laura@shanti.sybase.com (10/04/89)
My son just went off to college, with his beloved //c in hand, and the first call I received was a sorrowful, "My computer is obsolete!". He had purchased a 1200 baud modem, only to discover that his machine, which has done everything he's needed to date (word process, pascal, c), cannot intelligently converse with the machines on the UCSD campus, because of an outdated motherboard! What to do? His ideas: new computers - $4500 macs or pc's. My ideas: is there some way to bring this ancient //c up to date? Anyone know how much it would cost? and if there are places in San Diego (or East Bay, if he comes home again!) to fix up the //c and make it live again? Thanks, on behalf of all the beleagured mothers in this computing age!
jetzer@studsys.mu.edu (Mike Jetzer) (10/04/89)
In article <6429@sybase.sybase.com> laura@shanti.sybase.com () writes: > >My son just went off to college, with his beloved //c in hand, and >He had purchased a 1200 baud modem, only to discover that his >machine, which has done everything he's needed to date (word process, >pascal, c), cannot intelligently converse with the machines on >the UCSD campus, because of an outdated motherboard! >My ideas: is there some way to bring this ancient //c up to >date? Anyone know how much it would cost? Some old //c's, as you have discovered, have problems with their serial port when attaching a non-Apple modem. If you take your //c to an Apple dealer with proof of purchase of a non-Apple modem, they should swap you for a logic board that does not have this problem for no charge. Don't know what version of the logic board you will wind up with, though (you may get the newer ones, with the RAM option, so your 'slots' will be shuffled around a bit). -- Mike Jetzer "Hack first, ask questions later."
fjs3367@ultb.UUCP (F.J. Schwalm) (10/04/89)
RE: Subject: Obsolete //c ? >My son just went off to college, with his beloved //c in hand, and >the first call I received was a sorrowful, "My computer is obsolete!". >He had purchased a 1200 baud modem, only to discover that his >machine, which has done everything he's needed to date (word process, >pascal, c), cannot intelligently converse with the machines on >the UCSD campus, because of an outdated motherboard! > >What to do? His ideas: new computers - $4500 macs or pc's. >My ideas: is there some way to bring this ancient //c up to >date? Anyone know how much it would cost? and if there >are places in San Diego (or East Bay, if he comes home again!) >to fix up the //c and make it live again? > >Thanks, on behalf of all the beleagured mothers in this computing age! The problem is probably caused by the version of the motherboard you have. The early apple ][c models had problems connecting with modems (I think it had something to do with the XON/XOFF not functioning correctly, if at all). What you do in this case is go to your local apple dealer with your apple ][c and the receipt for your modem, and ask about the free ][c motherboard upgrade for modems. That's probably not the appropriate name, but they SHOULD know what you're talking about. The dealer will have to check your current motherboard to see if you have the one that needs upgrading. If it is, then go for it. If it isn't, the problem could be with the way the terminal program is set up, or with the absence of a terminal program altogether. In other words: 1: make sure you have a terminal program. 2: make sure it is set up correctly for logging in to the school's computers. 3: if it still doesn't work, go to the dealer and have them check out the motherboard as above. == '90 DCI - BUFFALO, NY == "Were the blades of grass and arrows rain == == '89 SCV - 98.8!!! == Then there'd be no sorrow, be no pain..." == =========================== == == FJS3367 @ RITVAX == -- Emerson, Lake & Palmer -- Tarkus ==
emerrill@tippy.uucp (10/04/89)
/* Written 1:32 pm Oct 3, 1989 by laura@shanti.sybase.com in tippy:apple */ >He had purchased a 1200 baud modem, only to discover that his >machine, which has done everything he's needed to date (word process, >pascal, c), cannot intelligently converse with the machines on >the UCSD campus, because of an outdated motherboard! Could it be the software? What specific problems is he having? A friend of mine has a //c that has had no problems linking up with the computers at Purdue. He used ProTERM and a Hayes comptatible modem. His //c was one of the earliest ones released... _________________________________________________________ | | | Eric Merrill tippy!emerrill@newton.physics.purdue.edu | | | | My other witty .sig is in the shop being repaired. | |_________________________________________________________|
SEWALL@UCONNVM.BITNET (Murph Sewall) (10/05/89)
On Tue, 3 Oct 89 18:32:11 GMT you said: >My son just went off to college, with his beloved //c in hand, and >the first call I received was a sorrowful, "My computer is obsolete!". >He had purchased a 1200 baud modem, only to discover that his >machine, which has done everything he's needed to date (word process, >pascal, c), cannot intelligently converse with the machines on >the UCSD campus, because of an outdated motherboard! VERY outdated!! Once-upon-a-time Apple dealers replaced those motherboards for nothing (as long as you furnished proof that you owned a non-Apple brand 1200 <or faster> baud modem). Computer Resources in Wethersfield, CT still replaces them (for customers at least). That doesn't do much for your situation, but 1) try contacting the dealer that sold the //c in the first place (I believe they can still get full credit from Apple for the board swap), or 2) have your son contact Apple dealers in San Diego (and hope he can find one interested in building 'goodwill'). Even if you have to pay for the motherboard swap it should be SUBSTANTIALLY less than a new //c (the last time one of my friends fried a //c motherboard, the charge was $90 -- but that was a couple of years ago) to say nothing of a NEW Mac (I'd like a Mac IIci, too :-) Another solution that's obviously less expensive than a NEW ($4,500) computer would be a NEW ($450?) Laser 128EX (faster than the old //c, but able to run all the old software). After your son gets his motherboard updated, tell him to get a copy of Apple 2 Kermit ('cause you'll REALLY like the price of that ;-) which should 'speak' quite nicely with any host UCSD has. If your son INSISTS on 'PC' Tandy just announced a 6.5lb 'notebook' computer (with 720K 3.5 inch disk drive and built in software) for $999 (built in 2400 baud modem for $200 extra) -- still LOTS cheaper than $4,500 ;-) Murph Sewall Vaporware? ---> [Gary Larson returns 1/1/90] Prof. of Marketing Sewall@UConnVM.BITNET Business School sewall%uconnvm.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu [INTERNET] U of Connecticut {psuvax1 or mcvax }!UCONNVM.BITNET!SEWALL [UUCP] (203) 486-5246 [FAX] (203) 486-2489 [PHONE] 41 49N 72 15W [ICBM] The opposite of artificial intelligence is genuine stupidity! -+- I don't speak for my employer, though I frequently wish that I could (subject to change without notice; void where prohibited)
neves@ai.cs.wisc.edu (David M. Neves) (10/06/89)
In article <8910042034.aa03315@SMOKE.BRL.MIL> SEWALL@UCONNVM.BITNET (Murph Sewall) writes: >On Tue, 3 Oct 89 18:32:11 GMT you said: ... >>He had purchased a 1200 baud modem, only to discover that his ... >>the UCSD campus, because of an outdated motherboard! > >VERY outdated!! Once-upon-a-time Apple dealers replaced those motherboards >for nothing (as long as you furnished proof that you owned a non-Apple brand >1200 <or faster> baud modem). I seem to remember the 1200 baud problem occured only in the 1st year of production of //c's and was only a problem with 8 bit transfers (such as would occur in XMODEM) and not with regular ASCII (7 bit) terminal emulation. If your son has a relatively new //c the motherboard is not the problem. If he has an old motherboard he can still do ASCII sends and receives of files (and perhaps even Kermit). As was stated before I believe that Apple will replace the motherboard if it is an old one trying to communicate at 1200 baud. ;David Neves, Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison ;Usenet: {rutgers,ucbvax}!uwvax!neves ;Arpanet: neves@cs.wisc.edu
SEWALL@UCONNVM.BITNET (Murph Sewall) (10/08/89)
