!
All right, at this point, you should have data flying back and forth
between the two machines. On the ][, type "POKE 33,33".
Now, on the PC, tell your comm program to start a text capture. Tell it
to add line feeds after carriage returns.
On the ][, load the BASIC program, and type LIST. The program listing
will appear on the Apple screen and be dumped into the PC comm program's
capture buffer.
To break communications, type "IN#0" and "PR#0" on the ][.
----------------------------
From: Jeff Blakeney
The only things I might add is that you have to make sure that the PC
and II's baud rates are the same. Preferably 19200 if you want a speedy
transfer.
Second thing is that once you have typed IN#2 and PR#2 (or 1 if the
serial port is in slot 1) is that everything should be typed using the
PC keyboard. This is because anything you type on the II after those
two commands will NOT appear on the II's screen. It is much easier to
type it on the PC as everything you type and would normally be displayed
on the II will be displayed by the PC's terminal program.
I have actually used this method to transfer BASIC programs from my PC
to my II with 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity at 19200 bps. It sure
makes things easier.
----------------------------
From: Dave Althoff
Actually, if you are working in 40-columns at least, when you do IN#2,
the console input is redirected through the SSC. Fortunately, the SSC
is kind enough to include keyboard reads in its data input loop, so IN#2
does not disable your keyboard. Likewise, so long as you are looking at
the 40-column screen, PR#2 redirects the output hook to the SSC, but the
SSC does writes back to the screen. So you don't lose your monitor
either!
____________________________
From: Brian Hammack
022- I want to use a faxmodem with my //GS. Is this possible? I
tried all kinds of choices from the install menu of Proterm
3.1. Is there a certain string required?
Yes. Only difference between a fax modem and a "regular" one is the
fax instruction set. I have a 28.8 fax modem on my GS.
Most likely, you have to use a "CTS/RTS" parms setting in the
Install, and an init string that handles things correctly. The book for
my 28.8 ultrageneric suggested AT&F [use default settings] but that
doesn't do the job. So the string I am using to trip all the triggers
is:
ATX3\Q3
Before that, I was using something that worked except at 2400:
ATX4&M0Y0\N2
----------------------------
From: John M. Davies
Just pointing out, the INIT string is not a function of the comm
program, it is a command to the modem itself, so any good comms package
should be able to send any sort of init string to the modem.
ATZ is the standard Hayes command to 'RESET MODEM TO DEFAULT'
settings, and must be on it's own line, hence the <return> character is
required. After that, most modems will also respond to standard Hayes
command set commands, but the individual modem in use will usually have
an extra set of commands provided by that modems manufacturer, to
support the unique 'features' of that particular brand of modem.
You will need to obtain the command set booklet provided with the
modem, to read the list of extra commands. Sadly, like printers, each
manufacturer has their own idea of what a good command set is, so no two
modems extended command sets are identical.
If you don't have the booklet, try searching the web site of the
manufacturer.
____________________________
From: SuperTimer, Greg Buchner, David Empson
023- Can I do modem-to-modem transfers between my home computers?
Maybe. One way is to use your in-home phone line. To connect, you
take a phone off the hook and connect using telecom programs on each
computer. You can connect and do transfers once the lines are free of
beeps, tones, etc. which indicate a phone is off the hook. If your phone
company is one that keeps beeping you forever, the connection will not
work. An alternative which some suggest is using a phone extension cord
to connect the modems.
Rubywand
Apple II Telecom Manual II: Downloading & Uploading
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2T2TCOM.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
001- What's the easiest way to download files from Apple II sites?
002- What is a good setup for moving files between computers?
003- Are there download files I should process on the PC (or Mac)?
004- How do I upload files?
005- What kinds of files should I upload to which sites?
006- How can I read & send email and newsgroup msgs with my A2?
007- With a fast modem, how can the IIe connect to the internet?
008- I'm running the Lynx web browser. Where do I put the URL?
009- How do I download an .SHK file through Lynx?
010- Can I send and receive FAXes using my Apple II?
011- What is a "Binary II" header?
012- Should I add a Binary II header to files I upload?
013- What is a "binscii" file and how are they used?
014- What are .SHK files and how do I use them?
015- Can I create .ZIP files on my Apple II?
016- What are DSK "disk image" files and how do I use them?
017- Where can I get ShrinkIt, binscii, DSK2FILE, ASIMOV, etc.?
018- I have downloaded files in "gz" format? How do I use them?
019- ShrinkIt downloaded as a TXT file. How can I use it?
020- Which programs can change ProDOS filetype?
021- How can I move A2 programs to Quick BASIC on my PC?
022- What do the popular file name extensions mean?
023- How do I tell what kind of file this is?
024- How do I use Copy II Plus to create and convert IMG files?
From: Rubywand
001- What is the easiest way to download files from Apple II
sites?
Modern PC internet browsers, like Netscape 4.x, have 'spoiled' much
of the challenge of connecting to sites on the net, especially popular
Apple II ftp sites. For example, entering
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/Games/
in Netscape's "Location:" (or "Netsite:", etc.) box gets you to Ground's
GS games folder ready to download with just a mouse click.
Most major Apple II sites are mainly FTP sites. Some will connect
up via an http:// ... address and work fine for viewing Text files; but,
you may experience problems getting good downloads of Binary files. A
pretty good indication that you are dealing with such a site is the
absence of pretty graphics-- instead, you see mainly folder icons and
text descriptions. In general, downloads seem to work best when you
contact these sites via an ftp:// ... reference.
Once you are connected via, say, Netscape, you can Click on folder
icons to get a listing of what's in the folder. When dealing with simple
ftp icon and file name displays, you should, usually, not just Click
(leftClick) on an item you wish to download to disk. This will usually
immediately start a download to your display (which is fine if you just
want to view a text file; but not much help for .shk, .dsk, etc. files).
To download under a browser, the usual way to select an item is a
SHIFT-Click (SHIFT-leftClick)or a rightClick. SHIFT-Click usually brings
up a Save window and you can change the name, change the destination
folder, etc. before Clicking OK. RightClick gets you a menu and you can
Click "Save Link As ..." to get to the Save window.
Once files are downloaded, they can be transferred to your Apple II
via NULL modem.
A slightly different approach is to use a good FTP program, such as
WS_FTP. It is easier to download multiple files and speed is usually
better.
To connect to an FTP site you can run a dial-up program to
establish contact with your Internet Service Provider (ISP), start your
FTP program, and select the FTP site you want from a list you've
created.
The list, also called a "profile list", contains ...
the site's internet name-- such as "ground.ecn.uiowa.edu"
the particular folder or directory you want to begin with-- such as
"/2/apple2"
and the folder on your computer for downloads-- such as "C:\UPDOWN".
Other information, such as the kind of connection ( usually "Unix
standard") and the password you send to the site-- usually you will
log-in as "annanymous"-- are entered more or less automatically when you
first create a site's profile entry.
When the connection is made, you will see a list of files and
folders in the folder you have entered. If you open one of the folders,
you will get a new listing of files and folders contained in the
selected folder. You can 'navigate' deeper into the archive and reach,
say, Ground's /2/apple2/Collections/AOL/Games folder; and you can
navigate backward to, say, /2/apple2/Collections and explore some other
collection, such as /2/apple2/Collections/1WSW.
Practically all programs and compressed disks will be in .SHK or
some other "binary" form. "Binary" should be your download/upload mode
setting except when downloading (or uploading) Text files. To download
or view a Text file, you should click the FTP program's "ASCII" or
"Text" mode.
In general, when downloading an Apple II .SHK, .ZIP, etc. file, it
is best to avoid having any "helper" applications set up to
automatically process the file. Your Apple II can take care of
un-Shrinking and most other kinds of processing which may be required
after the file is transferred from the PC (or Mac).
To download one or more files you click-highlight each file you
want. Then, you click some button-- such as an arrow symbol pointing to
your C:\UPDOWN folder-- to start the download.
Usually everything will go smoothly and the files will appear on
hard disk in your target folder (e.g. C:\UPDOWN). If you use a
dedicated ftp utility you will, usually, be able to see the exact length
of a file on the site's file list. One good check for a successful
download is to compare file lengths displayed in your target folder with
those shown in the FTP site's file list. If you do straight downloads
with no processing, there should be no differences.
----------------------------
002- What is a good setup for moving the files I download and
upload between computers?
The standard setup is a "NULL modem" connection. You will need a
[Modem to net]
|
modem cable
COM1
____ |______ ____________
| PC or Mac | | Apple II |
| running a | COM2 | running a |
| telecom | <--modem--> [NULL modem] <--modem--> | telecom |
| program | cable [connector ] cable | program |
|____________| |____________|
If you can not use a separate PC or Mac port for your connection to
the Apple II, you can move the PC modem cable connection from your net
modem to the NULL modem for doing transfers or use a switch box.
For a GS, the modem cable should be a "high speed" type which
allows hardware handshaking and this option should be set in the GS
telecom software. The same is true for other Apple II's running at 9600
baud or above.
Set the same format (8-N-1), flow control (Hardware or Xon/Xoff),
and baud rate on each telecom program. (The format will, almost always,
already be set to 8 bits-No parity-1 Stop bit.) For a baud rate of 9600
or higher, flow control should be "Hardware".
A good first-try speed setting is 9600 baud. If errors indicate
this is too fast for either machine, you can move down to 2400 baud. An
accelerated GS running Spectrum can connect with modern PC's running
HyperTerm at 56k baud or better.
Note: Spectrum (and most other newer Apple II telecom programs) do not
require that you modify IIgs Control Panel settings for speed and
handshaking. Since Spectrum directly accesses the GS serial port, speed,
etc. settings are done in the program. (By the way, this frees-up Slot 2
-- the GS modem firmware Slot-- for any peripheral card which needs to
have its Slot set to "Your Card" in the Control Panel.)
Note: On the PC, HyperTerm allows setting the Port Configuration-- i.e.
Format, Baud Rate, and Flow Control for COM1 or COM2-- for a particular
setup which you can save under a name, like "GSxfers.ht". Whenever you
start HyperTerm to do transfers to/from the GS, you need to Open
GSxfers.ht (or whatever you name it) in order have your setup in place.
Put each program in terminal mode-- often, this is the default
mode. Or, the particular telecom program may have menu items or buttons
you select for specific kinds of transfers.
Next, you will usually select the function (send or receive) on
each machine and the protocol. The protocol should be the same on both
machines. Z-modem is the best choice for most single or multiple file
transfers. For Text files you may want to do an ASCII or Text transfer.
(See discussion on Text file transfers in Csa2T1TCOM.) Finally, you
will select the file or files to send or "Open".
Usually, it is best to start Receive on the target machine before
starting Send on the source machine. If you find that one telecom
program or the other does not give you enough time to start Send-- i.e.
it keeps "timing out"-- change the program's "Time Out", "Inactivity
Delay", etc. setting.
