Re: Apple IIgs hardware questions (long, detailed, but worth it - I'm a convert!)

[Howe Family <khowe@omninet.net.au>]

In article <9d9ha5$2o0$1@slb7.atl.mindspring.net>, "Rodney Hester" 
<rod3@mindspring.com> wrote:

> (BTW, damn you all - I was *never* interested in Apple equipment when it 
> was
> "hot", but now that I've experienced KEGS, I've determined that the Apple
> IIgs was quite possibly the finest "classic" home computere ever made,
> easily besting my beloved Commodore 128D.  That having been said...  :)
> 
> I'm interested in purchasing an Apple IIgs system, and the prices on eBay
> seem somewhat reasonable.  However, I'm a bit confused about a few 
> things:
> 
> - I understand that ROM 01 is much more compatible with many games than 
> ROM
> 03.  Fair.  This leaves me with two choices - buy a ROM 01 machine, or 
> buy a
> ROM 03 machine and find/beg/borrow a ROM 01 chip and replace it (is this
> possible?).  I'd prefer the latter, since the ROM 03 machine comes with 
> more
> base RAM and a few other enhancements.
> 

I wouldn't worry too much about the incompatibility. Go with the Rom 03 
if you have the choice. I have 4 Rom 01s, and am still trying to find a 
Rom 03, but they are in short supply in Australia.

> - Can both the ROM 01 and ROM 03 machines be expanded to the full 8MB of
> possible RAM?  If so, can it be added directly to the logic board, or 
> does
> it require some sort of memory card?  If a memory card is needed, can the
> same one be used in either machine, and were there multiple models?
> (Particularly, did Apple make one, or was this strictly a 3rd-party 
> thing?)
> Are memory expander cards expensive as hell?
> 

The Apple memory card is only 1Meg, which will make a Rom 03 into a semi 
useful machine. Your best bet is to get the Sirius card from Alltec. You 
could do with only four megs, but the cost difference isn't that great 
to go to 8 anyway, so why not max it out? The Sirius uses 1Meg 30 pin 
simms, which can often be had for next to nothing these days, so you 
could always up it to maximum anyway. I bought mine in minimum 
configuration and added the simms.

> - Many systems I've seen come with one 3.5" and two 5.25" drives - would
> there be benefit to having a second 3.5" drive as well?
> 

I have a second 3.5. It comes in handy occasionally. It makes installing 
software off multiple disks a little smoother, and there are a few games 
that don't work with a hard drive and like to have two disks around.

> - Did the Apple monitor "intended" for the GS only come in 12" varieties?
> 

Yes. It is specific to the GS. Finding a good one of these can be harder 
than finder a good CPU.

> - What are my options as far as a hard drive?  Is it possible to get one
> mounted internally (ie a "hardcard")?  If not, do most external HDs for 
> the
> GS come in a case?  What is required?  (I might prefer a Chinook CT100
> SmartPort drive just for "originality", but if they are woefully
> expensive/hard to find/slow, I'm open to SCSI...so what SCSI cards are
> available?  Is the Apple High Speed SCSI controller readily available?  

The Focus drive from Alltech is the easiest solution to the hard drive 
problem. You don't mention CD Roms though. The main advantage of going 
SCSI is that you can also attach a CD Rom. Any of the SCSI cards are 
hard to find, and fetch good prices on the second hand market. 

> Are
> these controllers SCSI-1 or SCSI-2?)
> 

SCSI-1 I believe.

> - Accelerators - I want one.  If I've read correctly, there are basically
> only two to choose from, the TransWarp and the Zip, both of which seem 
> about
> the same performance-wise.  Anyone have details on this, and what is 
> their
> street value today?  Are they readily available?
> 

They are highly desireable items, and fetch a price accordingly on the 
second hand market. If you really want one, you'll probably have to go 
to eBay and pay around $200.

> - If I don't have a Mac, what are my options as far as getting PC-side 
> disk
> images to the GS?
> 

The best option for communicating between the machines is to buy a 
LANceGS ethernet card and connect them via ethernet. Then you can ftp 
files across at good speed. Depending on how you connect to the net, 
this may be useful there too. See http://lancegs.a2central.com

> - Are third-party video cards like SecondSight really that big a deal?  
> If
> so, why?  What software supports them?
> 

They are a big deal, since they allow you to use a VGA monitor, and have 
higher res and color modes available. Unfortunately the lack of software 
support severely limits them.

> - Ditto with third-party sound cards like Doctor Design - why would you 
> want
> one with an Ensoniq under the hood?  Would they not also require special
> software?
> 

You need a card to have sterio output or sound in. Sterio out is very 
nice to have at times.

> - If I wanted to plunk my ROM 03-logic-board-based system into a Woz 
> Limited
> Edition case, would it work?  Does anyone ever sell bare Woz cases?
> 

Many people have put Rom 03 boards into Woz cases. Woz cases aren't that 
easy to find though.

> Ideally, my IIgs system would be configured as follows (pardon my 
> ignorance
> or mistakes, please):
> 
> Apple IIgs CPU (Woz LE case and ROM 03 logic board with ROM 01 ROMs
> installed)
> 2 Apple 3.5" floppy drives (styled for GS)
> 2 Apple 5.25" floppy drives (styled for GS)
> Apple color RGB monitor (styled for GS?)
> Apple ADB keyboard/mouse (came with the GS)
> Apple ImageWriter II printer (styled for GS?)
> Apple (?) fully-populated memory card (to give the system full 8MB RAM)
> Hard drive, see above
> Accelerator, see above
> 

Sounds like not a bad start. I'd skip the ImageWriter II, and use a HP 
DeskJet, with a parallel card in the GS and the Harmony printer drivers 
from Shareware Solutions II. Joe also sells a product called Pointless, 
which allows you to use TrueType fonts. The end result is being able to 
print 600x300 dpi which is way nicer than the old IWII could do. You may 
want a CD Rom and an Apple Joystick to complete the system.

> Much appreciation for any light anyone can shed, here - I've learned all
> this in a weekend.  =)
> 

It sounds to me that you are serious about getting into the GS. If so, 
there is one other thing you should look into. For $10 you can get a 
months access to Syndicomm, which runs an Apple II forum. This is the 
current hub of Apple II activity, which I would highly recommend you 
join. This will give you access to an extensive Bulletin Board system, 
regular chats with a dozen or more of the most knowlegable Apple II 
people online at a time, and a well organised file library system that 
contains some files that are available nowhere else. I highly recommend 
it. Some of the people there may be able to help you locate some of the 
difficult items too.

> Rodney
> 
> 

Hope you have success getting it together.

Enjoy your GS!

Kim Howe
khowe@omninet.net.au
See my GS programs at http://www.a2central.com/~kimhowe