Re: Apple III+

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

In article antares@delphi.com (Leonard Lanigan) writes...
>
>Today I received an Apple III+, which nearly completes my 6502-based Apple
>collection. The computer works fine, and I received quite a bit of software
>with it, but no manuals for the computer itself. I am interested in any
>information you might have about the Apple III or III+, hardware available for 
>it, software it used, etc. 

	What specific questions do you have about the machine? If your 
searching for technical specifications I can list them for you. As for
hardware add-ons and enhancements, there were some produced by 3rd party
companies specifically for the III, though it's also worth mentioning a
handful of Apple II items work on a III (ie, UniDisk 3.5 drive and Liron
controller, Grappler+ parallel card, etc).

	Most software for the Apple III was productivity and business
applications. The operating system used is SOS, or more recently, BOS-3
which was introduced not long ago. The Apple III can also run Apple II
software, but only those written for a 48k Apple II Plus -- this is done
through a special emulation boot disk. You can emulate a 128k Apple IIe
as well, but this requires additional hardware that uses up two internal
slots (Titan IIe card). FYI: There are only four internal slots in total. 

>What is the difference between the III and III+? There is an RGB outport on
>the computer. Can anyone suggest what monitor would be appropriate? 

	Major differences between the III and III+ would be: Addition of
clock chip, improved keyboard layout (simular to Apple IIe), 256k RAM
standard, Overscan mode for vertical resolutions. Also any remaining bugs
were worked out and the system made very solid and stable.

	The RGB port on the III is for digital RGB output. I would guess
most TTL RGB screens from older IBM PCs should work with a correctly wired
cable. The Apple Monitor 100 will also work, as will a Zenith Data Systems
(with composite/RGB toggle switch) work. Actually, I've been searching
for a cable to connect my Zenith screen to my Apple III. It's also possible
to connect an analog RGB to the Apple III, but I wouldn't recommend it. I
once connected an AppleColor RGB monitor, which worked well, but I think I
may have caused damage to the monitor.

>The machine has 256K memory, and I among the software I received is /// Easy
>Pieces (AppleWorks 1.3 duplicate, it appears). How much memory will the III+
>handle, and how is it increased? 

	Actually it's AppleWorks which duplicates 3-EZ-Pieces, as it was
written before AppleWorks even existed. :) I should note that you can
directly exchange AppleWorks and 3EZP files without any conversion. In 
fact the Apple II will directly read SOS 5.25 disks, and the III read
ProDOS 5.25 disks.

	256K RAM is the standard amount for an Apple III or III+ (there are
regular IIIs with much less memory, although it's recommended you upgrade).
One company (either On-Three or Three's Company) produced a 512k memory
board for the Apple III, but these are very rare and uncommon. No software
directly takes advantage of anything beyond 256k, expect perhaps 3EZP's 
desktop size. Apparently the Apple III can address as much as 4MB RAM,
but no companies ever produced memory expansion beyond 512k.

>I have a ProFile drive, which I understand was originally designed to be used
>with the III. Can anyone tell me how the drive is connected (what kind of
>cable, which of the two DB25 ports to use) and whether the system will boot
>from the ProFile? 

	To connect a ProFile to an Apple III requires a ProFile controller
card (the Apple II interface will _not_ work, you'll need the one specifically
made for the III). I've heard you cannot boot directly from a ProFile on the 
III, it only starts up with the internal 5.25 drive. It's possible this changed
on the III+, but I can't say for certain as I don't own a III+ or a ProFile HD.

>Thanks for your help.
> 
>Regards,
>Leonard (ANTARES@delphi.com)

Mitchell Spector
m_spect@vega.concordia.ca / spector@vax2.concordia.ca