Input Devices. .
..
...
Input Devices. ......
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 II+ 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?
028- How can I replace a bad keyboard encoder
IC on my IIe?
029- Can I use an Apple III joystick on my Apple
II?
030- How can I be sure my joystick is properly
adjusted?
031- How can I play joystick games on an emulator?
032- How do I fix a "stuttering" IIgs? (IIgs keyboard
fix)
033- How can I use a PC mouse on my Apple II?
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.
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.
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.
.
Related FAQs Resource: R029PCA2XRF.GIF (gif pic file)
Related FAQs Resource: R030PCA2RF.GIF (gif pic file)
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.
Note: The converter detailed here will not work
with "auto-fire" circuits included
in some PC joysticks. If you use an auto-fire
stick with this converter, "auto-fire"
should be switched Off.
For a modified design which supports both auto-fire
and non auto-fire operation
see FAQs Resource R030PCA2RF.GIF.
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 a 500k trim pot
in series with the cap.
add .01 uF cap* between
[8] & [3] [10] & [ 8]
Optional: for fine-tuning,
add a 500k trim pot
in series with the cap.
*Note: The Capacitors compensate for smaller R range of PC sticks.
The C values are approximate. There is some variation in
the
built-in capacitance for each Apple II and a ".01 uF" cap
may be
off by 20% or more.
For standard 100k Ohm PC sticks, picking a ".01 uF" cap pretty
well guarantees you will be able to cover the full Apple
II
X and Y range (0-255). To make sure and to get a wide active
swing, it's a good idea to use clips to attach caps and check
performance using the program below.
A pictorial 'diagram' of this converter
is available. For the
pictorial, see FAQs Resource R029PCA2XRF.GIF.
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, after X and Y centering is set
(around 128) 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 so long as you can get to the max 255 values
with the pots at lowest resistance. (Increasing the resistance acts
like
lowering the value of the connected capacitor.) 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 pinouts 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 adapter (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 male 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 male 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 male 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.
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.
____________________________
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, Supertimer, Chippy
008- My stock GS keyboard has been acting flaky; and, now
I'm looking for a GS keyboard replacement.
What's available?
Work with an Apple IIgs
Apple ADB Keyboards I and II
AppleDesign Keyboard (approx. price: $85)
Apple Extended Keyboard (original)
Apple Extended Keyboard II (approx. price: $155)
Adesso 105 Extended Keyboard (approx. price: $80)
Adesso 102 Extended Keyboard w/ Trackball [Trackball does NOT work]
(approx. price: $100)
AlphaSmart Pro ADB keyboard (approx. price: $270 )
AlphaSmart 2000-3000 (approx. price: $200-$230)
Arriva Extended (approx. price: $40)
Datadesk Lil’BigBoard (approx. price: $60)
Interex Mac-105A Extended (approx. price: $55)
Key Tronic MacPro Plus (approx. price: $130)
OptiMac Extended Keyboard
PowerUser 105E Extended Keyboard (approx. price: $60)
SIIG, Inc MacTouch Model 1905 (approx. price: $100.00)
SIIG, TrueTouch [ROM 03 only]
Sun OmniMac Ultra [extended, ADB type]
Suntouch ADB Extended Keyboard (approx. price: $75)
VividKey Extended Keyboard (approx. price: $60)
Do not work with an Apple IIgs
Apple Adjustable Keyboard
MacALLY Peripherals Extended Keyboard
MicroSpeed Keyboard Deluxe MAC
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 adapter.
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 adapter 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!
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.
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 and Guillaume Tello
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 $CBB9 ; call well known location ;-) in tablet firmware
When the pen is in reach of the tablet (up
or down) this routine will return
immediately. Else it will block - fortunately, the routine checks the
keyboard
strobe ($C010) too and will also return if a key is pressed, even if
the pen
remains out of tablet's reach.
After the routine has returned one can get the information:
$0280 pen state:
bit 0 = 0 Pen down, bit 0 = 1 Pen up
bit 1 = Previous pen state
bit 4 = 0 Pen has been localized, its state and
positions are valid.
bit 4 = 1 Pen out of reach but key pressed and then
X=Y=0
$0281 Low byte of X pen position
$0282 High byte of X pen position
$0283 Low byte of Y pen position
$0284 High byte of Y pen position
X and Y have 13 bits resolution from 0 to 8191.
Using my Apple Tablet, I
get values from 300 to 6350 and the bounds are not reached.
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.
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.
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: tgeer@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).
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.
019- How do you use the Kensington TurboMouse with a IIgs?
The Version 3.0 Kensington TurboMouse ADB works fine on a later model
IIgs
(such as a mid-late 1987 true ROM-01 IIgs). It will not work
correctly on a
ROM-00 IIgs even after the standard ROM upgrade to ROM-01. The Version
4.x
TM will not work on any 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
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.
A different approach suggested by some is to
remove the keboard
and wash it in a dishwasher. Using a dishwasher might be okay if you
use
liquid detergent. (Grandular stuff shreds glass-- not good for plastic
or
circuits-- and may leave deposits.)
Main things would be make sure any gunk gets
washed away so that
it doesn't get stuck inside a switch, etc. and that everything thoroughly
dries.
It's probably best to remove the KB after the
rinse cycle. Do not go
through a heat dry cycle; that could lead to streaks and blotching,
even
partial melting, of the plastic.
Afterwards, dunk the KB in a sink of warm water.
