Re: 3.5 Drive with //e? (What cards?)

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

In article davendeannaHATESPAM@earthlink.net writes...

>still have an Apple 3.5 Drive (800K -- A9M0106) that I use as a second
>disk drive on my old Mac SE whenever I take it out of virtual mothballs.
>It would be much easier to transfer files through 3.5 disks than trying
>to use the Super Serial Card (if it works) and a null modem cable.
>
>So... what card do I need to be able to use it on the //e?

    Your best bet is to purchase an Apple II 3.5 Disk Controller Card,
commonly known as the SuperDrive card, which can presently be ordered
from Shreve Systems (1-800-227-3971). It will operate your Apple 3.5
drive, as well as the older "intelligent" UniDisk 3.5 and of course,
the Apple SuperDrive. You can even upgrade the Apple 3.5 to a Super-
Drive by swapping the internal Sony mechanism with one from an SE/30,
IIx or higher.

    There are other options, such the the VTech UDC card, but no one
is selling it and it is unusually rare to find used (the very same
was true of the SuperDrive card not too long ago, and will probably
be so again once Shreves runs out of stock).

>Both //es already have an Apple I/O Controller, though strangely, one is
>marked 655-0101-B, and the other is 655-0101-C. Is there a difference
>between the two? I'm assuming that neither of them will work with the
>3.5 drive.

    Those are just plain Apple 5.25 controller cards, there was no
functional differences between the first ones made in 1978 right up
until the last ones made in the early 90's. They did change the
interface of course, replacing the dual set of IDC-20 connectors
on the card itself, to a ribbon cable ending in a DB19 which you'd
connect to one of the back port punch outs. Oh, and the first 5.25
controllers used the older PROMs that supported only 13 sectors,
but that is ancient Apple II history. :)

    Although this is just trivia, the "Apple I/O Controller" is what
Apple bundled with DuoDisk drives, though 100% identical to the card
sold for the UniDisk and Apple 5.25 (and Disk II, other than the
connector bit mentioned above). None of these operate 3.5 drives, so
don't attempt to plug one in.

>and as far as I know the Grappler+ doesn't have modem capabilities. Right?

    Correct. The Grappler+ was a parallel interface. Orange Micro did
sell another card called the "Serial Grappler+" as an alternative to
Apple's Super Serial Card, but I've never seen one and not so sure it
was suitable for modem operation (may have been similar to the older
Apple Serial Interface Card from 1978).

>But the dead unit has a standard Apple AIIE 80 Col/64K Memory Expansion
>(820-0067-B), while the live one has a TAXAN 64K RGB/80 Column Card. I
>can't find any information on the Taxan card on the web or in the
>library's Apple ][ reference books. Is it any good, or should I swap it
>for the Apple 80 col card?

    Well it has the advantage of allowing you to connect an RGB video
monitor, so in that sense it would be better. I would assume it would
output a digital RGB signal, so a CGA or EGA class monitor from a PC
should be fine with the right cable.

>Finally, the only working monitor I have (unless I want to run it
>through my VCR) is a monochrome Apple Monitor /// (Goodwill $4). It
>seems to work with the //e, although it looks like I've only got 40
>chars per line from what little I can get out of it without a boot disk.
>(That's the only time I've ever booted anything pre-Mac from Apple, so
>forgive me if I don't know what I'm talking about.) Is a monitor from an
>Apple /// fully compatible with an Apple //e, or should I keep
>scrounging through thrift stores? Well, I do eventually want a color
>monitor anyway, I suppose...

    The Apple Monitor III will definitely display 80 columns, you
just need to tell the Apple IIe to switch into that mode by typing
"PR#3" from the Applesoft BASIC prompt.

    They were originally manufactured for the Apple III, but Apple
sold them to Apple II users along with a plastic stand (the III had
a wider base than the II Plus and IIe). I was never really fond of
them, they had a terribly *SLOW* phosphor refresh which caused a
ghost image long after text and graphics scrolled off the screen.
Also, they had an anti-glare screen mesh that would trap dirt and
generally made screen images grainy and fuzzy. A much better screen
is the 'Apple Monitor II' (cosmetically matches the IIe, has a nice
screen that tilts inside the cabinet and has an anti-glare coating
sprayed on instead of an ugly mesh).

    A color composite screen is nice, though you can easily hook
the IIe up to your TV or VCR through the 'Video IN' RCA jacks in
front or back. That is fine for games and graphics, but don't try
to use it for 80 columns text. ;)

Mitchell Spector
spec@vax2.concordia.ca