Re: Apple IIe platinum enhanced?

[Michael J. Mahon <mjmahon@aol.com>]

D Finnigan <dog_cow@macgui.com> wrote:
> Steve Nickolas wrote:
>> On Sun, 4 Nov 2012, Sam Latella wrote:
>> 
>>> Another question?
>>> 
>>> The Apple IIe platinum enhanced version with the built in keypad, I was
>>> told
>>> that it had the 5.25 disk drive controllers built on board?
>> 
>> No, still has a card in slot 6.
> 
> What Sam Latella might be thinking of is the Extended 80-Columns Card which
> shipped standard with every Platinum machine. It could be removed by the
> user, however.
> 
> 
>> 
>>> What other specs does the platinum iie have besides being enhanced.
>> 
>> Same as a regular enhanced //e.  I think it has the Shift Mod.
> 
> Specs are the same, but the motherboard is changed in a few ways:
> 
> - ROMs condensed down to one chip
> - RAMs also consolidated to fewer chips
> - Extended 80-Column card came pre-installed
> - Shift key mod is by default enabled (older IIe models had the solder pads for the change)

And this leads to the possibility of shorting the +5v line to ground if the
third button of a joystick is pressed at the same time the SHIFT key is
down. It would be better to cut the bowtie and put a current-limiting
resistor across it--like 470 ohms. 

> - Capacitors added to game I/O

And this clumsy approach to reducing EMI makes the pushbutton inputs
worthless for any rapidly changing signals--like NadaNet. 

It's best to simply remove the three 0.1uF capacitors so that the Platinum
can be used with all game port devices, just like other Apple II's. 

-michael - NadaNet 3.1 and AppleCrate II: http://home.comcast.net/~mjmahon