jdmcs
New Member
Hi, my name is Justin D. Morgan, and I'm the host of Computerized Start™. And this is an important detail as I try to gather information on an Apple ][+ clone I purchased at the System Source Swap Meet in 2023... a clone that I and my viewers have affectionately named COMPUTER due to the banner message replacing APPLE ][ found on an actual Apple ][+.
At some point in COMPUTER's past, COMPUTER lost the original case badge. At some later time, someone added some holographic stickers to replace the lost case badge, and after that, someone else added packing tape to hold the case closed. While I would usually defer to keeping the providence of the computer intact, the packing tape is peeling off, which means the holographic stickers are at grave risk of damage. I feel that COMPUTER deserves better...
However, I have not been successful in locating pictures of other MCA manufactured Apple clones on the Internet, so I don't know what the original case badge looked like. If I did, I'd make a sticker that looked like the original to replace the missing one. I have a plan B, but here's where you might be able to help.
If you have an MCA clone that still has the original case badge, would you share a picture of it?
Now you might be thinking to yourself, "Justin, if the case badge is missing, how do you know that it was manufactured by MCA?" In reality, I don't. While the motherboard says "MCA" and "Made in Japan", that could be just as cloned as the rest of the computer... er, I mean COMPUTER.
I would also appreciate any other information you might have on Apple II clones manufactured by MCA... even if it's an advertisement from the back of a catalog. Sure, I realize that these computers may have been sold as far under Apple's radar as possible, but I'd really like to learn what I can about this clone. After all, my fans want to see COMPUTER compute again*...
(* I'm having an issue with original logic chips failing every time I power on the system. I've even replaced the power supply with one of DekuNukem's PicoPSU adapters, thinking that the clone power supply was losing regulation without warning, and I'm still not ahead of chip failures. So general information on corners cut by Apple ][ clone manufacturers could also help in my effort to restore COMPUTER.)
At some point in COMPUTER's past, COMPUTER lost the original case badge. At some later time, someone added some holographic stickers to replace the lost case badge, and after that, someone else added packing tape to hold the case closed. While I would usually defer to keeping the providence of the computer intact, the packing tape is peeling off, which means the holographic stickers are at grave risk of damage. I feel that COMPUTER deserves better...
However, I have not been successful in locating pictures of other MCA manufactured Apple clones on the Internet, so I don't know what the original case badge looked like. If I did, I'd make a sticker that looked like the original to replace the missing one. I have a plan B, but here's where you might be able to help.
If you have an MCA clone that still has the original case badge, would you share a picture of it?
Now you might be thinking to yourself, "Justin, if the case badge is missing, how do you know that it was manufactured by MCA?" In reality, I don't. While the motherboard says "MCA" and "Made in Japan", that could be just as cloned as the rest of the computer... er, I mean COMPUTER.
I would also appreciate any other information you might have on Apple II clones manufactured by MCA... even if it's an advertisement from the back of a catalog. Sure, I realize that these computers may have been sold as far under Apple's radar as possible, but I'd really like to learn what I can about this clone. After all, my fans want to see COMPUTER compute again*...
(* I'm having an issue with original logic chips failing every time I power on the system. I've even replaced the power supply with one of DekuNukem's PicoPSU adapters, thinking that the clone power supply was losing regulation without warning, and I'm still not ahead of chip failures. So general information on corners cut by Apple ][ clone manufacturers could also help in my effort to restore COMPUTER.)