Re: ID this card?

[spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

In article A@no.junkmail.com writes...

>I've noticed some minor differences between this //e and my original machine..
>The newer machines self test display is different and ends with "kernel ok" 
>My original machine has the screen filled with alternating coloured squares 
>and ends with "system ok"

    "Kernel OK" is the message reported by the original ROM firmware 
when it passes all the diagnostic routines, "System OK" replaced that 
message in the next firmware revision known as the Enhanced set.

    Systems with the enhanced ROM set are referred to as Enhanced 
IIe's, and also included an updated video ROM and 65C02 processor 
(this was to bring the Apple IIe up to par with the Apple IIc; you 
swapped four chips for the upgrade). Changes between the original 
and enhanced IIe were mainly the 65C02 with more instruction sets, 
special mousetext video characters, speeding up of the 80 columns 
firmware routines and the ability to use lowercase characters in 
Applesoft BASIC and Monitor. Apple began shipping Enhanced IIe's 
as standard in March 1985.

>as well as my older machine having the white keys and large apples and
>this one having black keys and little apples.

    That was a cosmetic change to the keyboard. Early IIe's had large 
white letters printing on the keys, much like the Apple III before it. 
Later ones used smaller black print, giving it a more conservative look.  
You'll also notice your IIe with the white printing on keys has a strip 
of metal mesh on the lid for RF-shielding and a plastic sort of "velcro" 
to close the case (both like late model Apple II Pluses).

    There was a third Apple IIe released in January 1987 nicknamed
the Platinum IIe. The case was platinum/grey and the keyboard had
the new standard layout with a numeric keypad built-in (the keys
were dark or medium grey). 

>What other differences are there? in rom? The boards seem to be
>marked identically..

    The only functional changes made to the Apple IIe between 1983
and 1993 (when it was discontinued) were the Revision B motherboard
and Enhanced chipset.

    The Enhancement change I've already explained above, the Rev B 
motherboard gave the IIe the ability to display Double-Hi-Res mode 
graphics, and provided a special video signal in slot 7 (I'm not 
sure about the last detail, it may have been another slot). Rev A 
boards only shipped in the United States and had a very short run.
The 'A' board was 820-0064-A, the 'B' was 820-0064-B. One quick way
to tell if you have the original or enhanced chipset is to switch on 
the machine and note what is displayed on screen: "Apple ][" is the 
original, while "Apple //e" is the enhanced version. Oh, and quite 
often you would see a little sticker over the power light with the 
words "Enhanced" or "65C02" (I think the latter case were machines 
shipped after March '85).

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca