ugcullen@sunybcs.uucp (Peter Cullen) (07/01/87)
This is my first time posting to the net so I apologize for any errors.
I currently own an apple ][+ and I plan to purchase an apple //gs in
the near future. Before I do so, I have several questions about the
compatibility of my peripherals with a //gs.
First of all, I have two disk][ 5 1/4 inch drives connected to an apple
disk][ controller card. Is there a problem with plugging the controller card
into the //gs? The local apple dealer was not too sure. I plan to puchase
at least one 3 1/2 inch drive but I have a lot of software on 5 1/4 floppies,
and I really don't want to buy a new 5 1/4 inch drive as well.
Second, I have a hayes compatible 1200 baud internal modem (applemate 1200)
which I am fairly sure will work in a //gs(so says the ad). With the modem I
have been using softermII(][+ version). I may be wrong but I don't think this
will work an a //gs. Anybody know for sure? I will probably need new
communication software. Any recommendations about such software for
the //gs?
Third, I have an epson LX-80 printer and a pkaso interface. Will the pkaso
interface work in the //gs properly? Since I am not sure how the graphics pages
are set up in the //gs, I am not sure whether the interface will be able to
dump graphics to the printer(something I consider very valuable). I noticed
that Orange Micro is offering their new grappler (prograppler?) interface
for a reduced price if you send them your old one. Anyone have any experience
with that particular card or recommendations about other parallel interfaces?
And finally, I have a 16 pin joystick that I would like to use with the //gs.
I think I heard that the //gs has a 16 pin port inside. Is this correct? If not
is there an adapter to convert to the new 9 pin set up?
In summary, I need any advice/recommendations about:
1) disk][ compatibility on //gs
2) modem and in particular comm. software for the //gs
3) printer interface compatibility with the //gs
4) joystick port on the //gs
Any help would greatly be appreciated.
(Since this is the first time posting to the net, I'm not sure about the
network addresses below so I hope they're correct.)
||_||_|||_||_|| Peter Cullen ||_||_|||_||_||
||||||||||||||| Dept. of Computer Science SUNY/BUFFALO |||||||||||||||
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||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||mat6013@DMZRZU71.BITNET (07/15/87)
ad 1):
Before buying my Apple //gs I heavily testet one lend at a local dealer over a
weekend and therefore also plugged in my old two disk ][ drives connected to a
disk ][ controller (all original from Apple) card in slot 6 and it worked
without any problems.
The only noticeable difference results from the new features implemented in
the ROM routines of the buildin 5.25" controller. It has the ability to
figure out if there is any disk in the drive and will otherwise stop booting
like the Apple //c. (This causes another problem, but I'll send out an extra
letter on that later.) So the system has the ability to scan the bootable
devices on a cold start and use a 3.5" disk located in slot 5 (external or via
the IWM) when there's no disk in your 5.25" drive. (With a disk ][
controller, it will try to read the boot sector forever (or until the fuse
burns) and you have to press RESET in order to give the other drive(s) a
chance.)
ad 3):
I'm using Orange Micro's Grappler+ interface card without any problems and I
like it all in all. (But I think I'm going to switch to the Prograppler+ in
the near future.)
ad 4):
The 16 pin DIL joystick connector is really there but it lies in front of the
slots far away from the backplane and not easily accessible if you have a card
in slot 4. I recommend the more comfortable and easier to use 9 pin Apple //e
like connector at the back. It's a simple matter to exchange the plug on your
old joystick but beware that the pull down resistors (of about 500-1000 Ohm
between the TTL inputs and ground) needed by the active closed push buttons
are sometimes hidden in the plug in order to reduce the number of the wires in
the joystick cable by one. Best you carefully open the old one before
discarding it.
PS to Asaf Sokolowski (and whom it may interest):
I also tested an original Microsoft Softcard and it failed to work flawlessly,
i.e. most of the time I could boot CP/M but within several minutes junk
appeared on the screen and the system hung. This was not exactly
reproduceable, but happened recardless of the settings for the system speed
and the 80 column card.
Matthias Kapffer
<MAT6013@DMZRZU71.BITNET>