----------------------------
From: Jeff Blakeney
You don't need to manually tell Spectrum or other modern telecom
programs to receive a file each time you do a Z-modem transfer. Just
make sure that you have Auto Receives turned ON. In Spectrum the setting
is in the Settings/File Transfer/Receive Options... dialog.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
003- Are there any kinds of files I should process on the
PC (or Mac) before transfer to my Apple II?
Yes. Many old games and other interesting wares downloaded from
"emulator" sites like Asimov (ftp.apple.asimov-net) will arrive as .gz
files. These will, almost always, be compressed 5.25" disk image (DSK)
files. They should be un-compressed on the PC via WinZIP before being
sent to your Apple II. This avoids a messy de-compression process on the
Apple and makes the DSK file available on the PC (or Mac) should you
wish to use it with AppleWin or some other A2 emulator program.
Note: If you are running an FTP program under plain DOS or Windows 3.x,
long file names will be truncated to fit PC's old "8 and 3" format. A
.gz file may not show up in your C:\UPDOWN (or whatever) directory with
the ".gz" suffix. It is still a .gz file and will not be useful as a
disk image (DSK) file until it is uncompressed. The usual size of a
5.25" disk image file is about 143kB.
Other chores you will want to handle on the PC before sending a
file to your Apple II include converting .HTM (HTML) files to text and
splitting up very large Text files. Similarly, it will be easier to
view, process, and convert most large graphics files on the PC.
----------------------------
004- I need some help with uploading. I uploaded a large file to
apple2.caltech but nobody seems able to download it without
ending up with garbage. What's wrong?
Uploading files to an FTP site is a fairly simple process--
basically, it's pretty close to the reverse of downloading described
above. For example, to upload a group of Apple IIgs files named
"NARFGAME" you would ...
o On the GS, use GS-ShrinkIt to created a single compressed file
containing the NARFGAME files. The new .SHK file could be named
"NARFGAME.SHK".
o Use Spectrum or some other A2 telecom program to NULL modem
NARFGAME.SHK to, say, the PC's C:\UPDOWN folder using Z-modem protocol.
o Dial-up your ISP
o If you are running Netscape or some similar browser, you can do the
upload very easily.
Go to the site's upload URL-- e.g. you might type in
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/ and open the Uploads/
folder(the folder will often be named "Uploads" or "Incoming").
Open a window for the folder (e.g. C:\UPDOWN) which has the file or
files (like NARFGAME.SHK) to upload.
Select the files and drag them onto the uploads page display.
Click "Yes" when asked if you want to upload the files.
o If you prefer using an ftp program (e.g. WS_FTP), start the program.
Select the desired FTP site's name in your "profiles list" (or,
if necessary, create the profile entry) and connect with the
FTP site.
Navigate to the FTP site's uploads folder-- usually, it will be
named "Uploads" or "Incoming".
Note: you may or may not see any files listed when in a site's
Uploads folder. Some FTP sites hide file names in this folder
and/or restrict folder access to upload-only.
For .shk, .dsk, and most other program files you upload, make
sure 'transfer mode' is set to "binary". (For Text files, mode
should be "text" or "ASCII".)
Highlight "NARFGAME.SHK" (and any other binary mode files to
upload) in the listing of files in your C:\UPDOWN folder.
Click an arrow button (or whatever) to start the transfer to
the FTP site's Uploads folder.
With a little experience everything is nearly 'automatic'. However,
there are a few common mistakes which can ruin an upload:
o Probably, the most common error is failing to make sure "binary" is
set (check-marked, etc.) as the transfer mode when an .SHK file or other
non-Text file is uploaded using an ftp program. Similarly, Text files
are messed up if the user neglects to set "ASCII" mode for his/her Text
uploads.
o Many Apple II users seem to feel that, because "Binary Up"-- an
option which adds a Binary II header-- is available on their telecom
program, it should be used for all transfers. It is best to turn OFF any
Spectrum (ProTerm, etc.) option which adds a Binary II header. (Also,
you should _not_ use GS-ShrinkIt's option to add a Binary II header.) A
Binary II header renders a file useless until the header is stripped
off; so, for example, any Text file with the header will be un-readable
by a PC. If a downloader does not have an A2 telecom program which
automatically strips off the header during NULL modem transfers (or if
"Binary Down" is turned OFF), the Text file will look like garbage on
the Apple II as well.
o Too many old-time Apple II users still insist upon doing a binscii
conversion of all .SHK files before uploading them. When, as sometimes
happens, a binscii'd .SHK file is uploaded as an ".SHK" file,
downloaders end up with a ".SHK file which ShrinkIt cannot unshrink".
Except for uploads to text-oriented services like comp.binaries.apple2,
binscii is not necessary on the modern internet.
o Sometimes, a user will NULL modem an Apple Text file to PC using a
block transfer protocol (like Z-modem) and, then, upload the file as
Text intended to be readable on-line. Such a file will, usually, be a
mess when viewed on a PC.
o Mac owners sometimes use the Mac version of ShrinkIt to create a
".SHK" archive of Apple II files which is then uploaded to an Apple II
FTP site. The result is another 'mystery .SHK file' which Apple II users
cannot unshrink. .SHK files uploaded to an Apple II FTP site should be
created on an Apple II using an Apple II version of ShrinkIt.
In short, most of the common uploading errors are the result of
carelessness or of doing something which is unnecessary. A good
uploading 'rule of thumb' is "Keep it simple".
----------------------------
005- What kinds of files should I upload to which sites?
I. Ground, A2-Caltech, and most other Apple II ftp sites
These sites prefer .SHK files for stuff intended to run or be
accessed on an Apple II. For example, a game which includes a program
file, text Readme file, and folder of pic files would be Shrink'd into
an .SHK file.
It is best to Shrink even compressed picture, small binary, and
icon files and upload them as .SHK files because everyone is used to
dealing with .SHK files and the filetype of the Shrink'd file is
preserved.
ProDOS diskettes should, usually, be uploaded as a collection of
files in a regular .SHK file. This uses less space than a whole-disk
archive file.
DOS 3.3 diskettes should be uploaded as whole-disk archive .SDK
files. (That is, you have an .SHK whole-disk archive but you change its
name to end with ".SDK".)
Pictures and diagrams you want to be both useable on an Apple II
and viewable on-line should be converted to .GIF form (e.g. via Super
Convert) and uploaded in this form.
If you have several pictures or diagrams you want to be accessible
off-line on an Apple II as well as a PC, Mac, etc., you can convert them
to .GIF form, place them all in a .ZIP file on your PC, and upload the
.ZIP file.
All of the above would be uploaded in "Binary" mode.
Text which is intended to be readable on-line should be uploaded as
plain Text in "ASCII" or "Text" mode.
Whenever you upload a game, utility, etc. to an ftp site, it's a
good idea to also upload a brief Text file with a description of the
uploaded item. For example, after uploading NARFGAME2.SHK (in binary
mode), you could upload a brief description in a Text file named
NARFGAME.TXT (in Text mode).
II. Comp.binaries.apple2
Programs, etc. posted to this newsgroup are normally .SHK files
which have been Binscii'd-- i.e. after Shrinking, the file is changed to
Text form via a binscii utility.
III. Asimov and other Apple II emulator ftp sites
Upload files will, generally, be individual DOS 3.3 or ProDOS disk
image (.DSK) files created on an Apple II by DSK2FILE or ASIMOV. Upload
in binary mode.
____________________________
From: Brian Hammack
006- How can I read & send email and newsgroup messages
with my Apple II?
You can use a program by Tom Larson named "2qwk!". Many PC-based
BBS's and other servers have hidden among the door programs a
"maildoor," which will package all unread messages in a user's chosen
news groups and make them available for download as a single compressed
file, called a QWK packet. (Hence "2qwk", QWK access for Apple II; get
it?!)
So, you have a QWK packet sent to your machine, which takes a few
seconds to a few minutes depending on how fast the modem is and how many
messages there are. Then, you can go off-line and launch 2qwk!.
Selecting "Archiver" lets you start the utility of your choice (such as
Angel 0.81b, available separately) to unpack the QWK packet and return
to 2qwk!.
Now, you may select "Messages" to view your news groups, scan
messages by author and subject, and, finally, read individual messages.
When you find a post that needs a reply, you can decide how much of the
message to quote and type-in your words of wisdom. You can also haul in
text from disk and, even, pick just the right tagline (snappy words at
the very end of many messages seen on-line nowadays). Naturally, 2qwk!
allows complete freedom to change a message title along with the group
to which it is to be posted and to originate new messages.
When you are done reading and replying, you exit the program and it
creates a reply file, called a REP packet. The next time you connect,
you simply upload the REP to the maildoor. The maildoor will decide what
goes where and your messages will enter cyberspace pronto!
To use 2qwk! you will need an enhanced Apple IIe, IIc, or IIgs,
with at least 128k RAM and drive space to hold the QWK data. The program
itself will fit on a 5.25" disk with plenty of room to spare. Of course,
the server to which you connect must have a QWK-compatible maildoor.
2qwk! runs under ProDOS 2.x. It comes with QuickFix, a program to patch
ProDOS, and other utility programs to handle MSDOS-legal names.
____________________________
From: Richard Der
007- With a fast modem, how can the IIe connect to the internet?
Get an Internet Service Provider that has the option of a text
based shell account. For email, Proline and METAL BBS's work well too.
----------------------------
008- I'm on the Internet and running the Lynx web browser.
It dosn't look like Netscape Navigator at all. Where do
I put in the URL?
Type "g" which will bring up a URL dialog. You can then type in the
URL and hit return.
----------------------------
009- How do I download an .SHK file through Lynx? Selecting the
link gives an unusable text dump.
Just highlight the link, but do not press return. Press "d"
instead, which will bring up the download dialog.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
010- Can I send and receive FAXes using my Apple II?
If your Apple II is a IIgs, yes. There are two GS FAXing programs:
FAXination and PMPFAX.
----------------------------
011- What is a "Binary II" header?
A Binary II header is a small block of code tacked onto some Apple
II files. Sometimes, this is referred to as a "binary wrapper". Mainly,
the Binary II header contains filetype information. The purpose of
Binary II is to allow Apple II users to download files and have them
show up with the correct filetype. (Otherwise, a downloaded file tends
to show up as a TXT type file.)
In order for a Binary II header to be recognized and used to supply
the filetype info, the Apple II downloading software must have its
"Binary Down" option set to ON. The problem with this is that, at least
on a few popular telecom wares (like Spectrum), setting "Binary Down" to
ON will turn OFF Resume Transfer, something you probably do not want to
do when downloading over phone lines.
When you use a PC or Mac to handle downloads and, then, NULL-modem
the files to your Apple, it makes sense to leave "Binary Down" ON for
the telecom program running on the Apple II. Resume Transfer is not
necessary because you have a direct, noise-free connection between two
machines. Meanwhile, Binary Down will automatically recognize and
strip-off any Binary II header and save the resulting file with the
correct filetype.
----------------------------
012- Should I add a Binary II header to files I upload?
In general, no. Binary II is an Apple-only device which, today, is
largely unnecessary and can cause problems. Virtually the only valid use
for Binary II is to retain filetype information for .SEA self-extracting
archives. (An .SEA file with a Binary II header is a .BSE file.) The
only file which really needs to be downloadable as a self-extracting
archive is GS-ShrinkIt.
