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After all the years. I found an apple II plus. Have a few questions.


ussexplorer

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In the 1980's or more like 1991. I can't remember my parents purchased me a used apple ii plus with 1 disk drive, monitor, tons of software, okidata printer and a few other goodies. Stupid me sold it to fund some parts for a pc instead. Anyway after passing up tons and tons of apples for killer prices at thrift store and non killer prices due to not having any space. well it would sit out in a garage. I passed them all up. Then behold an Apple ii plus showed up for $250.00, I had to get a hold of somebody up in Boise Idaho to get it for me and they currently have it. I hope to make a trip or they make a trip down so I know what all I got. I do know when they turned it on. It was line and dots on the screen. When they did the reset it tried to boot the floppy. I'm thinking bad ram chip or something simple. I know it has at least one floppy drive, screen, okidata printer, software, paddle controllers, and the following cards. Microsoft 64? memory card to upgrade the system to a total of 64k. The sticker on the bottom said factory 48k. A hayes modem, graphics plus printer card, and a disk drive controller. It also has a few manuals. From my understanding it a few boxes. The friend who is holding it in Boise is sending pictures to a point. But does not want to unpack everything. I explained to him that is fine. I already know about the printer since I had the same or close to same model. As for the story it is all packed up. The guy got it sipped from his uncles place. Says his uncle took good care of everything. From the pictures it seems a tad dusty but fine.

 

So now for my questions.

 

1. I remember wanting to running apple works back in the day. It required 2 disk drives and a 80 column card. Stupid me didn't realize the 80 column card for the iie and ii plus is different.

I know they did mfg a 80 column card for the 2 plus. But i want to make sure I get the best one.

2. Adding a 2nd disk drive is normal. But I didn't notice and seem to read that if you get an updated disk controller you can put the newer style drives I see on say apple IIgs on the system. I'm still trying to find out if the 3.1/2 drives will work. The only thing I found so far is no unless you have a current certain aftermarket disk controller.

3. With the said upgrade. Can I play the stuff for apple iie as well or did I sc*w up and get the wrong machine. Though I did read something interesting. I know you can put a iigs board in a iie. But I was reading you can put a iie board in a ii plus. You just don't have caps or the apple keys since it is still using a apple ii keyboard. Though this defeats the purpose.

 

Thank You,

 

Josh

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Nice work....

 

I don't recognise the "Microsoft 64" card. but from the little I can find its probably a z80 card, perhaps with 64k on board and 80col functions as well. But don't hold me to all of that. Someone that knows cp/m better might be able to confirm/deny/or set me on fire for that comment. 80col cards for the IIe are made to go in the "auxiliary slot" and are very different to your standard slot 80 column for the II+.

 

3.5" drives generally do not run on any II unless you've got the correct card interface, and the right 3.5" drive. Off the top of my head its the "liron" card that will drive the "unisdisk" and thats it. The unidisk is a slow drive, it had to be, a standard 3.5" drive is to fast for an Apple II to keep up with, aside from the GS. The drive itself effectively contains an extra disc controller, to deal the data stream out to the computer.

 

You should be able to play/use most of the software for a IIe some thats looking for the Ext80Col card may not. But most IIe software will still run in 64k. At this point if you were going to get a IIe board and bang it in the II+ you might as well just get another IIe and be done with it. The II+ will probably be worth more as it is. On a II the paddle buttons are your open and closed apple keys.

 

PS: In place of a second drive, you're probably better off getting hold of a floppy emulator. They take disk images on an SD card and look like a disk drive to the computer, you can swap images with great ease.

 

If I recall right there is only 1 version of appleworks that will run on a II+ v1.1 I think..... If you want the fancier schmancy ones with extenders and macros and all that gough, you'd need a IIe.

 

Enjoy your new toy when you get hold of it :)

 

A

Edited by Aunty Entity
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Sorry it is known as a language card. One of the purposes was to upgrade the apple to more memory. At first when I saw the Microsoft on the card I thought it was the cpm/80 card. Something I didn't know that existed back when I was a kid. Repo's and the cpm/80 card are going for some money. So for about 5 minutes I was jumping around for joy until I realized it was a Microsoft language card and not the cpm card. Though I will get all I can get. As for the apple works. Any version of apple works is good. Yes I was thinking of getting an emulated floppy drive. How can you not? I love the sound of the old disk drives and such. But I still remember the horrors of a disk going bad even if you have backups. Anyway attached is a picture of inside the machine.

 

Thank You,

 

Josh

post-3285-0-36706900-1558886042_thumb.jpg

Edited by ussexplorer
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The fly lead onto the MB for the microsoft card is a dead give away for a 16k RAM Card. Slot1 there will be the printer card, slot 3 is empty so its got no 80col card. Its hard to see much, but slot 4 looks interesting, and I have no idea what that card may be, ahhh it'll be the modem, and that leaves Slot6 with the floppy controller in it.

 

I reckon you did pretty well, it looks reasonably clean, and its pretty well populated. If you want appleworks, you're going to have to find an 80column card though. In this day and age, I'm not sure the modem will be any real value, but its nice to see one :)

 

A

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Ah well for the modem. I have a old at&t partner phone system. I don't use it since the house I moved into is a pain to wire. So I'm still figuring it out. However, it does allow you to hook in normal phones, faxes, and old slow modems. This allows you to intercom between the devices and ring them. I also have a external us robotics modem. I think between the 2 modems and the system. It will bring back memories. If they don't give me to much trouble. I also use the system to test out voip ata's and stuff. Though that is all going the way of the dodo. Also on my list is a serial card and I want but the price is crazy a scsi card. Somebody at the place I work dropped off a old apple plus third party 20 or 40 meg scsi drive. I don't need it for my Quadra 650 I have. But I know it does work. Then again don't know if the apple II plus will see something that big.

