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Slot Rationing on the Apple //e


Grimakis

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So I'm running into a dilemma.

 

The Apple //e just doesn't have enough slots for everything.

 

Right now I have the following setup:

 

AUX Slot 64k/80col Slot 1 Microsoft Softcard Slot 2 Super Serial Card Slot 3 Empty Slot 4 Empty Slot 5 Empty Slot 6 5.25" Disk Controller Slot 7 RAMFactor 1MB Card

 

You might think, what problem does he have? Well I want to expand. I plan on adding a CFFA3000 in Slot 5, and a Mockingboard in presumably Slot 4.

 

However there is at least one other card worth having in this system and that is the Mouse Card which we know goes in Slot 4 as well. I believe the Mockingboard can be moved around a little more easily, as some games allow you to point to the correct slot.

 

However that still leaves me full up. The only compromise I can think of, is to either swap the RamFactor for a RamWorks, thereby moving the RAM to the AUX slot and freeing up Slot 7, allowing me to shift everything around. Or I could swap the Softcard for a Premium Softcard IIe which then frees Slot 1, and I can shift things around.

 

However both of these are fairly pricey swaps for me. I believe RamWorks is also kind of a downgrade for me, as I believe you need a seperate utility to make a RamDisk as opposed to using the utility stored on ROM on the RamFactor. I think the Premium Softcard IIe would be an upgrade though.

 

Also I am using a stock PSU, at what point with this become an issue? Right now it seems fine, but I'm afraid adding all these cards might cause some trouble.

 

Any thoughts?

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It actually is good to pull your cards once in a while. It keeps the contacts clean and frees up unnecessary load on the PSU. Just remember to put your hand on the PSU to ground yourself out from electrostatic charge each time.

 

Just put in the cards you plan on using for your current session. I always kind of wished each slot had its own on/off switch too, to prevent use of power when cards are not being used.

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Is there a real reason you want a Mouse card in a IIe? Almost nothing really uses it.

 

My IIe Platinum is loaded also. I have most of the slots full:

 

Slot 0 RAMFactor IIII

Slot 1 Uthernet II

Slot 2 Empty but blocked but the Ethernet extension

Slot 3 TransWarp

Slot 4 A2Heaven Mockingboard clone (with tube outputs) [i do change this one around sometimes]

Slot 5 Vtech Floppy Controller (works with 5.25 and 3.5)

Slot 6 CFFA 3000

Slot 7 A2Heaven VGA video adapter

 

I have upgraded the power supply to the UltimateMicro unit.

 

I am running into an issue in that the backplane for the ports, is the limiting factor as some of the extensions get in the way of the cards (ie Slot 2).

 

Apple%20Speakers%20Apple%20IIe%20Platinu

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It actually is good to pull your cards once in a while. It keeps the contacts clean and frees up unnecessary load on the PSU. Just remember to put your hand on the PSU to ground yourself out from electrostatic charge each time.

 

This is one of the first lessons I learned when I had my Apple II as a kid. It served me well for many years thereafter.

 

As far as slots, I've had the Apple-Cat II 212 upgrade card in slot #3. I believe it used the slot for power and perhaps timing. I seem to recall using the Heuristic's Speech Lab voice recognition card in there too, it worked as long as I wasn't using 80-columns or the board's onboard firmware. Not common cards, I know. This on a //e.

 

Also not common is the Mountain Hardware Expansion Chassis. It can operate in any slot, 0-7. I personally had two of them going, in 3 and 4. But this is II+ specific.

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