----------------------------
013- What is a "binscii" file and how are they used?
The term "binscii" comes from combining "binary" with "ASCII". A
file in binscii form has been changed so that it can be transmitted as
text to/from net servers and services which do not handle pure binary
transfers.
Today, practically all servers can handle pure binary transfers;
so, binscii is no longer in popular use. However, quite a few old A2
files are still in binscii form and binscii is used for files uploaded
to comp.binaries.apple2.
To convert binscii'd files to their un-biniscii'd form, you can use
a program named "BINSCII" or, on a GS, the New Desk Accessory named
"GScii". These programs can, also, create binscii files.
Note: Binscii is in no way related to Binary II. Binscii changes the
entire file into Text. Binary II is just a small block of bytes tacked
onto the front of a file, mainly to identify the file's filetype.
----------------------------
014- What are .SHK files and how do I use them?
.SHK files are the Apple II world's answer to .ZIP files in
PC-ville. An .SHK file is a file which contains one or more files which
are almost always in compressed form. Usually, they are produced by
GS-ShrinkIt (also called "GSHK" or "ShrinkIt-GS") or, on 8-bit Apple
II's, by ShrinkIt. Some .SHK files are produced by Macs and are not
compatible with A2 ShrinkIt programs.
An .SHK file can be unpacked by ShrinkIt even if it shows up on the
Apple II with a TXT or BIN filetype. If an .SHK file has a Binary II
header, ShrinkIt will automatically remove it and assign the correct
filetype. (Of course, this will usually be SHK.)
Other kinds of ShrinkIt files include .SEA and .SDK. An Apple II
.SEA file is a IIgs executable self-extracting archive-- i.e. you can
click it on the GS Finder and it will unShrink. There are also Mac .SEA
files and these are not GS-compatible.
A ShrinkIt disk archive is usually labeled ".SDK" to show that it
is a Shrinked diskette. A disk archive retains everything on the
diskette, including files, Catalog/Directory sectors, and DOS if
present. .SDK files can be archives of 3.5" or 5.25" diskettes. Most are
archives of 5.25" DOS 3.3 diskettes produced by 8-bit ShrinkIt.
8-bit/IIe ShrinkIt can be used to fully unshrink any .SHK file
_except_ .SHK files which contain files with GS/OS resource forks and
.SEA files. For this reason, 8-bit ShrinkIt should not be used to
unshrink .SHK files containing GS programs unless you know none of the
contained files has a resource fork.
GS-ShrinkIt can handle nearly all kinds of .SHK and .SDK files. It
will not handle shrinked 5.25" DOS 3.3 .SDK files created by 8-bit
ShrinkIt. For this reason most users automatically use 8-bit ShrinkIt to
handle .SDK files of old 5.25" wares.
Naturally, you can use the 8-bit and GS ShrinkIt programs to create
.SHK files. Since the unshrinking process is very speedy and since size
of a compressed .SHK file is, often, around half that of the original
files it contains, .SHK files are very handy for archiving your
software. Since an .SHK file also preserves filetype information of
contained files, .SHK has become the preferred format for uploading and
storing Apple II files on the internet.
----------------------------
015- Can I create .ZIP files on my Apple II?
The GS can unZIP .ZIP files via PMPunZip; but, at present, there is
no Apple II utility for creating modern .ZIP files.
----------------------------
016- What are DSK "disk image" files and how do I use them?
A "disk image" is a file containing everything on the diskette--
i.e. Catalog tracks, files, DOS (if present) etc.. Usually, they are
images of Apple 5.25" game, utility, etc. diskettes.
There are several disk image formats. DSK files are disk image
files used by popular Apple II emulators like AppleWin to run A2 wares
on the PC or Mac. A standard 5.25" .dsk DSK file is 143,360 bytes in
length. Emulators treat DSK files like diskettes.
DSK files are also a handy way to archive DOS 3.3 disks on hard
disk and to maintain old DOS 3.3 wares on Apple II ftp sites. On Ftp
sites, DSK files are usually in a ZIPped form to conserve space. For
example, on the Asimov site, narfgames.dsk.gz is a DSK file of the
narfgames disk which has been g-zip compressed. On a PC, WinZIP will
unZIP g-zipped DSK files into uncompressed form.
On an Apple II, a DSK file can be converted to actual 5.25"
diskette form using DSK2FILE or (GS-only) ASIMOV. Most 5.25" DSK (.DSK
and .DO) files are of a DOS 3.3 or some related DOS disk. The target
diskette should be formatted for DOS 3.3. (or, it can be INITed) and you
should use the default DSK2FILE or ASIMOV "DOS 3.3 Order" setting. If a
disk image file has a .PO suffix, use a diskette formatted for ProDOS
and the DSK2FILE or ASIMOV "ProDOS Order" setting.
Here is a quickie step-by-step guide for getting a 5.25" DSK disk
image file into useable form:
1. Download the file in binary mode from an ftp archive site via ftp://
...
2. If file length is not 143,360, use WinZIP or equivalent to unZip it.
3. Transfer the DSK file to your GS via Mac diskette or a NULL modem
transfer. One way or another, the file needs to end up on a ProDOS
diskette or ProDOS hard disk volume on the GS.
4. The vast majority of DSK files are images of DOS 3.3 diskettes.
Unless you have good reason to believe the DSK is an image of a ProDOS
diskette, format or INIT a 5.25" diskette for DOS 3.3. (If the DSK file
has a .PO suffix or if you have good reason to believe the DSK is an
image of a ProDOS diskette, format the target diskette for ProDOS.)
If you are using DSK2FILE, now is a good time to jot down the complete
path name of the DSK file (e.g. /RAM5/NARFGAMES.DSK ) because DSK2FILE
will ask you to type it in.
5. Insert the formatted target diskette into 5.25" Drive 1 (Slot 6).
6. Start DSK2FILE or ASIMOV. Normally, you will accept the defaults. (If
the DSK is a ProDOS image, select "ProDOS Order".)
7. Select the "Image file ---> Diskette" option, follow prompts, and you
should end up with a good diskette.
DSK2FILE and ASIMOV can, also, create DSK files from game, etc.
diskettes so long as the diskette is not copy protected.
----------------------------
017- Where can I get ShrinkIt, Shrink (64k), Unshrink (64k),
GS-ShrinkIt, binscii, GScii, BISCIT, TCHANGE, DSK2FILE, ASIMOV,
PMPunZip, FileManager, 2qwk!, and GZPK?
You can download
ShrinkIt v3.4 or later ("8-bit ShrinkIt") at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/SHRINKITandGSHK/
Shrink (v2.1) for 64k Apple II's at ...
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/SHRINKITandGSHK/
Unshrink (v2.1) for 64k Apple II's at ...
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/SHRINKITandGSHK/
GS-ShrinkIt ("ShrinkIt-GS", "GSHK") at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/SHRINKITandGSHK/
Binscii at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/
GScii NDA at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/System/Ndas/
BISCIT ("BSC-It") at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/
TCHANGE at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/useful.stuff/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/
DSK2FILE (recommend version 4.3 or later) at ...
http://keaggy.intmed.mcw.edu/dsk2file.html
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Emulators/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple8/Utils/
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/utility/
ASIMOV at ...
ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/utility/disk_utils/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Emulators/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/
PMPunZip at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/Com/Utils/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/
FileManager NDA at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/System/Ndas/
2qwk! at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple8/Com/
GZPK at ...
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple8/Com/
----------------------------
018- I have downloaded a bunch of files for the Apple II
lately that are in a format called GZ. I understand it
is some variation of Zip but I don't have a translator for
it on my GS. Does anyone know where I can find one?
Files downloaded from Asimov, mod files, and some others are,
often, in GZ "g-zipped" format and usually have the .gz file name
extension (like narfgame.dsk.gz). If you download the files to a PC, you
can use the Windows version of PKZip (WinZIP) to unzip the file.
Usually, once unzipped, an Asimov GZ image file will end up as a
143k DSK file. The file may be moved to your Apple via NULL modem and
converted to Apple-readable diskette form using DSK2FILE or (GS-only)
ASIMOV.
If you download a GZ file directly to your Apple you can use a
program named "GZPK" v2 to convert it from gzip form to a zip format
which can be unzipped via PMPUnzip 2.0 or Angel. A GZ file from the
Asimov site should end up as a DSK file.
----------------------------
019- I've downloaded ShrinkIt but it comes in as a TXT file.
Since I do not have a way to change filetypes on my,
Apple II how do I get ShrinkIt going?
You can download a file named "TCHANGE.BIN" and the directions for
using it from Ground's "Useful stuff" folder.
TCHANGE.BIN is the original Roger Wagner BASIC Type Changer
filetype-changer program which has had a short machine code routine
tacked onto the front to make it BRUN-able. As explained in the
directions, this circumvents the Catch-22 situation of needing to
already have a filetype-changer program.
Using Type Changer you can set the filetype for 8-bit ShrinkIt to
SYS or of GSHK.SEA (GS-ShrinkIt) to S16 and run the programs.
____________________________
From: Slick
020- Which programs can change ProDOS filetype?
I prefer More Info or Disk Witch, myself. I'll go through a list of
stuff on my hard drive to manipulate filetypes:
DAs:
Alter (NDA)
Conchshell (CDA)
Disk Witch (CDA)
File Manager (NDA)
File Info2 (NDA)
File Info Edit (NDA)
Super Info II (NDA)
Utilities CDA (CDA), not very good
Finder Extras:
More Info
GS/OS Applications
Instant Access
File Passage
ProDOS 8
FAZ II (File Attribute Zap II)
----------------------------
From: Boris Guenter
File-A-Trix by Karl Bunker should do the job. Best of all, the latest
(and last) version 1.1.1 of this program is freeware.
Since I had a few troubles with the latest version, I have made both
version 1.1 and 1.1.1 available in the gs/utils/files folder on
ftp.uni-kl.de
Try them both and find out which version works best for you.
----------------------------
From: Tony Ward
I also prefer File-A-Trix. It performs a wide variety of functions
including copy, move, delete, rename, catalog, make new folder, set file
attributes (lock, unlock, filetype, auxtype), find file, format (floppy
only), view text, Teach and AWP files. Best of all, it's a CDA that
works from GS/OS and ProDOS 8, although there are some restrictions
under P8 (ie. no HFS disk access, no viewing forked Teach files, etc.)
----------------------------
From: Gareth Jones
I use either File-A-Trix, Change-A-File 4.20, or Deliverance (part of
the Salvation Utilities).
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
Some programs which can be used to change filetype are ...
Jeff Hartkoph's File Manager- a GS NDA which lets you change Type,
Auxtype, Date, and Access attributes. It is handy for modifying several
files in quick succession.
Paul Parkhurst's PMPunZip- a GS application which includes an option for
changing Type, Auxtype, and Access attributes. (In the File menu click
on Modify File Attributes.)
