Re: Apple Language Card and Microsoft Card

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

Chris Clement <cclement@NOSPAMmindspring.com> wrote:

> I have seen references to these two cards for the Apple II, but have no clue
> what they are or what they do.  Can anyone fill me in?

The Apple Language Card is a 16KB RAM card that is intended to be
installed in slot 0 of an Apple ][ or ][+.  It gives these machines a
total of 64KB of RAM (assuming the motherboard has 48KB installed).  The
equivalent of this card is built into the motherboard on the IIe, IIc,
and IIgs.

Apple's own version of the card uses a ribbon cable connection to one of
the motherboard RAM sockets, to get access to the refresh signals (the
RAM chip must be removed from the motherboard and installed in a vacant
socket on the language card).  At least one version of the card also has
a ROM on it, for use in the Apple ][, to replace the old monitor ROM
with the autostart ROM (as supplied in the ][+).  Some third-party
versions of this card have either or both of these features missing.

The language card is required if you want to run ProDOS or Apple II
Pascal in a ][ or ][+.  It also allows both versions of BASIC (Integer
and Applesoft) to be available under DOS 3.3.


The Microsoft Softcard is probably the most common Z80 card for the
Apple II.  It is a coprocessor card: it has its own CPU (the Z80), which
is required to be able to run the CP/M operating system.

If I remember right, the Microsoft Softcard doesn't have any RAM of its
own.  The Z80 takes over the entire computer after the initial boot
stages, and the motherboard RAM is used by the Z80.

There are some other Z80 cards which have their own RAM on the card,
which allows faster performance for CP/M software.
-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand