Re: Curious: small q re IIgs

[a_specto@alcor.concordia.ca (Mitchell Spector)]

steve@dosius.zzn.com (Dosius) wrote:

>Is it often that the IIgs gets stuck Apple keys?
>
>I've had a few problems where the Apple key on a IIgs was stuck.  Two
>computers, in fact. :)
>
>Just curious. :)

    I had a situation, twice I believe, where the 'Option' key acted as
though it were being held down. It wasn't a fault with the keyboard
but rather something on the motherboard.

    Each time it was caused from plugging an old DIP-16 (II/II Plus) 
joystick into the IIgs motherboard. This particular joystick had a
metal housing and I'd sometimes get static shocks picking it up.
On my Apple II Plus this resulted in blowing one of the 74LSxxx
chips that detected button-0 and 1 presses. On my IIgs it instead
managed to damage (I'm guessing) the ADB microcontroller. The
results was my IIgs would boot into the 50/60 Hz Options menu
and couldn't exit.

    I had to have a dealer replace the motherboard since the part
affected was a surface mount chip (unlike my II Plus which just
required swapping a socketed DIP chip).

    Did you try unplugging the keyboard and any joysticks/paddles
to see if that doesn't resolve things? A two-button joystick maps
button presses to the 'Apple' and 'Option' keys, if one of those
buttons stick, the computer will act though the key is being held
down.

Mitchell Spector
a_specto@alcor.concordia.ca