Hardware Hacking. .
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Hardware Hacking.
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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 pinout 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 "Zip" package chips for my
AE GS-RAM III card?
018- What chip can I use to replace a bad RAM
IC in my IIe?
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- My ROM3 with RamFAST crashes with an 8MB
Sirius. What's wrong?
023- Where can I find Apple II diagrams?
024- What No Slot Clock chip should go in my IIc+
and where?
025- Where can I find Apple II socket, etc. pinouts?
026- What IC do I need to use the GS-RAM Plus
in my Apple IIgs?
027- Where can I get prototyping boards that fit
Apple II Slots?
028- What are the numbers and functions of major
Apple II ROMs?
029- What is the C-One?
030- How can I whiten my browned Apple II case,
KB, mouse, etc.?
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."
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.
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 pinout 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, David Kopper, Guenther Unger, Gabriel Hawkins, Michael Mahon
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 one of the following malfunctions:
o- Temperature-sensitive ADB IC
This problem was first identified in a 1988
article in issue #58 of Computist. If your
IIgs is a true ROM-01 (produced starting in mid-late 1987) or a ROM
3, you are
very unlikely to have an ADB IC with this defect.
Otherwise ... A guess would be that you are
running a ROM-00 machine which has
been upgraded to ROM-01. 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).
Note: Some reports have attributed '0911 crashes to overheating of one
of the two
main ADB IC's. So far, it looks like these reports are cases of misinterpreting
the
actual failure syndrome-- i.e. warming up a cool IC enough to get into
its failure region.
'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 square IC near the right front of the motherboard.)
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. 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.
o- Defective keyboard, loose connector on KB, and/or a bad KB cable
Some users report that swapping in another
keyboard cured their '0911 crashes.
In the same vein, a loose connector socket in the KB or a bad KB cable
would be
worth checking for.
o- System noise and/or lowered motherboard voltages
If '0911 crashes suddenly appear after an accelerator
or other power-sucking
board is added, it is fairly likely that the added load has increased
system noise and,
possibly, also lowered motherboard voltages.
One possibility is that your power supply needs
to have heavier leads swapped
in. Also, you may need to jumper some of the power traces feeding Slots
on the
motherboard. For more discussion about this see Q&A 005-007 in
the
Csa2POWER FAQs.
A defective power supply on the way to failing
is another possibility. A failing
power supply is more likely to be the culprit if '0911 crashes appeared
'from
nowhere'-- i.e. nothing was changed, no new board was added, etc..
o- Poorly socketed Expansion Memory card
With power turned OFF, try removing and replacing your Expansion Memory card.
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.
From: Rubywand, Duncan Entwisle, Jerry Cline, Bruce Baker
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 disconnect
the AC cord and 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
for most
connection methods-- 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 catalogs
often list 3.6V lithium batteries with and without wire leads in various
sizes at
low prices.
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. Whatever, make sure that the new battery's "+" lead connects
to
the "+" lead on the motherboard.
For connecting solid wire bare leads, you can
use the spring connectors
from a Radio Shack electronics experimenter kit or just wrap the new
battery's
leads around a large sewing needle to make them springy. The springy
leads
can then be slipped over the cut off leads on the motherboard. Another
non-soldering approach is to use "wire nuts".
Should you do any soldering to the cut-off
leads, use good quality rosin core
solder (e.g 63 Tin multi-core) and try to avoid long heat exposure.
You do not
want to melt the connection at the motherboard. Similar concerns apply
to
soldering to the new battery leads. With good solder and clean leads
it should
be possible to "tin" each lead and make the connections in a few seconds
for
each operation.
Especially if you are 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.
When disposing of the old battery, snipping
off its leads at the battery to
reduce the chance of a direct short is a good safety measure. It's
hard to be
sure an old battery is completely dead; and, a direct short could produce
enough
heat to burst the battery and/or start a fire.
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 8
or 9. 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.
Related FAQs Resource: R007BATRAMM.zip (program in ShrinkIt file inside .zip)
008- Is there a program to record my Control Panel, etc. settings
and restore them after the GS BatRAM battery
is replaced?
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.zip. After
unzipping the downloaded file, use ShrinkIt or
GS-ShrinkIt to unpack the .shk file.
