Re: AppleII Gs Problems

[pubpc1@library.ucla.edu]

dwilson@mail.nas.com (dwilson) wrote:
>Hi folks,
>
>I just came down with a IIGS.( rom version 01 ) It is equipped with a
>couple of cards which I can't figure out. First of all there's a "Color
>Switch" card connected via cable to a card called "PC Transporter"made
>by Applied Electronics.

The PC Transporter is an old "PC/XT on a card" with some extras.  It
gives you a 768K RAM disk in Apple mode.  In PC mode, it uses a V30
processor running at about 3X the speed of a real PC/XT (which isn't
saying much because, unless you have a math coprocessor chip on the
PCT, you'll find the GS in native mode with the Zip GSX doing things
like unzipping files much faster), and can run MS-DOS and software
requiring an 80186 or below.  The card requires software to run, which
can be found at ftp://ground.isca.uiowa.edu/ (the premier Apple II
software repository).


>Secondly there is a card in slot #3 called "Zip GSX
>vers 1.0 that connected via cable to and appears to replace the original
>CPU chip. Does anyone have an idea of what they are and what they do?
>I'd appreciate any info you can provide.

The Zip GSX is an accelerator card.  To give you an idea of what
speed to expect, a Zip GSX running at 13.75MHz is quite a bit faster
than a 25MHz '486 when running word processing or page layout software.
The reason is that the CPU in the Zip, the 65C816, is clocked
differently than an Intel or Motorolla chip.  You can't compare MHz
across different types of CPU chips.  The 65C816 takes fewer cycles
to complete certain tasks than an Intel or Motorolla counterpart.
That's why for a 65C816 to run at 13-15MHz, the speed of the TAG
static RAM chips have to be 15ns (the speed used in cache for a
reasonably fast '486).

Where the Zip GSX (and GS) CPU is really weak is in floating point
operations.  The reason is that the GS lacks an FPU.  Thus, in
such math intensive operations as spreadsheets and graphics
manipulation, the 13.75MHz Zip falls behind.  Note, however, that
this phenomenon is not limited to the GS.  The Intel chips that
lack FPU's are also much slower than their FPU equipped counterparts
in floating point operations.

A GS with an FPU card, such as the Floating Point Engine or Number
Cruncher (both of which use the 68881 or 68882 math coprocessor chip)
has an advantage in such tasks.


You wrote,
in response to Paul Krass:
>Paul,
>
>I just got the damn thing and havn't figured out how to use it yet.
>Currently running a 5.25 floppy drive. I wouldn't be able to put the
>program on 5.25 disk.Don't know how really.I may just end up selling it.
>So thanks for the offer but I don't think I need it yet.
>
>Dan Wilson   dwilson@nas.com

Well, if you are going to leave the GS equipped with only one 5.25"
floppy, then it is true you are not going to get much use out of it.
However, the fact that it has a Zip GSX accelerator suggests that
it is already an upgraded unit.  Check to see how much memory is
installed.  If you got 4MB or more, then heck, it can be a very fun
and useful machine.  The main thing you are lacking is storage.
You just need to get a 3.5" disk drive for the machine.  Any SuperDrive
or Apple 3.5 external floppy will hook up to the drive port.  Even
better, if you are willing to spend a little more, you can get a
hard disk drive card for the GS, with system software and the Finder
preinstalled (see Alltech Electronic's Focus hard card at
http://www.allelec.com/).  The GS can also use SCSI hard disks with the
right controller.

Then just get a terminal program (such as ProTERM from Intrec at
http://www.intrec.com/ or Spectrum from Seven Hills), hook up any
external 14.4 or other speed modem to the modem port, and you can
get all kinds of software from the ftp://ground.isca.uiowa.edu/
site.

You can even surf the web with the new GS web browser.

Shareware and freeware on disk can be had cheap from Joe Kohn's
Shareware Solutions II organization (see http://www.crl.com/~joko/
for an online catalog) and he also carries CD-ROMs for the GS if
you have an SCSI CD drive lying around.

Also, check Nathan Mate's Apple II FAQ.  At least read it through
before you decide what to do with your enhanced GS.  It has changed
more than one reader's mind about the computer.  :)


> I recently got a working GS. I have a 5.25" disk drive hooked up to it,
>and am able to get Apple DOS 3.3 to boot. Today I bought 2 3.5" diskdrives
>to go with it. I pluged one into the back, replacing the big floppy drive,
>put a GS boot disk in, and turned it on. It starts to read it, then
>abruptly stops, and come up with the message "Check Start Up Device".
>Does anybody have any idea whats wrong with it? The 3.5" didn't have a
>name on them, but on the bottom said model MO13O. Any help would be
>greatly appreciated.

Ok, you have to go into the text based control panel and change some
settings.  When the computer gives you the "Check Startup Device"
message, press the Apple (aka. Command) key and hold it down, then press
the Control key (with the Apple key still held down), and finally press
the Esc key.  When you are finished, three keys should be simultaneously
depressed and you should see a text menu.  Select "Control Panels"
and then "Slots".  In the slots control panel, make sure Slot 5 is set
to "Smartport" not "Your Card."  Also make sure that "Startup" is
set to "Slot 5."  You are telling the computer that you have a 3.5"
drive hooked up to the Smartport and want to boot off it.  That
should do it.

If you want the GS/OS and Finder system software for the GS on 3.5"
disks, check out Joe Kohn's web site at http://www.crl.com/~joko for
more information about System 6.0.1.


> How many k's of memory do 5.25" inch disks hold on average?

An Apple ProDOS 5.25" disk holds 140 kilobytes per side, 280K if
you flip the disk and put a disk volume on both sides.  It is
insufficient storage to hold the GS operating system or most of the
GS programs.

The Apple 3.5" double-density drives hold 800K of data.

A high density drive on an Apple IIGS, when used with an appropriate
controller, gives the standard 1.44MB of storage.

The best way to use an Apple IIGS is to run its OS and software off
a hard disk drive.

-Scott G.