Category: Apple II

The 6502 Workshop team is launching a Kickstarter campaign on May 2, 2019 to produce a collector’s edition of Nox Archaist! Nox Archaist is a brand new tile based 8-bit RPG inspired by classics like Ultima and Bard’s Tale.  It is written for the Apple II computer, but is easily playable on any modern Mac or PC via emulation.  It’s been designed and hand-coded from scratch by a team of awesome programmers and artists, and even a few legends from the golden…

The VidHD Apple II video card has new 1.15 firmware with many improvements and fixes. And, a new version 1.1 manual now details the firmware update procedure. Firmware 1.15 Changes: Fixed sync on 1440p, 1600p, and 2160p displays as long as they also support 1920×1080 or 1920×1200. Displays smaller than 1920 horizontal resolution will not work with firmware 1.15. OS fixes: Linux 4.20.8 and uBoot 2019.01 loader. MouseText: fixes incorrect inverse-checkmark font. Fixed a bug which caused Ctrl-Reset on PAL…

In this three-part series, Chris Torrence shares tips & tricks for repairing your retro computer from the 1970s and 1980s. Episode #1: Tool, Computer Components, Power Supplies Episode #2: Magical Thinking and Using a Multimeter Episode #3: Multimeters and Logic Probes

The Applewin Emulator has been updated to Version 1.27.4.0. This version focuses on items related to the Super Serial Card and the recent interest in BBS and Modem related topics. The latest release of Applewin includes a host of improvements and fixes including: Fix for showing 559th DHGR vertical column. But now an HGR HCOLOR=2 vertical line at column 0 is only 1 DHGR pixel wide. Fix TEXT80 to be aligned with DHGR. Fix FLASH in TEXT80 (the inverse aux-memory…

The latest version of the Virtual II Emulator has been released.  Virtual II is a Shareware full featured Apple II emulator which offers users near real hardware experiences on Mac OS X.  The latest release, version 8.4 contains a host of changes including Improved “woz” disk image compatibility; the application now deals better with several copy-protection schemes. If a woz disk’s internal write protect property has been set, QuickLook now shows the disk without a write-protect notch, to indicate that…

Ever wish you could cool off your Apple II without all of the fan noise from the Kensington System Saver? Watch as we tear apart the System Saver and replace the fan with an ultra-quiet version: https://youtu.be/KnliZMbmGQA See more Assembly Lines podcast videos at: http://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisTorrence1

A few months ago i acquired an Apple IIgs, and to my surprise it had a Vulcan drive inside. The Vulcan was an internal combo of hard drive/power supply with a controller card. At that time, the only hard drive options were an external drive or an IDE card. The Vulcan was attractive by combining a strong power supply that also housed the hard drive. It was black colored and looked really nice replacing the internal power supply. The controller…

There is still time to join Richard Garriott and Rebecca Heineman in playing Nox Archaist and get your hands on all the awesome feelies! http://kickstarter.noxarchaist.com   “I greatly look forward to exploring this realm!” –Lord British, Creator of Ultima “I can’t wait to play this game on my Apple IIgs!” –Rebecca Heineman, Creator of Bards Tale III   Click here to back Nox Archaist today and help make this project a reality!

– One of the simplest cards I’ve ever used, just connect and run! For a long time, the Apple II has enjoyed a plethora of hardware that extends, connects, and enhances it. Among them, speed accelerators have been sought and venerated. The Apple IIe had a few of them: the TransWarp, Titan, Speed Demon, Zip Chip, and Rocket Chip. These products have not been manufactured for 30+ years and hence they are sometimes expensive and hard to obtain, leaving some…

8Bitdo has started shipping the Apple II-compatible bluetooth gamepad from their Kickstarter. Over on the Assembly Lines Video Podcast, Chris Torrence has a video review of the new controller. He shows how to hook the gamepad up to both a modern Mac/PC and also an Apple ][+, //e or IIc. Does the AP40 live up to its hype? Check out the video and find out!

Brutal Deluxe Software announces the maintenance release of i’m fEDD up, their copy/preservation utility program. Now at version 2.2, the program can export 5.25″ disk bitstreams in a .FDI file. If you own an Apple IIgs, the copy process runs in a single pass. A faster copy means more chance to reliably preserve track sync’ed titles. For easier convenience, the prefix command displays all files and is able to delete unlocked binary files to make room on your destination volume….

The Apple II computers are still very popular among retro hobbyists, but one of the problems some people face is the availability of video display options when their CRT fails. There are still some TVs that accept composite video, but sometimes the display is fuzzy or the colors are inaccurate. Then 80 column display becomes a nightmare, as much of these screens are not clear enough. A2Heaven sent me a pre release of their new product: the Apple II VGA…

The Kit is the user installable version of the Universal PSU, and the Upgrade is the service UltimateMicro performs for the user.  We also have a KFEST deliverable option and special show price.  We’re still not sure about holding an informal session, possibly during SolderFest to assist in upgrades, but we’re working on those details and looks like it will happen. The Universal PSU Kit is designed to be installed in your existing Apple II or /// Power Supply Enclosure…

This month on Open Apple we sit down with David Schroeder, author of classic Apple II games such as Crisis Mountain, Dino Eggs, and Short Circuit. We talk about the randomness of our passionate brand-loyalty, the logistical realities of early Apple II development, and the magical era of “one-person, one-game”. We get into a lot of the technical details of Crisis Mountain and Dino Eggs, so you might pick up some tips for your own Apple II projects! David also has great memories of…

I just received an Apple //c VGA adapter from Пламен Вайсилов, a prolific Apple II hardware creator. This adapter has a button that lets you switch between video modes: color, green, mono and mono-white. also simulates scanlines in all those modes. Check the video. At the time of this post there has not been pricing and availability announced, keep checking Apple II heaven site. Also important to mention is that this is only NTSC, a PAL version is on the…

The famous Mockingboard sound card for the Apple II has been cloned and is available from Ultimate Micro.  Besides being a 100% compatible clone and featuring stereo music and a 6-voice sound synthesizer, the board has been updated with a 3.5mm audio jack and a computer speaker input.            

On Episode 106 of the RCR Podcast, Earl, Carrington, Paul and Ken discuss the Host’s Topic: “Second Chances:” If we had a time machine – What do you wish you’d done “back in the day” in the computing world, and is there a chance you can catch up and do it now in the retrocomputing hobby? Also on the show the team discusses Kfest, the bounty of IIgs related news that has recently been announced, more Kfest, some Retro Challenge results, some more…

After I gave a presentation on Retrobrite at KansasFest, people asked me to write about the process, never wrote about Retrobrite as there are so many articles and videos on the internet but finally found some time to write about it. There are many ways to Retrobrite.  I avoid submerging because it’s a waste of peroxide, and maybe toxic for the environment, also don’t wrap in plastic as it allows areas to wrinkle and get more concentrated than others, promoting…

Once again I converted a 15″ Apple Color Monitor IIe to a modern display, using a 15″ color LCD screen. I had to cut lots of plastic from the front plastic panel of the IIe monitor, but didn’t compromise the integrity of the plastics and locking mechanism. To solve the main issue – the curved screen, I added a black cardboard pieces to close the gaps with the flat screen. after several tries found it was the best approach keeping…

Back in 2012, I bought an Apple //c to mod it put a G4 inside. When I started cleaning it, I went online to do some drive alignment, chip reseating and general restoration. That’s when I stumbled upon Retr0bright. First I had some trouble finding xantam gum, so i settled for Arrowroot. Waited for a weekend and on a Saturday, I lay down all the parts on the sun for a full day. The parts were so yellow, that I…