Saved an Apple ][ from a pile headed tot he dump.

[reallylonglake]

Photos: https://imgur.com/a/5HxcHyt

Pretty cool old machine! This is my first experience with vintage Apple computers (I'm a commodore man) and I've got some questions.

1 What would you recommend for cleaning the plastic case?
2 What slots should the Mountain Computer cards be in?
3 What software are they compatible with?
4 Is the daughter card on the disk drive card normal?
5 Why was the serial sharpied over?
6 Can I copy DOS and other DOS software to disk over the cassette port?
7 Can I format disks in BASIC?

After more research, here are some more photos:

https://imgur.com/a/eEGZeD2

There is some old discussion on this forum attempting to date an Apple ][. Mine has the white sticker on the mobo and the slots are green (although I wouldn't say light green).

Anyone have any clues?

 

[bladamson]

Cool.

1 What would you recommend for cleaning the plastic case?

Take all the electronics out. Run it through the dishwasher.

2 What slots should the Mountain Computer cards be in?

I dunno.

3 What software are they compatible with?

I'm a IIe/IIgs guy, but I would assume that it would run most DOS 3.3 stuff with 48k. I don't know whether or not it would run prodos, but most of the cool stuff is on 3.3 anyway.

Check out some Eamon adventures.

4 Is the daughter card on the disk drive card normal?

That is unusual. What is under the tape?

5 Why was the serial sharpied over?

Dunno.

6 Can I copy DOS and other DOS software to disk over the cassette port?

There ought to be some way to get DOS loaded over the cassette port, but I have no idea how. D: If you get really stuck, I imagine one of us could mail you a boot disk....

7 Can I format disks in BASIC?

Yes. In DOS 3.3, type "NEW" and press enter (clears out the current BASIC program, if any, to nothing). Insert a blank disk. Type "INIT HELLO". The disk will be formatted, and will execute the (empty) BASIC program "HELLO" on boot.

You can't do this from ROM BASIC, though. You have to have DOS and disk BASIC loaded, so you'll have to solve the DOS problem first.

Sorry I can't be more helpful. I've never had a II with <64k.

Edit: If you are serious about the machine and don't mind dropping a little cash, a BMOW FloppyEmu would be about the most useful thing you could get for it.

 

[rwiker]

7913 means that the motherboard was produced in week 13 of 1979, so that is likely to be the time the computer was made. It looks great for a computer that is over 40 years old!

You also got some interesting cards to go with it - nice find!

 

[Eudimorphodon]

Looking at the pictures you've taken I'm willing to bet that 32k RAM card you have emulates a standard Language Card so in reality your machine is configured as if it were a "64k" Apple ][+. (The "48k" sticker on the keyboard probably referred to how much RAM was on the motherboard, and the pictures confirm all the sockets are maxxed out.) Almost all disk-based original Apple ][s in circulation have been upgraded to the ][+ configuration; I'd be willing to bet a nickel that you have Applesoft instead of Integer Basic on the motherboard as well, but I can't tell that from the pictures. My vague understanding is those 32k RAM cards were supported by and useful for running Apple's version of UCSD Pascal, which was moderately popular.

(To be clear, being upgraded like this is a good thing if you actually want to use the machine instead of what seems to be fashionable these days and treat ]['s without a Plus on their case as if they were super-valuable and unique antiques, which they really aren't.)

The two Mountain Computer cards are what was called the "Mountain Computer Music System", and it was indeed commonly used with the alphaSyntauri piano keyboard, which you also have the card for. There are synth geeks who still use this stuff today so there's a fair amount of info out there about it; you can use the Music System cards without the keyboard, but it is a shame you don't have the full set.

No idea whatsoever is going on with your disk interface, it would be interesting to see under the tape.

As for making disks, that's easy; you've already found the Apple II game server, there's also an Apple II disk server:

https://asciiexpress.net/diskserver/

All you need is some blank disks and an appropriate audio cable, assuming I'm correct about your machine effectively amounting to a II+. It looks like you have the disk controller in slot 7; usually it goes in slot 6.

 

[rittwage]

That's a very nice clean machine!

I am curious about the disk drive card add-on with the switch. It may be as simple as a drive selector switch, but that wouldn't be very complicated. It could also be a switch to change from 13 to 16-sector PROMs.

 

[dorkbert]

Whoa, what idiot threw that out?

 

[Anthony Adverse]

There's meant to be a keyboard for the Syntauri, its mean to be quite accomplished as a synthesizer if a little harsh in sound. http://pineapple.zapto.org/hardware/display.php?query=33 The other short card with the lead is the one for the Keyboard. The light pen goes with the music editing software.