Glen Bredon's ProSel (ProDOS 8 utilities)
Roger Wagner's Filetype Changer- a vintage BASIC utility which lets you
change just the Type. A BRUN-able .BIN version is on Ground. (This is
good enough for getting the GS-ShrinkIt .SEA file's filetype set
correctly so that it can self-extract.)
____________________________
From: Rubywand
021- How can I move AppleSoft BASIC programs to Quick BASIC
on my PC?
Transferring Applesoft programs on an Apple II to QBASIC, GW-BASIC,
etc. on the PC is mainly a matter of moving a text copy of the program
to the PC. (To make a text copy of an Apple II program, you LIST the
program to a Text file.)
On the PC, you bring the A2 program text into your BASIC editor.
BASICs available on a PC are not 100% compatible with Applesoft. Once
you can list the Applesoft program on the PC under QBASIC (or whatever),
you will, almost certainly, need to modify it.
It will be necessary to replace some Applesoft commands with their
PC BASIC equivalents. Some commands are very similar but differ slightly
in syntax; and you are likely to find that some conventions, such as the
numerical value of "True" from boolean tests, are different.
The more an Applesoft program is "pure BASIC", the easier it will
be to get it working on a PC. Programs which employ lots of PEEKs and
POKEs, do monitor CALLs, and access other features specific to the Apple
II will be more troublesome.
____________________________
From: Dan DeMaggio, Boris Guenter, Nathan Mates, Phil Abro, Rubywand,
Labelas Enoreth, tturner
022- What do the different popular file name extensions, like ".BSC",
mean and how do I access the files?
File name extensions tell you what sort of file you are dealing
with so that you will know which program(s) to use to unpack, unShrink,
display, etc. the file. Many programs which create such files do not
automatically add an extension-- for example, most of the disk images on
the Golden Orchard CD are DiskCopy files with no name extension. Many
other programs which create files suggest a default extension as part of
the name-- GS-ShrinkIt generally suggests ".SHK"-- but, the user can
change this and save under any legal name desired. (One popular change
is using ".SDK" for ShrinkIt whole-disk archive files.)
Some extensions indicate a filetype recognized by Apple II ProDOS;
but, often, the extension is just for user information or to help some
utility recognize the file as one it can deal with. For such files the
actual ProDOS filetype is usually TXT, BIN, or SHK.
What is it? (What program do I use?)
------------------------------------------------------------
.AAF Apple Archive Format [TEXT] for source code (aaf.unpacker)
.ACU NuFX Applelink archive (ShrinkIt*)
.ALU usually a multi-file, non-compressed A2 archive (ALU)
.APF GS super-res "Apple Preferred" packed graphics format
(Platinum Paint, Convert 3200, etc.)
.ARC PC Archive (GS-ShrinkIt* or DeArc2E or PC Arc program)
.BMP Windows Bit-Mapped graphics format (GS Convert 3200;
many PC viewers)
.BNX NuFX with BLU header. (ShrinkIt*)
.BNY BLU archive. (ShrinkIt*)
.BQY NuFX with BLU header. (ShrinkIt*)
.BSC BinScii file. [TEXT] (BinScii or GScii)
.BSE A GSHK* .SEA file with a Binary II header (ShrinkIt*)
.BSQ BinScii'd NuFX file. [TEXT] (BinScii plus ShrinkIt* on
the result)
.BXY NuFX archive with a Binary II header. (ShrinkIt*)
.CPT Compactor Pro archive (Compactor Pro on a Mac only)
.DSK standard emulator disk image (typical length: 143360) for
5.25" software (A2 DSK2FILE and GS ASIMOV)
.DO "DOS Order" DSK file; same as standard .DSK file default--
i.e. a DOS 3.3 disk image (A2 DSK2FILE and GS ASIMOV)
.EXE A2 Executioner file [TEXT]. (On A2; some files may EXEC
properly under only DOS 3.3.)
.GIF Graphics Interchange Format: Compressed picture (IIGIF for
//e; Super Convert, ... on GS; PC, etc.: many viewers
and editors)
.GZ GZip PC archive format often used for storing A2 emulator
disk images (GS GZPK v2 plus PMPUnZIP or Angel; PC WinZIP)
.HQX Mac BinHex file. [TEXT] (BinHex on Mac or GScii)
.HTM HTML [TEXT] with embedded Text commands (Web
browsers, web editors, etc.)
.IMG Type IMG or "user #7" Copy II Plus disk image file (A2
Copy II Plus v6.x or v7.x)
.IMAGE, .DIMG, .IMG DiskCopy disk image file (GS Clone or Diskcopy)
.JPG PC JPEG hi-res, hi-color graphics format (GS JPEG.VIEWER,
etc. B/W only or PC, Unix viewers)
.LBR a multi-file, non-compressed A2 archive (Librarian)
.LHA LHA Archive (PC/Amiga LZH program)
.LZH LZH Archive (PC/Amiga LZH program)
.NIB emulator disk image (typical length: 232960) for protected
5.25" software (A2 Saltine's Super Transcopy)
.PCX PC graphics format (GS Convert 3200; PC many viewers)
.PD compressed GS multi-palette graphics file w/o
palettes (GS SuperPac)
.PNG PC PING hi-res, hi-color graphics format (PC viewer)
.PO "ProDOS Order" DSK file; typically a DSK disk image of a
5.25" ProDOS disk (A2 DSK2FILE and GS ASIMOV)
.PS compressed GS multi-palette graphics file with
palettes (GS SuperPac)
.QQ BLU archive. (ShrinkIt*)
.SDK ShrinkIt disk image, usually NuFX-compressed (ShrinkIt*)
.SEA Self-extracting A2 ShrinkIt* or Mac ShrinkIt archive
(depending upon kind, run on Apple IIgs or Mac)
.SHK usually an A2 NuFX-compressed archive; non-A2-compatible
Mac .SHK archives also exist (GS ShrinkIt* / Mac unshrinker
utility / PC Nulib-- does not extract GS resource forks)
.SIT Mac StuffIt archive. (Stuffit on Mac or GS ShrinkIt)
GS-ShrinkIt will not decode StuffIt Deluxe files.
.TAR Unix Tape Archive (Unix tar with -xvf option, GS EXE tar)
.TGZ Gzipped .TAR file
.uu Unix uuencode file [TEXT] (//e uudecode, Unix uudecode)
.uue Unix uuencode file [TEXT] (//e uudecode, Unix uudecode)
.TIFF Graphics format (GS SHR Convert)
.TXT [TEXT] An ASCII text file (Text editors,
word processors, etc.)
.UU Unix uuencode file [TEXT] (A2 uudecode or Unix uudecode)
.UUE Unix uuencode file [TEXT] (A2 uudecode or Unix uudecode)
.Z Compressed file (GS-ShrinkIt or Unix uncompress)
.ZIP PC Zip Archive (GS PMPUnZIP or UNZIP [GS Shell EXE]
or PC WinZIP, PKUNZIP, Unix unzip)
.ZOO PC Zoo Archive (GS-ShrinkIt??? or PC ZOO program)
* Note: GS-ShrinkIt (= GSHK) can handle all ShrinkIt files except
.SDK (shrunken disk) files of 5.25" DOS 3.3 disks created by
8-bit ShrinkIt. 8-bit ShrinkIt does not work for GS
files having a resource fork or GS .SEA files.
----------------------------
From: Apple's ftp site ...
Most files are in one of a few common formats, and many are a
combination.
.sit StuffIt 1.5.1 archives
.hqx BinHex 4.0 file
.bin Binary file
.image DiskCopy 4.2 image file
.txt plain ASCII text file
.bsc Apple II BinSCII file
.shk Apple II ShrinkIt file
Most of the Macintosh files are BinHexed StuffIt files. This means
you need to transfer the file, then read the license agreement which is
prepended to it (with any text processor), use BinHex or any utility
which can read BinHex 4.0 files to decode the BinHex to a StuffIt
archive, then use UnStuffIt or the StuffIt Expander (or any other
utility) to decompress the .sit file into the final file.
In some cases the final file is a .image file. These are exact
duplicates of floppy disks (with verified checksums). Use DiskCopy to
convert these files into floppy disks for installation. Some Apple
System Software is in this format.
Most of the Apple II files are either straight text or BinSCII'd
ShrinkIt files. This means you need to transfer the file, then use
BinSCII to convert the .bsc file to a ShrinkIt file, then use ShrinkIt
to create the final file or disk.
Note: Apple calls their BinSCII'd .SHK files ".bsc" instead of ".bsq".
It is fairly common for uploaders and ftp sites to tag any BinSCII'd
file as ".bsc". The rationale is that, once a user un-BinSCII's a file,
he or she will find an .SHK, .ZIP, etc. file and know how to continue.
____________________________
From: Dan DeMaggio
023- How do I tell what kind of file this is?
Here is a simple guide to help you identify a file. You should always go
by filename extension first, but not everybody uses those. In Unix, you
can use the 'head' command to look at the first couple of lines of a
file. If it turns out to be a binary file, you may be in for a surprise.
You may want to use the Unix 'file' command to find out if it is a text
file or not first. Once you have identified the file, check the earlier
info on filename extensions for how to deal with it.
If there are lines in the file that look like this (there can be other
text before it--search for 'FiLeStArT'):
FiLeStArTfIlEsTaRt
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789()
GBINSCII AQhmAAAAA8)4MIAI02DA9ARMQEDtAQhmAIVZ
gYITA6u7xADA0MjM3YTNBlDOENkQwYURzITM2UDN5gzNDJUQGVERyEDM1QzM4cjN
CFUOFR0QxAjR0MjM3YTNBlDOENkQwAQRzITM2UDN5gzNDJUQGVERyEDM1QzM4cjN
..
then you've got something encoded by BinSCII. You must decode _all_ the
parts using BinSCII before attempting to extract using ShrinkIt.
On the other hand, if you have a binary file which resembles:
NuFilei][![/#NuFX_<:c[[[ H`F-fGSCII~[
cRJ0)fNN^P)3'A2p6SF6X#GPd<9#'LC^08N7n\NB7Dd!eMN&eYX0Am=fXp
dsPAsp7rh`I'NS0ALAfi2)2ysGEQ$k9CP%L9
...
then you have a NuFX file (note the key words NuFile and NuFX). You
should be able to extract the files it contains using ShrinkIt.
On the third hand, if you have a text file which resembles:
begin 666 nonsense.bny
M4W5N3U,s4F5L96%S92 T+C$s\%-$4U0V,"Ds(SsZ(%1U92!/8W0s.2 Q,CHS
M...3HT.2!%1%0s,3DY, HT
then you have a uuencoded file.
On another hand, if you have a text file which begins with
(This file must be converted with BinHex 4.0)
:$&4)48C28N0&,P009!"6593K8dP8)3%!!!#Ls!!!!!!Qie009#%!!3!!SPKb6'&
e!3!!!!!!!!!#!!P8D'8J4QpbBf9P)IN33)(4$N#"d4K!JG%S!!!!!`!'VfJ!"VP
then you have a BinHex file. The GScii NDA by Derek Taubert decodes
BinHex files on an Apple IIGS. You can also use a variety of macintosh
programs to do the decoding. There is also a Unix implementation of
BinHex called mcvert.
On one more hand, if you have a text file which resembles:
CALL-151
E00:38 A5 FF D0 32 D8 20 8E FD AD 30 BF 8D 6A 0E 20 00 BF C7 6D 0E 0D 80
02
E18:D0 1D 20 00 BF C5 69 0E B0 15 AD 81 02 29 0F AA E8 8E 80 02 A9 2F 8D
81
and more lines like that, followed by a bunch of lines that look like:
A90885A420732090242039FB2058FCA200BD9220F00620EDFDE8D0F5200CFDA9
008DF2038DF3038DF4036CFCFFE6A4A5A4C96F90CFA9008DFCBFA9018DFDBFA0
A90885A420732090242039FB2058FCA200BD9220F00620EDFDE8D0F5200CFDA9
then you have an Executioner file.
____________________________
From: tturner, Rubywand, Greg Buchner, Labelas Enoreth
024- How do I use Copy II Plus to create and convert IMG files?
First, to the best of my knowledge, IMG type disk image files are
created only by Copy II Plus versions 6.x and 7.x. The feature was gone
by version 8, for sure.
To create an IMG file you COPY--> DISK to an over-size target
volume. Versions 6 and 7 will create a type "IMG" file instead of
complaining about a "size mismatch" (which is what other versions of
Copy II Plus do). It is fairly common to end the name of the new IMG
file with ".img".
Doing the opposite lets you convert an IMG file back to diskette.
That is, you select the COPY --> DISK option and pick the large volume
with the IMG file as Source and a blank unformatted 5.25" diskette in
the Slot 6, Drive 1 drive as Destination. You pick an IMG file on the
Source volume and it is transferred to the diskette.
By the way, IMG files are not compatible with DSK2FILE or ASIMOV
and will not work on emulators such as AppleWin. Also, not all files
ending with ".img" are Copy II Plus disk image files. I have seen ".img"
(and ".image") used for DiskCopy disk image files.
Rubywand
Apple II Zip Drive, Tape Backup, .... Mini-Manual
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2ZIPTF.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
001- What is a "Zip drive"?
Zip Info
from the 1996 II Alive review by Eric Dietrich (Q&A 001-008)
001- What is a "Zip drive"?
A Zip drive is a 100MB removable media system. Cobalt blue in
color, the drive is compact and light-- about the same size as the newer
external modems. There are two models. The 100p "Parallel Zip" connects
through the parallel printer port of PC's and compatibles. The 100s
"SCSI Zip" connects to any computer with a SCSI port.
The Zip drive is made by Iomega. Price is around $140. This
includes the drive, cable, information sheets, one disk with "Zip
Tools", and a 3.5" installation diskette. (The material on the zip disk
is PC/Mac compatible and the diskette is for MS-DOS. This stuff will
come in handy should you wish to be able to use your Zip drive on a PC
with a SCSI port or on a Mac. None of the software is required for using
the Zip Drive on an Apple II.)
002- What is a "Zip disk"?
A Zip drive disk is a cartridge just a bit larger and thicker than
the familiar 3.5" floppy diskette with a smaller shutter and no physical
write-protect mechanism. It is rated as among the more rugged
moderately-high-density removable disks.
The 100MB disk has become the standard. (There's also a 25MB disk;
but, you will seldom see these advertised.) On average, the 100MB disks
go for $10-$15 each.
003- What do I need to use a Zip drive?
You need an Apple IIgs or Enhanced IIe and a SCSI interface card.
004- What kind of SCSI interface card do I need?
There are three 'popular' options: The Apple Revision C, The Apple
Hi-Speed, and the RamFAST. The Revision C is older and a bit slower
because it does not utilize direct memory access (DMA), a feature that
the Hi-Speed and RamFAST have. The Apple cards are no longer made or
supported; but, you may be able to buy one at a swap meet.
The Sequential Systems RamFAST has DMA plus an on-board cache of
either 256kB or 1MB, making it the fastest interface available. RamFAST
has a full set of utilities in ROM, so, it's easy to set up, too. Both
Sequential and Alltech sell RamFAST and can answer user questions.
005- How do I install a Zip drive?
The main Zip installation step is plugging it in. The drive uses
DB-25 connectors and, so, most likely, the cable will plug directly into
your interface card with no need for an adaptor. In case you need an
adaptor for an older 50-pin plug, these can be obtained from Alltech.
If you already have other SCSI devices, the one currently plugged
into the interface can plug into the Zip. Or, the Zip can be plugged
into a hard disk, CD-ROM, etc. at any point in the chain of SCSI
devices.
Set SCSI ID Number- Every hard disk, CD-ROM drive, etc. on your SCSI
chain needs its own ID number (0-7). While most devices are flexible and
will allow you to choose any available ID, Zip gives you a choice of
two: 5 or 6. If you are using an Apple Hi-Speed card and you already
have a hard disk, you'll have to set the Zip to 5 in order to continue
to boot off of your hard disk (which needs to be 6). The RamFAST is
somewhat more flexible in that it doesn't take ID 7 for itself and will
allow you to boot from any SCSI device.
Set Termination- Another consideration is termination. If all you have
connected to your SCSI card is the Zip Drive, then you should set the
switch on the back to turn ON the termination. If you have other devices
that come after the Zip, then you should set it to OFF. (Actually, the
Zip presents a light termination load and can be left with termination
ON whether or not it is the last device.) The last device in the chain
(the one farthest from the interface) should always have termination set
ON.
Hardware-wise, that's it. In all likelihood, your setup will work
fine. If not, you can get help from experts at Sequential or Alltech,
post a question on comp.sys.apple2, or, even, read the documentation
that came with your SCSI card (when all else fails ...).
006- How do I get started using the Zip drive?
Once your drive is connected, its time to start your machine and
prepare a Zip disk for use. The Advanced Disk Utility (on a IIgs) or the
utility that came with your SCSI card can do formatting and set up
partitions (i.e. create named "Volumes"). Usually, with new for-PC
Disks, just partitioning is required for use under ProDOS. Each 100MB
disk can hold three max-size (32MB) ProDOS partitions.
If your interface is a RamFAST rev. D 3.01f or later model, you
will be able to treat Zip disks much like large floppies. They will
mount and unmount properly in the GS Finder, etc..
Most other interface cards will want to treat your Zip Drive and
disk like a hard disk. This is because the cards were designed before
removable high-density R/W media became popular. You may be able to swap
in a disk after booting; but, the new disk is likely to be treated as
though it is the disk which was present during power-up. This could lead
to messed-up partitions, lost files, and other problems. With such
interface cards, the safe way to swap Zip disks is to turn OFF the
computer.
007-How does Zip Drive speed compare with a hard disk speed?
Iomega claims 29ms average access time, which is slower than modern
hard disks but, still, very speedy.
008- Can I mount Zip disks formatted on Macintosh computers
on my IIgs?
Yes. However, Macs put a driver on the disk as well as a partition
map. Both look like partitions to the IIgs. Since the IIgs can't read
them, it will ask you to format or eject. Here's a trick you can try:
When you insert a Mac-formatted Zip, just click "eject" until the disk
mounts. The IIgs will then ignore the extra Mac stuff, and mount just
the legitimate volume(s). (E. D.)
----------------------------
From: Willie Yeo
Apple Hi-Speed SCSI card users need to remember that these cards
normally do not supply termination power. (RamFAST does; but, not the
Apple Hi-Speed SCSI card.) To work properly with the GS, a Zip drive
connected to the Apple Hi-Speed SCSI card requires either another device
that can supply termination power, or requires a hardware hack on the
Apple Hi-Speed SCSI card to provide the termination power.
Note: The Apple Hi-Speed SCSI card termination power modification is
detailed in the Hard Drive and SCSI FAQs (file csa2HDNSCSI.TXT).
____________________________
From: Rubywand
009- Sometimes I forget to set the termination switch correctly
after using my Zip drive on another machine. Will this damage
anything?
If you normally connect your Zip drive somewhere in the middle of
your Apple II SCSI chain and forget to turn OFF termination, it probably
does no harm. The Zip is said to have rather "weak" termination-- i.e.
its termination resistors present a relatively light load. This may
explain why GS users report no data loss problems on Zip or other
devices when Zip is located in the middle of a SCSI chain with
termination set to ON.
If your Zip drive is normally connected at the end of your Apple II
SCSI chain and you forget to set it to ON, there is a decent chance of
Zip drive Read and Write errors.
____________________________
From: The Mangler
010- How does Zip Drive perform with an Apple HS SCSI card?
I had many problems when I first started with the Iomega Zip on my GS
and it isn't the most reliable thing - But it works.
1.) Make sure that the Zipdrive is hooked directly to your HS Apple SCSI
card.
2.) Chain your Zipdrive to the external HD which you will be using.
3.) Attach a terminator adapter to the back of the remaining port on
your external HD - The Zipdrive has a weak termination and requires
another terminator source.
As for getting your GS to recognize the Zipdrive in all applications:
1.) Turn on your Zipdrive
2.) Turn on your external HD
3.) Turn on the GS
4.) Put the Zipdisk in the drive before GSOS is booted so that it may be
scanned and recognized.
Last, if you are working on the GS for a long time and suddenly the
Zipdrive Icons don't pop up when you load Finder, simply eject the
zipdisk and push it back into the drive.
____________________________
From: Scott G
011- Is a CMS SCSI interface card adequate for connecting a
Zip drive?
No way. The CMS card is awful and won't get you anywhere (it chokes on
removable drives). You'll need either a RamFAST or Apple HS SCSI card.
(Contact Alltech http://www.allelec.com/ or Sequential Systems
http://www.sequential.com/).
----------------------------
From: David Empson
I would strongly discourage it. The CMS card is designed to work with
CMS hard drives, and not much else. I don't know if it can handle
removable SCSI devices (the original Apple SCSI card's firmware cannot,
and the CMS card is about the same level of antiquity). It might not be
able to handle more than 64 MB either, so even if you can get the card
to work with the ZIP drive, you may not be able to access all of the
disk.
Another problem is that the CMS card doesn't support the standard
partitioning scheme used by other Apple II SCSI cards. It uses a set of
jumpers on the card to configure the partition sizes, and doesn't
support the partition map mechanism at all. In other words, it uses
"hard partitioning".
See if you can get hold of an Apple or RamFast SCSI card, which follow
all the standards as far as partitioning goes.
Note that the problem with non-support of removable devices only applies
to the original Apple SCSI card, not the high-speed one, and even then
it only applies under ProDOS-8. You just need to be careful not to
switch disks without rebooting, because it won't realize that a new disk
(potentially with different partitioning) is in the drive.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
012- Which SCSI interface works best with a Zip Drive?
Your best choice is the version 3.01f RamFAST. Along with good
speed, Direct Memory Access support, and on-ROM utilities, you also get
an interface which permits ejecting a Zip disk and mounting a new Zip
disk from the System 6 Finder. (There is no need to turn OFF the
computer and restart the system in order to swap disks.)
