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Re: Special needs GS?
mspangler wrote:
I just acquired a GS from a junk store. It was from a school, and is a
ROM 1. It had a memory card, but only with the stock 256k RAM in it. It
also was fitted out with an Adaptive Peripherals card that has two
cables that go to an external box with a Centronics type connector, a
switch, and two mini-plug sockets that say SW-1 and SW-2. The card has
a 65SC816 processor on it, a ROM, but no RAM that I can see.
As you surmise, this card is used to allow alternative input devices,
such as puff switches, special keyboards, etc., to substitute for the
usual keyboard input.
They were made in several models, but all had some form of RAM on
board to hold the tables/algorithms for the particular adaptive input
device. Many variants had battery-backed SRAM so that it didn't have
to be reloaded each time the machine was powered up.
There is also an Echo sound card in there. I assume there was some
program that needed that sound card and did not work with the standard
GS sound?
Most "adaptive" software was written before the IIgs, so it was
almost certainly used in 8-bit compatibility mode. The Echo card
was widely supported by speech synthesis programs for use by those
who could not speak.
There was also a Franklin card. It has three dip switches, one of which
is labled Slot 1-7. Hardware is a 2k ROM, a 2116 chip (?) a 4.9 MHz
crystal, and a 1488 and 1489 pair. So I assume that there is a serial
port on the card. There are also two headers. A 20 pin in 2 rows of 10,
and a 16 pin single row. The rest of the chips are straight TTL.
This serial/parallel card was likely used to control some other piece
of equipment, like a wheelchair or a hospital bed.
It booted somewhat grumpily. First it couldn't vertical synch to the
monitor. Eventually that started working, but if couldn't find the
floppy, then couldn't boot from the floppy, then it staggered to life.
Weak capacitors maybe?
Of course, it's the monitor that had trouble syncing to the computer.
Could be just aging, or absorbed moisture during a long period of being
turned off. Warming up helps lots of things, especially if they started
off cold and/or damp. ;-)
Not "finding" the floppy could be a loose connector, while booting on
the second or third try could be 1) a loose connector, 2) some "memory"
effect in the floppy's drive belt causing "wow" until it ran for a bit,
or 3) more "warming up".
I am assuming solely because of the Adaptive Peripherals card, and that
the school hung onto it for so long, that it was from the special
needs department. Does anyone have any other information on that or
the Franklin maybe-serial card?
Your assumption is correct.
-michael
Music synthesis for 8-bit Apple II's!
Home page: http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/
"The wastebasket is our most important design
tool--and it is seriously underused."