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I have the Apple ][+ with 64 KB RAM: 48 KB on the motherboard plus 16 KB on the Language Card, in Slot 0. Slot 6 has disk controller for two Apple-manufactured Drive ][ floppy drives. The display is a 27" LG IPS LED 27MP65 monitor connected to the standard Apple ][ RCA Video Out port via a NTSC converter/upscaler (set at 1080p res), which handles RCA AV-IN to HDMI-OUT). I also installed a circulation fan under the covers on the right rear, which dissipates heat as cool air flows across the power supply and motherboard.

All this is humming along fine, after all these years, with one recent exception. After retrieving it from storage and setup this week for a new project, all of a sudden the system inexplicably rebooted itself while idling. Then DOS 3.3 and HELLO pgm restarted, and back to the FP AppleSoft prompt.

Needless to say, Very Disconcerting. After it happened once, about 5 minutes later it repeated auto-booting 2-3 more times in quick succession, so I powered down the ][+. After I let it cool off for a couple hours, it was stable for another couple hours, but the auto-reboot scenario replayed itself. The next day pretty much the same symptoms after being powered on for 3+ hours.

More details observed: While in DOS 3.3 with ][+ system idle, I saw some random flicker on the display and a flash of the 40x20 display (mostly all white with the ASCII '?' character displayed in random locations). The display went black and then the disk action to spin up and Boot DOS to run HELLO.

QUESTION: What is the likely cause of this ][+ random auto-rebooting behavior?

Could it be simply after 40 years there are (how many?) degraded components on the various PCBs? From my electronics background (or my memory of it now 50-60 years and ageing), I have some guesses. But I trust more the expertise of this Forum to kick in!

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    Standard question #1: Have you reworked all connections? That is pressed all chips firmly back into their sockets? Unplugged all connectors and plugged them in again?And done the same with all controller cards? Much to do before digging out a soldering iron - not that this won't bring a lot of fun :))
    – Raffzahn
    Commented Feb 2 at 20:07
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    Raffzahn, yes, Thanks, and great question. I routinely do the connections rework drill I was taught by my university EE friends who also used Apples in the early '80s. With AC power disconnected, I pressed every chip firmly into every socket; I withdrew the Language Card and Disk Controller from those slots and put them firmly back in. With the cards removed, I disconnected cables (at both ends) and carefully re-connected them. I'll completely redo this drill before I attempt any work on the Power Supply. Do you have a favorite link to a PS fix-it video for this ][+?
    – JTyler2
    Commented Feb 3 at 23:51
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    It sounds like the voltages are going outside of their specified levels, or maybe voltage is not present on one of the pins when it's supposed to be? It does sound like a re-cap might be needed, but as @Raffzahn mentioned rule out the easier things first.
    – Noel Whitemore
    Commented Feb 5 at 0:41
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    @Raffzahn, Thank you! The above re-working of connections resulted in a more stable, fully functional Apple ][+, with no significant video jitters, auto-rebooting, or other issues (for now).
    – JTyler2
    Commented Feb 8 at 14:15
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    :)) It's the 9 out of 10 solution for older Apple II plus. Sure, great first step for any machine, but the A2+ loves it. It's also mostly independent of usage, just age. Have my A2+ in service since 1980, still it needs tobe dome every now and then :))
    – Raffzahn
    Commented Feb 8 at 15:32

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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Again, I pulled and reseated both adapter cards, from slot 0 (Language card) and slot 6 (Disk Controller); I pulled and reinserted all cables from all cards & connectors on mother board. I pulled and reseated all chips on the Disk controller. @Raffzahn, Thank you for your comment! You hit the nail on the proverbial head. The above re-working of connections resulted in a more stable, fully functional Apple ][+, with no significant video jitters, auto-rebooting, or other issues, as of today ;-)

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