009- How can I 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!
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.
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.
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
.
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 ).
A good on-line resource for BASIC Stamp components
and info is the
BSS Club at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Cable/7772/.
From: David Chiu, Dick Pirong, Bart, Paul Grammens
017- Where can I get the "Zip" package 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). A few other Apple II memory
cards
also use relatively rare Zip package RAM.
As of November 2002, you could find the NEC
chip at Spi Semiconductor
(818-884-8000; http://www.spisemi.com/index.html
). Search for 424400. For other
suppliers, a fairly good try is a current issue of Computer Shopper
magazine.
Whenever you order these memory IC's, be sure
to confirm that the chips are, in fact,
in the Zip package.
018- What chip can I use to replace a bad RAM IC on my IIe motherboard?
The 4164 (64k x 1) works on motherboards using
eight memory chips. The RAM on
my motherboard is in sockets; so, it was easy to replaced a bad memory
chip with one.
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.
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.
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: Rodney Hester
Turns out I had the opposite experience. In
my system (ROM 3 with Focus drive
and 8MB Sirius v2.0) the large file corruption problems, "ghosties"
(weird video artifacts),
random system crashes (especially when Balloon 2.0 was active), etc.
_all_ went away
when I removed "SIMM 8". (There is some numbering on the back
of the Sirius.)
022- I just received my Sirius RAM card and populated it with
8 1MB SIMMS. However my ROM 3 GS crashes
early in the boot
process. Could it be a problem with my
RamFAST and DMA?
First, if your RamFAST is the Rev. C (full-length)
card, it cannot DMA to 8MB;
so, you will have to turn DMA off. The Rev. D can DMA to 8MB fine.
Second, make sure there are 8 SIMMs on the
Sirius. Alltech used to say that you are
supposed to take out one of the SIMMs when using the 8MB Sirius card
on a ROM 3;
but, this leads to problems. Plug in all 8 SIMMs and use it that
way. You lose the 1MB
from the motherboard this way, but you gain it back on the 'extra'
SIMM you put in.
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: Charles T. Turley
A set of IIgs ROM-01 schematics was published
in the September 1999 issue of
GS WorldView. Go to GSWV's Archive at ...
http://apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/Docs/IIgsMotherboardSchematics/ .
From: Rubywand
The Apple II Reference Manual (1979) includes
a II/II+ schematic, a
keyboard schematic, and annotated firmware listings. For Disk II and
Disk II
Controller schematics, see The DOS Manual (1981) from Apple.
For the IIe and enhanced IIe, see the Apple
IIe Technical Reference Manual.
The 1986 edition includes diagrams and annotated firmware listings.
The Apple IIc Technical Reference Manual (1987)
includes IIc schematics
and firmware listings for the three major IIc versions. A later (1989)
"Second
Edition" of the manual includes IIc+ coverage.
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 IIgs firmware listing.
Although most Apple II manuals are out of print,
many can still be purchased
from on-line book sellers such as Amazon.com.
On-line, GS Worldview's archive offers a couple
folders with several
schematics at http://apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/Docs/
.
024- I just got a Dallas Smartwatch (aka No Slot Clock) for my Apple
IIc+.
Where does it go?
There is only one ROM in the IIc+: it is probably
32KB in capacity, like the UniDisk
revision of the IIc and later IIc models, hence it would be a 28 pin
chip.
Assuming the SmartWatch works in the IIc+ (and
I don't know of any reason why it
wouldn't), you need to put it under the chip labelled "Monitor ROM".
Make sure you
get it around the right way!
One other point: I hope you got the right variety
of the SmartWatch. The part number
should be DS1216E. The letter suffix indicates the type of chip
which the SmartWatch
works under, with "E" being a 28-pin ROM. The suffix should be printed
in the form of
a large green letter (silk screened) on the small circuit board which
is visible beside the
DS1216 chip inside the SmartWatch.
Related FAQs Resource: R023PINOUTS.htm (html file)
025- Where can I find Apple II socket, etc. pinouts?
See the FAQs Resource file R023PINOUTS.htm.
026- What IC do I need to use the GS-RAM Plus in my Apple IIgs?
