Lando242

Progress. I moved the wire from ground terminal to the common terminal on the power supply and now the system powers up. The LED on the keyboard lights up and I get a 'black' screen on the TV over RF. The TV also plays all kinds of crazy sounds and the screen is all sorts of rainbow static on the on top of the black background. I put in an old Sub-Roc Colecovision cart and reset and powercycled it a few times but saw no improvement. When I have more free time I will crack open the system and try disconnecting all of the internal cards and such to see what happens. I am using 18 gauge, 4 stand wire, so I don't have a second line I can connect to pin 8. Would a jumper to pin 5 be sufficient since I'm using larger gauge wire than what the original had? I'm already using a jumper between the two 12 volt pins...

Welp, there's problem #1 found. I went off a connector wiring guide that said pin 5 was for the ground. I dutifully connected that wire to the ground terminal on the RT-50A. I will swap it to the COM terminal and see what happens. Do I have to connect to pin 8 also or is that optional? The wiring guide didn't have anything connected on pins 6-9. It is an NTSC system. I have tried both channels. If I have to crack open the case I will check the RF connector.

I picked up an Adam a while back and have been sitting on it until I could cobble together a power supply* as it does not have a printer. I put one together but the system doesn't appear to boot. I have it connected to a CRT TV using a single RCA cable and an RCA-to-Coax adapter. The TV and cable work fine with other computers and consoles of the era. I get no picture. Not even black, just snow. The light on the keyboard does not come on. The tape drive does power up though. It starts 'playing' even when no tape is loaded. What should I check first? *The new PSU is a MeanWell RT-50A.

Just bought this short rainbow on eBay. Haven't tested it but it is a US seller so I am assuming it is NTSC. Atari Corp., made in Taiwan. Serial: AT860370882

Welp, the //e I picked up a while back no longer has video. It boots and plays music though. I loaded a game with an intro, and that is working, just black for video though. I checked the connector, as I know they are fragile, but it is not damaged. I have a spare //e I can swap chips from but it is an earlier model (dark keys with white letters). I don't know if anything changed on the inside between it and my later one. Anyone had any troubleshooting steps I can take? Notes: I've swapped cables and the TV works fine with my other Apple //e and other devices. I'm using a standard RCA cable.

I found a box for it but they use a different label. It only shows the operating system (Apple) inside a triangle with no other information.

I found a box shot of 'Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego' and it has mouse listed as a supported input. GameFAQ Link.

I know this is a long shot but, does anyone know where I can source a replacement enclosure/case for a Kensington System Saver? A used one, a 3D printed one, whatever is fine. The prices on eBay are pretty steep (more than I paid for the Apple IIe it came with). The hooks that allow this one to hang off the side of the IIe case are broken off and missing and the fan is now loose. The plastic rivets that hold it in place have broken. It is otherwise functional.

I don't have a mouse for my Apple II but I think I remember using a mouse to play some of the Carmen Sandiego games back in the day.

I got a stack of C64s at a sale awhile back and they were all bad. So far it has been bad RAM and bad PLAs that have been mostly plaguing them but I am only part way through fixing the stack. They are mostly models from the first few years of production.

Thanks for the insight. I was able to get the cables I need to hook it up to a TV and it works just fine. I hadn't heard the sound an Apple floppy disk drive makes while booting in probably 30 years. These things are really well built. Old Commodore 64s from the same era seem to have to be completely rebuilt to get working.

I just picked up an Apple IIe today and, lacking a monitor to use it, I did the the next best thing: I cracked it open to see what is inside. It came with a DuoDisk (and IO card), an official Extended 80-Column/64k Card, plus two other cards that I am still puzzling out. One has simply "Serial //" (obscured by reflection in the picture) and '"Made in Taiwan" printed on it, is plugged into slot 2, connects to a 25 pin d-sub connector in port 11, and a momentary switch and LED mounted next to the Apple II logo. In image 4 you can see both ends of the cable that I believe goes to it. It was in the box at least. The cable has a Centronics-style connector. So, modem or printer? Why the switch and LED though? I've never seen an Apple II with one. The second card has no printing on it at all, is plugged into slot 1, and has a ribbon that goes out from port 12. It is much smaller than the first card. Sorry about the blurry pictures, but you aren't missing much (images 6-8). It ends in a smaller Centronics-style connector. So, another modem or printer card? Is there any way to tell what make and model of device they are expecting on the other end or are they generic cards that will work with whatever type of device they are expecting? I haven't used an Apple II regularly since I was a kid and I never opened them or anything like that. The extent of my computer knowledge back then was wowing my friends by taking the disks out of the drives when activity LEDs were dark and not having the system crash.

Interesting. Thanks for telling the story.

I've come into a cache of educational HES games. Here are the titles: Tri-Math Turtle Toyland Jr. They are all still in the shrink-wrap and even have the original shipping boxes. I'll sell single copies for $3 each plus shipping. If you want to buy in bulk, I can sell small boxes with 6 copies each or large cartons that contain 8 small boxes (total of 48 copies). I'll discount the price per game if you buy in bulk. PM me an offer if you are interested. US shipping only please.

I'm always curious where stuff like this turns up 40 years later. Tucked in the back of the warehouse somewhere? Estate sale? Found in a room everyone forgot about?