 

Thanks for the help.

 

Josh

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Also on my list is a serial card and I want but the price is crazy a scsi card. Somebody at the place I work dropped off a old apple plus third party 20 or 40 meg scsi drive. I don't need it for my Quadra 650 I have. But I know it does work. Then again don't know if the apple II plus will see something that big.

 

Hmm unless you've got a gunker full of scsi equipment to use already in place. And assuming its primarily for storage space, I'd have a look at a MicroDrive Turbo. While if I could locate a reasonably prices SCSI card I'd take it, the microdrive is a nice alternative. It has an IDE interface, and comes with a CF Card. Serial card will end up being relatively important.... SSC aren't that expensive generally.

 

A

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I saw that card but upon farther inspection. Says it is for the iie or ii gs. Not listed under ii plus. Though they do have a 13.mhz card for the ii plus. That is a shame. But I do know the Floppy emu will work. Not the best. But it will also connect to the only Mac I have too. Though I have solved moving files to that via a usb zip 100 to scsi zip 100 drive. Works great.

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I saw that card but upon farther inspection. Says it is for the iie or ii gs. Not listed under ii plus. Though they do have a 13.mhz card for the ii plus. That is a shame. But I do know the Floppy emu will work. Not the best. But it will also connect to the only Mac I have too. Though I have solved moving files to that via a usb zip 100 to scsi zip 100 drive. Works great.

The MicroDrive has to specific rom versions. One is for the GS, the other is labeled IIe... Despite having a GS here, I got the IIe version, because its my lowest common denominator here. I might check in and see if will work in a II+ other than perhaps having 65c02 code in the rom I don't know of any reason it shouldn't run.

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During my research. I have seen that 65c02 show up before. But I was not sure what it was. I just know the iie and above has it. I think during my reading. I might be even able to add it to the ii plus. But I'm not sure. I found an article the other day talking about different roms / add-on's that came you could add to the apple ii or ii plus that came in the iie.

 

Update: According to the webstie. It says if you do not have an enhanced iie. They sell the enhancement kit. So I guess it might not even work in a iie. Thus the reason for the upgrade. But I wonder what part of the upgrade though. The instruction set, graphics, or what.

Edited by ussexplorer
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During my research. I have seen that 65c02 show up before. But I was not sure what it was.

 

Actually IIe's originally still had the 6502, the enhanced IIe sports the 65c02. It's a drop in replacement for 6502, eliminates all the undocumented ops, and has a few new ones of its own. I don't recall off hand what the rom replacements do, something about mousetext in the video generator rom.

 

Apparently you can't use a microdrive turbo in a II+ Straight from the Man its a no, there's no firmware to support it. From around the traps, if you had the IIe version and you disabled DMA it might work, but don't hold your breath. Not sure off hand what the next best mass storage would be... Seeing as theres a DMA issue, a high speed scsi card would be out, you'd be looking for a Rev b or c scsi card if it comes your way.

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SD Smart Drive might be a goer for you. Emulates 2 floppies and up to 9 HD partitions. It doesn't look very sexy... but sounds promising.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SD-Smart-Drive-for-APPLE-II-series-External-Floppy-and-HDD-Emulator-/282521081505

 

I've never used one, can't recommend one... but in lieu of a microdrive, looks like a definite maybe.

 

A

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  • 2 weeks later...

The flopulator is a great jigger, I have one of those too.... however its a horses for courses thing.....

 

If you're likely to want something that approximates large storage like a SCSI Hard Drive then I'd run with the MicroDrive (or similar)if you can get one, they're still working on Firmware for a II+... If you can get your hands on a lot of disk images then the floppulator can be of value too. Have to say, I still like a floppy although they're getting hard to come by and you don't want to load a mouldy one :/ If you have a windoze PC you can load the images onto the sd card and mount them like 1 floppy at a time on the II...

 

I have my IIgs serial linked to my BBS so, there ,I have the micro drive.. works a treat. My CloneE though, has nothing but floppies, so it gets to share its floppy emulator from time to time with the GS, and is kinda like the old sneakernet method of getting software to CloneE which is reasonably convenient too.

 

Short answer if you're pockets are deep enough get both :) If you had to choose 1 right now, get the floppulator, you'll still get great use out of it. When the MicroDrive turns up, get one and you'll have the best of both worlds. Also if you consider getting the microdrive. Keep your eye out for a cheap USB -> CF card interface reader. You'll be able to pop the CF card with the MicroDrive into your PeeCee and work with CiderPress on it.

 

A

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Well first thing first. I still got to get my hands on it and diag. what the problem is. Then I can get a list of goodies besides listed above. But yes some kind of device. I'm sure I"ll find something. For years I have looked at all the cards and items. I was hoping to get something like a compact flash on card to go right into the machine. But seeing most of those only seem to work on a iie. Sort of out of luck. Plus I didn't know most of them are limited productions. I did send an e-mail to the person who is holding it for me until he brings it down on July 4th to send me more pictures of the bottom and cards of the unit. Since I don't know if that is a serial card or not.

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