You need the GSPLD1A.1 for a ROM-01 GS and the GSPLD1B.1 for a ROM 3 GS.
027- Where can I get prototyping boards that fit Apple II Slots?
The standard Apple II Slot card has 50 contacts,
25 per side, and is up to 2.75" high
(not counting contacts). Contact spacing is 0.10". Length varies. About
0.50" of the length
can extend beyond the contacts toward the back of the computer.
You may be able to find an 'Apple II prototyping
board' from a surplus parts seller;
however, these boards are no longer a standard item. To get a new board,
you will
probably have to get a PC ISA-8 ("PC XT") Slot board (or an ISA-8/16
Slot board
with the extra contacts trimmed off).
An ISA-8 board has 31 contacts per side spaced
the same as an A2 card. From the
edge facing the front of the computer, you will need to count down
and trim away 6
contacts (per side). It's best to use a real A2 board as a guide to
determine pin centering
and to decide what to slice off for a good fit in an Apple II Slot.
A Dremel tool with a
sand wheel is good for this sort of slicing.
The best deal I've found on proto boards for
Apple II Slot card projects is the
9003 PB from Marlin P. Jones (still offered as of Feb 2004).
It's a good length for most
applications (5.6") and costs $7.95. The 9003 PB is 4.25" high; so,
you will need to
cut off about 1.5" from the top to get a fit in most Apple II's.
Another approach to getting an A2 prototype
board is to 'clean off' and reuse a
surplus A2 card. Or, you can slice off the connector pins (plus a bit
extra) from some
surplus A2 or ISA-8 PC board and bolt the connector to a common rectangular
proto board.
From: Patrick Schaefer, Quadrajet1, David Empson, David Wilson, Rubywand
028- What are the numbers and functions of major Apple II ROMs?
341-0001-00* Integer BASIC E0
1978
341-0002-00* Integer BASIC E8
1978
341-0003-00* Integer BASIC F0
1978
341-0004-00* Integer BASIC F8 (Old Monitor ROM)
1978
341-0009 13 Sector drive
controller P5 ROM
341-0010 13 Sector drive
controller P6 ROM
341-0011-D0* Applesoft BASIC D0
341-0012-D8* Applesoft BASIC D8
341-0013-E0* Applesoft BASIC E0
341-0014-E8* Applesoft BASIC E8
341-0015-F0* Applesoft BASIC F0
341-0016-00* Programmer's Aid #1
1978
341-0020-F8* Applesoft BASIC F8 (Autostart Monitor
ROM)
341-0027 16 Sector drive
controller P5 ROM
341-0028 16 Sector drive
controller P6 ROM
342-0033-A //c Monitor ROM $00
1985
341-0036 ][plus character
ROM
341-0065-A Super Serial Card
1983
342-0077-A IIGS ROM-00
342-0077-B IIGS ROM-01
1987
341-0080-B ProFile 5MB RW-Z8
1981
341-0112-A Apple SCSI (non-HS) revision
A firmware
341-0112-B Apple SCSI (non-HS) revision
B firmware
341-0124-A IIGS Keyboard i8048
342-0132 IIe (and //c)
Keyboard ROM (USA)
1982
342-0132-A IIe (and //c) Keyboard
ROM (USA)
1982
342-0132-B IIe (and //c) Keyboard
ROM (USA) rev DVORAK, pad
342-0132-C IIe (and //c) Keyboard
ROM (USA)
342-0132-D //c Keyboard ROM USA
1984
342-0133-A IIe Video (Char Gen) ROM
1982
342-0134-A IIe EF ROM
1982
342-0135-A IIe CD ROM
1982
342-0135-B "
(identical)
1982
341-0150-A IIe Keyboard ROM UK/usa
1982
341-0151-A IIe Keyboard ROM deutsch/usa
1982
341-0160-A IIe Video ROM UK/usa
1982
341-0161-A IIe Video ROM deutsch/usa
1982
341-0265-A //c USA Char Gen
1983
342-0272-A //c Monitor ROM $FF (original)
1983
342-0273-A //c, //e (enhanced) Char
Gen UK
342-0275-A //c, //e (enhanced) Char
Gen deutsch
1983
342-0303 //e (enhanced)
EF ROM
342-0304 //e (enhanced)
CD
ROM
342-0349-A //e (platinum) CF ROM
342-0372-A //e (enhanced) KB ROM
deutsch/usa
1985
341-0437-A Apple SCSI (non-HS) revision
C firmware
342-0445-A //c Monitor ROM $03 (memory
expandable)
341-0625-A //c plus Monitor ROM $05
1988
341-0728 IIGS ROM
3 FC-FD (prototype)
341-0729 IIGS ROM
3 FE-FF (prototype)
341-0737 IIGS ROM
3 FC-FD
1989
341-0748 IIGS ROM
3 FE-FF
1989
341-0749 IIGS ROM
3 FE-FF (prototype)
* Note: Use of "-00", "-DO", etc. suffixes (or no suffix)
seems to vary radomly. For instance, an E8 ROM might be
numbered 341-0014 or 341-0014-00 and have "E8" stamped
elsewhere on the ROM.
