Re: Help diagnose dead //e?

[Mitchell Spector <mitch2gs@hotmail.com>]

Brian Bernstein <brian.bernstein@gmail.com> wrote:

>It seems like the machine was freezing up but is now frozen. After 
>the first failure, I was able to turn off the machine for a bit and then 
>it'd work for a bit, but then it'd freeze again. 
>Sometimes I'd see the "Apple //e" boot banner but nothing, or just 
>a blank screen. 
>Sometimes I'd get to a prompt and it'd blink a while and then the 
>cursor would just freeze. Now when I turn it on, I just get a strange 
>pattern on the screen (see link)
>
>http://dronefone.com/nntp/dead2e.jpg

    I suspect faulty memory is the issue here. I haven't seen it mentioned,
but I would advise running the Apple IIe's built-in self test which will at
least verify the motherboard RAM.

    Power on your Apple IIe while holding down the Solid-Apple key, or
Solid-Apple + Control + Reset if it's already running. Let us know what
it reports back.

>2. It has a 5MHz RocketChip accelerator (direct 65C02 replacement). 
>It was on fast mode at the time. I don't think heat was ever an issue 
>with this machine. However, perhaps it fried and the pattern is what 
>a //e would do if it had no CPU installed?

    I would highly suspect that as a possible cause, but since you pulled
it and replaced it with a standard 65C02, we can rule it out for the most
part (don't know if IIe's 40-pin CPU socket can suffer from bent contact
pins like the IIGS).

>4. ADTpro was connected using a SSC clone (simply labeled "Serial //"
>but obviously has SSC ROM since "IN#2 / Ctrl-A" reports "APPLE SSC:"). 
>This card has worked FINE for years, but even after removing it and 
>dropping it into my IIgs it hasn't worked again.

    If the card isn't recognized at all, it could simply be one of the 74LSxx
chips has blown. Years ago I bought a second hand AE Phasor sound
card and it was completely dead. Pulled the 74LS145 chip and replaced
it from one on a spare Z80 card I had one hand and it worked fine.

>I'm thinking it is either the power supply or Rocketchip. Not wanting to 
>swap parts out just yet, but I figure the screen shot would help.
>
>Any ideas? I really want to get my old friend working again!

    Run the self-test. If that passed with "Kernel OK" or "System OK",
the next step would be to pull any memory card from the Auxiliary slot.
There is a more extensive system test that Apple dealers once used 
called "Apple II Diagnostics", I made a bootable 5.25 disk with just the 
files for the Apple IIe (the full version has tests all Apple II models).

    Following that I would recommend pulling ALL the slot cards and
ALL devices plugged in see if that makes any change. Beyond 
that I would pressed down firmly on all the socketed chips on the 
motherboard, or even pull them and resocket them.

Mitchell Spector