The RamFAST 3.01f also supports a variety of CD-ROM drives and hard
disk drives.
----------------------------
From: Supertimer
The same can be said of the Apple High Speed SCSI. With a
partitioned Zip disk (or CD-ROM), you have to
lasso or shift-click to highlight all the partitions and drag them to
the trash to eject the disk. (As long as one partition remains on the
desktop, the disk stays in.) There is no need to turn off the computer
to swap disks. The interface is a bit slower than RamFAST. However, it
actually supports MORE hard disk drives than the RamFAST.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
013- Will I be able to format and partition a Zip disk using the
standard 6.0.1 tools disk?
Yes.
If you have a RamFAST, you also have the option of using the
RamFAST utilities. These are on ROM on the RamFAST board. They should be
copied to disk or hard disk and run from there. RAMFAST.SYSTEM will
handle ProDOS partitioning and low-level formatting.
Since Zip disks are already formatted, you will, mainly, be
concerned with setting up partitions. On a 100MB Zip disk, the best
partitioning is three 32MB ProDOS volumes. Setting up partitions takes
less than a minute. A low-level reformat of a 100MB Zip disk may take 10
minutes or more.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
014- Should I just let the GS/OS Finder handle formatting of
new Zip disks?
If you are at the usual GS/OS Desktop display and insert a new,
"blank" Zip disk, you will be told that the disk's format is not
recognized and asked if you want to have it formatted. Assuming you want
ProDOS volumes or multiple HFS volumes, you should answer "NO":
A new Zip disk is already formatted; what you need is to have it
partitioned-- good, because partitioning takes about 30 seconds whereas
a format takes 9-10 minutes.
ProDOS is limited to 32,768kB ("32MB") per partition. The Finder does
not know how to correctly format and partition a 100MB ProDOS disk.
Reminder: If you want a disk to be able to boot ProDOS or any version of
GS/OS (like System 6.0.1), at least the first partition must be
formatted for ProDOS.
----------------------------
From: Supertimer
I say "Yes", _if_ you want one big HFS-formatted Zip disk. (Unlike
ProDOS, HFS allows volumes larger than 32MB.) Letting the Finder format
the Zip disk for HFS gives you a 96MB (partition-table-less) "diskette"
that's faster than one that has been partitioned, even if the partition
= the whole disk.
The "partitionless" HFS volume generated by formatting PC Zip disks
from the Finder behaves just like a floppy and ejects and mounts like
one (but with a hard disk icon).
____________________________
From: Rubywand
015- Can I format a Zip disk for HFS; and, can HFS and ProDOS
volumes exist on the same Zip disk?
Yes. System 6 with HFS.FST in the SYSTEM/FSTS folder supports Read,
Write, Formatting, and Partitioning of HFS disks. The standard Apple
Advanced Disk Utilities (ADU) program lets you set up a Zip disk as a
single 100MB HFS volume or divide it into partitions.
Note: A "partition" is a "volume". In most respects, partitions on a
Hard Disk or Zip disk are treated like separate disks. Each partition
has its own volume name and appears on the GS/OS Finder display with its
own icon.
You can, if you like, have ProDOS and HFS partitions on the same
Zip disk. One easy way to do this is to set up, say, three ProDOS
partitions and, then, have ADU "Initialize" a partition as HFS. If you
want to be able to boot from the Zip disk, at least the first partition
must be ProDOS.
----------------------------
016- Often, when I power-ON my computer, the disk in my Zip Drive
is not recognized. What's the problem?
Almost immediately after power-up, your SCSI interface begins
checking for devices. Most likely, the problem is that your SCSI
interface checks the Zip Drive before it is ready and decides no disk is
present.
The cure is to put your Zip Drive, CD-ROM drive, etc. on a separate
power line. These devices should be switched ON 5-10 seconds before
powering-ON the computer. If you depend up reading SCSI setup
information from your Zip Drive-- like, if it is the only write-able
device on the SCSI chain-- then a Zip disk on which the setup info has
been saved should be inserted after the drive is switched ON and before
powering-ON the computer.
----------------------------
017- Sometimes the 3.5" drives on my GS do not function correctly.
This started after adding a SCSI interface card. Is there
a fix?
This problem seems to crop up from time to time when a SCSI
interface is present, especially when no device is connected and
recognized on the SCSI chain. Evidently, something (e.g. a register or
softswitch) in the usual GS power-up routine relating to on-line devices
gets messed up.
Inserting a 3.5" diskette into Drive 1 before or just after
power-up usually forces recognition of 3.5" diskette drives and enables
correct functioning.
____________________________
From: LJ Silicon
018- I get this message 'Ramfast/SCSI is searching the SCSI bus for
devices..etc.' Never had this problem before-- only does it
on a cold boot.
When you reinstalled the software, the RAMFast set itself for a
long search. This is an option that you can change using the RAMFast
utility. What it is doing is giving your scsi devices a chance to spin
up. If you want a fast check, go to the options menu on the utilities
and reset the Short Timeout option there to "YES".
____________________________
From: Dan Brown, KE6MKS
019- What's a good utility for doing tape backups on the GS?
Here follows an unpaid testimonial: The Tim Grams GS desktop
SCSI backup utility called "GSTape" works great! I got it for an old
Apple Tape 40SC, did several backup/restores, and then ran across a 2GB
DAT drive. Yep, it worked with no problems, too! (-:
----------------------------
From: Devin Reade
As one of those very satisfied customers, I testify that for
someone with a SCSI tape drive, GSTape is very much worth the money. It
is reliable and simple to operate in both backup and restore mode. It
has an appropriate script capability and, although I have not used this
feature, it allows timed backups (so that you don't have to be present).
It is _much_ better than the RAMFast built-in tape backup program. I
currently use it to backup both SCSI and Vulcan (IDE) hard drives.
____________________________
From: Phil Abel
020- I have a IIgs ROM01 with system 6.0 and I am trying to add a
SCSI Tape backup unit. I have an Apple Hi-Speed SCSI card
and 2 drives connected currently. The tape drive is off an old
unix box. I have the ID set to 3. I loaded the system 6.0 SCSI
tape driver but nothing showed up on the desktop. What's wrong?
I have recently gone thru this dilemma myself... First of all, I
believe that the GS driver is partial to the 3M mechanism as found in
the Apple SC40 tape unit. I tried a Tecmar drive (whatever mechanism
that is) on my GS, and though it recognized the drive on boot as a SCSI
device, when I went into archiver to try to back something up it didn't
acknowledge the drive's presence, although the SCSITAPE device showed up
in GS/OS. I later found a good deal on an SC40 and hooked it up and it
works perfectly, though I am still curious about making the Tecmar work,
though I doubt it will.
#1. I have read that you should set the SCSI ID on a tape drive to 0
(lowest priority) if this will help any... this seemed to eliminate
annoying searching of the tape drive on boot.
#2. Another thing-- The tape drive will NOT show up on the GS/OS
desktop. It does not work like a regular drive. You need a special
program (aka Archiver in GSOS or I believe there are some 8 bit
programs, too) that knows how to store files on the tape.
Open Advanced Disk Utilities when in GSOS and see if the SCSITAPE
unit is present-- then you will know the drive was identified ok. Then
the next test-- see if you can backup. Open archiver, set your "backup
to..." device as SCSITAPE and hit start.
When the thing says "insert first backup tape" you insert a tape
and hit OK. If it starts giving you errors or repeating the message,
then GS/OS doesn't like your tape unit. If it works... then go out for a
pizza or something while the thing whiles away at your files. Try
recovering selected files after the backup to make sure the archive went
ok so you can begin trusting in your tape backups.
----------------------------
From: Bill Harris
The device number (other than being unique) should not be relevent to
backing up to tape. I've always used something in the middle range of
numbers for my tape, typically id 3 or 4. This included when I was
still using the RF prom for backup.
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
RamFAST has a Backup function you can get to via Ramfast.system.
You need to have the "HD Backup" option under the [O]ptions menu
set to "No" in order to use tape (instead of something like a Zip Drive)
for backup. Then, you can select [B]ackup from the main menu bar.
Regarding the SCSI device number setting, 3 may be fine on a
RamFAST. Probably, you would want to remove any Apple drivers named
"SCSI ..." from the DRIVERS/ folder to eliminate possible conflicts with
the Ramfast driver.
----------------------------
From: Charles T. Turley
Go to ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/SCSI.STUFF/ .
____________________________
From: Glynne Tolar
021- What about tape backup on a IIe?
The RamFAST has built-in volume image backup software (in
background). The only backup software I know of for the //e for tape
drives is by Tim Grams and it only works with an Apple Rev. C SCSI and
the Apple Tape Backup 40SC (3m MCD-40). This software is no longer
supported though.
----------------------------
From: Charles T. Turley
You can find all you need concerning P8 tape backup software from
the following url ...
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/Utilities/SCSI.STUFF/ .
____________________________
From: Supertimer
022- I've heard that Apple's Hi-Speed SCSI card does not
allow swapping Zip disks without turning OFF the computer.
Is this true?
No. The Apple Hi-Speed SCSI interface allows ejecting and swapping
removable disks. With a partitioned Zip disk (or CD-ROM), you have to
lasso or shift-click to highlight all the partitions and drag them to
the trash to eject the disk. (As long as one partition remains on the
desktop, the disk stays in.) There is no need to turn off the computer
to swap disks.
____________________________
From: Gareth Jones
023- What can I do after the Zip drive connected to my Apple SCSI
goes into Sleep Mode?
A solution is "goosing" the drive by manually ejecting and
reinserting it. Apparently, using the SCSI driver for the Apple Card
that was sold by Tulin Technologies solves a lot of troubles with the
Apple card and a Zip drive. You can get the Tulin SCSI driver from Mr.
Wing Chung (10446...@COMPUSERVE.COM) for $20.
____________________________
From: Rubywand
024- What is the "Click of Death" reported by some Zip drive users?
Your drive starts to make a clicking sound and soon fails. Disks in
a drive which Clicks may be corrupted and, if placed in a good drive,
may cause a good drive to start Clicking.
The clicking sound is what you hear when the drive head hits a
mechanical stop when it fails to detect and stop at track Zero. Repeated
hits lead to misalignment or, even, a broken head and disk tearing.
If your Zip drive starts to click, the standard recommendation is
that you immediately eject the disk or, if this is not possible, turn
OFF power to the drive (or pull out the power connector on the side of
the drive). This may save the drive if the disk is bad or save the disk
if the drive has gone bad.
The "Click" has been laid to one or more of several possible
causes:
1. Misalignment due to bumping while being carried around
2. Exposure to magnetic fields from monitors and (internal Zips)
un-shielded power supplies
3. Faulty or 'weak' drives which got past quality control
4. Use of non-Iomega drivers for accessing and/or formatting Zip disks.
Regarding use of non-Iomega drivers: SuperTimer, I, and other users
have done low-level formats and partitioning of several Zip disks on
drives connected to the IIgs and used the disks with no problems.
