RFC: Expanded Apple II Information in FAQ

[nathan@visi.com (Nathan Mates)]

I'm posting these RFCs (Request for Comment) mostly because those of
you who have enough of a clue to doublecheck my work have no need to
read the c.s.a2 FAQ and see any of my changes. This is an update from
what I posted yesterday in the monthly posting; the latest version is
always available at http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/csa2.html

[By the way, did some magazine or something else just come out
mentioning this FAQ? According to my WWW page counter, I've gotten as
many hits in the first 18 hours of this week as I normally get in
about 4-5 days. Just curious.]

Anyhow, here's today's changed sections of the FAQ:

Archive-name: apple2/html
Last-modified: Sep 1 1996
Version: 4.5.9

     _________________________________________________________________

Q#14 What is an Apple II? 9/1/96

  Q#15 The Apple I

   The original Apple was not much more than a board. You had to supply
   your own keyboard, monitor and case. It sold for $666.66, but now they
   are worth many thousand dollars apiece as a collector's item.       

  Q#16 The Apple ][ and Apple ][+

   The computers that started the Apple II line; the Apple ][ debuted in
   April 1977, and the ][+ in 1979. They were sold with 1 Mhz 6502
   processors, a NTSC or PAL video out connector with ability to do 40x24
   text (uppercase letters only), High (roughly 280x192, 4 (only early
   ][s) or 6 fixed colors) and Low (40x48, 16 fixed colors) resolution
   color graphics, sound, plus they have 8 expansion slots to add
   peripherals. (Slot 0 was essentially reserved for RAM/ROM upgrades,
   though.) The ][ and ][+ were sold with anywhere from 4-48K of RAM. The
   first versions had Steve Wozniak's Integer Basic built into ROM, while
   later versions had the more powerful Applesoft Basic. Although a
   cassette tape interface was provided, most systems used the external
   140K per side (manually flipping the disk to access the other side was
   extremely common) 5.25" Disk ][ drive. Common upgrades included adding
   joysticks or paddles, 80-column video cards (not the same as a //e
   80-column card), more memory or faster processors (Transwarp, Zipchip,
   Rocketchip).

   With 48 to 64K of ram, a ][ or ][+ can run most of the Apple II game
   classics, as well as thousands of pieces of software. Early versions
   of Appleworks (integrated Word Processor, Database, Spreadsheet) could
   be run on a ][ or ][+ with 128K and a program called PlusWorks.

   Recommended configuration: 16K language card (in slot 0 with a ribbon
   cable running to the RAM) which extends the system to 64K RAM, an
   80-column video card, shift key modification (allows the shift keys to
   be used), and modified character ROMs to do lower case. Early external
   hard drives, such as the Sider or Corvus can also be added. You can
   add memory in various ways, but 95% of Apple II programs that require
   128K probably will not work in a ][ or ][+, no matter how much RAM you
   have-- they tend to require a //e or better.

  Q#17 The Apple //e

   Released in early 1983, the //e ('e' for enhanced) became the mainstay
   of the Apple II line, being manufactured and sold into the 1990s.
   While it still had the 1Mhz 6502 when first released (mostly for
   compatability reasons with the Disk ][ hardware), it had uppercase and
   lowercase text display built in, with working shift and capslock
   keys.The motherboard was also simpler due to custom chips, and had 64K
   RAM built in, and inherited all of the graphics modes from the ][+.
   Slot 0 was replaced by an 'Auxillary' slot for an 80 column card with
   optional extra ram. (The 'Extended 80 Column card' provided 80 display
   columns plus 64K more ram for a total of 128K; other vendors sold
   cards with more RAM, up to several megabytes of ram).

   Several versions of the //e were released; the very first motherboard
   revision (written on the motherboard in the back, by the power-on led)
   as version 820-0064-A. The first change to this was one to the
   motherboard to allow 'Double Hires' (560x192 in black and white mode;
   140x192 in 16 fixed colors mode) graphics display if an extended 80
   Column board was installed. You will need a motherboard which is not
   revision 820-0064-A to do this.

   The other main change (which can be done independently, such as to an
   original motherboard) was to 'Enhance' the 'enhanced' Apple II. This
   enhancement was accomplished by swapping 4 socketed chips on the
   motherboard: the CPU (6502 to 65C02, which provided more instructions,
   but was still at 1Mhz), character generator (40/80 column text) ROM,
   and 2 ROM chips (Monitor/Applesoft). This upgrade could be done by a
   user; Apple (and later Alltech electronics) sold the 4 chips. Most
   current Apple II software requires an Enhanced //e, and sometimes 128K
   too. The current operating system is ProDOS (Version 2.0 or so).

