Re: Just bought an Apple II

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Asu writes ...
> 
> Hello everyone,
> 
> today, at a garage sale, I found an Apple II. It was 10 dollars only so
> I bought it. I took it home, plugged it in, one of 2 drives attached to
> it whirled, but nohting else happened. It came with a monitor which I
> connected but it showed nothing. It did not come with any disks.
>

     As already mentioned, _something_ should show on the display monitor.
After pressing Reset (or Control-Reset) to stop the drive from spinning--
it's looking for a boot disk-- try diddling the monitor controls (e.g.
brightness, etc.).

     If you still do not see anything, wait about 20 minutes. Monitors which
have not been powered ON for a year or so will often have power supply
capacitors which need to 're-form' in order to have enough voltage to get a
display.

     Another thing to check is the video output adjustment on the
motherboard. Mark its position and try turning it left and right. (If nothing
happens, return it to its original setting. At least you will made sure the
control wiper is making contact.)

     Naturally, if you can connect a known-good composite monitor (color or
monochrome)-- or connect the monitor to a known-good Apple II or C-64
computer-- you would have a more solid indication of where the problem is.

     Your description of startup events does not mention hearing a BEEP. The
BEEP is an early startup event; so, no BEEP may indicate a bad connection to
the speaker (or a bad speaker); or, it may indicate that an IC in the circuit
which outputs sound is loose. 


     However the above checks turn out, it's a good idea to unplug
everything, open the case, and remove as much dust and grime as possible.
(Keep notes about the location of each plug-in card and where connectors go.)

     A common problem with any old computer is poorly socketed IC's. Chip
pins acquire gunk and corrosion; and, some tend to gradually ratchet up. The
result is poor contacts and malfunction.

     Scootch up and re-socket each socketed chip. (A small, thin-bladed
screwdriver is good for scootching up chips.)  If an IC has
corrosion-blackened pins, you should probably remove it and clean the pins.
(Fine-grained sandpaper or a dunk in Tarnex are two ways to clean pins.) 

Note: IC's used in the Apple II are not super-delicate; but, they should not
be removed and handled in a stactic-prone environment.

     Whenever you are about to completely remove an IC, jot down a note or
draw a pic to indicate its orientation. Marking one end of the IC and its
socket with whiteout is a good idea, too.

     Any Slot cards should be unplugged, cleaned, and re-plugged. The same
goes for the power supply connector and drive cables. (Be sure to note drive
cable orientation and mark connector ends before disconnecting. When
reconnecting, make sure to line up the contacts correctly.)

     At the least, going through the above refurbishment steps will eliminate
a common cause of malfunctioning. There's a decent chance you will fix a
number of problems including some on the verge of cropping up.

 
> I am a long time Mac user but I have never seen an Apple II. I found
> out about this ng after some internet search. Dutifully I went to the
> FAQ's but I don't even know where to start.
>

     Copies of the FAQs on many news.answers sites still use the old "Part
1", ... file naming and are not so easy to search. You should find it easy to
navigate the version at http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/A2FAQs1START.html .

     A good place to start is clicking on "Enter Main Hall". It will be easy
to find info about your machine, hints on starting, and recommendations for
software you'll need. At present, the FAQs does not have much information
relating to troubleshooting old computers picked up at garage sales-- maybe
it should.


> I would like to know whether it works or not. I assume I need the
> system disk to begin with. How can i get one?

     Once you get your Apple II working, you can add a Super Serial Card.
This will make it possible to set up a NULL modem connection with your net
computer and transfer DOS 3.3 as well as whole disks you can download from
the net-- i.e., it is possible to 'start from scratch'. An easier start is to
email some regular poster to this newsgroup and offer to pay mailing and
materials costs for some startup diskettes.


> 
> Can I post newbie questions here or is there another forum for that?
 ....

     This is the right place to post Apple II questions; and, by the way,
there is no requirement to 'read the FAQs' before asking something.



Rubywand