Submerge and lift
out several times to suck out any glop. Shake the KB and dry what you
can with paper towels to avoid streaking and blotching of plastic.
Remove
any globs of gunk you find; and, put the KB someplace to dry for a
few
days. (Avoid direct sun light; it's not good for the plastic.)
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.
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.
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
Related FAQs Resource: R034MOUSEPRG.TXT (Text file)
027- How do I write programs which use the mouse?
The assembly language interface to the mouse
firmware is documented in the
reference material that was supplied with the IIe AppleMouse card,
the
IIc Technical Reference Manual, and the IIgs Firmware Reference Manual.
For a 'how to' discussion, see FAQs Resource file R034MOUSEPRG.TXT.
028- My IIe has a bad keyboard encoder IC. How can I get a
replacement?
The AY-5-3600 PRO keyboard encoder is not easy to find; but, it can
be
replaced by the KR-9600-PRO keyboard encoder. The 9600 IC has more
features, such as the bounce fix. I have installed one in my IIe and
it works
fine.
029- Can I use an Apple III joystick on my Apple II?
No. The Apple III joystick port has very little
in common with the Apple II
one. The Apple III joystick's internal circuit arrangement and plug
pinout are
very different from that for an Apple II joystick.
Do not attempt to connect an Apple II joystick
to an Apple III, or vice versa.
At the very least, it will not work. At worst, you could damage the
computer.
Here are the joystick port pinouts, for comparison:
II III
1 SW1 GND
2 +5V +5V
3 GND GND
4 PDL2 Joy-X
5 PDL0 SW0
6 SW2 +12V
7 SW0 GND
8 PDL1 Joy-Y
9 PLD3 SW1
030- How can I be sure my joystick is properly adjusted?
To check and fine-tune your joystick, run an
Apple II joystick adjustment
program such as the one on the TNILUTIL disk available from Ground
or
GSWV (see Q&A 007 in File Utilities).
If you get a range of 0-255 for
Horizontal and Vertical with centers around 128 and both buttons work,
the
stick is properly adjusted and ready for use.
If you can not reach extreme values (0 or 255),
the stick will not work for
some applications. For example, you will not be able to guide your
worm in
the game "Serpentine".
Related FAQs Resource: R033EMUJSMOD.GIF (gif pic file)
031- Many games with a joystick option do not work with joystick
on the Apple II emulator I'm running on
a PC. Is there some
way to use my PC stick with these games?
The problem is that PC sticks do not have the
required resistance range. (They
top out around 100k Ohms; whereas, A2 sticks top out at 150k.)
As a result, the
emulator will not detect a value indicating extreme Down or Right.
One fix is to go to the PC Control Panel, select
"Gaming Options" (or whatever
it's called), and re-calibrate your joystick. The trick is to under-calibrate.
So, when,
told to move the stick in a circle, do not go out as far as you can.
Instead, move it
in a small circle.
A different fix is to modify your PC joystick
to increase its range. Adding a
0.01uF capacitor from each pot's non-ground tab to ground will do this.
Running the
leads through a small DPST switch mounted in the joystick lets you
switch out the
caps for regular PC use. (For details see R033EMUJSMOD.GIF.)
Since the
joystick's range is extended by flipping the switch to connect the
caps, there is never
any need to under-calibrate when in the PC Control Panel.
Either way, to check and fine-tune your stick
for emulator use, run an Apple II
joystick adjustment program on the emulator. (See Q&A
030 above.)
If you do the joystick modification, set
the switch OFF,
to the PC
position, when
doing any PC Control Panel calibration.
(Doing a calibration with the caps
switched ON would defeat the range-extending
function of the modification.) Set
the switch ON,
to the Apple II
position, when checking and fine-tuning joystick
adjustments on your Apple II emulator and for
playing Apple II games on the
emulator.
032- Today my IIgs started "stuttering"-- i.e. working for a bit
then
freezing for a bit then working again.
Anyone have a fix?
I have seen this before. The cause was a bad
connection to the keyboard's
mini-DIN-8 connector. One of the leads from the connector to the keyboard
circuit
board had broken its solder connection; and, the line was intermittantly
connecting.
When one or more lines is broken or loose,
information is not getting back to the
computer or is interrupted. Seems like the computer is waiting for
it; and, you get
"stuttering".
The solution was to resolder the mini-DIN connection(s)
on the keyboard. I did
it and all is fine.
The keyboard's min-DIN connectors are fairly
well known weak spots on the
IIgs; and, I have repaired more than one keyboard for bad connections.
In one a
copper trace going to a connector was broken-- repaired that by soldering
in a
jumper made from a bit of solid copper wire.
033- How can I use a PC mouse on my Apple II?
I have developed a small adapter which lets
you plug a PS/2 mouse (mechanical,
optical, cordless, etc. as used with IBM PC-compatibles) into an Apple
mouse port.
It works with the mouse port on the AppleMouse card and the built-in
mouse ports
of the Apple IIc, IIc+, and Laser 128. (It should also work with older
Macintosh
models (128K, 512K, Plus); but, I don't have one to test it on.)
The adapter, which was demonstrated at KFest
2003, has a pair of
microcontrollers which translate the PS/2 protocol into the Apple mouse
format. No
software changes or drivers are needed on the Apple side.
I've set up a web site with pics and info for selling the adapter via PayPal at ...
http://vintageware.orcon.net.nz/
.