In most cases, this also seems to apply to "-A", "-B"
suffixes (or having no suffix).
____________________________
029- What is the C-One?
The C-One is a modern (2003) 65816-based motherboard
designed to
fit in a standard PC ATX case. Promoted as an "enhanced adaptation
of
the Commodore 64", C-One's 20MHz uP, advanced graphics and sound,
I/O, and other capabilities has attracted the attention of Apple II
users as
the model for a similar-design Super IIgs. (ref: "C-One Page" in the
FAQs Major A2 Sites listing.)
____________________________
From: George Rentovich, the guys on the English Amiga Board, Rubywand
030- My Apple II's case, mouse, and keyboard have been discolored
by years
of exposure to sunlight, UV, etc.. How
can I re-whiten them?
Years of exposure to sunlight and other UV
can result in yellowing or
even browning of Apple II cases. One solution is to pick a color and
paint the
case via a few light coats of a spray paint. If you want to restore
the
original color, you can get a good match using Apple II pictures available
on
the net.
A recently discovered alternative to painting
is bleaching out the
discoloration using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). According to claims,
the process
described here does not damage painted labels, metal inserts, etc.
except as
they may be attached by a water soluable adhesive.
Note: Most of the info here comes from the English Amiga Board at
http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=37808
.
What You Need
- Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)- water added as necessary to get desired
concentration
- An 'Oxy' cleaner such as Oxi Clean Versatile Stain Remover or Vanish
Oxy
Action or pure TAED (Tetra Acetyl Ethylene Diamine)-- don't
need much
- UV 'Blacklight' bulb (60 watts or so) in a lamp (indoors) or sunlight
Note: Do not use other UV sources, such as germicidal lights.
- Plastic or glass container (possibly with a transparent cover)
- Bostik Blu-Tack or similar reusable adhesive to help hold small parts
in
position
- Water close by, such as in a large bowl, for washup and washing off
cleaned
parts
- Rubber gloves
- Full protection goggles. You only get one pair of eyes!
- Tongs may be helpful for retrieving smaller parts
WARNING: Do Not even think about mixing in chlorine bleach with
the H2O2!
The result could be to release chlorine gas.
Hydrogen Peroxide Mixture
Hydrogen peroxide(H2O2) comes in two well-known
forms: stable and
unstable (rocket fuel) determined mainly by concentration. The highest
concentration which is commonly available and which is allowed for
postal
shipping is 35%. H2O2 in useful strengths is available in various forms
and
concentrations from several sources including chemical sellers, cleaner
makers, and hair product sellers.
Sometimes H2O2 concentration is expressed in
"volume". A peroxide product
for hair bleaching may be labeled "40 Volume". To get the % concentration,
you
divide by 3.3. 40 Volume = about 12% H2O2.
H2O2 specified as "not less than 20% nor more
than 40%" is available in a
gallon size as a cleaning product called "Urine Rescue" by Prochem
for about
$15/gallon. You can obtain 12% H2O2 (such as "Super Star 40 Volume
Clear
Peroxide Gallon" for $7.77/gallon) from various hair salon sellers.
The higher the strength, the speedier the whitening.
