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Disk controller error

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luis_orihuela

Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2010
Messages
43
Location
Toluca, Mexico
Hi,

I am new to apple computers but always wanted to have one, finally the day came and I got an apple ][ plus yesterday. It came with a Apple /// monitor, two disk drives and a disk controller card and a Videx card.

When I first tried to start it on, the screen got full of characters, some blinking, some reverse, some normal.

I tried t get the prompt cursor several times with out success, I turned it off and removed the Videx and the disk controller card, leaving only a Microsoft (applesoft?) card.

I turned it on and first got a screen with characters, retried and got a Apple legend and it began working.

I typed a small for-to program and executed as expected. Then I replaced the disk controller card and get the full screen.

Mainboard is very dirty, may that be the reason for the malfunction? is there something like a trouble shooting guide?

Regards

Luis
 
1. Reseat each of the chips on the board; make sure they are making good contact on all of the pins.

2. Your powersupply is probably marginal. That likely explains why you get flaky results with the extra load of the disk card (and, especially, the startup load of the disk drive). Replacements are not hard to come by, or you can take it apart and replace the capacitors.
 
Thank you David,

I have some more questions, I think this is just the beginning.

Should I use any cleaning solution before on the chip bases?, Just reseat the mainboard chips or the add on cards too? do I have to use something like a antistatic wrist to manipulate the chips?


Regards,

Luis
 
Should I use any cleaning solution before on the chip bases?
Click to expand...
No, just mechanically unseating and reseating them should be good enough for now. The legs sometimes get tarnish on them (I seem to see that a lot on TI-manufactured chips...) but re-mating them with the socket seems to be good enough. Be sure to use a chip puller or gently and slowly, working a little from each end at a time with a small screwdriver, pry the chip up and out. If it yanks out of one side first, it'll bend/break pins on the other side.
Just reseat the mainboard chips or the add on cards too?
Click to expand...
Sure, I'd do the MS board if it's memory (if it's got a Z80 chip on it... just leave that board out of the picture for now) and the disk controller while you're at it.
do I have to use something like a antistatic wrist to manipulate the chips?
Click to expand...
You should. I never do, but I'm flirting with disaster. And I live in a very humid climate, so static electricity isn't as much of an issue as when I lived in the north with the heat on in the winter... Zzzzzzzzzap!
 
Hello David,

Here I'm again, I have been reseating the ICs but has not finished yet. However, I turned on the computer again but could not get the apple ][ legend nor the cursor on the screen, even i tried several times. I'm trying not to think the worst but...

You said on your first answer a marginal power supply could be the reason for those problems. There are some voltages printed on the mainboard circuit, should I check only for the voltages, o should I check current too?, if so? how many Amps or mA should I get on the different terminals.

I will try to get some pictures of my computer and of the screen tonight to post them tomorrow.

Regards

Luis
 
Here I'm again, I have been reseating the ICs but has not finished yet. However, I turned on the computer again but could not get the apple ][ legend nor the cursor on the screen, even i tried several times. I'm trying not to think the worst but...
Click to expand...
Check that each IC is all the way back in its socket, oriented correctly (most point in the same direction, so it's easy to see) and are correctly lined up.

You said on your first answer a marginal power supply could be the reason for those problems. There are some voltages printed on the mainboard circuit, should I check only for the voltages, o should I check current too?, if so? how many Amps or mA should I get on the different terminals.
Click to expand...
I don't know how to check for a marginal supply, sorry. You probably want to pick up a new one at your earliest opportunity anyway - the capacitors tend to go bad after a while.

I will try to get some pictures of my computer and of the screen tonight to post them tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Do you get any beep, video jiggle, or anything when you power the machine on?
 
Yes David,

I get a beep, and video jiggle. Something else, I identified the Microsoft card, it is a ram card, with three leds, I am only getting at most two of them lighted.

I Would like to keep on testing tonight but I don't know if I should first reseat all of the ICs.

Regards

Luis
 
A beep is a good sign. I'd just give a little push on each of the ICs to make sure they're seated. Maybe your video cable isn't making a good connection?

As for that MS RAM card, you can safely remove it and see how the bare machine reacts when it boots.
 
Hi David,

Looks like I was lucky yesterday night, I reseated the cards but taking care not to seat them completly, they seem to be working now. I don´t know how to save a program to disk but I will try to find how to do it today.

In the meanwhile, here is a picture of my Apple ][.

Regards

Luis
 

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Excellent work. Apples didn't have DOS built in; you need to boot that from a floppy disk before you can use the disk drives. I don't see any disks sitting around your desktop, so I can't tell if you have those already. ;-)

This is a nice guide to commands that the various DOS/ProDOS operating systems support:
http://www.landsnail.com/a2ref4.htm
 
Hi David,

No, I dont´t have any apple Diskettes, I have some DS DD 5 1/4" diskettes but they are PC DOS compatible, I have a Leading Edge 386 with DOS and I used to save my programs to those diskettes when at college.

I was thinking on formatting one of those to test the floppy drives and the disk ][ controller.

David, I have a working TS 1000 too. When I got it the PROM ULA chip was not working, that chip is responsible for controlling the video output.

David Thanks for your support and guidance on getting this Apple to work.

Regards

Luis
 
No, I dont´t have any apple Diskettes, I have some DS DD 5 1/4" diskettes but they are PC DOS compatible, I have a Leading Edge 386 with DOS and I used to save my programs to those diskettes when at college.

I was thinking on formatting one of those to test the floppy drives and the disk ][ controller.
Click to expand...
Those will work just fine in the Apple. You'll need to either buy a bootable Apple DOS diskette or make one yourself by bootstrapping like this:
http://adtpro.sourceforge.net/bootstrap.html

David Thanks for your support and guidance on getting this Apple to work.
Click to expand...
You're welcome! Glad you got it going again.
 
Hi David,

I have ADTPRO 1.1.6 on a diskette now, I downloaded the app and transfered it to the apple using audio cables. Now I am trying to get my first game on a diskette too.

Regards

Luis
 
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