Re: new iigs owner with questions

[dempson@atlantis.actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

In article <38sfgp$pg7@senator-bedfellow.MIT.EDU>,
Paul W Wojcik <wojcik@ATHENA.MIT.EDU> wrote:
>
>   I recently picked up a iigs and have a few questions.
> 
>   First, It doesn't say ROM01 or ROM03 and it has "Woz  -limited edition"
> on the front.  Is this a ROM 0 machine?

Almost certainly.  The "Woz Limited Edition" machines were all ROM 00.
Most will have been upgraded to ROM 01.

Of course, it is possible that the lid or motherboard has been swapped
with another machine - I have a friend who bought a ROM 3 but swapped
the "limited edition" lid from his ROM 1's case before selling it.  :-)

Are you looking for the ROM version message in the right place?  On
the first screen displayed after the computer starts up (text mode,
"Apple IIgs" at the top), the ROM 00 has the rest of the screen blank.
ROM 01 and ROM 3 have a copyright message and ROM version indication
at the bottom of the screen.

> The faq says I would need to upgrade.  What exactly do I need?

At the very least, you need the version 01 ROM.  This should be
available as a free upgrade from an Apple dealer.  It is a simple chip
swap.

Depending on which production run your machine comes from, you might
also need an updated VGC (Video Graphics Controller).  If you have a
colour monitor, the best way to check for this is to run a program that
uses Double hi-res graphics in monochrome mode.  The original IIgs
System Disk with MouseDesk (System 1.0 through 2.0) is probably
easiest.  A faulty VGC will display the MouseDesk desktop in grey and
pink, with strange pink fringing effects.  A correct VGC will display
the desktop in grey only.

Some faulty VGCs will also display pink or flickering fringing in
80-column text mode, which varies according to the foreground and
background colours you've selected.  My original VGC suffered from this.

The VGC should also be available as a free update from an Apple
dealer.  It is just a chip swap, but it is a socketed PLCC chip, so it
needs a special tool to remove the old VGC.

If you cannot get this chip from an Apple dealer, Alltech Electronics
may be able to supply one, but it will cost you something.

> Is it really limited edition?

Not really - the first few thousand cases have "Woz Limited Edition"
printed on them.  The machines are identical apart from that.
I've seen guesstimates ranging from the first 10,000 IIgses to the
first 100,000.  The only significance is sentimental value, and I
doubt anyone would pay more to get a "limited edition" machine.

>   Second, It came with the apple 12" RGB monitor.  Can I use that monitor
> with my Mac?

No.  The IIgs monitor has a lower scan rate than the Mac monitor.  You
cannot use Mac monitors on the IIgs or the IIgs monitor on a Mac.
Some third-party multisync monitors with a wide range of sync
frequencies may work on both machines.

>  Can I use the appleii mouse with my Mac (my Mac mouse is dying)?

The IIgs mouse is identical to the Apple Desktop Bus used on the Mac
SE, Mac II and later machines.  It is not compatible with the Mac 128,
512, 512KE or Plus.  These machines use the same mouse as the IIe or IIc.

You can also interchange most Apple Desktop Bus keyboards between the
Apple IIgs and Macintosh.  I am using an Apple Extended Keyboard on my
IIgs, for example.  The main exception is the new-ish "split"
keyboard, which doesn't work properly on the IIgs.

You cannot connect the keyoard and/or mouse to both machines at the
same time.  You should power off the machine before attaching or
removing the keyboard or mouse.
-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand