Re: Apple//c newbie questions

[spec@vax2.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

In article dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson) writes...

>The 40/80 button selects the number of screen columns that will be
>displayed by default.  I'm not sure when this is actually checked -
>probably when booting ProDOS-8 and launching BASIC.SYSTEM.

    It is worth noting that software must specifically check the
state of the switch for it to work (unlike the 'Columns:' 40/80
Display option in the IIgs Control Panel).  Only two or three
programs ever took advantage of this feature, so for the most
part this button (at least in practical terms) does nothing.

>It depends on the firmware version.  The original IIc has an extrememly
>minimal self-test that doesn't really test anything - It just displays
>patterns on the screen.  Any upgraded version will do a proper self-test
>if you use Ctrl-CA-Reset.
>
>Note that you have to hold down the closed apple key after letting go of
>either Ctrl or Reset to be certain that the computer detects it.

    Minor correction: you have to press and hold down BOTH Apple
keys to activate the self-test (or Option + Apple in the case of
the IIc Plus).

>In addition to the UniDisk 3.5, you can connect any intelligent drive
>that supports the SmartPort protocol.  As far as I know, the only such
>drive is the Chinook CT-20C, which is a 20MB hard drive.  It was later
>sold by Sequential Systems.  Note that SmartPort is very slow compared
>to SCSI, so this is a rather poor substitute.

    There was also the ProAPP drive (10 or 20 MB model) which had
both a floppy port connector and SCSI connector.  The ads claimed
it could be used on the Apple IIe and IIc, in additional to the
Macintosh Plus and pre-Plus Mac models.  This differed from the
Apple HD20 which only worked as a floppy port hardisk on the Mac.

    I'm not certain about Chinook, but when Sequential was selling
the same drive, they also offered a CT-40c, CT-60c, CT-80c and a
CT100c. The actual mechanisms were SCSI drives with a convertor
inside the case to make them "talk" to the Smartport. As far as
I know, Sequential Systems discontinued the Chinook IIc series
hardrives (IIc LCD screens, hardrives and batteries are all rare).

>The IIc does not support the Apple 3.5 Drive or SuperDrive.  (Note that
>the IIc+ _does_ support the Apple 3.5 drive.)

    The IIc+ can also supports a SuperDrive in 800K mode, though
that would be extremely wasteful as a permanent drive.

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca