[comp.sys.apple2] question about disk drives //c,IIgs

devernay@POLY.POLYTECHNIQUE.FR (Devernay Frederic) (06/21/91)

I now have a //c and I would like to know several things:
is it possible to link an old diskII drive to the //c, and how is the
cable?
is the 800k drive for the //c like a Mac one, can I link a Mac drive to
the //c?
can I link both drives to a //c?

and same questions for a IIgs (as I may have one soon).

thank you


Frederic Devernay
devernay@poly.polytechnique.fr

curtis@achilles.ctd.anl.gov (Jeffrey Curtis ) (06/21/91)

In article <9106210925.AA19158@poly.polytechnique.fr> devernay@POLY.POLYTECHNIQUE.FR (Devernay Frederic) writes:
>I now have a //c and I would like to know several things:
>is it possible to link an old diskII drive to the //c, and how is the
>cable?
>is the 800k drive for the //c like a Mac one, can I link a Mac drive to
>the //c?
>can I link both drives to a //c?

Yes, yes, yes, and yes.  The disk ][ shouldn't be a problem, you just have
to find a cable and/or adapter that will fit the desired ports.

"The" 800k drive?  There are many.. personally, I use a Laser 800k on my
//e, and yes, it is a Mac drive.  Again, it's simply a matter of finding
proper adapters.

Both can be hooked to a //c with no problems (that I am aware of).

>and same questions for a IIgs (as I may have one soon).

.. and the same answers for a //gs.  I've seen disk ][s hooked to a gs (I
think..) and the 800k drives will probably fit right into the smartport.
If you're using a Laser drive, though, you'll need a UDC (Universal Disk
Controller)..

Jeff

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
+ Jeffrey S. Curtis (708)972-8585 B41801 AT ANLVM curtis@achilles.ctd.anl.gov +
*        Computing and Telecommunications, Argonne National Laboratory 	      *
+  "The opinions expressed above are mine only.  Who else would want them?!"  +
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

josh@osf.org (Joshua Goldman) (06/21/91)

There are some potential problems hooking up a 3.5 inch disk to a //c.

First question you have to figure out is what ROM you have in your //c.

An article from ralpho@cs.fau.edu (Ralph P Carpenter) shows how to find out which ROM you have.  I appended  it to the end of this article.

If you have the correct ROM, a unidisk 3.5 inch drive will work with a //c.
I'm not sure about other Mac drives.  I know that they'll work with the Laser 128EX, but I tried an Apple Mac drive on my //c and it didn't work.  If someone knows otherwise, let me know.  One thing to be aware of is that even if you get a Mac 3.5 drive to work on your //c, you'll discover that it doesn't have an eject button.  The Mac always ejects disks via software/firmware.  On the //c you have to eject disks manually.  If your 3.5 drive doesn't have any eject button, you'll have to play with a papercl





ip in the emergency eject hole.  Your best bet is to get a 3.5 inch unidrive.  They appear forsale for about $90 to $125.  (I'm looking for another one, if someone is selling.)

If you do have a //c with an old ROM, apple dealers are supposed to replace it with a ROM that supports the Unidisk for free.  You need to show them a receipt indicating that you have bought a unidisk.  You may have to convince them that they're supposed to do this, but they are.

Article 11039 of comp.sys.apple2:
Path: paperboy!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!apple!usc!samsung!rex!uflorida!cs.fau.edu!ralpho
From: ralpho@cs.fau.edu (Ralph P Carpenter)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: Apple IIc
Date: 15 Jan 91 19:57:37 GMT
Reply-To: ralpho@acc.fau.edu (Ralph P Carpenter)
Organization: Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Lines: 42

In article <memo.676087@lynx.northeastern.edu> sehrlich@lynx.northeastern.edu writes:
>[...]
>I have heard that there were different versions
>of the IIc that Apple put on the market.  And that each version
>did certain things just a bit differently that the other version.
>[...]

	You can inspect the value stored at memory address $FBBF
(64,447 decimal) in order to find out which version of the Apple//c
you have.

	From Applesoft Basic ("]" prompt), you can do:

		] PRINT PEEK (64447)

	From the Monitor ("*") prompt, you can do:

		* FBBF

	The value you get back is the ROM version number.  The basic
and most meaningful differences are:

		FF	255	Original //c -- boat anchor
		00	000	adds support for 3.5" Unidisk drives
		03	003	adds expanded-RAM support
		04	004	fixes bugs in expanded-RAM support
		05	005	Apple //c+

	Some (all?) of the original (ROM FF) machines have a defective
crystal that prevented their modem port from operating correctly at
speeds in excess of 300 bps...  A few years back, we ordered five or
so machines for some of our faculty to use at home -- all but one were
ROM FF and had the defect :-(  One was a ROM 03 -- guess who got (has)
that one? :-)  Fortunately, Apple dealers (are supposed to) replace the
bad crystal free-of-charge.

	Hope this helps.
-- 
|  Ralph P Carpenter      | InterNet: Ralpho@acc.fau.edu     | Blake's 7:  |
|  Sr Programmer/Analyst  | Bitnet: Ralpho@FauVax            |   The       |
|  Florida Atlantic Univ  | Ci$: 74015,644     GEnie: Ralpho |  Motion     |
|     at Boca Raton       | Vox: 407/367-2616     Fax: -2749 |  Picture    |


-- 
Joshua Goldman josh@osf.org (617)-621-8857
Open Software Foundation
11 Cambridge Center
Cambridge, MA 02142