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Apple IIBF - Cortland Prototype

H

HoJoPo

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I just received my latest eBay find, what they had listed as a "Prototype Apple //e to IIgs upgrade" was actually a Cortland Apple IIBF (IIgs) development prototype, probably sent to a software developer.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-App...rive-UNTESTED-IIgs-upgrade-Rare-/290845155256

Looks like a standard //e:

DSCF0060.JPG

But what's inside?

DSCF0053.jpg

Oops, looks like the EPROM to PROM adapter came loose in shipping :(

DSCF0055.JPG

OK, straightened out some bent pins and reinstalled it:

DSCF0057.JPG

Note, it says "SKA321-03" instead of "Apple //gs" on the motherboard below the RAM, and the VGC is soldered to the board, not socketed.

Now, to fire it up:

DSCF0056.JPG

It boots! But what's an Apple IIBF? Big Fellow?

I had removed the Disk ][ from slot 7 that it came with, and connected an Apple 3.5 drive to it, along with an ADB mouse. Passed the IIgs diagnostics without any problems.

I have a IIgs RGB monitor to connect to it, though I'd like to find an Apple Monitor 100 RGB color monitor, since it matches the case.

This is pretty much a Rom 0 IIgs, though I wonder what incompatbility issues it might have?
 
Apple IIBF Cortland EPROMs

Apple IIBF Cortland EPROMs

Here's a closeup of the EPROMs, showing they are version 1.0BF, dated 6/19/86, part number 341-0077-A:

DSCF0059.jpg

By the way, there are no serial numbers on it, on the case or the motherboard.
 
Wow, the Apple //e to IIgs upgrade that was listed on eBay just went for $1358! I only paid $395 for a much rarer prototype... though it was much cleaner.

I think my IIBF (Best Friend?) will scratch any itch I had for a //e to IIgs upgrade.
 
Arcady said:
I have one of these. However, mine is not currently working. Nice find!
Click to expand...

I did find a serial number written in black marker on a yellow pad in the front right hand corner of the motherboard, S/N 1314. So they did make a few of these. A ROM01 motherboard should be usable for parts to repair your SKA321-03 board. You could also try the ROM out of a ROM 01 or ROM 0 system and see if it's just the ROMs you have are bad.

The four EPROMs are NEC 27C256D, for 128kx8 of ROM. There was talk on comp.sys.apple2 back in 2004/2005 about dumping a ROM image for testing in the emulators, but I didn't see if they were successful.

I played around in the control panel, the battery is still good, though the clock had run up a bit and thought it was 2017. I set the clock and it keeps time.

Wonder if it is compatible with a CFFA3000? I have one here I could install... can't see why it shouldn't work. I also have an Apple IIgs memory card with 512k to put in it for the time being.
 
HoJoPo said:
This is pretty much a Rom 0 IIgs, though I wonder what incompatbility issues it might have?
Click to expand...
It won't run GSOS. You need at least ROM01 for that.
HoJoPo said:
Wonder if it is compatible with a CFFA3000? I have one here I could install... can't see why it shouldn't work.
Click to expand...
Give it a try. There is a GS-specific switch you need to throw.
 
Gah! Seriously?! My eBay foo sucks. :( I've been looking for an affordable IIe to IIgs upgrade, and I think you snagged up the only one in existence. Heck of a find. Excellent job, man. I'm insanely jealous.
 
I successfully dumped the V1.0BF ROM, it boots in MESS just fine (complains about the checksum not matching for ROM 01, but it loads.)

My SE/30 mangled the ROM dump between copying it from a ProDOS disk and FTPing it up to my Linux server (I told it to transfer as binary, but maybe Fetch messed it up), so I used the CFFA3000 on my ROM 01 Woz IIgs to copy it from the floppy to an HD image on the thumb drive, then used Ciderpress to copy it from the image into Windows 7.

Now to put the CFFA3000 in it....
 
dorkbert said:
and I was unwilling to go over 380...
Click to expand...


I wouldn't go over $515... I'm just glad I got it. Good thing I was close by, the EPROM card came loose in shipping, if it had to go any further than Merced to Oakland and back to Hanford, it could have really got some damage. Otherwise it was well packed.
 
david__schmidt said:
It won't run GSOS. You need at least ROM01 for that.

Give it a try. There is a GS-specific switch you need to throw.
Click to expand...


Yup, no GS/OS, but it does work fine with the CFFA3000 (System disk 3.0 booted fine, but System Disk 4.0 would not). I was wrong earlier, the battery is very much dead (0 volts), so I'll have to order a replacement. For this one, I might just try de-soldering and soldering in the new battery, instead of doing the quick wire wrap method. Though the quick method worked fine, and the battery could always be re-soldered later.... (I was an Aviation Electronics Tech. in the Navy, and I have a soldering station, so I do know how to solder.)

CFFA worked brilliantly, including the disk II emulation. I may pull the PROM from my spare ROM 01 motherboard and put it on this, just to see how it behaves as a ROM 01. I'll definitely hold on to the ROM card, though, and keep the pins protected. I might burn a 27c1000 EPROM with the BF code and wire up an adapter (like Reactive Micro used to sell), and keep the EPROM card safe, it kinda just lays there.

The new cable for the CFFA disk switch took a little figuring out, since the ends are different, but it works just fine. I was going to modify the cover from my spare //e to hold the disk switch and a USB port, I might do that still and just put it on the IIBF instead of my //e.
 
Where do you live? I'm in Milpitas, and I have a ROM01 //e to //GS board if you want to borrow it and give it a go.

Edit: Nevermind. Just noticed your location is Central California.
 
olePigeon said:
Where do you live? I'm in Milpitas, and I have a ROM01 //e to //GS board if you want to borrow it and give it a go.

Edit: Nevermind. Just noticed your location is Central California.
Click to expand...

My ROM 01 Woz system has a //e to IIgs capable board in it (my spare ROM 01 board doesn't have the //e power/keyboard/keypad connectors installed), but thanks for the offer. There's no reason I couldn't test with the spare ROM01 board, I have a extra power supply to connect to it.

Now, I do need to order a ROM programmer, and get the blank ROMs and sockets for the adapter (32 pin and 28 pin). But I was planning to pick one up next month anyway, so that won't be an issue... just another project to use it for. :D

I'm in the Fresno area.
 
I don't know of any 1 megabit (256k) 28 pin devices that are pin compatible, all I've found close are 32. The 32 pin ones will work, just have a couple lines to move around.

This isn't specific to just the IIgs, it's also an issue for Atari ST and Nintendo ROMs as well (I'm sure there are others.) Consensus is to wire up an adapter using two sockets.
 
david__schmidt said:
Very nice - can you send that in to Asimov?
Click to expand...

Hmm... no longer in incoming, but I don't see it in the emulator/rom directory. Couldn't find it in the site index, but that hasn't been updated since yesterday morning. I could always try naming the file a bit more descriptively, though I thought the text file made it clear.

On another note, are you going to add ROM 1.0BF support to the GSport emulator David?

EDIT: I tried the 1.0BF ROM in GSport 0.2, it booted but would crash to the monitor when loading anything. I'm not sure it was properly detecting that it should use the ROM01 hardware emulation from the 128k ROM image file size.

I also tried it in MESS and it did the same thing, so it's possible there is an issue with the ROM dump, or a ROM 0 / ROM 1 compatibility issue with the emulators. I'll try to dump it again, this time in four files like MESS uses for ROM 0 systems, and see how MESS handles it then.
 
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