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Apple IIc Volume Control and Keyboard Repair

NF6X

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2013
Messages
1,534
Location
Riverside, CA, USA
I just got an Apple IIc with the little green-screen monitor and stand from eBay. It's pretty superfluous since I already have a heavily-expanded IIe, but I couldn't help buying it. It's just so cute! It appears to be the original IIc with ROM version "255". I was hoping for a later version, but that's what I get for buying a pig in a poke.

I noticed that the volume control was scratchy and made the audio simply drop out around mid-range. So I figured, no problem, I'll just pop that knob off and clean the potentiometer.

Well, the knob was permanently attached. And now it's permanently detached. DOH! :oops:

I don't suppose there's a replacement IIc volume control sitting around on a shelf anywhere?

The keyboard is also grungy, with keys sticking and intermittently repeating, so I'll need to clean it up somehow. Hopefully I won't destroy the keyboard, too! I found a PDF at apple2online.com that claims to cover IIc keyboard repair, but the file is password-protected and I can't view it. I'd welcome any tips for refurbishing crusty old IIc keyboards.

I don't know what I'll do with this IIc, other then holding a shelf down. After finding it was the original version, I figured maybe I'd fix it up, play with it a bit, sell it (keeping the cute little monitor), and get a IIc Plus later for some variety. But then I went and snapped off the volume knob like an idiot, which won't help make it attractive to a future owner.

In any case, it's a lovely little machine, which I think will clean up nicely (notwithstanding the busted volume control, which I may need to replace with something that can't accept the original knob). It hasn't suffered too much yellowing of the main case. The monitor has a bit more yellowing, but it's not too objectionable; it's mostly just noticeable in contrast with the shiny white monitor stand. The power brick has noticeable, uneven yellowing, but it would generally be stashed out of the way, anyway. I haven't tried booting a floppy yet, since I want to get inside the drive and clean ip up first.

If anybody would like to share inspiration for "practical" uses for an original-version IIc, fun IIc hacks (preferably nothing destructive or irreversible), etc., that should be fun to discuss. I wasn't much of an Apple II series user back in the day, other than playing Wizardry and Tai Pan on a friend's II+ and then programming in UCSD Pascal on a IIe in a high school class, so I'm not yet in tune with the sorts of hacks and upgrades that I assume folks have done with the IIc over the years. But I'm looking forward to catching up!
 
The //c makes for a nice portable serial terminal, with a small LCD screen (like for in-car DVD use) attached, and can run off of 12 volts. Steve Buggie sells a kit for car powering a //c.

The composite output also makes it easy to attach to your TV, so you can play your Apple ][ games on a larger screen... and the //c makes a nicely portable gaming system. Plug in the audio, and the noise and flash during cannon attacks in Taipan could have some real impact through a home theater setup.

As for the volume control, simply working it back and for quickly a dozen or more times may have cleaned it up (a little late now, I know). As for the keyboard, the PDFs on apple2online are only supposed to be protected for editing, try using Adobe Reader to read them, or a newer version of Adobe Reader. There is a plastic sheet underneath the keys on a //c to provide some spill resistance, if this plastic has gone bad it could be the source of your troubles. Try pulling off the keycaps, and cleaning up underneath them first.

Nishida radio makes a VGA adapter for the //c, if you want to use it with a more modern display: http://tulip-house.ddo.jp/digital/english.html

The most extreme //c hacks I've seen include gutting it, using a //c keyboard to USB adapter, and putting either a Mac Mini or Raspberry PI inside the case. Though since yours is working, I wouldn't do that myself.
 
Ah, yes , I could easily plug the speaker output into bigger speakers.

Preview on my Mac doesn't consider those PDFs to be viewable without the password, and I don't want any Adobe stuff on my Mac, so I'll need to do without the protected PDFs.

I wouldn't want to do a complete gutting of my working IIc. That would just be wrong. The floppy head was visibly dirty, but I cleaned it off and then played a quick game of Taipan to make sure the machine works. The toggle buttons (caps lock, 40/80 and keyboard) are still a bit dodgy, but I got them working a bit better with some deoxit followed by compressed air.

I'll be satisfied with the little green screen monitor rather than any sort of fancy display adapter. I think the little monitor is part of what makes the system look so visually attractive to me. If I had been born a couple of years earlier, maybe I would have brought a IIc to college instead of an Amiga 1000?

It would be really cool of there was an expansion comparable to the CFFA3000, perhaps as a daughter board that plugs into the CPU and interface chip sockets. I wonder if that is even possible? I'm sure I'd never get around to trying to make one, but maybe mentioning the idea will inspire somebody else to design one. :)
 
The //c with 9" monitor works great with a Raspberry Pi, especially using David Schmenk's A2Pi software. I run the A2Pi software through the printer port and use the modem port for serial TTY. Although I love the //e's keyboard (especially compared to the ROM 255 //c keyboard), the smaller form factor of the //c is better for my limited space. That 9" monitor is crisp and tight, too. Pretty sweet, overall.

I didn't really appreciate the //c much growing up (although it was my our family's main computer for years.) But when you start adding hardware to the //e... two serial cards, mouse card, disk interface card, the //c turns out to be quite a bargain.

I also have an SD card disk emulator from Nishida Radio. Between the "UNISDISK" and Pi, I haven't actually booted off floppy in a while.
 
There was a RAM, clock and Z-80 upgrade made that interfaced with the CPU and MMU sockets, the AE Z-RAM Ultra-III... they're pretty rare, I was lucky enough to find one in a //c off of e-bay: http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/showthread.php?30053-Bought-a-dirty-Apple-IIc-on-eBay

As for a CFFA3000, there are a few Smartport drives out there, but I don't think they'll work with the 255 ROM //c. The Disk II emulators from Nishida(no longer produced) and from Bulgaria should work on your system with the right cable. If you upgrade your //c's ROM, the UNISDISK from Nishida is a good choice, Steve Buggie sells the upgrade ROM on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/c-ENHANCEME...031?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item339ef76347

Actually, checking the page, the UNISDISK can emulate a Disk II or Smartport, so you could use it on your system as is, and emulate larger disks if you ugprade the ROM on your //c later: http://tulip-house.ddo.jp/digital/UNISDISK/english.html

Unfortunately he's out of stock at the moment, but you can e-mail him to be added to the list for the next run....
 
I'll take a look at A2pi. I have a Raspberry Pi gathering dust already. Might have to order some DIN connectors, though.

Also, thanks for posting the link to the Z-RAM Ultra III card. Even if I don't bid on it, it's cool to see what it looked like.
 
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