Re: Questions about Apple IIgs

[Warren Ernst <wernst@gmail.com>]

On Dec 8, 9:58 am, l...@them.apls wrote:
> On Sat, 6 Dec 2008 20:35:56 -0500, "Jeff Blakeney"
>
>
>
> <jeff.blake...@a2central.com.remove-zrg-this> wrote:
> >  To: like
> >On Fri, 5 Dec 2008 15:41:27 -0800, like wrote:
>
> >> Yep, I did some reading today, and found that one too.  Also, there is
> >> an interesting solution for TV/monitors with composite inputs:
> >>http://damntechnology.blogspot.com/2008/08/apple-iigs-rgb-video-to-co...
>
> >I'd love to be able to use a VGA monitor with my IIgs but I haven't been
> >convinced that any of the methods discussed here are good enough.  There
> >is definitely some promising looking methods but I'm not sure I've seen
> >screenshots of all of them yet or read one report that didn't mention at
> >least one problem.  I'm hoping that this will be sorted out at some
> >point.
>
> >> Or maybe obtaining the original Apple monitor would be preferable? How
> >> good are those old ones, anyway?
>
> >If you can find an original monitor, they had really nice picture and
> >colour.  You can also look for some of the other RGB monitors available
> >for other systems as well.  I'm currently using a Commodore 1084S
> >monitor with my IIgs and I believe that the Atari ST RGB monitors could
> >be used with the IIgs as well.  You just need to make a cable to hook it
> >up.
>
> >> I see...  What is the recommended minimum for GS/OS?
>
> >1 MB is the minimum but doesn't let you do much.
>
> >2 MB is a more reasonable minimum and gives you room to do stuff.
>
> >However, if you are going to be buying a memory card, you might as well
> >get one that either comes with or is capable of being upgraded to 4 or 8
> >MB.
>
> >If you do swap out your motherboard for a ROM 3 then your current 1 MB
> >card will take you to a total of 2.125 MB which is okay but a 4 MB card
> >will take you to 5.125 MB which is really nice.  I used to run my
> >machine with a Sequential GS-RAM 4 MB card installed in the slot on a
> >CV-Tech 4 MB card in my ROM 3 to give me 8.125 MB of accessable RAM (1
> >MB of the expansion RAM isn't accessable due to a bug/design feature in
> >the ROM of all IIgs machines).  I decided to cut back to only the GS-RAM
> >to reduce power and heat because my IIgs has a stereo card in slot 1, an
> >Uthernet card in slot 2, a ZipGS in slot 3, an Apple High Speed SCSI
> >card in slot 6, a RamFAST SCSI card in slot 7 and my memory card in the
> >expansion slot.  :-)
>
> >Mind you, I'm now running my IIgs with the top off so heat isn't so much
> >of a problem anymore.  :-)
>
> >> Yep, I am a PC person. I found out that I can transfer files from PC
> >> to IIgs via a null modem cable. I am assuming I can get the disk
> >> images there, unpack and the write to floppies.  But as far as I have
> >> no hard drive (yet), this may not work (?) Unless this would be
> >> possible with doing all work on all floppy drive and writing from it
> >> to another?
>
> >If you have more than one floppy drive or if you have enough RAM to
> >create a decent sized RAM disk, doing null modem transfers and creating
> >real disks from disk image archives (SDK) or emulator disk images (2IMG
> >et al) is perfectly fine.
>
> >> These seem cool :) It appears that it would be the least hassle
> >> comparing to obtainig a SCSI card and hard drive or getting a Focus
> >> Hard Card with old laptop drive.
>
> >Since bringing the Focus card back on the market, I believe that Tony
> >Diaz is shipping them all with CF adapters instead of 2.5" notebook
> >drives.  I currently have at least 40 old notebook drives of various
> >sizes that I thought he might be able to use but he said that CF is now
> >the way to go.
>
> Thank you everyone who responded!
>
> By the way, I've read in the FAQ that only double density floppies
> should be used in IIgs drives.  Is it, indeed, that critical?  I've
> always assumed that high density disks could be used for smaller
> formats with no issues whatsoever.  After all, those just have finer
> magnetic layer...

The best thing I can say about using HD floppies in DD drives is that
the results are unreliable at best. Some disks seem to work fine.
Others crap out immediately. Some crap out after a week or two.

Honestly, if you're bothering to write stuff to floppies, you probably
will want to be able to rely on the ability to read that disk back
some time down the road. Make the effort to locate DD floppies.

-Warr