On Thu, 5 Oct 89 18:32:02 GMT you said: >I seem to remember the 1200 baud problem occured only in the 1st year >of production of //c's and was only a problem with 8 bit transfers (such >as would occur in XMODEM) and not with regular ASCII (7 bit) terminal >emulation. Your memory is faulty. I have seen the problem up close and personal. It's a timing problem and it doesn't matter if the incoming characters are a file transfer packet or an ordinary line of text to be displayed on the screen. If that's the problem, it effects everything. Also, from first person observation, some of those early motherboards were in store inventories for some time AFTER Apple started making the newer motherboards. The original board works with an Apple Personal Modem, so LOTS were sold and did not come back because the user hadn't discovered the problem existed. A colleague of mine discovered the flaw two years after the fact when her Apple brand modem died and she replaced it with an Avatex (which cost less than the repair estimate for the Apple modem). Murph Sewall Vaporware? ---> [Gary Larson returns 1/1/90] Prof. of Marketing Sewall@UConnVM.BITNET Business School sewall%uconnvm.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu [INTERNET] U of Connecticut {psuvax1 or mcvax }!UCONNVM.BITNET!SEWALL [UUCP] (203) 486-5246 [FAX] (203) 486-2489 [PHONE] 41 49N 72 15W [ICBM] The opposite of artificial intelligence is genuine stupidity! -+- I don't speak for my employer, though I frequently wish that I could (subject to change without notice; void where prohibited)
neves@CUBBIE.ILS.NWU.EDU (David Neves) (10/10/89)
Your memory is faulty. I have seen the problem up close and personal.
It's a timing problem and it doesn't matter if the incoming
characters are a file transfer packet or an ordinary line of
text to be displayed on the screen.
I used to be an Apple developer many years ago. I remember a Tech
update about the problem which specifically said that text transfers
would be okay at 1200 baud. That is what I was basing my comments on.
I guess they could have been wrong. I never had first hand experience
like you did.
-davidsamt@pro-europa.cts.com (Sam Theis) (10/12/89)
Comment to message from: neves@cubbie.ils.nwu.edu (David Neves) >> It's a timing problem and it doesn't matter if the incoming >> characters are a file transfer packet or an ordinary line of >> text to be displayed on the screen. > I used to be an Apple developer many years ago. I remember a Tech > update about the problem which specifically said that text transfers > would be okay at 1200 baud. That is what I was basing my comments on. > I guess they could have been wrong. I never had first hand experience > like you did. > -david David, the problem was with the clock frequency was off a little and it effected the serial ports. It caused the //c to fail to sync properly with most modems causing a lot of errors in any kind of transmission. I have a couple of friends that had the problem and the replacement mother board did wonders for their ability to join the modeming world. Sam UUCP: crash!pro-europa!samt ARPA: crash!pro-europa!samt@nosc.mil INET: samt@pro-europa.cts.com
fiddler%concertina@Sun.COM (Steve Hix) (10/13/89)
In article <8910071353.aa04204@ADM.BRL.MIL>, SEWALL@UCONNVM.BITNET (Murph Sewall) writes: > On Thu, 5 Oct 89 18:32:02 GMT you said: > >I seem to remember the 1200 baud problem occured only in the 1st year > >of production of //c's and was only a problem with 8 bit transfers (such > >as would occur in XMODEM) and not with regular ASCII (7 bit) terminal > >emulation. > > Your memory is faulty. I have seen the problem up close and personal. > It's a timing problem and it doesn't matter if the incoming characters are > a file transfer packet or an ordinary line of text to be displayed on the > screen. If that's the problem, it effects everything. The problem was caused by a sometimes slightly out-of-spec crystal on the //c motherboard. Sometimes you were lucky, sometimes you got a bad one. The fix (a better quality crystal) gave an excuse to upgrade the firmware at the same time. (Kudos to Rich...) I was in the middle of this, getting to rev the //c technical reference manual documenting the new ROM and stuff. Some modems were pretty tolerant of the problem, others, mostly non-Apple were not. The fix was worth it just for the MouseText characters it gave you. ------------ "...I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing: and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress, while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralization." - Petronius Arbiter, 210 B.C.