Re: Those Apple ][ clones...

[mjmahon@aol.com (Michael J. Mahon)]

In article <20030309033125.17109.00000110@mb-ms.aol.com>, supertimer@aol.com
(Supertimer) writes:

>1. Make and Model:
>     Video Technology Laser 128EX/2 (refined and extremely
>     popular Apple IIc Plus clone)
>
>2. Released:
>     1988
>
>3. Follows:
>     Video Technology Laser 3000
>
>4. Followed by:
>     N/A
>
>5. CPU:
>     Western Design Center (not to be confused with Western
>     Digital, the hard drive maker) 65C02 running at 3.6Mhz
>
>6. ROM:
>     192K -- This includes the only legal Apple compatible
>     ROM by 1988 (Apple lost a lawsuit challenging it) and
>     Microsoft BASIC (the Applesoft compatible version)
>     licensed from Microsoft.

This is fascinating.  Is the BASIC a carbon copy of Applesoft
(including its bugs and omissions), or have some bugs been
fixed and, maybe, XPLOT added (it apparently lost out in a
ROM space war ;-).

<snip>

>11. Audio:
>     Simple beeper driven by the CPU.  Because the Laser's
>     motherboard operates at 3.6Mhz (notice that it requires
>     120ns or faster RAM), sound in programs designed for
>     earlier Apple IIs is often distorted.

Do you know the source of the CPU acceleration technology?
Was it Zip Technology or AE?  The reason I ask, is that if it is
Zip-derived (like the //c+), then the standard Zip utilities can be
used to configure a "slowdown" on speaker accesses, restoring
normal sound.

-michael

Check out amazing quality 8-bit Apple sound on my
Home page:  http://members.aol.com/MJMahon/