However, at 35% you
have a more hazardous solution (e.g. in terms of skin/eye splashes)
and will
need to monitor the process more closely to avoid etching of the plastic.
Another factor is that the H2O2 you use will
probably not retain its
whitening properties for more than a few days. If you use lower concentrations
you can stretch out your H2O2 supply over more cleaning sessions. A
good
balance of speediness, hazards, and cost is around 20% H2O2. 12% is
fine, too,
but, slower. Whatever your concentration, you will need enough to keep
the item
being whitened wet during the process.
Plain H2O2 is not particularly speedy as a
whitener below roughly 100
degrees F. So, to activate the H2O2 a small amount of TAED (Tetra Acetyl
Ethylene Diamine) is added at the start of the process. One popular
cleaning
product containing TAED is Oxi Clean. About 1/4 teaspoon per gallon
of H2O2 solution is enough.
Container
This process requires UV light on the surfaces
you wish to whiten. (This
can come from the sun or a blacklight bulb.) Whatever container you
use needs
to keep the plastic part(s) in the solution and to allow light to reach
the surfaces.
Since the process does generate some heat it is best to avoid using
exceptionally flimsy plastic containers.
Some smaller parts may tend to float due to
build up of gasses in gaps
and recesses. A reusable adhesive gum, like Blu-Tack, can hold them
in position
in the tank so that keytops, etc. stay emersed in the solution and
get light.
The container, tank, etc. needs to be out of
the reach of small children
and pets. Be sure to let older children and anyone else who may be
able to
reach the container know that the stuff inside is not plain water and
is
hazardous. Place warning signs/notes on or near the container.
If outside using sunlight, use a transparent
lid or similar covering to
keep out birds and insects.
Some Hazards
The main hazard from H2O2 is probably to eyes.
Wear full protection
goggles and have plain water available for flushing eyes or skin in
case of
contact with H2O2.
Another hazard is the oxygen given off during
the process. At higher
concentrations oxygen can ignite from electrical sparks, candles, etc..
The
place where you do the process should be well ventilated.
The UV light to be used for indoor work is
'blacklight' UV. It is sometimes
used to highlight posters in darkened rooms. (Other UV sources, such
as various
germicidal lights, can be more hazardous to vision.) It is best
to avoid long
exposures. Do not stare at the lighted process for extended periods.
Process
1- Thorougly clean the item(s) to be whitened with soap and water.
2- Set the container for the cleaning process in a safe area out of
reach of
small children and pets.
3- Place the item(s) in the container. If KB keys or similar small items
are to
be cleaned, you may want to stick them in place with Blu-Tack,
etc..
4- Put on goggles and gloves.
5- Pour in the H2O2. Add water to get desired concentration. Do not
fill to
brim. Allow some room for foaming activity.
6- Add 1/4 teaspoon of an 'Oxy' cleaner or pure TAED per gallon of
H2O2 solution. (Expect some foaming action.)
7- If indoors, turn On your blacklight(s). Check that surfaces to be
whitened
are getting light.
8- Every hour or so check the progress of the whitening. Time required
depends
upon many variables. It may be a few hours, several hours,
or a few days.
9- When whitness is satisfactory, remove the part(s). Wash or submerge
in
plain water and dry.
The Gel Option!
In order to simplify whitening larger items
such as cases, the EAB guys
have developed an H2O2 gel which can be brushed on.
Here's a quickie summary from a posting by
Merlin ...
Ingredients
1 pint Hydrogen Peroxide, at least 20% strength
1 teaspoonful xanthan gum (health food shops or Ebay)
1/2 teaspoonful 'Vanish Oxy Action Plus' (any 'Oxy' laundry booster
will do)
1 teaspoonful glycerine
Equipment
Gloves and Goggles (Safety First!)
1 UV blacklight lamp
Liquidiser or hand blender
Procedure
Chuck all ingredients except the Oxy into a
container and mix until a
smooth thick gel is formed.
Just before you use it, add the Oxy in by stirring
and then brush the
mix onto the item to be treated. Stick it under the UV lamp.
Check regularly until the yellowing has gone..
ref: http://eab.abime.net/showpost.php?p=467655&postcount=294
Take care!
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