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Wanted: Apple 2 series or clone

PostPosted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 9:40 am
by Matt
Matthew Smith here. I have all my teeth and have never written a game for the zx spectrum :wink:

I'm looking for any apple 2 series computer or clone meeting these criteria:

Not a 2gs.

Applesoft BASIC, lower case support, and 64KB of memory.

Some way of connecting to the modern world using any method described at http://adtpro.sourceforge.net/ I'm leaning to the cassette ports because that would save the expense of buying a serial cable and a usb adapter. I would need a floppy drive though.

I guess I need a monitor unless I can just use a tv (not sure about this). Anyway it doesn't need to be a flash one or even color.

I would be buying with cash since I don't have anything to trade. Because my budget is low I'm looking for a low spec machine - maybe one with external damage to the case or appearance defects but which still works when you turn it on. It wouldn't be a display piece - I want it for programming projects because

1. emulators are like kissing your sister
2. with an emulator you're never sure how fast your code would run on the real thing.

Cheers, Matt

Re: Wanted: Apple 2 series or clone

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 12:20 am
by Gibsaw
"Not a IIgs", "Applesoft", "Lower Case" and "64k". Well, that rules out the II, II+, IIeuro+ and IIgs.. and by extension most of the (II+) clones you'll find in NZ. (It's possible to hack together this set of features on a II+, but lower case on the II/II+ is a horrible hack :) )

You're extremely unlikely to find a laser128 in NZ and a real IIc is generally more expensive (and DOES have both serial port timing and compatibility issues), so you're talking a IIe only really.

It'd help to clarify what your budget is. Close to free? $100? $200? $500? Unless I've missed something I didn't see you mention this anywhere... Put a number on it and see who bites.

Ron Turner has a IIe right now that's in good running order on TM right now. If Ron's machine on TM has more than you want, then there's a thread "Collection for Sale". The thread is old, but it's still active. He's definitely selling and there was definitely a IIe in there. (I saw it and booted it up physically myself when I went to pick up a II euro+) He says that the IIe may have since let out the magic smoke, but PSU capacitors are not an insurmountable obstacle, and there's plenty of help around. Send a PM to "antiphrasis" and negotiate. :)

When you get one, it's definitely possible to use the cassette ports, although finicky as hell.. Really, I'd consider buying one with a super serial, or better still a CFFA3000.

BTW, I wouldn't knock emulators... I love my physical boxes, but nearly every piece of code I've written for the "II" in the last few years was written in an emulator, and AppleWin is pretty reliable speed wise... Aaaaaand there's nothing quite like debugging a software virtual with register and memory displays to nail down a real problem. (Unless of course the problem is being caused by the emulator, but that's pretty rare.)

Re: Wanted: Apple 2 series or clone

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 10:54 am
by Matt
Gibsaw wrote:"Not a IIgs", "Applesoft", "Lower Case" and "64k".

<snip>
Gibsaw wrote:you're talking a IIe only really.


Yep. I phrased it that way because I'd been looking at the sysreq for this:
http://home.comcast.net/~mjmahon/Sudoku.html

Gibsaw wrote:Put a number on it and see who bites.


<= $200. I'm indulging a hobby - I don't "need" one and I'm prepared to wait indefinitely
for something suitable.

Gibsaw wrote:If Ron's machine on TM has more than you want


It does.

Gibsaw wrote:there's a thread "Collection for Sale". The thread is old, but it's still active


Thx I'd assumed it was ancient history.

Gibsaw wrote:there's nothing quite like debugging a software virtual with register and memory displays to nail down a real problem


Good point.

Thanks for the advice.

Re: Wanted: Apple 2 series or clone

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 12:00 pm
by RonTurner
You can run an Apple //e through your TV they have composite video out

Watch those clones, I have Sundox (//e clone) and some games don't work at all,
Swashbuckler for example the graphics flicker oddly :?: this indicates less than
100% compatibility with genuine Apple , naturally this incompatiblity could effect
any program running, not just games.

The best way to get images across to a //e is with those SD-Card drive emulators ( CFFA3000 ),
one of these is going to be better than dealing with on going disk mold problems and trying to
track down mold free floppies, could even save you dosh in the long run since you
also wont need the drive controller card or the 5.25 floppy drive also
drive emulators are now avalible, but if you find a //e without the drive, you could be
waiting a long time before you find one.

