Re: Apple //c, 255 version: rare?

[Mitchell Spector <mitch2gs@hotmail.com>]

The Elfe <email@nospam.com> wrote:

>> All is written in the title: is such an Apple 2c rare ? Or do we 
>>find one with 255 version easily?

    Quite the contrary. In all the years I've been using and collecting
Apple II's, the 'ROM 255' version of the Apple IIc seems to be the 
most common. As a matter of fact, the last two Apple IIc's I found
in recent months were the original ROM version 255.

    Less common to find, at least in my experience, is the original IIc
motherboard with serial port timing glitch (identified by the presence
of a 72LS161 chip rather than a tin oscillator). Also less common is
a IIc with the 'ROM 4' firmware. Or better yet, 'ROM 5', which is the 
IIc Plus. :) None of these are rare per say, just less common.

>I'm living in Europe. 
>Mine has 2 problems: one is when I press CONTROL+RESET, I could nothing 
>type, for the cursor was moving endless 
>from time to time with some strange patterns and some beeps. Well I have 
>to find another motherboard, I think, aye.

    Sounds like certain keys are stuck, either physically or due to
the fault of failed circuit logic, like the keyboard encoder chip.

    The original ROM (255) had no built-in self test diagnostic,
however if you pressed Apple + Control + Solid-Apple you'd
get something like you describe. Could be the Solid-Apple
key is stuck, or shorted because of an attached joystick.

    Could also be bad DRAM's on the motherboard, though
the only way to tell is to run a floppy disk based diagnostic.
I'd recommend the Apple II Diagnostic from Apple.

Mitchell Spector