   The easiest way to check if a //e has been enhanced is to look at the
   top line of the screen when it is powered up or rebooted. If it says
   "APPLE ][", it is not enhanced. The enhanced computers will say "Apple
   //e". These enhancements were built into all subsequent releases of
   the Apple II, such as the //c, IIc+, and IIGS. (It is technically
   possible to do a partial (only swap a few, but not all 4 chips)
   enhancement, while this test only determines the presence of an
   enhanced monitor ROM, but those are rare, and should be avoided.)

   In 1987, a third major revision of the //e came out. This one has the
   Double Hires capable motherboard and is Enhanced, and is easily
   identifiable by the numeric keypad built into the platinum-colored
   case, which previous //es, ][+s, and ][s lacked. The motherboard also
   had some changes: one 16K ROM IC which replaced the two 8K Monitor ROM
   ICs (the CD and EF ROMs), two 64Kx4 RAM ICs replaced the eight 64Kx1
   RAM ICs, the single-wire shift-key mod, and an Extended 80 Column
   Card.

   The above description of //e models is for the NTSC variants (video
   standard used by US, Canada, Japan), while there were also some PAL
   (Australia, Europe, etc) variants. Most of the time, you will find the
   variants in countries using the video standards, but one way to be
   sure is if the AUX slot is on the side of the motherboard near the
   power supply, you have an NTSC model, whereas if it is in line with
   slot 3, you have a PAL model. (Thanks to Steve Leahy for this one) The
   PAL revisions are: [Thanks to Dave Wilson for this]

week 26 1983: 820-0073-A (c) 1982 / B-607-0664
   Color killer switch soldered to vacant oscillator position on PCB.

week 38 1983: 820-0073-B (c) 1982 / B-607-0264
   Color killer switch near RHS of PCB. All chips socketed.

week 7 1985:  820-0073   (c) 1984 / B-607-0264
 PCB marked for enhanced ROMs &65C02 (may have old ROMs and 6502).
 RAM &some TTL soldered in. Layout same as above.

   The Apple //e is still useful for three major reasons: 1) It runs
   AppleWorks, a simple to use, yet sophisticated Spreadsheet/Word
   Processor/Database. 2) There are many Apples in schools, so there is a
   ton of educational software for it. 3) It is was and will always be a
   _Personal_ computer. You can learn as little or as much as you want,
   and nothing stops you from learning about every nook and cranny in it.
   Ask any big name programmer in MS/DOS or Mac where they learned to
   program. Most of them taught themselves on a good ol' Apple //.

   Good programs for an Apple //e: AppleWorks 3.0 or 4.0
   (Spreadsheet/Word Processor/Database from Quality Computers), Copy ][+
   (file utility from Central Point), ProTerm 3.0
   (communications/terminal emulator from InSync), PrintShop
   (sign/card/banner printer from Broderbund).

   Recommended configuration: an enhanced //e with extended 80 Column
   card (gives you 128K) or Applied Engineering's RamWorks (512K to 1MB
   RAM). RGB video out could be provided with some third party cards. A
   Hard Drive is recommended if you use a lot of different programs. You
   can also speed it up with an accelerator (like the 5 or 10 Mhz Rocket
   Chip (rare), 4 or 8 Mhz Zip Chip (common) or TransWarp (common)).

  Q#18 The Apple //c and IIc+

   The //c (released April 24th, 1984) and //c+ (released September 1988)
   are 'luggable' versions of an Enhanced //e, with many built-in
   'cards'. Included are 2 serial ports, a mouse port, a disk port and
   128K of RAM. The IIc+ has a built-in accelerator that runs at 4 MHz
   and a built in 800K 3.5" drive vs the 140K 5.25" drive of the //c.
   Even though they don't have slots, you can still add extra memory
   (there's room under the keyboard) and a hard drive (through the disk
   port--a bit slow by ordinary standards, but usable. (Hard to find
   though.. Was made by Chinook). The //c and IIc+ run just about
   everything that an Enhanced //e runs. The //c and IIc+ cannot connect
   to an AppleTalk network.

   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. If it
   says 255, you have a very old //c; most of those motherboards had
   problems that prevented reliable serial communications faster than
   2400 baud. 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 memory expansion connector. If it
   says 3 You have the memory expansion. If it says 4, you have the
   latest model of the //c. If it says 5, you have a //c+.

   Recommended configuration: 1 MB RAM, 3.5" drive, maybe a Hard drive.

  Q#19 The Laser 128EX
   While not made by Apple, this clone is a cross between the //c and an
   Enhanced //e. It is as luggable as a //c and has built-in 'cards', and
   an accelerator. It also has a slot to expand. If you want to add a
   card, you may have to disable the internal UDC (Universal Drive
   Controller, for 3.5" inch drives) or the internal 1MB memory
   expansion. Runs almost everything that the //c and //e runs, except
   for the odd program requiring a geniune Apple ROM.

