Re: I'm a newbie all over again..!

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

In article dalloff@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Dave Althoff) writes...
>
>John Le Febvre (John@klatch.demon.co.uk) wrote:
>: At last I finally got a IIgs! 8)  (just the motherboard)
> 
>: It is a ROM 01 with a //e keyboard and power connector, so it has
>: been dropped straight into my //e case until I can find a better
>: solution.  A couple of points, however...
> 
>At least you get a treally nice keyboard that way, even if you can't take
>it with you...

	I dislike the IIe keyboard, the keys are closer together, are
on a decending slope and it's difficult to type on because it's raised
being built-in to the CPU base. I also find when pressing keys they feel
rather stiff and don't have that smooth flow and "click" other keyboards 
have. That aside, even if you prefer it, by using it on a IIgs you
lose the numeric keypad and ability to use features like stick-keys
and keyboard mouse among other things.

>: There is a very small 'patch board' on the lower right of the m/b
>: (towards the front).  Anyone know what it's for?  Just curious...
> 
>A little circuit board attached to the motherboard somewhere near the
>Sound RAM?  I believe that means that your motherboard is, like mine,
>actually an original ROM OO upgraded to a ROM 01.  Dunno what it does,
>just that it's part of the upgrade.

	That set of silver finger connectors (simular to those on slot
cards, but taller in length and shorter in width) located on the far 
left corner of the motherboard have no useful function. It is used for 
factory testing I believe, although hidden under the extension tab on 
regular IIgs cases. That isn't the DOC-RAM above it, but the 'standard 
RAM' (128K) bank. The two chips just beside the four are DOC-RAM (64K).

	The finger connectors have nothing to do with the ROM 00, in 
fact there is absolutely _no_ difference between Apple IIgs motherboards 
shipped with the ROM 00 or ROM 01 (other than the changed firmware ROM). 
Early IIgs motherboards had the connectors in place for the IIe powersupply, 
keyboard and numeric keypad being IIe-upgrade ready. Also a few very early 
motherboards had the defective VGC chip that affected mono Double-Hi-Res 
and 80 column text. The only way to tell if your CPU was once a ROM 00 is 
to look at the serial number underneath. If the first three digits are 724 
or lower it was (or may still be if no one ever upgraded it).

>--Dave Althoff, Jr.
>-- 
>    /-\        _       _               __*** Closed for the season ***
>   /XXX\      /X\     /X\_      _     /XX\_      _     _        _____  
>  /XXXXX\    /XXX\  _/XXXX\_   /X\   /XXXXX\    /X\   /X\      /XXXXX
>_/XXXXXXX\__/XXXXX\/XXXXXXXX\_/XXX\_/XXXXXXX\__/XXX\_/XXX\_/\_/XXXXXX

Mitchell Spector
spector@vax2.concordia.ca