Re: Apple ][+ gravely ill - seeking assistance :(

["N N Thayer" <n.n..thayer@1:124/5009.remove-xtk-this>]

  To: N N  Thayer
From: N.N..Thayer@familynet-international.net

On May 29, 11:05 pm, "N.N. Thayer" <nntha...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Ugh, it's like a stake through my heart. My trusty Apple II Plus, the
> computer that facilitated my dad's early hackery, carried me through
> childhood, saw improbable action from the residents of a 21st-century
> college household, and ripped god knows how many images from decaying
> 5.25" disks for preservation, has finally decided to check out after
> 29 years of service.  I'm hoping that whatever it was is easily
> replaceable and didn't take anything else down with it.  I now direct
> my cry for help to csa2.
>
> Here were the symptoms in sequence.  The powerups were spaced several
> seconds apart.
>
> 1. Power on.  Beep, floppy drive (Disk ][) does not initialize.  Power
> off.
> 2. Power on.  Beep, drive does not initialize. Power off.
> 3. Power on.  Beep, drive does not initialize.  Ctrl-Reset to prompt,
> PR#6.  Drive initializes. Power off.
> 4. Power on.  Beep, drive initializes. Power off.
> 5. Power on.  Beep, drive initializes, disk is read.  Text menu
> appears and shows display corruption.  Some letters are replaced with
> random symbols.  The corruption is not static: new symbols slowly
> appear and change as I watch.  Reset produces an abbreviated beep,
> perhaps half of its usual length.  Power off.
>
> (a few minutes pass)
>
> 6. Power on.  Similar abbreviated beep, screen full of garbage
> characters, drive does not initialize.  No response to reset.  Power
> off.
> 7. Subsequent attempts produce results identical to #6 even with all
> cards removed, including Language Card.
>
> I haven't done any further testing yet other than checking chip
> seating.  Nothing smells blown, though I know it must be otherwise.
> Right now I'm hoping it's just the power supply, which would be easy
> enough to rectify, assuming nothing else has been affected.  I am so
> very open to suggestions. :(

One thing I forgot: somewhere in between #5 and #6, I did another powerup, and 
the drive initialized, but with a very irregular rhythm. I powered off very 
quickly upon hearing that.  I then tested the drive on my Rev 0 ][ and it was 
okay.
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