  Q#20 The Apple IIGS

   The GS represents a giant leap in the Apple II line. It can still run
   //e software, but has a better processor (16-bit 2.5Mhz 65816; can be
   slowed to 1Mhz for compatability with older Apple II programs,
   especially games), more ram (256K built in to the first releases), a
   new super-hires graphics mode (320x200, 16 colors per line colors
   picked from 4096 colors, or 640x200, 16 dithered (4 true) colors per
   line from 4096 colors), a large set of commonly used routines called
   the toolbox in ROM (just like the Mac, though it is not identical) and
   a 32 oscillator Ensoniq sound chip. Despite having 7 main slots like a
   //e, plus a RAM card (different from the //e's AUX slot), the GS has 2
   serial ports, appletalk support, a 3.5" and 5.25" disk port, and RGB
   monitor connector built in, but using those ports required that one of
   the 7 main slots in it be mostly given up. (Accelerators and video
   boards didn't require that.) The IIGS can not only run ProDOS, but it
   can also run GS/OS, a sophisticated operating system with the better
   features from the Macintosh OS.

   With the new processor, video modes, and the like, IIGS software tends
   to run only on the IIGS and no previous Apple II models, but pretty
   much all software that runs on a //e or //c will run on a GS.

   Released in September 1986, the original GS ROM 00 (which tended to
   have the Woz signature on the front case, though that is no guarantee)
   must have two chips (ROM and Video graphics controller) upgraded to
   become a ROM 01 machine and boot/run current software. A later
   revision of the mothermoard, known as the ROM 3 had a number of
   significant changes: more ROM (256K vs 128K) on the motherboard, more
   (1MB vs 256K) RAM on the motherboard, different capabilities for the
   internal slots, better support for the disabled, and a cleaner
   motherboard which can result in quieter sound support. The extra ROM
   allows more parts of the system software to be accessed from there,
   which allows a ROM 3 to boot and run GS/OS and GS/OS programs slightly
   faster than a ROM 01. (The two have identical toolbox functionality
   from the programmer's standpoint, however.)


   To determine which ROM version you're using, when you power it up, it
   should say "Apple IIGS" at the top of the text screen for a second or
   so, and possibly some text at the bottom, which states either ROM 01
   or ROM 3. If it does not say either, you have a ROM 00, the original
   version. You must upgrade a ROM 00 to an 01 (easy-- swap 2 chips), or
   a ROM 3 (harder-- swap motherboards) it in order to run current system
   software.

   The current system software works to make a ROM 01 and a ROM 3 two
   systems appear almost identical, except for the obvious such as RAM
   built in. Certain games and other copy protected software that used
   undocumented entry points on the ROM 01 will not work on the ROM 3.

   Recommended configuration: 1.25 MB lets you boot up GS/OS and use most
   programs. With 2 MB, you will have room for Desk Accessories. Go for 4
   MB if you want a RAM disk (useful if you don't have a hard drive) or
   do a lot of Graphics work. Adding a hard drive is highly recommended
   for speed and System 6. You can also speed it up with a TransWarp GS
   or Zip GS, which can speed a GS up to around 14Mhz. A separate FAQ for
   upgrading ZIP or TransWarp GS accelerators is available at
   http://www.visi.com/~nathan/a2/faq/zip.html.          

  Q#21 The Apple ][e Emulation Card

   This is a card that fits in certain Macs (LC, LC II, LC III, a few
   Performas) that lets one run Apple //e software. It is actually more
   like a //c because the card is not expandable like a //e. There is a
   place on the back of the card to plug in a UniDisk 5.25" and a
   joystick. Because the graphics are handled by the Mac, animation may
   be slow if you don't have a decent Mac.

     _________________________________________________________________ 
Q#22 Some Common Questions (with answers!) 2/8/95

  Q#23 Info about A2's:

   Q#24 What is 8 bit and 16 bit?

   A: That indicates how big the chunks of data are that the CPU can
   manipulate at once. The Apple IIGS is a 16 bit machine and all other
   Apple ]['s are 8 bit machines. (It is possible to put a 65802
   (extremely rare nowadays) as a replacement for a 6502 or 65C02, and
   get limited 16 bit functionality, but as the GS has a lot of extra
   chips to support what it does, you still would not be able to run
   99.9% of GS software on such a machine) 

   Q#25 How can I tell what version my computer is?

   A: Look at the case of the computer to determine which Apple II you
   have, then look above (sections #14-21) for that model. The methods of
   determining the versions of each model are integrated into the other
   information for that model.                                  

--- End of changes.

Nathan "I haven't rewritten _all_ of the FAQ yet" 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