Re: RFC : SOME IDEAS FOR THE APPLE II FPGA'ers

["mdj" <mdj.mdj@gmail.com>]

Michael J. Mahon wrote:

> I'll go ahead with my experiment (involving moving a couple of
> big monitors--ugh) and see how it looks.

It's good fun. Make sure you check out the AppleColor RGB demo disk,
which shows off the various modes you can play with - it looks quite
cool.


> ...and by "game port", I refer to the 16-pin DIP socket that has
> the strobe and four annunciator signals, too.  ;-)

Especially that one :-)

> I see what you mean.  I guess I've become so accustomed to having a
> Zip Chip in place of the processor, stuff plugged into the internal
> game port, lots of cards, and some scope probes hanging out, that I
> don't have much fear about keeping the main board in pristine condition.

Yes, there's plenty more to by found, modifying a few can't hurt

> In my original ][+, I put the shift key mod in "blue wires" under the
> board, added the Videx SoftSwitch mod, modded the keyboard encoder board
> to do auto-repeat and added the Cntl-Reset switch to it.  Most of my
> "daily" machines have their speaker circuits modified to provide
> transformer isolation and a volume-controlled headphone jack.
>
> I expect to keep a few machines in "original" condition, but when
> faced with the choice to "modify for utility" vs. "preserve for
> posterity", I've always opted for utility.  ;-)

To me, adding those mods to the ][+ makes it more 'original' :-) I have
a pristine example of each model, plus my modified IIe workhorse.

> I see your point.  In fact, I'd enjoy booting protected disks, too--
> especially to hear them seeking!

Yeah. My primary concern here is that the media will expire long before
we run out of working disk II's. It's starting to happen already, and
the heavily protected disks are the most finicky. It'd be a great thing
to see all these preserved for all time through virtualisation.

> Yes, my earlier remark about being branded an "environmental terrorist"
> was at least partly a result of observing the growing restrictions and
> costs of disposal of CRT devices.  I have a few shelves full, and am
> a little concerned about what my heirs (stuckees) will do with them.
> ;-(

I'm unloading mine bit by bit, keeping only examples I find
interesting, which at the moment is restricted to the Colour Composite
displays made by Apple for the IIe and the IIc (I have a good example
of both), and a IIGS RGB display.

I look forward to the day my IIe has a flat panel attached to it. While
in some ways it'll detract from the nostalgia, the enviromentalist in
me wins that war.

Matt