Re: Help!!!! Apple ][ Plus

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

TomMage writes ...
> 
> Hi, I just found an Apple ][ Plus and am having problems. I have many Apple ][
> games, but none of them will run correctly, some boot up and then I get errors
> before I get too far, some don't boot at all, some boot but the screen is all
> jumbled and it freezes. I didn't get a manual or monitor with the computer,
> just the computer and two floppies. The cards in the machine are a language
> card which plugs into the MB, a card with speaker wires coming out out, I'm
> assuming some type of sound card, and what I guess is the controller for the
> floppies. I justed hooked up the video using the RCA jack on the back. I hooked
> it up to an old monitor I use with a C64, and also tried a Commodore 1084s. So
> do you think I just got a bad computer or am I doing something wrong?? I've
> tried MANY games, all originals, some new, the only one I even got close to
> anywhere with was Phantasie III, the demo runs, I can create a character disk,
> but when I try to start the game in the first town, it asks me to put in the
> character disk, it reads the disk, then I get an error. ....


     The fact that you get so far with Phantasie III is a good sign.
Nearly all your problems could be explained by bad and/or protected
diskettes in combination with out-of-adjustment drives or drives with
dirty heads-- except, you later write ...

>>

Ok some further info, I should have tried this first I guess :(  When I
turn it
on with nothing in the floppy drives, all I get is a screen that says
"Apple
][" at the top and it just stops. Doesn't look good I think. ....
<<

     As far as I know, when you power-up a II+ with the standard
Auto-Start ROM and a drive connected with no diskette inserted, the
drive normally keeps spinning until you press RESET.


     Here are a few things to check:

 1. The Disk ][ Controller card should be in Slot 6. It will not hurt to
pull the card and clean the bottom-of-card contacts with alcohol.
Scootch-up and re-socket each IC on the Controller card.

 2. Pulling the Language Card and cleaning the contacts is a good idea.
Also, scootch-up and re-socket each IC on the Language Card. (The
Language Card should be in Slot 0.)

 3. Since you do not know what the other card is, pull it and set it
aside for now. (It could be screwing things up.)

 4. One-by-one, scootch up an resocket every IC on the motherboard. If
any IC's have really groady looking pins-- e.g. pins covered with black
oxidation-- you may consider cleaning the pins with Tarn-ex or brushing
the pins with fine-grain sand paper. 

NOTE: Whenever you start to think about fully removing an IC, use
something, like white-out, to mark the IC's notched or spotted end as
well as the IC's socket.

By the way, one of the more common causes of problems on the II+ is a
memory IC, a ROM, and/or the 6502 making poor contact at one or more
pins.


 5. It's a good idea to try to give the head in each drive a good
cleaning using a Radio Shack Cleaner Diskette with cleaner (alcohol).
You can do this if you can boot plain old DOS 3.3 from a diskette and
then CATALOG, D1 to get Drive 1 spinning with the Clearner Diskette
inserted. Do a CATALOG, D2 to get Drive 2 spinning and clean it, too.
(The head in a Disk ][ drive is on the bottom. The bottom tab on the
Cleaner Diskette is the one which needs to be removed so that the
Cleaner Diskette will rub the head when it spins.)

 6. Very possibly, one or both drives need to have Speed adjusted.
Unless someone has already drilled an access hole in the lower-right
side near the back of each drive, you will need to remove the cover to
get to the adjustment for speed (a small pot with a screw head). Boot
Copy II Plus and use its VERIFY-- Drive Speed option to adjust speed
(you will need a diskette you do not mind having over-written).  Set
speed to about "200.5"-- i.e. a smidgen slow.

If you do not have Copy II Plus or any other utility for setting Speed,
you can use a flourescent light shining on the timing marks on the
bottom of the drive. Adjust for no 'crawl' either forward or backward.

 7. When you are able to get to the BASIC prompt. Try typing various
keys. You would like to be sure that no keys stick; if any do, this
could cause problems when starting up. Also, check that you KB ribbon
cable is securely socketed at both ends.

     Good luck!


Rubywand