____________________________
From: Scott Alfter
025- What is a "Qic" tape? A friend needs to read a Qic-80 tape.
QIC-80 is a format, not a brand or a specifier of capacity.
Uncompressed capacity for tapes in this format range from 60 megs
(DC2120) to 250 megs (TR-1 Extra). It was preceded by QIC-40 and has
since been superseded by QIC-3010, QIC-3020, and QIC-3095 (the latter
format delivers 4 gigabytes (uncompressed) on a TR-4 tape, and is
available in SCSI and IDE flavors for fast operation).
I'm not sure what format the 40-meg tape drive Apple used to sell
used...it might've been QIC-80 with a shorter tape (they use DC2000
tapes), but it was probably different. I've never had one. For my GS,
the tape drive I currently use is an Archive Viper 60S (QIC-24 format,
SCSI interface, puts 60 megs on a DC600 cartridge).
____________________________
From: Supertimer
026- How do I restart my HS SCSI + Zip when the Zip deactivates?
The problem is with the Apple SCSI driver. The Zip drive normally
deactivates itself after a period of time to conserve energy. The Apple
SCSI driver fails to reactivate the Zip when the IIGS tries to access
it. If this happens in some programs, data can get corrupted. If it
happens in the Finder, the Finder will ask you if you want to format the
Zip disk.
You can reacivate your Zip by hitting the eject button and pushing
the Zip disk back into the drive after it has ejected. People call this
"goosing" the Zip drive. It works and reactivates the Zip.
One complete fix is to replace the Apple SCSI driver with the Tulin
one. Some former Tulin employee on Compuserve sells it for $20.
Rubywand
Apple II Accelerators
Csa2 FAQs-on-Ground file: Csa2ACCEL.txt rev012
The Csa2 (comp.sys.apple2) usenet newsgroup Frequently Asked
Questions files are compiled by the Ground Apple II site,
1997 - 1999.
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
for on-line perusing via Netscape, etc. ...
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ (double-spaced)
The Csa2 FAQs may be freely distributed.
Note: To correctly view tables and diagrams on a super-res display,
use a mono-spaced Font such as CoPilot or PCMononspaced.
____________________________
001- What are the correct settings for a ZipGS?
From: Marc Sira
____________________________
From: Todd P. Whitesel
______________________________
From: Jeff Brielmaier
Bank1 Bank2
1.7 MHz CLOSED OPEN
1 MHz OPEN CLOSED
1 MHz CLOSED CLOSED
----------------------
____________________________
From: Rubywand
software or hardware?
------------------------
and IIe Apples?
------------------------
____________________________
From: Douglas M. Howell
SpeeDemon board?
--- --- --- ------
off off off 0
off off on 1
off on off 2
off on on 3
on off off 4
on off on 5
on on off 6
on on on 7
____________________________
From: Will Baguhn
____________________________
From: David Empson
$C058 R No operation
defaults/switch settings).
$C059 R/W 76543210
....*... CPS follow disable=0/enable=1
$C05A R 76543210
....1111
$Ax Lock ZIP registers
$C05B R 76543210
(read $C05F to reset)
(i.e. enable card)
$C05C R/W 76543210
$C05D W 76543210
....**** Don't care
$C05E W No operation
$C05F W No operation
----------------------------
2018: 65 $65
2019: 1D 20 $201D
CREATE SLOW,TSYS
BSAVE SLOW,TSYS,A$2000,L$24
200F:5B
CREATE FAST,TSYS
BSAVE FAST,TSYS,A$2000,L$24
____________________________
From: William Baguhn
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
____________________________
From: Richard Der
Good Luck!
____________________________
From: Frank M. Lin
operating speed?
32 8
33.3333 8.3333
36 9
40 10
42 10.5
46 11.5
48 12
50 12.5
55 13.75
60 15
----------------------------
incorrectly.
_______
NC x x NC | |
(A) (B) (C)
----------------------------
CUT
| | | | notched end facing up.
|o __V__ o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o|__o__|o| |o| |o| |o|
|o _____ o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o| o |o| |o| |o| |o|
|o|__o__|o| |o| |o| |o|
Supertimer
>GS/OS- Originally called "ProDOS 16", today's installed GS/OS will
>usually be System 5.04 or System 6.0.1. System 5.04 is appropriate for
>1MB or smaller non-hard disk GS's. System 6.0.1 is recommended for
>larger memory GS's with a hard disk. GS/OS is the desktop, Windows-like
>environment utilizing super-res displays. Both ProDOS 8 programs and 'GS
>Applications' (i.e. wares that need GS/OS to run) can be started from
>the desktop. The program which runs the desktop is usually called the
>"Finder".
According to Apple and A+ magazine, ProDOS 16 was a completely
separate operating system from GS/OS. ProDOS 16 was a 16-bit
shell on top of the same old ProDOS 8 core. It was 8-bit at heart.
GS/OS was a clean slate and pure 16-bit OS. Perhaps Mike
Westerfield can shed more light on the distinction, but I'm almost
sure ProDOS 16 and GS/OS should be classified as two separate
and distinct operating systems.
AppleWorks GS 1.0 was written specifically for ProDOS 16 and
won't run under GS/OS. AWGS 1.1 fixed that, but it would no
longer run under ProDOS 16, only GS/OS.
It may also be worthwhile to include an entry for GNO/ME, since
many IIGS users use it. I know there is a GNO/ME FAQ, but
a mention in the general OS section seems appropriate.
Keep up the good work. I enjoy reading the FAQs!
Rubywand
Apple II Accelerators
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
http://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs
____________________________
From: Marc Sira
____________________________
From: Todd P. Whitesel
______________________________
From: Jeff Brielmaier
Bank1 Bank2
----------------------
____________________________
From: Rubywand
------------------------
------------------------
____________________________
From: Douglas M. Howell
____________________________
From: Will Baguhn
____________________________
From: David Empson
$C058 R No operation
$C05E W No operation
$C05F W No operation
----------------------------
CREATE SLOW,TSYS
BSAVE SLOW,TSYS,A$2000,L$24
200F:5B
CREATE FAST,TSYS
BSAVE FAST,TSYS,A$2000,L$24
____________________________
From: William Baguhn
Reference: FAQs resource file R005SPLITC.GIF (pic file)
----------------------------
From: Rubywand
____________________________
From: Richard Der
Good Luck!
____________________________
----------------------------
----------------------------
(D) (E)
-----------------------------
-----------------------------
BenchMark v5.0 results:
CPU Stock TWGS TWGS TWGS ZipGS ZipGS ZipGS
____________________________
From: Scott G.
----------------------------
____________________________
From: Rubywand
----------------------------
----------------------------
---------------------------
____________________________
From: Sandy
____________________________
Rubywand
>
> Rubywand <ruby...@swbell.net> wrote:
>
> >GS/OS- Originally called "ProDOS 16", today's installed GS/OS will
> >usually be System 5.04 or System 6.0.1. System 5.04 is appropriate for
>
> According to Apple and A+ magazine, ProDOS 16 was a completely
> separate operating system from GS/OS. ProDOS 16 was a 16-bit
> shell on top of the same old ProDOS 8 core. It was 8-bit at heart.
> GS/OS was a clean slate and pure 16-bit OS. Perhaps Mike
> Westerfield can shed more light on the distinction, but I'm almost
> sure ProDOS 16 and GS/OS should be classified as two separate
> and distinct operating systems.
Well, yes, there are many differences. On the other hand, the names
and, generally, the function of major components (e.g. desk accessories,
tools, ...) are similar as is the 'look' to the user when running a
Finder.
The reason "ProDOS 16" is in quotes is that, from the start in
1986, that is what everyone called the OS. Later on, GS/OS arrived and
we suddenly began to speak of ProDOS 16 as part of GS/OS. Apple
eventually went back and renamed the old "ProDOS 16" and GS/OS versions
as "System" this or that. All in all, kind of a mess.
> It may also be worthwhile to include an entry for GNO/ME, since
> many IIGS users use it. I know there is a GNO/ME FAQ, but
> a mention in the general OS section seems appropriate.
>
True. Maybe someone will post some info on GNO/ME-- I know nearly
nothing about it-- to answer general questions like What is GNO/ME? and
What are some useful applications which require GNO/ME?
> Keep up the good work. I enjoy reading the FAQs!
Thanks! Most of the FAQs Q&A content comes from postings to this
newsgroup by many knowledgeable users. Mainly, the FAQs keeper just
organizes stuff.
Rubywand
Richard Bennett
> usually be System 5.04 or System 6.0.1. System 5.04 is appropriate for
> 1MB or smaller non-hard disk GS's. System 6.0.1 is recommended for
> larger memory GS's with a hard disk. GS/OS is the desktop, Windows-like
> environment utilizing super-res displays. Both ProDOS 8 programs and 'GS
> Applications' (i.e. wares that need GS/OS to run) can be started from
> the desktop. The program which runs the desktop is usually called the
> "Finder".
Hey Buttwand, I don't know why I'm correcting your already full of
mistakes FAQs, but these ones are really laughable.
- It's System 5.0.4, not System 5.04. Big difference.
- GS/OS is the operating system, not the desktop. The desktop is provided
by the Finder.
"System 6.0.1" contains GS/OS v4.02, the Finder v6.0.1 and updates to
various tool sets which have their own version numbers.
As an FAQ compiler, I would have thought a rather basic knowledge of the
Apple IIgs would be a prerequisite. Hang on, you were self appointed,
that's right...
Richard Bennett
> or concerns as in "Old, out-of-print A2 wares should be preserved and
> archived for easy access by every user".
Without getting into an argument about piracy, do you really think your
subjective opinion is valid as an example?
At least add the words "reclassified as public domain" or similar, or just
get rid of the stupid thing altogether and put in something objective,
such as "There are many online A2 forums to be found across a variety of
commercial and free Internet based systems."
David Empson
> Rubywand <ruby...@swbell.net> wrote:
>
> >GS/OS- Originally called "ProDOS 16", today's installed GS/OS will
> >usually be System 5.04 or System 6.0.1. System 5.04 is appropriate for
> >1MB or smaller non-hard disk GS's. System 6.0.1 is recommended for
> >larger memory GS's with a hard disk.
>
> According to Apple and A+ magazine, ProDOS 16 was a completely
> separate operating system from GS/OS. ProDOS 16 was a 16-bit
> shell on top of the same old ProDOS 8 core. It was 8-bit at heart.
> GS/OS was a clean slate and pure 16-bit OS. Perhaps Mike
> Westerfield can shed more light on the distinction, but I'm almost
> sure ProDOS 16 and GS/OS should be classified as two separate
> and distinct operating systems.
I'll second that. GS/OS is a complete rewrite, sharing little if any
code in common with ProDOS-16. GS/OS emulates the ProDOS-16 calls, so
it still supports ProDOS-16 applications, but has its own native (and
more powerful) calls.
> >GS/OS is the desktop, Windows-like environment utilizing super-res
> >displays.
No it isn't. GS/OS is the underlying operating system. It has very
little to do with the user interface - about the only places it
interacts with the user are the boot display, error dialogs and similar.
The System Launcher (in System 6.0 and 6.0.1) is also part of GS/OS, but
it uses the toolbox for its display.
You can have text-based or non-desktop graphical programs that use
GS/OS. ORCA/Shell and GNO/ME are the main examples of the former, and
some games are examples of the latter.
The desktop environment is created by the IIgs Toolbox, which is mostly
independent of the operating system, the main exception being the
Standard File toolset (open and save dialog boxes).
Desktop applications like Finder are dependent on both GS/OS and the
toolbox.
> AppleWorks GS 1.0 was written specifically for ProDOS 16 and
> won't run under GS/OS.
I don't think this is correct. If I remember right, AppleWorks GS 1.0
used System 4.0 (the first system version which included GS/OS), but
misbehaves badly under System 5.0 and later. It is probably the toolbox
changes in System 5.0 that are the problem, not GS/OS.
I don't know whether AppleWorks GS 1.0 was able to run under ProDOS-16
at all, but I expect it would have worked.
Can anyone confirm these details? I doubt that I still have a copy of
AWGS 1.0.
> AWGS 1.1 fixed that, but it would no longer run under ProDOS 16, only
> GS/OS.
It actually requires System 5.0 or later, and won't work under earlier
system versions.
--
David Empson
dem...@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand
David Empson
> Supertimer writes ...
> >
> > Rubywand <ruby...@swbell.net> wrote:
> >
> > >GS/OS- Originally called "ProDOS 16", today's installed GS/OS will
> > >usually be System 5.04 or System 6.0.1. System 5.04 is appropriate for
> ....
> >
> > According to Apple and A+ magazine, ProDOS 16 was a completely
> > separate operating system from GS/OS. ProDOS 16 was a 16-bit
> > shell on top of the same old ProDOS 8 core. It was 8-bit at heart.
> > GS/OS was a clean slate and pure 16-bit OS. Perhaps Mike
> > Westerfield can shed more light on the distinction, but I'm almost
> > sure ProDOS 16 and GS/OS should be classified as two separate
> > and distinct operating systems.
> ....
>
> Well, yes, there are many differences. On the other hand, the names
> and, generally, the function of major components (e.g. desk accessories,
> tools, ...) are similar as is the 'look' to the user when running a
> Finder.
See my other article. The desk accessories and Mac-like desktop are
presented by the IIgs Toolbox, not by "ProDOS-16" or "GS/OS". It is
just that most of the toolbox and new desk accessories are only
available under either of these operating systems.
> The reason "ProDOS 16" is in quotes is that, from the start in
> 1986, that is what everyone called the OS. Later on, GS/OS arrived and
> we suddenly began to speak of ProDOS 16 as part of GS/OS. Apple
> eventually went back and renamed the old "ProDOS 16" and GS/OS versions
> as "System" this or that. All in all, kind of a mess.
Nope. The only IIgs system software that wasn't called that on the disk
label was the original "MouseDesk 2.0" disk, which was officially Apple
IIgs System 1.0. Every subsequent release was labelled "Apple IIgs
System x.x(.x)", and included whatever version of ProDOS-16 (later
GS/OS) and ProDOS-8 that were current at the time.
There was added confusion because the operating system splash screen
didn't indicate the System version until 6.0.
The public system releases that I know about are:
1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.1, 3.2 (all ProDOS-16, up to version 1.6)
4.0 (GS/OS 2.0)
5.0, 5.0.2, 5.0.3, 5.0.4 (GS/OS 3.0x)
6.0, 6.0.1 (GS/OS 4.0x)
System 5.0.1 was released, but didn't last long and wasn't widely
distributed.
I have official system disks for most of these (I don't have a full copy
of 3.1), which I bought from APDA at the time they were released. I
wasn't a member of the developer program at the time, or I might have
got even more intermediate versions.
I created an AppleWorks spreadsheet a few years ago that lists all the
system releases, including the version numbers of each of the major
components. It was posted on comp.binaries.apple2 at the time, and I
believe it made its way onto at least one of the FTP sites.
Rubywand
>
....
usage
>
> > >GS/OS is the desktop, Windows-like environment utilizing super-res
> > >displays.
>
> little to do with the user interface - about the only places it
> interacts with the user are the boot display, error dialogs and similar.
> The System Launcher (in System 6.0 and 6.0.1) is also part of GS/OS, but
> it uses the toolbox for its display.
>
Okay. I'll swap in "System" for GS/OS.
> You can have text-based or non-desktop graphical programs that use
> GS/OS. ORCA/Shell and GNO/ME are the main examples of the former, and
> some games are examples of the latter.
>
> The desktop environment is created by the IIgs Toolbox, which is mostly
> independent of the operating system, the main exception being the
> Standard File toolset (open and save dialog boxes).
>
> Desktop applications like Finder are dependent on both GS/OS and the
> toolbox.
>
....
________
....
>
> > The reason "ProDOS 16" is in quotes is that, from the start in
> > 1986, that is what everyone called the OS. Later on, GS/OS arrived and
> > we suddenly began to speak of ProDOS 16 as part of GS/OS. Apple
> > eventually went back and renamed the old "ProDOS 16" and GS/OS versions
> > as "System" this or that. All in all, kind of a mess.
>
> Nope. The only IIgs system software that wasn't called that on the disk
> label was the original "MouseDesk 2.0" disk, which was officially Apple
> IIgs System 1.0. Every subsequent release was labelled "Apple IIgs
> System x.x(.x)", and included whatever version of ProDOS-16 (later
> GS/OS) and ProDOS-8 that were current at the time.
>
All of my early system disks from Apple say "Apple IIgs System Disk" and, then,
somewhere, a version number. Not until the time of System 6 do we find "System"
widely used in a proper name for System, such as "System 6".
However improper and/or inexact, users at club meetings, on BBS systems, in
articles, ... did normally refer to the collection of system stuff on early games,
etc. as "ProDOS 16". One reason for this usage is that when these diskettes booted,
the only system-related identifier was "ProDOS 16 v1.3", etc.. Another is that
popular magazine writers routinely referred to System as "ProDOS 16".
When GS/OS arrived, the collection of system stuff was commonly called "GS/OS".
For example, in Exploring Apple GS/OS and ProDOS 8, Gary Little speaks of a "GS/OS
system disk" which includes all of the components we would call "System" today. Even
in one of the rare pre Sys6 uses of "System": the article "System 5.0 UPDATE: From a
Trot to a Gallop", inCider's West Coast Editor always refers to "GS/OS 5.0" in the
text and presents performance charts comparing "GS/OS 5.0" vs "GS/OS 4.0".
Of course, common usage does not make something correct. It is sloppy to refer
to a System using the name of one of its components and the correction to the FAQs
will be made. On the other hand, users should be aware of terms used in the past.
For one thing, anyone who searches old magazine archives, etc. for mentions of
"System" whatever prior to Sys6 is going to miss 99% of the articles about these
earlier Systems because they are referred to as "ProDOS 16" or "GS/OS".
> There was added confusion because the operating system splash screen
> didn't indicate the System version until 6.0.
>
> The public system releases that I know about are:
>
> 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.1, 3.2 (all ProDOS-16, up to version 1.6)
> 4.0 (GS/OS 2.0)
> 5.0, 5.0.2, 5.0.3, 5.0.4 (GS/OS 3.0x)
> 6.0, 6.0.1 (GS/OS 4.0x)
>
> System 5.0.1 was released, but didn't last long and wasn't widely
> distributed.
>
> I have official system disks for most of these (I don't have a full copy
> of 3.1), which I bought from APDA at the time they were released. I
> wasn't a member of the developer program at the time, or I might have
> got even more intermediate versions.
>
> I created an AppleWorks spreadsheet a few years ago that lists all the
> system releases, including the version numbers of each of the major
> components. It was posted on comp.binaries.apple2 at the time, and I
> believe it made its way onto at least one of the FTP sites.
>
That would be good to find. Thanks for the info and clarifications!
Rubywand
Rubywand
>
> > today's installed GS/OS will
> > usually be System 5.04 or System 6.0.1. System 5.04 is appropriate for
....
>
> Hey Buttwand, I don't know why I'm correcting your already full of
> mistakes FAQs, but these ones are really laughable.
>
> - It's System 5.0.4, not System 5.04. Big difference.
True. Good correction!
....
> "System 6.0.1" contains GS/OS v4.02, the Finder v6.0.1 and updates to
> various tool sets which have their own version numbers.
>
Okay. Thanks for the contribution.
....
Rubywand
bri...@hiwaay.omit-this.net
>>usually be System 5.04 or System 6.0.1. System 5.04 is appropriate for
>>environment utilizing super-res displays. Both ProDOS 8 programs and 'GS
>>Applications' (i.e. wares that need GS/OS to run) can be started from
>>the desktop. The program which runs the desktop is usually called the
>>"Finder".
>
>separate operating system from GS/OS. ProDOS 16 was a 16-bit
>shell on top of the same old ProDOS 8 core. It was 8-bit at heart.
>GS/OS was a clean slate and pure 16-bit OS.
As far as i recall, ProDOS-16 was a 16-bit version of the ProDOS
kernel (though i don't doubt that it still contained a lot of 8-bit
code) and included, amongst other things, memory management beyond
128k. ProDOS-8 was spawned as an application under ProDOS-16 not much
differently than is is under the GS/OS kernel.
And the GS/OS desktop is Mac-like--not Windows-like.
Very very different!! :)
David Empson
> super...@aol.com (Supertimer) wrote:
> >
> >According to Apple and A+ magazine, ProDOS 16 was a completely
> >separate operating system from GS/OS. ProDOS 16 was a 16-bit
> >shell on top of the same old ProDOS 8 core. It was 8-bit at heart.
> >GS/OS was a clean slate and pure 16-bit OS.
>
> As far as i recall, ProDOS-16 was a 16-bit version of the ProDOS
> kernel (though i don't doubt that it still contained a lot of 8-bit
> code) and included, amongst other things, memory management beyond
> 128k.
As I understand it, ProDOS-16 was basically a wrapper around a modified
version of the ProDOS-8 kernel. All actual disk I/O took place in bank
0 with the kernel and drivers running in emulation mode. The wrapper
code implements the native entry points, handles mode switches, and
transfers data between bank 0 buffers and the appropriate location in
other banks.
GS/OS is fully native, only switching to emulation mode as required to
use emulation mode drivers, e.g. firmware on I/O cards.
The main reasons GS/OS is so much faster than P16 (when using native
drivers) is that it avoids double-buffering data, doesn't need to switch
modes for each block access, and can make use of multi-block transfers.
> ProDOS-8 was spawned as an application under ProDOS-16 not much
> differently than is is under the GS/OS kernel.
They are loaded in a similar way, but I wouldn't call P8 an
"application".
The OS loader is responsible for swapping the appropriate kernel into
the bank 0 language card (and other parts of bank 0 and 1) as required.
It was rewritten considerably for GS/OS, due to the architectural
differences between P16 and GS/OS.
> And the GS/OS desktop is Mac-like--not Windows-like.
No argument there!