Special needs GS?

["mspangler" <mspangler@gemsi.com>]

I just acquired a GS from a junk store.  It was from a school, and is a
ROM 1. It had a memory card, but only with the stock 256k RAM in it. It
also was fitted out with an Adaptive Peripherals card that has two
cables that go to an external box with a Centronics type connector, a
switch, and two mini-plug sockets that say SW-1 and SW-2. The card has
a 65SC816 processor on it, a ROM, but no RAM that I can see.

There is also an Echo sound card in there. I assume there was some
program that needed that sound card and did not work with the standard
GS sound?

There was also a Franklin card. It has three dip switches, one of which
is labled Slot 1-7. Hardware is a 2k ROM, a 2116 chip (?) a 4.9 MHz
crystal, and a 1488 and 1489 pair. So I assume that there is a serial
port on the card. There are also two headers. A 20 pin in 2 rows of 10,
and a 16 pin single row. The rest of the chips are straight TTL.

It booted somewhat grumpily. First it couldn't vertical synch to the
monitor. Eventually that started working, but if couldn't find the
floppy, then couldn't boot from the floppy, then it staggered to life.
Weak capacitors maybe?

I am assuming solely because of the Adaptive Peripherals card, and that
the school hung onto it for so long,  that it was from the special
needs department.  Does anyone have any other information on that or
the Franklin maybe-serial card?

Thanks;
Mike S.