Re: Apple ][c Questions

[nathan@visi.com (Nathan Mates)]

In article <58vknl$26k@guyana.earthlink.net>,  <kristelli@earthlink.net> wrote:
>I got a free Apple ][c from work.  Got a few questions.

   Cool. I invite you to read the comp.sys.apple2 Frequently Asked
Questions at http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/csa2.html  It has
answers to some of these questions, and also a lot more.

>Will programs/peripherals for the Apple ][e work on the Apple ][c?

   Probably about 97+% of programs that run on a //e will also work
on a //c. The //c does not have internal slots of the same variety as
the //e, so your choice in peripherals is reduced a bit.

>Can any 5 1/4 diskettes I buy be formatted in an Apple ][c?

   Double Density (DD) 5.25" disks can be formatted by a //c. High
Density (HD) disks will not work; do not use them. You may have to
go mailorder to find DD 5.25" disks nowadays.

>Can I use a PC external modem for the Apple ][c?

   Yes, but how fast it'll work depends on which revision of the //c.
I quote from the FAQ:

---
The //c had a number of internal revisions; the best way to check is
to go into Basic and type "PRINT PEEK (64447)" and press return (no
quotes). If it says 255, you have a very old //c; most of those
motherboards had problems that prevented most //cs from getting
reliable serial communications on faster than somewhere in the
300-2400 baud ranges. See your dealer about getting an upgrade, which
is apparently no longer free (tell them that the Apple authorization
number is ODL660, and try anyhow). If it says 0, you can connect a
3.5" drive, but you don't have the internal memory expansion
connector. If it says 3, you have the internal memory expansion
connector-- extra RAM can be added with certain cards. If it says 4,
you have the latest model of the //c. If it says 5, you have a //c+.
---

   //cs also have somewhat oddball comm ports in back, but the FAQ also
lists several places you can buy serial cables from. A 14.4 modem is
probably about the limit of a non-255 revision //c. 

Nathan Mates
--
<*> Nathan Mates http://www.visi.com/~nathan/      <*>
# What are the facts? Again and again and again-- what are the _facts_?
# Shun wishful thinking, avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors
# think-- what are the facts, and to how many decimal places?  -R.A. Heinlein