Re: Apple IIe hardware question

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

Quadrajet1 <quadrajet1@aol.com> wrote:

> >Hi all
> >
> >I was just wondering how I can differentiate between an Apple IIe and Apple
> >IIe Enhanced (not platinum) by looking at the board/software.
> >
> >Thanks
> >Ron
> 
>    The Apple Enhanced //e has different ROMs and a CPU from the unenhanced
> version.  
> 
> Chip         Unenhanced            Enhanced
> 
> CPU          6502                      65C02
> CD ROM     341-0135              341-0304
> EF ROM     341-0134               341-0303
> VIDEO       341-0133               341-0265

Note that the video ROM would be different for Ron, because he is in
Australia, and is probably looking at the International (UK English)
version of the IIe.  The other chips should be the same.  Note that some
65C02 chips are labelled "6503".

(The keyboard ROM is also different between the US and International
versions, but there is no change to this ROM between the original and
enhanced IIe.)

>   If you see a motherboard with only 2 RAM chips, instead of 8, it's enhanced.

That would be the platinum version, which is easily distinguishable due
to the case - no need to look inside.


If you are able to turn the machine on, the easiest way to identify an
enhanced IIe is to look at the machine name printed on the top line of
the startup screen:

Apple ][            indicates an unenhanced IIe
Apple //e           indicates an enhanced IIe

The catch is that you might have a machine which has been partially
enhanced: it is possible for the CPU, video ROM and firmware ROMs (CD
and EF) to be updated independently (the firmware ROMs must be a
matching pair).  Looking at the chips would be safest bet.

It is possible for software to detect a 65C02 or 6502 processor and
check the firmware revision, but only the user would be able to tell
which video ROM is installed.  Looking at the title on the screen only
identifies which firmware ROMs are installed.

The enhanced IIe video ROM has mousetext characters in place of one of
the inverse uppercase sets in the alternate character set.  If you don't
know the expected chip numbers, it would be necessary to run a program
which tries to display mousetext and see if you get inverse uppercase
instead (or a program which uses the "wrong" inverse uppercase set, such
as the DOS 3.3 version of AppleWriter IIe; it will display mousetext
characters on an enhanced IIe).

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P O Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand