Questions tagged [apple-ii]
For questions about the Apple II series of personal computers, and related software and hardware. For questions about Apple hardware in general, use the tag "apple"; for questions about the IIGS in particular, use the tag "apple-iigs".
170
questions
4
votes
1answer
98 views
Why does _Beneath Apple DOS_ show FM encoding rather than GCR?
From the beginning in 1978 the Apple II floppy disk system used GCR
encoding to convert data bytes to sequences of binary values to
be written to the diskette: first 4-and-4 encoding (never released),
...
2
votes
0answers
182 views
Price of original Apple ][ in 1980?
Apple introduced the "new and improved" Apple ][ Plus in 1979, but continued to sell the original ][ until early 1981. I speculate that some customers must have chosen the original Apple ][ over the ...
3
votes
3answers
422 views
How to transfer the address of a data block into zero page using the Merlin 8 assembler on my Apple //e?
I've been fooling around with the Merlin 8 (v2.58) assembler on my Apple IIe and ran into a small snag.
Basically, I would like to load the address of a block of data into a two-byte pair in zero ...
3
votes
2answers
149 views
How exactly does the Apple II monitor set and use the “last opened” and “next changable” locations?
Chapter 3 of the Apple II Reference Manual describes the
machine-language Monitor. On page 41 it describes certain
remembered locations:
The Monitor remembers the addresses of up to five locations. ...
11
votes
2answers
377 views
Best learning path for Apple IIe assembly language [closed]
I have an emulator up and running and access to the asimov ftp site, and I want to learn how to program assembly language on the Apple IIe. What assembler should I use (Merlin? LISA?) and what book or ...
5
votes
2answers
370 views
Where did the “LEVI” file selector/runner for the Apple II DOS 3.3 come from?
There's a fairly common BASIC program for DOS 3.3 on the Apple II that clears the screen, prints a catalog of the disk, and allows you to select files by letter to run or do other operations on them. ...
2
votes
2answers
261 views
80s game about running and maintaining a power station
Way back in the late 80s there was a game that centered around maintaining and running a power station for the local town. It wasnt particually complex or graphic.. just fun. On the lhs of the screen ...
15
votes
1answer
2k views
Why did the Apple IIe use a 2 MHz-rated 6502, even though it ran at only 1 MHz?
The Apple IIe was designed to be timing-compatible with the Apple II+ so that timing-depndent software (such games and copy-protection systems) and hardware designed for the Apple II and II+ would, ...
3
votes
1answer
167 views
Is there any RAM disk software available for Apple II DOS 3.3?
I have an Apple IIc with 128 KB of RAM, about half of which goes unused. Since the IIc has only one drive, it would be convenient to use some of that unused RAM as a RAM disk. I know that this is ...
4
votes
1answer
206 views
Is it possible to detect Horizontal Blanking (HBL) on an Apple II
Is there a way to detect HBL and or VBL on an Apple II, and if yes, how it's done?
5
votes
3answers
699 views
How does the Apple II read lines for video display from the text-mode frame buffer?
(This question applies also to the low-resolution graphics video
buffer, since that uses the same frame buffer as text mode, just
displaying it differently.)
As described on page 1-12 et seq. of The ...
23
votes
4answers
5k views
What is DRAM refresh and why is the weird Apple II video memory layout affected by it?
I've roughly known the concept for years, but never really understood it. Back in the day, two types of RAM typically used in home computers: static and dynamic RAM. Static RAM (SRAM) was apparently ...
25
votes
3answers
2k views
What do the '80/40' and 'keyboard' buttons on my Apple IIc do?
Above the keyboard of my Apple IIc there are two buttons that say "80/40" and "Keyboard".
On my machine, they both kinda feel broken. When I press them, they recede into the case and remain there for ...
12
votes
2answers
954 views
How is the Apple II text flash mode timed?
On the Apple II, there are three 40 column text modes: normal (white on black), inverse (black on white) and flash. A text screen can contain a mix of text in all three of these modes.
Flash mode is ...
3
votes
4answers
832 views
Why use an ADC or SBC with immediate zero on a 6502?
I'm perusing the Apple I version of BASIC, later known as Integer BASIC on the II. In several places I see...
ADC #$00
or
SBC #$00
Unless I'm mistaken, these mean add/subtract zero. What ...
9
votes
4answers
3k views
Is it possible to swap the Apple //c's monochrome CRT tube for a color one?
I just love the Snow White industrial design language of the Apple //c, especially when paired with the Monitor //c. It is a classic design that doesn't show its age. I've even recently seen them ...
9
votes
1answer
230 views
How can slot 1 of the Apple ][ replace the keyboard?
Nick Westgate posted a comment a few years back on a question about how slot 7 was unique stating that "Slot 1 on the //e is also unique - it can be used to replace the keyboard".
What was it about ...
2
votes
2answers
189 views
Could Apple II cards be used on any 6502 platform?
Looking over the Apple II expansion card pinout, it seems it's largely just the pins of the 6502 plus some +12V supplies and such.
Generally speaking, though, is there any reason any other 6502 ...
9
votes
2answers
286 views
Can a 1,44MB or 720K PC floppy drive be made to work with an Apple II family?
I am restoring a couple of Apple II machines. I would like to add an external 3.5" floppy drive, but they are prohibitively expensive. I have tons of older PC floppy drives and I wonder if they could ...
7
votes
1answer
307 views
In the 1970s, had there been a way that a home computer using a TV as monitor could get FCC approval for Apple II style slots without cheating?
I’m reading the book “Atari Inc.: Business is Fun” by Curt Vendel and Marty Goldberg. (By the way, it’s a fun read, highly recommended.) It states that when the Atari engineers had been developing the ...
8
votes
2answers
219 views
In an Apple IIc, how is memory beyond 128K addressed?
I always thought than in a memory-expanded Apple IIc fitted with firmware version 3 or 4 and an Apple-built memory expansion, the extra memory above and beyond the first 128K is connected in a way ...
4
votes
2answers
108 views
Apple IIe auxiliary RAM bank select register address — C073 or C07X?
On the Apple IIe system, an "auxiliary RAM" card may be present which expands the built-in 64 kB RAM.
When using an aux RAM card which has more than 64 kB, the auxiliary RAM bank in use can be ...
9
votes
2answers
304 views
Were expansion slots fundamentally incompatible with FCC regulations?
The Apple II provided the ability to connect to your TV (as opposed to purchasing a dedicated monitor). However, at that time, the FCC criterion for applying stringent RF emission limits was 'device ...
2
votes
1answer
159 views
How can I make an external PSU for an Apple IIc?
I purchased an Apple IIc from an auction site, but it came without the
external power supply unit. While this question and its
answers describe how to open up the IIc and use alligator clips to
power ...
1
vote
3answers
252 views
Using Integer Basic on Apple II Plus without a Language Card?
Was it possible to load integer basic and use it without a language card or were the addresses fixed to rom?
EDIT: Sorry, I meant Apple II+ (I had an europlus) so I wrongly put IIe.
7
votes
1answer
250 views
Importance of obeying Apple II IRQ priority
In the Apple II, DMA and IRQ priority is determined by a daisy-chain system, in which a card may only assert an IRQ or perform DMA when all higher-priority cards allow it.
I understand the importance ...
3
votes
2answers
184 views
What is the name/type of the Apple IIc case screws?
My Apple IIc is what appears to be the first US model: A2S4000 with
version 255 ROMs. The upper half of the case is held to the base with
six Phillips drive button-head 2 cm screws with a very wide ...
7
votes
0answers
174 views
How do I clean/refurbish an Apple IIc Keyboard?
My Apple IIc is what appears to be the first US model: A2S4000 with
version 255 ROMs. The keyboard PCB is marked 820 0108 03 ©1983, and
the keyswitches are the "cross" type as seen below, without any
...
2
votes
1answer
136 views
What are the differences between the various HxC Floppy Emulator hardware options when used with an Apple II?
I have an Apple IIc for which I would like an FDD emulator and I am
considering buying an HxC Floppy Emulator to use with it. The Slim
model does work with the Apple II, as demonstrated in this
video.
...
12
votes
2answers
853 views
What are my modern options for loading programs and data files on the Apple IIc?
I've recently acquired an Apple IIc. The internal 5.25" drive does
seem to make appropriate noises at boot, but I do not (at least not
yet) have any floppy disks, with software or otherwise. It's an
...
7
votes
2answers
208 views
What are the most common Apple II disk image formats and what hardware disk drive emulators can use them?
Archive.org has plenty of Apple II disk images, such as this DOS 3.3 image which is a .dsk file. I also see .nib and .d13 files, e.g. in this ASIMOV LISP collection. There seem to be further formats ...
8
votes
2answers
392 views
What's the best way to hook up an external power supply to the Apple IIc without a 7-pin female DIN plug?
As seems to be typical with Apple IIc purchases these days, mine came
without the external power supply. I have ordered some 7-pin female
DIN plugs and other adapters that will let me plug a modern ...
6
votes
1answer
247 views
Did the CPU test on the Apple //e Diagnostics utility do anything?
After reading about the Apple //e diagnostics card, I noticed on the screenshot below that it reports a CPU test and that the microprocessor is OK:
So I'm curious did the PROCESSOR TEST actually do ...
5
votes
3answers
422 views
How to use HGR2 (or HGR) on an Apple II
I am a big fan of the TV show lost, and I was trying to make the Dharma Initiative logo.
But at certain point I couldn't add new lines of code and the final part of the logo was cut off. I tried to ...
7
votes
1answer
288 views
What Apple System Monitor/Integer BASIC ROM features were removed in the Applesoft II/Autostart ROM?
In spring of 1978, Apple took the updated 6502 BASIC from Microsoft,
fixed some bugs and added some new commands, and released it as
Applesoft II. This was soon released as a ROM set (shipped
standard ...
12
votes
1answer
981 views
On what Apple II and II+ keyboards can the ']' character be generated?
It had long been my impression that while brackets [ and ] could
be displayed by the Apple II, the standard Apple II keyboard was not
capable of generating them.
Some time ago I noticed that on this ...
14
votes
12answers
4k views
Late 1970s and 6502 chip facilities for operating systems
I'm quite unfamiliar with how operating systems used to be written but its clear to me that operating systems were clearly written for these systems. I'm particularly interested in how operating ...
3
votes
0answers
253 views
What's the first use of the term, “1977 Trinity”?
The term "1977 trinity" has been used, here on Retrocomputing
SE and elsewhere, to refer to a set of three computers that
started shipping in mid- to late-1977: the Apple II, the TRS-80 Model
I and ...
2
votes
1answer
106 views
What are the screen editor commands for MIT LOGO for the Apple II?
I'm playing with MIT LOGO for the Apple II (1981). When I
type TO GREET :NAME and hit ENTER it drops me into the "MIT LOGO
screen editor." What are the commands I can use here to edit, save,
etc.?
11
votes
2answers
1k views
Small RAM 4 KB on the early Apple II?
Most of the reference material for the Apple II that I have seen refers to the 4116 RAM chip which held 16x1 kbit. This provided 16, 32 or 48 KB in banks of 8 chips. The Apple II motherboard layout ...
5
votes
2answers
406 views
Build a hardware clone or emulator of Apple II?
These days we are constantly seeing low-cost boards that have huge power (raspberry pi, various arduino-like microcontrollers.)
I am hoping I could make, or get, a clone or emulation of an Apple II ...
6
votes
2answers
446 views
Where can I find the Applesoft line-drawing algorithm?
I’m trying to make some graphics in Processing that look just like what I’d get on an Apple //e. I think the info I seek is in the ROM disassembly but I can’t find anything by googling. I'm also ...
3
votes
0answers
264 views
How do Apple II BASIC compilers compare? [closed]
Programs like The Beagle Compiler allow AppleSoft BASIC or other Apple II BASIC variants to be compiled. How do the compilers compare in terms of speed, compatibility, and features?
1
vote
1answer
175 views
What word processing software was used by the Apple //e outside of Australia? [closed]
I did enjoy the software that schools provided with the Apple //e in the late 1980's. My memory of word processing software was:
Zardax
Multiscribe
I was in the Australian school system. So other ...
27
votes
5answers
7k views
Why did the Apple IIe make a hideous noise if you inserted the disk upside down?
When I began high school in 1987 all the computers in the lab were Apple IIe desktop computers. A question has haunted me since then:
if you inserted a floppy disk "upside down" the Apple IIe would ...
3
votes
3answers
302 views
Is there any tool to convert .DSK to mp3 file?
I was looking into the Apple II disk server (See below for background information) and curious if there is a tool that can actually convert .DSK image to .MP3 file, as the underlying c2t only supports ...
7
votes
2answers
171 views
What combinations of modifier keys can you detect on an Apple II?
Apple II computers other than the IIgs (which uses ADB) have a hardwired keyboard combined with the paddle/joystick ports for input. What combinations of modifier keys can you detect? I know that the ...
7
votes
4answers
1k views
Why does this Apple //e drops into system monitor when booting?
I recently purchased an Apple //e online as well as a BMOW Floppy Emu in order to emulate some disk images. After working with it successfully for awhile, this monitor consistently appeared in lieu of ...
10
votes
3answers
964 views
Did Apple bundle a specific monitor with the Apple II+ for schools?
Sometime in 1980 (or maybe 1981) my school district purchased its first batch of Apple II+ computers. I remember vividly they had absolutely no idea what to do with them, and so the machines were ...
21
votes
1answer
2k views
Why was it possible to cause an Apple //e to shut down with SHIFT and paddle button 2?
Looking at the MAME driver for the Apple //e, I noticed an interesting comment:
NOTE: On real IIe and IIe enhanced h/w, pressing SHIFT and paddle button 2 will short out the power supply and cause ...