Re: Wanted: Apple 2 series or clone

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 12:03 pm
by tezza
Beat-up Apple IIes seem to be reasonably common, although in working condition with at least one drive and a monitor included, they can push the $200 boundary. Sometimes monitors can be harder to find than machines. Thinking back when I was playing with my own Apples I'm pretty sure you can just use a colour TV with a composite video input for this though. It's not as nice as a "green screen" but the latter are becoming quite rare.

There are a number of people on this site who have more than one Apple II (including me) for spares, or as representations of various variants. I've found most collectors (myself included) do have a greater or lesser degree of hoarder in them and tend to be buyers more than they sellers. :)

If you get no bites here, keep checking Trade me, and don't forget to check the Apple section of trade me too. Sometimes these machines appear on there too. If you are in luck, someone will have found one in a garage and thrown in on there for $1 reserve. Of course, then you'll need to compete with collector fanatics (not looking at anyone mattdawson and ronturner) :D

Re: Wanted: Apple 2 series or clone

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 12:14 pm
by RonTurner
tezza wrote:Thinking back when I was playing with my own Apples I'm pretty sure you can just use a colour TV with a composite video input for this though. It's not as nice as a "green screen" but the latter are becoming quite rare.


If its an NTSC Apple //e and you hook it up to your PAL TV you will get a Black & White picture

if is a PAL Apple //e and you hook it up to a NTSC colour composite monitor (for example) same again, B & W :wink:

Re: Wanted: Apple 2 series or clone

PostPosted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 12:49 pm
by Matt
RonTurner wrote:You can run an Apple //e through your TV they have composite video out


Composite video is using the rca plugs correct? It would be a male rca to male rca cable and I can use anything with a "video in" hole on the back for a monitor?

RonTurner wrote:The best way to get images across to a //e is with those SD-Card drive emulators ( CFFA3000 ),


That's the ideal but don't you have to go on a waiting list to buy those new?

Has anyone done this:

http://adtpro.sourceforge.net/bootstrap ... rial_Drive ?

RonTurner wrote:Watch those clones, I have Sundox (//e clone) and some games don't work at all


I'm not so much concerned with games just so long as I can run .SYS programs I write in C.

Matt.

Re: Wanted: Apple 2 series or clone

PostPosted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 1:12 pm
by tezza


Yes. It works very well. You need a serial card with the Apple though. Bear in mind these don't come standard with the vanilla machines.

Re: Wanted: Apple 2 series or clone

PostPosted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 9:03 pm
by Antiphrasis
Looks like I have two Apple IIe's (not platinum) one with two drives, the other with a single. Both are currently not powering up as the PSU's have lost their magic smoke. However the dual disk drive one Gibsaw mentioned did power on before the PSU went. Was planning to pop them up on TM soon, I was thinking of starting them at $150-175 each to see if I get any bites but I'll consider any offers.

Re: Wanted: Apple 2 series or clone

PostPosted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 9:24 pm
by tezza
Regarding disk image transfer, this look interesting. You don't appear to need a serial card.
http://asciiexpress.net/diskserver/

I haven't used it personally.

Re: Wanted: Apple 2 series or clone

PostPosted: Wed Jan 08, 2014 11:57 am
by RonTurner
Antiphrasis wrote:Looks like I have two Apple IIe's (not platinum) one with two drives, the other with a single. Both are currently not powering up as the PSU's have lost their magic smoke. However the dual disk drive one Gibsaw mentioned did power on before the PSU went. Was planning to pop them up on TM soon, I was thinking of starting them at $150-175 each to see if I get any bites but I'll consider any offers.


Its typical for the plastic A/C filter caps to develop cracks in them over
thirty years, this leads to the contents drying out.
The computer will run for 1 - 5 minutes until the contents
heat up then at this point shorting out, putting out a
plume of fowl smelling smoke and the fuse should blow.

It can be fixed for $5 but I have heard occasionally of damage
caused by this, but hasn't happened to me yet

The fact that the magic smoke has come out is indicative
of a simple capacitor failure (triggering fuse failure),
as transistors and resistors don't have any
magic smoke genies inside of them.

In any case you should at least replace the filters
and the larger caps otherwise its a hand-granade!

You should do this maintenance preferably before
the magic smoke comes out ; and trust me, it will !