Re: Help identify Apple IIe interface card

[Mitchell Spector <mitch2gs@hotmail.com>]

"James Elkins" <jelkins8@cox.net> wrote:

>I just purchased an apple IIe at a garage sale and it had a Wesper 
>Microsystems card in it and I have no clue what it is. Can some one help me?
>
>The card has this info:
>Wesper Microsystems
>Wizard BPO
>ASSY 80000607
>
>The ROM has:
>Personality ROM
>EPSON / 610X
>P17021585-010 D
>
>The back of the card has this little info:
>94V0
>8350

    It's a parallel interface card, designed for connecting up a
(parallel-based) dot matrix printer. The 26-pin IDC header at 
the top is where a flat ribbon cable plugs in, with a standard
male Centronics-36 plug at the opposite end.

    I purchased a "Wizard IPI" card for my Apple II Plus clone
back in the mid 80's, I still have the manual for it which may 
have covered the BPO model as well. As a matter of fact I
also have a Wizard BPO card in my collection, it came with 
an Apple IIe a friend donated to me years ago.

    Thinking back to my Wizard BPO, and looking at the photo
you provided, it looks like it came with a 32K RAM buffer. It
was probably competing with cards like the Buffered Grappler+
(the "8350" is a date code for December 1983, which would
put it in about the same era). It should be possible to use it for
hooking up an inkjet, like say an old Deskjet 500 series or 
similar.

Mitchell Spector