Apple 2 Plus arrival
Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 4:04 pmThe Apple 2 Plus that lizardboy kindly mentioned has arrived!
I really didn't know what the condition would be like, and what it would come with, but I figured it'd be worth the risk. Fortunately, the seller was fantastic - he really went to a lot of trouble on my behalf, without a word of complaint, and packed things very well. It all arrived in excellent condition. Regarding the gear itself, there was the 2 Plus, two monitors, a couple of Disk 2 drives, the Apple DMP, and a large amount of software and documentation. The computer has obviously been owned by a real hobbyist. It has a number of interesting features, e.g. a 'some soldering required' RGB interface including monochrome button (above the top right of the keyboard), external Disk 2 connectors, a fan mounting on the side of the case, and possibly other things. A lot of classic computer people might consider it to be a bit hacked up, but I think the modifications just add to its character - they're all definitely period things, not modern. The RGB interface is from 1983, for instance, and came with the manual, and matching monitor. The monitor was a very nice surprise - I hadn't seen it before it arrived, but it's a very early-80s styled affair, with the same colour scheme as the Apple. Not only that, it (and the interface) work beautifully. The Apple itself doesn't, but I fully expected that. I haven't started to troubleshoot it yet, but I expect I can fix it. All nice discrete logic. I do note a number of ICs that have corroded pins, so that's pretty likely to have something to do with it. I'd be surprised if I didn't find bad RAM as well. Will see how it goes. Anyway, overall it's a real prize, very happy with it!
I really didn't know what the condition would be like, and what it would come with, but I figured it'd be worth the risk. Fortunately, the seller was fantastic - he really went to a lot of trouble on my behalf, without a word of complaint, and packed things very well. It all arrived in excellent condition. Regarding the gear itself, there was the 2 Plus, two monitors, a couple of Disk 2 drives, the Apple DMP, and a large amount of software and documentation. The computer has obviously been owned by a real hobbyist. It has a number of interesting features, e.g. a 'some soldering required' RGB interface including monochrome button (above the top right of the keyboard), external Disk 2 connectors, a fan mounting on the side of the case, and possibly other things. A lot of classic computer people might consider it to be a bit hacked up, but I think the modifications just add to its character - they're all definitely period things, not modern. The RGB interface is from 1983, for instance, and came with the manual, and matching monitor. The monitor was a very nice surprise - I hadn't seen it before it arrived, but it's a very early-80s styled affair, with the same colour scheme as the Apple. Not only that, it (and the interface) work beautifully. The Apple itself doesn't, but I fully expected that. I haven't started to troubleshoot it yet, but I expect I can fix it. All nice discrete logic. I do note a number of ICs that have corroded pins, so that's pretty likely to have something to do with it. I'd be surprised if I didn't find bad RAM as well. Will see how it goes. Anyway, overall it's a real prize, very happy with it!