17 thoughts on “About

  1. Hello Mike,
    I am making a shutter speed tester for my engineering class. I think I’m going to use a photodiode and a voltage comparator, and a PIC 32 or something. I’d be interested to see how you made yours, could you provide a schematic for? It’d be greatly appreciated if you still have it somewhere. Thank you!
    Kind regards,
    Josh

  2. Hi mike,
    I’m new to the world of vintage computers, and I’d love to build an Apple II replica. Do you recommend the kit on your website for someone with “ok” soldering skills? Also, most sources only give information on the Apple II’s hardware- what exactly can you do with an Apple II? What programs and such can you run on the machine?
    Thanks.

  3. An A2 reproduction is doable for a novice, but not an ideal choice. I would start with a kit that is less complex and has fewer components. Try out one of the many Apple II emulators to find out what an Apple II will do.

  4. Hello Mike,
    I just recently bought an apple ii plus and some accessories. Your hobby page was very helpful in my repair and usage process, I even tried out your kaleidoscope. My machine was having problems, so I reseated all the chips and was surprised to see jus how much filth was on them. In the process, I broke the first pin on H2 which correspond with pin 16 of exp slot 6, and I haven’t been able to find a replacement online. The machine still works, but I am hesitant to plug anything into slot 6 for now. My second issue is with software. I have an echo ii speech synthesizer which came with a floppy. I’m guessing it’s texttalker but I’m not sure since it looks like a copy someone made. My question is do you need to load DOS 3.3 before loading this. I don’t have DOS, but I was trying to load it through the cassette ports with the ADT pro software, and it seems like it works untill the end, which it just doesn’t load Dos. Do I need extra memory? I only have the stock 48k, Which I believe is the most you can get stock. I would really appreciate any help with my new apple ii plus
    V/R,
    Karl Zimbauer

  5. Karl,

    H2 is a 74LS138 – available at Jameco or Unicorn Electronics. You are going to have to replace it before you can use slot 6.

    I’m hard pressed to help with issues with specific applications, but I would guess that the echo II floppy might come with a copy of DOS on the disk, but I can’t say for sure.

    If DOS doesn’t run you may have some additional trouble with your machine, it’s very hard to diagnose remotely via messaging – your best bet is to find a knowledgeable person in your area to help you get going.

  6. Thanks for the reply. Since my comment I have made some major improvements to my machine, such as upgrading to 64k. Today I received a set of master disks from eBay, which seem to be disks created using adt pro, but whatever. When I poped the dos 3.3 in, it did not load. I have been able to bootstrap adt, so this shouldn’t happen. Do I need to clear the language card by any chance? It also came with prodos, which would load temporarily(boot screen), then show what looked like coordinates and give an asterisk prompt. I haven’t been able to find anything online, or anyone to talk to about this issue. Do I need a whole new chipset, or is this common? I really am new to this, and I really appreciate all your help.

  7. The problem probably is some kind of addressing issue, but it’s really hard to diagnose these sort of issues remotely because there can be quite a variety of root causes.

  8. Hi I have a hand full of mint condition 6502s that came out of the lead field technician of atari coin opp . They have bern in an attic in a static proof rail since 77 . Looking to get around 1000 a pc , or best offer. I deal in traded as well. Just wanted to see if you know of any Interested buyers – majority of proceedes go to the United alzhimers foundation . Thanks for your time and consideration. 5303002619

  9. Hello, very entrusting pages and info. I’m an ex Apple certified technician and an HP certified tech. I am repairing a few Apple ][+ motherboards.
    I have a set of ROMS that I have never seen before. They have a recessed
    wide groove on one end that one would think might indicate where pin one was. The writing on the chip does not correlate with this. There is no indication where pin one is. Do I use the writing or the groove to find pin one?
    I thank you

  10. I can’t say without seeing an image – note that I have seen “upside down” printing on chips before, so I wouldn’t call that conclusive.

  11. Hi Mike,
    I am interested in building either or both of the Apple replicas have you completely stopped selling boards?, If so where can I possibly go to get one and the ROM code?
    I never had the chance to get any Apple products in the UK and when I started to really get into computing IBM had come along so I built an XT clone from a baseboard made in Texas somewhere.

  12. Yes, I no longer sell either Apple 1 or Apple II reproduction PCBs. I do still sell SCELBI reproduction PCB sets.

  13. Mike,
    When are you going to publish the Longer Story about your visit to the Paul Allen Living Computer Museum????
    Would love to hear it.

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